Peter Burton's daily log, covering Peter's personal interests, e.g. jazz, travel and general grumpiness plus (occasionally) the business of Isomatic and its associate companies.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Musical Museum at Brentford
This morning Brian, who we meet at the Cricks, took us to the
The Musical Museum at Brentford. It was fascinating to be taken round by a volunteer who explained everything. It would have been hopeless without him.
Labels: Travel
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Touring Portugal
We have just returned from a tour of Portugal, staying in Lisbon, Porto, Belmonte, Evora and Monchique. The best value for money and the best view were both at the
Estalagem Abrigo da Montanha just up the road from Monchique to the highest peak in the Algarve. The pictures show the hotel and the view from our window. Our one full day in the Algarve was the only one with continual sunshine.
While in Porto we tried to visit Sandeman's Port Lodge but they turned us away as they had a party of Japanese visitors. We won't be buying any Sandeman products in future. We went to Graham's instead and were given a personal guide for just the two of us, a young British guy from Kensington who gave us an extended tasting. We bought 3 bottles and will continue to buy port from the
Symington Family, who own Graham, Dow, Warre, Smith Woodhouse, Gould Campbell, Quinta do Vesuvio, the Madeira Wine Company and now Cockburns.
Labels: Travel
Monday, March 24, 2008
Easter at Southbourne
We spent the Easter weekend at
The Commodore in Southbourne. Friday and Saturday were lovely sunny days with a bitterly cold wind then Sunday was dominated by rain. On friday evening we saw the Ron Davidge jazz band at the Cottonwood Hotel and on Saturday evening we danced to the music of keyboard player Brian Cox (pictured).
On Sunday we drove west to escape the rain and reached Lyme Regis in sunshine as pictured. The sun did not last as the warning clouds indicate.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Abbotsbury
Today we travelled to Abbotsbury in Dorset to track down our ISP, Abbotsbury Software AKA West Dorset Internet AKA Wessex Broadband. Having failed to find the premises, we went into Bellenies Bakehouse for coffee and cake and requested local knowledge. When we mentiond the company's proprietor was Tim Snape we received an instant response "oh yes, he's a local lad". This was followed by a quick telephone call, Tim's home number written down and I was offered the cordless 'phone because "mobiles don't work here".
Tim has been away in the USA but is back now and can hopefully clear my e-mail problems.
Labels: Internet, Travel
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Lunch at Bognor Regis
Today, we took a drive through the beautiful Surrey and Sussex countryside to the seaside town of Bognor Regis, made famous and then maligned by King George III. We parked the car by the gardens at Aldwick and walked along the promenade to well past the pier and back. It was very sunny and calm. Before returning to the car we had a nice lunch of plaice and chips in the bar of
The Royal Hotel (pictured), washed down with white wine (Selina) and a pint of bitter (me).
Labels: Travel
Friday, December 28, 2007
Touring Scotland
Apart from eating (excessively), drinking (sherry, wine and port) and sleeping (12 hours at one stretch) we continued to pass the time during the long Christmas week by booking a second touring holiday, this time in Scotland. Our itinerary is Ullswater, Loch Lomond (west), Mallaig, Balmacara, Loch Ness, Rannoch Moor, Loch Lomond (east) and Cheshire. The picture shows the trip down memory lane on our route;
The Balmacara Hotel.
I celebrated my 17th birthday in the bar of this hotel, where the locals insisted on proving there is nothing wrong with Scottish hospitality. I was staying at the youth hostel on the hill above and the warden considered my drunken rendering of 'The Road To The Isles' an insult to Scotland. Therefore I was given the worst job available the following morning as a punishment.
Labels: Travel
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Holiday in Portugal
We kept ourselves sane during the last two incredibly boring days of Christmas and Boxing Day by booking a touring holiday in Portugal for 2008. Our itinerary is Lisbon, Porto, Belmonte, Evora, Monchique (in the Algarve) and back to Lisbon. The picture shows one of the hotels on our route;
Castelo de Santa Caterina in Porto.
Labels: Travel
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Southbourne, Wick, Barton-on-Sea
Today we took a day trip to Dorset, driving through Burley in the New Forest and Christchurch to Southbourne, where we lunched at
The Commodore again. This time we both had steak and ale pie, which was the real thing; shortcrust pastry, made in the large and cut into slices. We sat at the next table from three Christians who were talking about their work in Malawi and Palestine. I wanted to ask them about the origins of the 'missionary position' but I was too inhibited.
