Tag: England

A Day in Dulwich

The world’s first purpose-built art gallery, Ernest Shackleton’s boat, an old college, an American Garden and a lovely high street. I found plenty to see and do when I spent a day in Dulwich recently.

One of the things I’m trying to do when I visit London is to see more than just the usual tourist areas. Having lived there for over ten years (though not all in one go) I feel I know the city pretty well and I know that there’s plenty to see and do outside of the West End. I also know that there are still lots of areas well worth exploring that I’ve yet to visit. Continue reading “A Day in Dulwich”

A Day in Walthamstow

What do William Morris, Europe’s longest street market, an ancient house and 26,000 burials have in common? They’re all found in Walthamstow.

London is far more than just the West End. If you’re visiting and you have more than a couple of days, or if it’s not your first visit and so you’ve already been to Madame Tussaud’s and the Tower of London, then it’s well worth exploring a bit further than the usual Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Covent  Garden circuit.

Hop on a tube or bus and get out into the surrounding towns and suburbs. They are all so different and have their own characters and sub-cultures, and as there’re always plenty of interesting things to do and places to eat, not only will you have a great day, but you can go home and say you’ve seen a bit of the ‘real London’ too. Continue reading “A Day in Walthamstow”

A Rainy Saturday in Wolverhampton

I hadn’t planned on spending a rainy Saturday in Wolverhampton, but as I did I may as well tell you about it. Then you don’t have to. Unless you really want to of course.

I hadn’t planned on spending a rainy Saturday in Wolverhampton.

I hadn’t actually planned on visiting Wolverhampton at all.

I probably would have got there at some point as part of my unofficial mission to visit all the random cities of the UK that no-one really goes to, but it hadn’t been my intention to go there this weekend. Continue reading “A Rainy Saturday in Wolverhampton”

Is Craven Arms Shropshire’s Best Kept Secret?

A sign about mammoths lured me into this little town I’d never heard of.

Why have I never heard of this town before?

I had no intention of going there (obviously, as I’d never heard of it), but ended up spending two nights. Continue reading “Is Craven Arms Shropshire’s Best Kept Secret?”

Ludlow in a Day

From eggs to aliens – my day in the Shropshire town of Ludlow.

Ludlow is known as a foodie destination. I wasn’t that impressed with the food side of things, but did find plenty to keep me interested on the day I spent there as part of my A49 road trip.

First up was the Ludlow Food Centre. This is slightly outside Ludlow itself along the A49 in Bromfield. Continue reading “Ludlow in a Day”

A Castle Themed Road Trip

My recent road trip took me down the A49 and into Wales. I saw a lot of castles.

Look at a map showing the route the A49 takes through the county of Shropshire and you’ll spot a whole lot of castle symbols. The county is absolutely packed to the brim with castles.

The Shropshire tourism website claims the county has 32 castles plus 25 hillforts and quite a few abbeys and monasteries. Continue reading “A Castle Themed Road Trip”

Road Tripping the A49

I’m sure there are more glamorous roads to take a road trip along and there are definitely more famous ones, but I’m also sure I’m not going to be the first person to trip the A49.

Where? What?

In the UK roads are labelled with the letters M, A and B with a number following the letter. Unless they’re really tiny in which case they may have a name, but they don’t have a label.  Continue reading “Road Tripping the A49”

People’s History Museum, Manchester

The People’s History Museum documents the history of ordinary working people with posters, banners and artifacts.

I’ve been to this museum a few times before, sometimes for talks and sometimes to just look around it. I always manage to learn something new.

This time I was looking around with a friend’s daughter who is currently studying in Manchester. As she was originally from Manchester, but moved away as a child, this was a good place to re-introduce her to her roots. Continue reading “People’s History Museum, Manchester”

A Photo Tour of the Trafford Centre

As I just happened to be near the Trafford Centre I thought I’d pop in and take some photos. This is the result.

Okay, so those of you who know the Trafford Centre well will be thinking, ‘What … ? She’s really scraping the barrel for things to write about now’.

But you’re wrong, I do have plenty of other things to write about. Continue reading “A Photo Tour of the Trafford Centre”