Brecon Beacons, Wales

EVER wandered what the difference is between a full Welsh breakfast and a ​​full English breakfast? Well, the Welsh version comes with a side dish of live singing. That was our experience, anyway, when we spent the weekend with Stephen and Lynne Groves at their B&B in the small market town of Talgarth, ‘’the jewel…

Rudding Park, Harrogate, Yorkshire

It was a freezing February evening but for once my bald head was not in need of any woolly protection. I was relaxing under the stars in the hydrotherapy infinity pool at Rudding Park hotel, near the Yorkshire gem of Harrogate, its jets gently pummelling my back. The steam from the water was making little…

UnB&Believable facts and figures

Britain’s 25,000 B&Bs are today (March 24) celebrating the renaissance of their £2 billion ‘’cottage industry’’. It’s the inaugural National B&B Day and the small, independent accommodation providers are uniting to mark their vital role in the UK’s cultural life, ahead of what could be a bumper summer. The concept of a reliable, comfortable place…

Northumberland

It was like a scene from the classic but gory animated film Watership Down… A large family of rabbits were happily hopping about and munching the grass around our holiday home when suddenly a cat appeared. The rabbits scattered into the bushes but one baby bunny was too slow and was last seen flailing in…

Lake District (review published 2016)

Want the fun of a trampoline and a high ropes course without the fear of bouncing / falling to the ground? The answer to your prayers lies at a UK first attraction in the Lake District. Treetop Nets, near Windermere, is a mix of giant trampolines, bridges, walkways, slides and tunnels all made from ropes…

Whitchurch, Shropshire (review published 2015)

I was promised the “ultimate all over body experience” that would leave me “walking on cloud nine”. And it would last a mind-blowing 90 minutes. What man the wrong side of 40 could say no to that? My “Top To Toe Ocean Radiance” treatment took place in the wellbeing spa at the Macdonald Hill Valley…

Snowdonia (review published 2015)

It was full steam ahead on a journey back in time during our long weekend in Snowdonia. The Caffery clan spent both the Saturday and the Sunday enjoying the Welsh national park’s magnificent scenery from the gleaming carriages of two great little railways. First up was the The Welsh Highland Railway, a 25-mile track between…

Snowdonia, Wales (review published 2014)

It’s a tale to melt the heart of every dog owner. One day back in the 13th century, the Welsh prince Llywelyn The Great went hunting, leaving his faithful hound Gelert at the palace with his baby son. On Llywelyn’s return, Gelert joyfully sprang into his master’s arms – but his jaws were smeared with…

Kent (review published (2013)

After a tiring day running around after my two-year-old bundle of energy I felt justified in kicking back with a couple of beers. Not only were the drinks justified, they were highly appropriate because our Kent holiday home for the week was a converted oast house. A 19th century invention, oasts were designed for drying…