For my first day in Portpatrick (Dumfries and Galloway) it was pouring down on the way up, especially through the lakes, but when I got within about 15 miles of Portpatrick, it stopped, became and remained blue sky for the rest of my holiday. As can be seen from the featured image my hotel was…
In late June I travelled to Thorney in Cambridgeshire, home of one branch of my ancestry, since my tenth great grandfather d’Isaac Sigié moved there, probably from Leiden in Holland, in the mid 1600s to work to drain the fens. He was one of “The French” so called because of their dialect. They were –…
On our third day we went to Castletown and the Southern 100 motorcycle race – a lesser race than the Isle of Man TT but nevertheless very exciting. At the time we were there was an accident (with no serious injuries) which meant the final lap was abandoned. As it was on a coach tour…
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…
In July 2022 I went on a nostalgic coach tour holiday to the Isle of Man (IOM). It was where I met my dear late Scottish wife, Christeen, on holiday in July 1967, almost 55 years to the day – the first time I had been back. I and my brother, Rob (our other friend…
I was unable to get a decent photograph of the stone circle because of its size and I could not get any closer. They are situated in the small village of Stanton Drew, not too far from East Harptree where I stayed. It is the third largest complex of prehistoric standing stones in England. Unlike…
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…
During my annual holiday in Somerset in May 2022, I visited St James Church in Cameley – about 5 miles from my home village of Timsbury and on the edge of the Mendips. It has an impressive fifteenth-century tower built of red Mendip sandstone with a handsome parapet and the rest of the church built…
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…