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…
The last thing I expected to stumble upon while exploring County Wicklow’s countryside was a walk-through birth canal (to put it politely). Nor did I expect to see several statues of the Hindu god Ganesh (one holding a pint of Guinness) or the world’s largest fasting Buddha (with a mobile phone tucked in his back…
With kisses goodbye and a ‘‘be good for nanny and grandad” we set off for our first night away from our two-year-old daughter. Anticipating a little parental anxiety, we’d booked a hotel not a million miles away from our Droitwich Spa home. In fact, it was only 10 miles away. Yet the peaceful Brockencote Hall,…
Diary of a beach babe, aged one and a half… little Cerys Caffery stays at Clifton Court, Putsborough, one of north Devon’s most desirable destinations… / Day 1: Arrived at our holiday home. Wow! This place is even cooler than Justin’s House off the telly! The open plan apartment overlooks Morte Bay and its brilliant…
The Somerset holiday resort of Weston-super-Mare has long been a favourite for Brummies and has even been dubbed ‘Birmingham-on-Sea’. But I’m backing a fresh contender for that title. My advice is to do a U-turn and instead of heading down the M5, try motoring up the M6, turning left before Liverpool. Using the quickest route,…
In Pitlochry the locals call the police if their garden gnome has blown over in the wind. Residents also alert the local constabulary if their washing machine breaks down and if the X Factor phone line is constantly engaged. That’s because even the tiniest of problems seem like emergencies when you live somewhere that’s virtually…
The picture-postcard Perthshire village of Kenmore has more than one claim to fame. Tiny in size but big on history, it boasts the oldest inn in Scotland and the oldest tree in Europe and has welcomed both Queen Victoria and the poet Robert Burns. It’s an idyllic, 18th century model village that’s almost an island,…
Nelson the one-eyed grey seal was a familiar sight in Looe harbour for more than 20 years. He was fed by the local fishermen and his company enjoyed by townsfolk and visitors alike, becoming something of a tourist attraction. Sadly, Nelson died in 2003 but five years later he made a miraculous return – in…
It’s ten years since Prince William met his future wife while they were both studying at St Andrews University. Being a romantic sort, I’m sure the heir to the throne will want to celebrate the milestone by whisking Catherine off for a quiet break back where their courtship began. And I’ve found just the place…
Avid readers of these travel pages may recall that my boating holidays are never without incident. There was the time when traffic backed up after someone (me) couldn’t work out how to raise the barriers at the Shirley drawbridge on the Stratford Canal. Then there was the time, near the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, when we…
Holidaying Hack 