Arrival Less than three full days after the end of our whisky-themed road trip in Scotland, Bruce and I were travelling again from our respective homes in Bristol and Edinburgh,
Tag: Museum / Gallery
August 2021: Belfast
Introduction Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, one of two entities created in the 1921 partition of Ireland. Formed from six out of the nine traditional
August 2021: Manchester
Introduction This is the first of five posts relating to a ten-day trip that started in mid-August, 2021. In line with normal practice, the trip also involved my Bristol-based friend
July 2021: Jupiter Artland
Jupiter Artland is a modern sculpture park set in the grounds of Bonnington House, a 19th-century country house near Wilkieston, West Lothian. There is a half-hourly bus service (Lothian Country
June 2021: London in Summer (Part 1)
Exactly two weeks after arriving home from a 3-week trip to England, I was off again for a follow-up visit to London. And why not?! It was still only my
England Grand Tour (2021): Day 17: Bletchley Park & St Albans
Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is a country house and estate which is now within the boundaries of Milton Keynes, the largest town in Buckinghamshire. It became the main centre for
England Grand Tour (2021): Days 12-15: Based in Bristol & On the Road once more
Day 12: Tuesday The day began with another complimentary Hilton breakfast, and we both reverted to the ‘full English’ option. In due course, we took the Central Line from Holland
England Grand Tour (2021): Day 10: A London Sunday ‘Wellcome’
Today began with a well executed and Covid-compliant breakfast at the ‘Hilton Ken’, as we had taken to calling it. Bruce and I both opted for a slimmed-down cooked option.
England Grand Tour (2021): Day 6: Portsmouth
The day started with an inclusive breakfast at the Hilton, which made a nice change from coffee-shop fare. We had beautifully clear blue skies for our day trip to Portsmouth,
April 2021: Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
Preamble Before proceeding to the destination, I couldn’t help noting that on the last day of April 2021, I was making my first train journey of the year – an
December 2020: Christmas Cheer(s) in London
Arrival The last trip of 2020, and for an as yet indeterminate period thereafter, was once again to London. Outbound travel was on Sunday 13 December. The first two nights
October 2020: Northern Portugal (Part 6): Coimbra
Coimbra is a city of around 145,000 people, situated 125km south of Porto. A three-night stay there formed the second part of our trip to northern Portugal. Coimbra is Portugal’s
October 2020: Northern Portugal (Part 4): Vila Nova de Gaia
As previously mentioned, the urban area south of the Douro and opposite Porto is officially a separate city: Vila Nova de Gaia (“New Town of Gaia”), or simply Gaia. It’s
October 2020: Northern Portugal (Part 3): Porto
With a city population of 240,000 and a metropolitan area that is home to 1.7 million people, Porto is Portugal’s second city. Its ancient name, Portus Cale, may even be
October 2020: Northern Portugal (Part 2): The Douro Valley
Our second full day in northern Portugal was dedicated to another day trip. The Douro Valley is one of the world’s oldest winegrowing regions and is a UNESCO World Heritage
October 2020: Athens (Part 6): City Centre Roundup
Thursday On returning to the city from Aegina on Thursday, we had time to fit in a visit to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, also known as EMST. This
October 2020: Athens (Part 2): Acropolis & Museum
Monday The transition from weekend to new week brought a move from ‘settling in’ to serious sightseeing. Top of the list were the city’s most popular attractions: the Acropolis and
September 2020: Two Galleries and a Georgian House
That’s what I managed to clock up over just two days in September, albeit two days that were separated by a weekend. Scottish National Gallery (Friday 11-Sep) The Scottish National