recent blogs

salts mill : saltaire : yorkshire

salts mill : saltaire : yorkshire

It turns out Christmas Eve was just about the most perfect time to visit Salts Mill, in Saltaire, on our way up to the North East for our festive break Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, like the very beautiful Port Sunlight on The Wirral, Saltaire was an industrial...

the falstaff : canterbury : kent : england

the falstaff : canterbury : kent : england

When we drive back to England, we tend to do a much needed stopover in the south-east after the ferry crossing from Calais. This year, we plumped for The Falstaff in Canterbury, which, according to its website – …has been a focus for hospitality in Canterbury for over...

riley’s fish shack : tynemouth : northumberland

riley’s fish shack : tynemouth : northumberland

Although it’s been a while since I lived in the North East, we do still get to experience it when we visit family. It’s become a bit of a tradition that we do a bracing post-Christmas walk, usually on the coast, and this year was no exception. On the day after Boxing...

london : england

london : england

Not too long ago, when we still lived in Didsbury, we often thought about having time away in London, but never got round to it, because, well – London was just too far away from Manchester. The traffic would be awful. We’d end up sitting on the M6 or the M25. It was...

whitby : north yorkshire

whitby : north yorkshire

Split by the River Esk, Whitby is one of my favourite spots on the Yorkshire coast. I always seem to have visited in the winter months, and although I am sure spring and summer are glorious (mostly!) – my impression of Whitby is of brooding and dramatic skies, and...

road trip : september 18

road trip : september 18

We’ve made a few trips back to England since we moved out to Istria, and we’ve just completed our second road trip. Driving is definitely not the quickest way to get back, but it’s surprisingly less stressful than flying. And especially landing in a UK airport....

angel of the north : gateshead : england

angel of the north : gateshead : england

We're big fans of Anthony Gormley's sculptures and whenever back in Formby, visiting relatives, we take a trip over to Crosby Beach and walk amongst the Iron Men statues, when the tide is out. So, on our recent Christmas trip back to the north east, we decided to get...