Travel and Holiday News & Reviews

Challenge your Endurance at the Freshpak Fitness Festival in Clanwilliam

Posted on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Fitness and outdoor enthusiasts can now enter for the 23rd annual Freshpak Fitness Festival which takes place on Saturday, 3 October 2009 in Clanwilliam. Swimmers, runners, cyclists and their families can test their endurance and participate in the variety of sporting activities that the popular Freshpak Fitness Festival offers. This is a great way for [...]

Belize Trip Review – Sharples Family – Surrey, England – July 2009

Posted on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Add the Belize Jungle Dome to your list of Tropical Vacation Destinations

Posted on Sunday, July 19th, 2009

Vermont Historic Southwestern Region is a Traveler’s Delight

Posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009

Belize City Flights to Cancun, Mexico

Posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009

Lanercost and King Edward

Posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009

One realtively well known fact around here is that way back in medieval times Lanercost Priory was, for a short time, the centre of government for the UK. However the circumstances around this are less well known.

The King at the time was Edward 1st….and we have been reading the biography by Marc Morris

” A great and terrible King”

Anyway…this is how he came to Lanercost.

It was 1307 and the King was at the end of his life…he had been earning his nick name as the “hammer of the scots”. August 1306 saw him travelling across Northumberland and staying at Hexham Abbey. From here progress westward was slow but eventually the retinue reached Lanercost. Here they stayed as 1306 turned into 1307.

However reversals in the Scottish campaigns galvanized him and by Mid March 1307 he finally reached Carlisle. It was from here that he planned his next campaign. Even though seriously ill he rode out at the head of the hastily assembled army and headed for the Solway Firth.
However it took 10 days to cover 6 miles….a real sad indication of his health and on the 6th of July he stopped at Burgh by Sands. The next morning,a friday and the feast of St Thomas, he died.

Sir William Russell Flint., Bamburgh and Seahouses

Posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009

Reading a recent publication of North East Life we came across a mention about Sir William Russell Flint ( 1880 – 1969) a Scottish artist with great skill in water colours. He is quoted as saying
” No sands are more beautiful than those between Bamburgh and Seahouses on the Northumbrian coast”. He would stay in the Ship Inn and paint his nude models, undisturbed amongst the dunes along the beach.

Other famous residents include

William George Armstrong…he of Cragside fame.

Grace Darling of course

and Prideaux John Selby the Victorian ornithologist and naturalist.

Lanercost,self catering , history, and countryside.

Posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Lanercost is almost a forgotten gem set in the heart of the North Cumbrian countryside.

Just a few miles north of the market town of Brampton lies the

famous Priory founded in

1165.

As is usual for Cumbria a quick visit to Visit Cumbria shows the Priory both at ground level and from the viewpoint of aerial photography. English Heritage also have facts to add to the history.

But researching Lanercost on google also brought up the “chronicle of Lanercost” from 1272 – 1346.It’s long and quite dry but goodness me, the detail can be fascinating and allows us to start to see the true depth of the history in this part of the world. So if you want to consider self catering at or near to Lanercost just give us a call.

How was Hadrian’s Wall built?

Posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Alastair Moffat gives us this description of the basic construction

” The core of the Wall was filled by rubble,clay and soil laid between two outer skins of masonry.Lime mortar was used for bonding.”

He then talks about the evidence for lime kilns and the dangers of this production process.

Next question regards the height of the wall. At 4 metres high the Romans would have needed scaffolding or ladders. And then there were the mile castles and turrets which were even higher.

Experts are said to have estimated that over 150,000 metres of straight cut wooden poles would have been required.

So between 122 ans 123 AD there must have been an awful lot of trees which were felled.

A real change for the Northumberland landscape.

We are going to London… to party!!!

Posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

London is the party capital of the United Kingdom and has few rivals throughout Europe. Places like Madrid or Berlin try to compete with London when it comes to the partying and clubbing scene but they are not in the same league if you are looking for party hostels in Europe .
Let’s have [...]