From April to June, Combermere Abbey in South Cheshire opens its doors to the public for guided tours of its beautiful manor house. I recently joined one of those tours for a fascinating insight into the history of this remarkable estate and how the current mansion came to look the way it does. Read on for my thoughts on the…
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I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve visited Speke Hall over the last 8 years since it became my most local National Trust property. I’ve seen it in all seasons and all weathers and I still love returning. However, with the current Coronavirus situation I knew this visit would be very different…
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The iconic image of the city of Wakefield is the cathedral’s spire as it is visible from all over the city and from miles around. Yet there are many that are unaware that Wakefield is even a city, let alone that it has a cathedral. It certainly doesn’t rank high amongst the UK’s most popular cathedrals when…
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A new year and lots of new things to look forward to… But it’s also that time of year when you look back over the previous year and take stock: what happened – the good and the bad. There’s plenty of 2019 that I’m glad to see the back of including lots of ill health. However…
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Although I have my favourite places to walk amongst fallen leaves, I always like to visit somewhere new during autumn. It’s the season when our landscape turns all shades of orange, red and gold and I just love it! I’ve previously visited England’s Herefordshire woodlands during autumn, in particular Queenswood Country Park and Arboretum which…
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Oh 2019, you came around so quickly… I don’t know where the end of 2018 disappeared to and now its half way through January! It does mean one thing however: it’s time to look back at what I’ve been up to throughout the year. This time last year I wrote about my Top…
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I recently had the pleasure of dining at Barristers Restaurant at The Courthouse in Knutsford after been invited along to try out the new winter’s menu. Being December, it was a fabulously festive treat without being another Christmas dinner. The food was delicious and the setting luxurious. Disclaimer: I was invited to review the new winter’s menu and…
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Autumn is definitely here to stay – the fleeces, scarves and boots are out and the heating is set to come on for when we wake up (yes, I’ve finally done that for the first time since April!) But while I’m planning autumnal walks amongst crisp fallen leaves while collecting conkers, I’m taking a look…
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As the Worcester Stands Tall giraffe sculpture trail enters its final weekend of a 10 week run in the UK city of Worcester, I look back on how exciting my trip exploring the trail and the area was. Without a doubt, the greatest joy about these kinds of sculpture trails for me is how they introduce you to a city…
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Sculpture trail season has started in earnest with birds and animals flooding in to various cities around the UK like Noah’s animals to the ark. July has seen penguins take to the streets of Dundee, giraffes to Worcester, hares to Norwich, bees to Manchester, owls to Bath and Wallace and Gromit characters to Bristol. But if you’re going…
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It’s taken me 7 years of regularly visiting the North East of England to finally visit Penshaw Monument. It’s situated high on a hill overlooking the city of Sunderland in the county of Tyne & Wear. From my usual base in Hartlepool where I have family, I regularly explore County Durham. I’ve seen Penshaw Monument from…
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The phrase “You Learn Something New Every Day” springs to mind when I think of my trip to the Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston. But actually it was more like ‘many things’! Who knew Preston was the birthplace of the UK’s motorway network? The creator of teetotalism? Home to the tallest church in England that…
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