After lunch we went for a walk by the River Stour from Wick to Tuckton bridge. The photograph is looking across the river from Wick to Christchurch Priory. We then drove to Barton-on-Sea where we had coffee at
The Pebble Beach bar and restaurant; recommended to all who like modern establishments.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Surrey drive; Burford Bridge Hotel
This morning we went for a drive through the beautiful Surrey countryside stopping for excellent coffee and shortbread at the Burford Bridge Hotel. It is now owned by
The Mercure Group but seems unchanged. Our outgoing route was via West Horsley, East Horsley, Green Dene, Ranmoor and West Humble (one-time home of novelist and royal court servant Fanny Burney). We returned via Dorking, Coldharbour, Abinger Common, Abinger Hammer, Gomshall and Newlands Corner (usually packed with visitors due to its fine views and walks).
Labels: Travel
Monday, November 05, 2007
Southbourne, Shaftesbury
On Sunday we took a day trip to Dorset, where glorious sunshine was the order of the day. After a walk along the promenade at Southbourne (first picture), we lunched at
The Commodore again (second picture). This time we tried the starters and the wine; both good.
After lunch we went to Shaftesbury but were disappointed to find our favourite teashop closed.
Labels: Travel
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Back to Bournemouth
Today we returned to the Bournemouth area, combining the collection of the coats we left behind on Thursday with collecting parts from two of our suppliers nearby. We lunched at
The Commodore in Southbourne. This was a nostalgia trip, reminding us of the times we stayed in Southbourne with a small child, when the Commodore seemed unsuitable. Now it is just our sort of place; ham egg and chips washed down with Ringwood Bitter. Delicious.
Labels: Travel
Thursday, September 20, 2007
EMC Seminar at AFC Bournemouth
Today we attended an EMC seminar at the conference facilities of Bournemouth Football Club. It was presented by EMC Projects, part of TRAC Global, and Wurth Elektronik, who manufacture components for EMC filtering. The presentations were very interesting but the room was very cold so during the lunch break I increased the temperature setting from 19 degrees C to 23 degrees C. We were quite warm by the time we left and forgot our coats !
Labels: Travel
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Golders Green
We spent half of Tuesday working at a customer's premises in Golders Green. We had not been there for decades but it seems unchanged; kosher restaurants, kosher food shops and lots of synagogues. The traffic was worse than ever but this might be just because of major roadworks.
Labels: Travel
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Summary of Ardennes tour
Our Ardennes tour was enjoyable and interesting for both location and history. The weather was fine every day, albeit starting with fog on some mornings. We planned and booked the whole trip on Boxing Day, using
Tiny BMI for flights and
Expedia for hotels. The flights were very cheap and on time. The hotels were all of a good standard. We had some trouble finding a car hire company who would provide a small vehicle with air-conditioning; rather important in August. Eventually we found
Sixt via
Economy Car Rentals, who advertised Ford Fiestas or Citroen C3s with A/C. However, all the small vehicles were out so we were given an Opel Zafira MPV (pictured) at the same price. This was far too large for us although it only became a nuisance in tight car parks, e.g. in Luxembourg City. The 6-speed gearbox, with a diesel engine, requires one to count the gears. 6th can only be used for cruising at speed and even 3rd was a cause of stalling in traffic.
Labels: Travel
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Namur; the Novotel at Wepion
Our last stop of our Ardennes tour was at Namur, or so we thought. The
Novotel Namur was at Wepion, well out on the Dinant road, miles from the town. There was nothing to do except walk along the Meuse and back, with nothing much to see on this section. The hotel rates were reasonable, the room was fine and the food was good within the limits of an abbreviated menu. The standard clientele would seem to be conference delegates so August is the 'off-season'.
We were not very impressed with Namur as we drove through it; perhaps we missed the best part ?
Labels: Travel
Monday, August 27, 2007
Habiemont Bridge, then Spa
Today we drove to the bridge over the Lienne near Habiemont where the initial thrust of the Battle of the Bulge by Kampfegruppe Peiper was finally stopped by the US combat engineers. As the lead German tank appeared, firing a round at that moment, the bridge was blown. Peiper himself is reported to have said 'The Dammed Engineers !' He never reached his objective of the Meuse. The picture shows Selina on the bridge.
We then drove on to
Spa, the first town to bear that name. We stayed at the
Radisson SAS Hotel, which advertised its own direct entrance to the new Thermes spa complex above. Without going into great detail let us just say that use of the spa facilities is far too complicated for a first-time user. We made countless mistakes and the spa staff were most unsympathetic. Our advice 'only go there with an experienced guide !'
Other than that the hotel, pictured below, is actually rather good.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Bastogne
Today we drove through the beautiful Luxembourg part of the Ardennes to
Bastogne, besieged by German troops during the Battle of the Bulge, defended by the US 101st Airborne Division. There is an excellent war museum there, with a film of the battle and lots of military artefacts of the time. Well worth a visit for anyone interested in WW2 history.
We had an interesting salad 'avec lardons' and an unusual/superb white wine outside a restaurant in the main street of the town. The central square is named after General McAuliffe who was acting commander of the US troops defending the town. He is reputed to have replied 'Nuts' to a German demand for surrender but I once heard that this is a euphemism for the language he actually used.
