Road trips, mountain walks and holidays

Late in May we went to relax for a weekend, the destination – SPA hotel in Buckinghamshire, England. Hotel name Crowne Plaza Marlow . For those who have been to SPA hotels in countries such as Latvia, Estonia , the Czech Republic or Hungary, a Spa hotel in England may seem different from what they use to imagine  about this kind of establishment, although overall things are not that bad. About Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire is a county in the south-east of England, but to make it clearer, it is located to the west from London. It borders Greater London to the south-east, Oxfordshire to the west and a few other counties in other directions. Because London is relatively close by, many people who work in London live in Buckinghamshire, making the region quite expensive to live in. In total, the county is home to just over 800,000 people and covers an area of less than 2,000 square kilometres. Buckinghamshire is the 32nd largest of England’s 48 territorial units (the largest being No...

This time I will start with a short summary. We were planning to go to Cornwall for at least seven years. It didn’t happen because it was quite far from Scotland – travel costs also played serious role. While living in the south of England we couldn’t do it in the beginning because there were many other places to go. We decided to go to Cornwall after listening to stories from others about how unique and beautiful it is. After the trip there, I can say one thing – the idea of visiting Cornwall could have been not the highest priority. Mainly because of associated costs. The cost of the trip was essentially at least the same as nice comfortable weekend in Rome . To be honest, the feeling and impressions after returning home from Rome were also better at the end. The value you get for the money you spend plays significant role here and for me it would be in favour of Italy. Roughly speaking, everything in Cornwall was about half as expensive as it should be based on my travel experience ...

This is about the second day in Cornwall. After the first day we went to the nearby local pub The Shire Inn for dinner before going to bed. It is about a 15-minute walk from the guest house we used for staying at night. The atmosphere and service were good, the food and the local Cornish beer were also delicious – just like in a gastropub. The bill surprised me a bit though – they know how to use supposedly normal prices in such a way that at the end you get a bill what is at least ten pounds more than expected. Minak Theatre In the morning, right after breakfast, we went to an interesting place – an amphitheatre built in the rocks, where real performances are held often. This place was a real surprise we got in Cornwall. The author and creator of the theatre idea was a local woman, Rowena Cade. The name Minak (meynek in the local language) means rocky place. The woman started creating theatre in the thirties of the last century. Minack Theatre is located in the very south of the pe...

Every respectful tourist destination offers travellers a wide variety of entertainment, from exhibitions, museums, and art galleries, to amusement parks and even shopping centres. After a while, something new has appeared in London and that place is worth visiting - Battersea Power Station. And this site is not even included in many tourist guides yet One of the well-known categories of these objects is landmarks. Along such famous landmarks as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Colosseum in Rome the Battersea Power Station looks quite impressive. The methods of building and presenting these objects as well as their offerings to visitors can be very different, but they have one thing in common - they are all well known internationally and become symbols of those places they are located. From the second half of 2023, a new object in London has been opened for viewing and visiting. Battersea Power Station complements such existing attractions as the Londo...

After a trip from Riga to Berlin by coach and from Berlin to Brussels by train on the second day of our trip, we woke up at the hotel in Brussels on the morning of the third day of our trip from Riga to London. We bought tickets for the Eurostar high-speed train well in advance, the departure was scheduled for early afternoon, so we had a relaxing breakfast without any hurry and then spent our time lazy on the ground floor of the hotel. The first two days of our trip were quite exhausting and we did not want to visit any city sites before leaving Brussels. Brussels Brussels is the capital of Belgium, although it often means the European Union and its institutions. It also houses other important institutions, such as the Benelux Secretariat and NATO headquarters. About 1.2 million people live in Brussels. It is interesting to note that, although the city is considered to be French-speaking, it is part of the Flemish part of Belgium, forming an enclave. Until the end of the 19th century,...

This blog was written a few years ago but I’m leaving it here just to remember and remind you and also myself how it all went wrong around the world not that long ago. Travelling to the country on the yellow list In June 2021 we had to go from the UK to Italy; at that time Italy was on the yellow travel list and only essential travel to those countries was allowed. Now, about a month later, some rules, for example, regarding self-isolation for double-jabbed travellers, have changed. However, the basics still are the same and I was thinking that this information may be useful for others travelling from the UK to and returning from any yellow list country. I did a lot of research to find out what is required in practice and how to save some money by finding cheaper test providers. Of course, at the first instance, I recommend following Government guidance, in particular foreign travel advice, which is being updated regularly. This blog is more about my findings and practical tips to make...

This blog is the second part about experiences during our trip to Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on procedures before and after return. Travelling to the UK from a country on the yellow list In June 2021 we had to go from the UK to Italy; at that time Italy was on the yellow travel list and only essential travel to those countries was allowed. So, we had to follow tough rules upon our return including tests and self-isolation. Since then, some rules have changed and, for example, there may be no self-isolation requirement for those who are double jabbed. However, I would always recommend checking the latest Government guidance and in particular foreign travel advice, which is being updated regularly and changing often depending on the situation in each country. Rules to enter the UK We had to have proof of a negative COVID-19 test before travelling to England from Italy. The test had to be taken in the 3 days before the departure from Italy. Fortunately, the rapid antig...

