Honister Slate Mine

The weather was lovely in the morning and I spent it in Pitlochry, walking do the River Tummel and viewing the Dam and Salmon Ladder.  The dam is part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme, which is an interconnected network of dams, power stations, aqueducts and electric power transmission.  I took the photo of the…

On our middle day we had a day out in Peel on the west coast of the IOM. It is a beautiful town with a lovely harbour and historic castle. Within the castle walls there is a cathedral, St German of Man, which was originally inside the walls of Peel Castle and was built sometime…

For my annual Somerset holiday, I stayed again in 2022 at Lookout Lodge in East Harptree, Northeast Somerset, on the north facing slope of the Mendips, looking out towards Chew Valley Lake. The holiday accommodation is on the same site as the Viewing Platform. This was the last remaining WW2 cabin existing in the UK…

Thanks to our organisers our arrangements for our first Leyland U3A holiday went flawlessly – it was even arranged the added excitement of our coach to Liverpool airport getting a puncture just before Charnock Richard services.  We were able to pull in to the services and a replacement coach came within 30 minutes and we…

This, below, is the view over Chew Valley Lake from the approach road to Nettwood farm where I was staying for the week, commencin Friday, at my usual Lookout Lodge. The featured image shows the Alpcas, which are in the adjoining field and come up to the fence of Lookout lodge and look and sniff…

On day three we visited the La Mare Vineyard La Mare Wine Estate in the parish of St Mary at the north of the island.  It is set in the peaceful grounds of a traditional 18th-century Jersey granite farmhouse and covers 25-acres.  Our guide, Bob, showed us the rows of vines and told us that…