This magnificent Elizabethan hall was built by the formidable Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, more usually known as Bess of Hardwick, the most powerful and wealthiest woman after Queen Elizabeth I during her reign. The story of Bess is as fascinating as the hall she commissioned (she was greatly interested in architecture) and had the …
Castleton is a lovely little village situated in the High Peak. The Dark Peak is to the north and the White Peak to the south. It has something completely unique as its claim to fame. It is the only place in the world where the semiprecious stone, Blue John, can be found. It’s pretty much …
What could be better than a short break away from home to rest, relax and celebrate a birthday? The destination was The Stables, a holiday cottage in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is located in a small village called Brandesburton, not far from Beverley or Hornsea. The Stables was one of two properties, both …
Matlock Bath is a very peculiar little town. Situated in Derbyshire, it models itself on a seaside town. It has, in fact, everything you’d expect to find in a seaside town. Except there’s no sea. The river running down the edge is the closest you’ll get. It’s sometimes jokingly referred to as Derbyshire-on-Sea. It was …
Having a visit to Chesterfield gives you the opportunity to see something completely unique. The Crooked Spire. There are other twisted spires in Europe. Possibly 60 at least . The spire of the church of St Mary’s and All Saints was supposed to be one of them. But the spire buckled and leant, becoming the …
Why Go to Kyoto? Japan is an island nation- an archipelago on the edge of a large land mass, as we are. For most of its history it has been very isolated and developed on a very different track. This makes for a good bit of compare and contrast. Kyoto is the ancient capital of …
Kolkata is chaotically busy, incredibly poor, horrifically polluted, wonderful place to visit . Be on your guard at all times. Always keep your money in a safe place and phone out of reach. Emirates may be more expensive to fly with but there are no direct flights in, and changing planes in a quiet space …
This is a long way removed from the sort of thing I’d usually do, but I do like to try something different every now and again. I was planning on giving Chesterfield canal a go last year, but the drought meant that no water could be spared from the river to fill the canal. Run …
We have just been on our first cruise, and we chose to go to Norway. Apparently, it is the favourite destination for most first- time cruisers, according to our Travel Agent. We booked through a Travel Agent to make sure that we got the best deal and had all the necessary paperwork. It was very easy …
Based just outside Leicester and within easy reach off the M1, the National Space Centre is a great day out, especially for children (although the 60 year old child enjoyed it almost as much as his boys). This was the first space centre to be based outside the US. The idea was conceived by a …