In short, Devon is a county located in the Southwest of England and lies between Cornwall and Somerset; it also has a short border with Dorset in the southeast. Devon has an area of 6,707 square kilometres and has a population of a bit more than one million people. Interesting fact – Devon is slightly bigger than the State of Palestine and is more than 20 times bigger than the smallest EU member state Malta. The biggest city is Exeter, however, Devon is very well known because of its seaside towns located on the English Channel coast. During the summer, many holidaymakers go to such nice and popular places as Torquay and Dartmouth.  However, we decided to head even more to the south of Devon and visited Bigbury on Sea and Hope Cove during a weekend in September. Both Bigbury on Sea (located not far from Plymouth) and Hope Cove are located in the South Hams district. Getting there The fastest way to get there (assuming that you come from a place located more to the north) is to driv...

There are so many places to visit in Dorset. This is another post about a day out near Bournemouth. One Sunday, we got plenty of sunshine and decided to go to the south-eastern part of the Isle of Purbeck – some 20 miles (30 kilometres) from Poole. It could have been less if we decided to use Sandbanks Ferry (it would only be about 12 miles away), however, we decided to drive by car. Durlston Country Park and National Nature Reserve We intended to have a little Sunday hike, so we went directly to Durlston Country Park parking. The only way to get there is to drive through Swanage because that is the only road to access the country park and when you reach it that also is the end of that road. The good news is that they have a nice parking lot and prices are reasonable. For example, if you only wish to visit the castle and the Great Globe, one hour would be enough and parking would cost you £2; parking is located next to the castle. If you wish to have a little walk along the coast and o...

Visiting Plymouth Plymouth is a coastal city located on the South coast of England between Devon (South Hams district) and Cornwall. It has a population of about 260 thousand people being a relatively small city; it got city status in 1928. We decided to visit Plymouth because of two major reasons – Plymouth Gin Distillery and National Marine Aquarium. I shall say straight away that as it appeared, Plymouth is even nicer than we could imagine – it looked very clean and cosy, people we met there were friendly and nice. Getting there One of the disadvantages of visiting Plymouth is its remote location. Plymouth is located about 200 miles (350 kilometres) from London and if you have a car may be reached in about four hours. If you go by public transport, it may take even less time from London Paddington station if you get a direct Great Western train. There are a lot of parking spaces around the city centre, although you are allowed to park for only up to two hours at some of them. We de...

Visiting Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset We have visited Abbotsbury Swannery twice; the first time at the end of March and the second time at the beginning of May when new swans and other birds just had the first new babies born. Either of the visits was nice and we would go there again even just to have a nice walk around and enjoy this peaceful relaxing place in the company of these amazing creatures. The Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks in the 11th century where they farmed the swans to produce food – how practical! They say that the Abbotsbury Swannery is home to the world’s only managed colony of nesting mute swans, although that is not the only thing you will find there. From the entrance gate, you will have to walk almost one kilometre (about 2,400 feet) to reach the colony of swans; free car parking is located in front of the entrance. On the way to Swannery, you will find other attractions such as a labyrinth and a small ricing arena where usage of pedal-driven mea...

West Dorset About an hour's drive from Bournemouth to the west there is a really beautiful small town West Bay . The trip itself is very nice because West Dorset has amazing scenery; on almost all routes you will drive up and down hills. Sometimes, from the top of the hills, you can see the English Channel and even the coastline. West Bay is a small resort town, located to the south of Bridport, about 15 miles from Weymouth, with its own pier, harbour, marina and tourist attractions for visitors of all ages. There are many guest houses, hotels, self-catering cottages, apartments and camping parks in and around West Bay. The area is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site; the whole length of the Jurassic Coast coastline is almost 100 miles (154 kilometres). The history of the town started when a railway was extended from Bridport to Bridport Harbour in 1884; the new harbour station was named West Bay. Soon after that, they started building villas and houses to attract tou...

Visiting London The capital of England and the United Kingdom London has many interesting and even unique sites, but I will start with bridges. There are 24 bridges across the River Thames in London . The oldest is London Bridge, which was made from wood initially, but afterwards rebuilt in 1209, 1831 and 1973. Probably, the most famous is Tower Bridge, which was built in 1894 and is known around the world. One of the most interesting bridges, in my opinion, is the Millennium Bridge which is a pedestrian bridge, connecting St. Paul Cathedral and the Tate Modern Art Gallery. A very beautiful scene appears if you look at the bridge from the art gallery to St. Paul Cathedral. However, you can cross the river using any of the other bridges (except a few railway bridges) and every time panoramic view will be different and equally interesting. Parks and gardens Despite being a large city, London is very green. There are lots of small gardens and large parks even in the city centre. The larg...