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Category: England

All posts relating to England

Relax at The Welcombe Spa

I can’t think of a better way to beat the January post-Christmas blues than to head to a spa for a treatment or two and a day of pure relaxation! So, on a recent 3 day stay at The Welcombe, a Hallmark Hotel just north of Stratford-upon-Avon, my Mum and I spent a day in their…

Christmas at Gordon Rigg Garden Centre, West Yorkshire

Garden Centres are great places aren’t they? Cream teas and coffee catch-ups, gifts and local artisan products. I rarely go to buy compost, plants or anything for my actual garden. As a child I used to get dragged round a variety of garden centres by my parents as they searched for the perfect bulbs or garden tools. Only…

Walk: Southport to Ainsdale Sands

If you’re not lucky enough to live by the sea, I can imagine that you’d want to save your precious days off to visiting a coastal destination during the warmer summer months. But why should the summer months claim all our visits? On a beautifully bright winter’s day the coast can be at its most alluring…

Georgia O’Keeffe Exhibition at Tate Modern, London

Back in 2016, Tate Modern held an impressive Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition. There are no paintings by O’Keeffe in any British collection, so this was an exciting opportunity to see a major collection of her work all in one place. Note: Photography was not permitted in this exhibition so all my images are taken from the official Tate…

Walking the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail in North Yorkshire

For many years, I’d heard people talk about the impressive Ingleton waterfalls, and like many things in life once I’d finally experienced them for myself, I couldn’t believe I’d not walked the trail sooner. There is a well known trail that takes in all the waterfalls in Ingleton, situated on the Western edge of the Yorkshire…

Millennium Galleries: Sheffield

The Millennium Galleries in Sheffield are one of the three galleries that make up the Museums Sheffield Charity and a must on any Sheffield itinerary. On my visit last week, I spent a fair bit of time exploring the many small galleries that make up the museum and was impressed with the variety of exhibitions on and their pertinence to…

Haigh Hall and Country Park

Haigh Hall and Country Park When I visited Haigh Country Park in Wigan, Lancashire last week, I have to say I was a bit perturbed by all the disruption currently happening at the site. For regular visitors this wouldn’t be off-putting as they would have been aware of the undergoing work, but for newbies like myself: please look…

The 8 Treasures of Little Moreton Hall

Little Moreton Hall is the most perfect moated timber framed manor house in Britain and probably the most famous. It was built bit by bit between the 1440’s and 1580’s and offers free guided tours. However, I recommend just wandering around by yourself which is ideal for engrossing oneself in the structure of the building. You’ll see…

The Rural Beauty Spots of East Cheshire

We are all guilty of being wooed by foreign climbs, spending our holidays travelling abroad, especially in the UK where our unpredictable climate makes us sun-seek. We neglect what’s literally on our doorstep! I’ve always lived in Cheshire and for the most part East Cheshire. I spent lots of holidays travelling to the Lake District or North…

Walking to The Halo Sculpture, Lancashire

Walking up to The Halo sculpture involves a short but steep exhilarating walk that packs a punch and features a weird and wonderful sculpture with a superb panoramic view. If you’re visiting the Rossendale valley in Lancashire, or somewhere nearby, I can highly recommend you stop off in Haslingden and check out its quirky flying saucer called The Halo…

Exploring Hartlepool and County Durham

I regularly visit the north east coast of England as my husband’s family hails from the coastal town of Hartlepool. Despite countless trips, I rarely explore much of the area as we tend to spend most of our time catching up with family and friends that still live there. However, one such trip in 2016, we decided to spend…