Labels: Travel
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Luxembourg, the Hilton Hotel
Today we arrived in
Luxembourg, staying two nights at
the Hilton Hotel on a hill at the outskirts of town. To stay there, you need a car, yet the town centre is not very car-friendly. Having found a parking place, making sure you have the right kind of money to pay for it (coins or possibly small notes), there are some great walks and sightseeing tours. The location is very dramatic, the town being built around a gorge, as shown in the picture.
The Hilton was OK in a rather bland way; the buffet was good but otherwise the food was uninspiring. There is no competition locally; alternative eating requires setting out in a vehicle.
Labels: Travel
Friday, August 24, 2007
Waterloo, Dinant, Hotel Ibis
Today we visited the
site of the battle of Waterloo; historically very interesting. We find it strange that the French seem to regard Napoleon Bonaparte as a great national hero. He was not French and he invaded other countries; just as Hitler invaded France. At Waterloo many countries came together to finally defeat Napoleon, after which he chose to surrender to the British, who wisely kept him on St Helena under guard until he died.
We then went on to
Dinant, a beautiful little town squeezed between the Ardenne rocks and the River Meuse. We stayed at the only real hotel in the town, the
Hotel Ibis. This was the cheapest of the hotels on our tour but had the best position, right on the Meuse with a lovely riverside walk just outside. We took a river trip (the picture shows the hotel from the boat) and then had a good meal at 'The China Town' riverside restaurant. Unfortunately, the birthplace of Adolphe Saxe, inventor of the saxophone, was closed at the time we arrived. The only problems with Dinant were morning mist and the insects, feasting on our tender flesh in many places. May might be a better month.
During the 'Battle of the Bulge', a German army forward group nearly reached Dinant in the furthest push west of the battle. A lucky shot from a British tank hit the ammunition truck and caused all the precious fuel supplies to be ignited. This was sufficiently discouraging and they withdrew to the nearby village of Foy Notre Dame.
It should be noted that the British Army was scarcely involved in the Ardennes Campaign although one of the five British tanks deployed around Dinant was destroyed by American 'friendly fire'.
Labels: Travel
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Brussels; Radisson SAS, Taverne du Passage
Tonight we are in Brussels, staying at the
Radisson SAS Hotel. Breakfast looks absurdly expensive so we will find a local cafe. Our impression is that this hotel is designed to make Americans feel at home; it has zero local flavour. We had an excellent dinner at the
Taverne du Passage in one of the arcades. This is local flavour at its best; regional dishes served attentively by very experienced waiters. The main course of Waterzooi was more food than we could take but delicious.
The photograph shows the number one tourist spot 'Grand Place', the (only) architectural gem of Brussels.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Hampton Court
This morning we visited Hampton Court, using
365tickets.com to get reduced price tickets. The official web site was not functioning so I am not providing the URL. Hampton Court has been much improved in recent years so if you have not been for some time it is worth another look. The kitchens are open and give an interesting insight into the eating habits of the past. The Henry Vlll apartments are separated from the later ones so one can divide the time between them, rather than do the whole tour in one go. The Suffragettes, Soldiers and Servants exhibition shows the lives of recent Hampton Court residents. The Cardinal Wolsey / Young Henry exhibition will be open on 1 July.
Labels: Travel
Monday, May 21, 2007
Andalucian tour; Summary
The tour was a success due to superb weather, a small enough car and hotels that were all OK, despite minor grumbles. I did the whole trip on an out-of-date passport, which would have been impossible in any other country but Spain. Travel was enjoyable in the countryside but very difficult in the cities, particulary when arriving for the first time.
Booking hotels through Expedia was a success; it saves a lot of time when booking for a tour. The travel guide 'Time Out in Andalucia' was very helpful although the city maps only including the very centre caused some confusion when first entering the area. It reminded me of the joke about the Fkawi tribe; "where the Fkawi".
Would we do it again ? Not for a while and with a different itinerary. We would also practice the Spanish phrase for 'cooked right through, please'.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Andalucian tour; Granada
We finished our tour in Granada, the expected highlight of the holiday; we were not disappointed. The most popular tourist attraction in Spain, if not Europe, is the Alhambra (pictured), the fortress-palace of the Moorish Kings. It takes about 3 hours to walk round the gardens and palaces, very tiring in the heat but fascinating. Less well-known is the superb drive up to the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas, the road stopping just above the snow line in May. The simple pleasures are often the best and in this case it was stopping part way up at a small bar for two beers and being served a free taster of delicious sausages in a spicy sauce. It was so good that we returned for a full lunch the next day. There was so much meat that we could not eat it all.
The Hesperia Granada Hotel, approached via the narrowest alley our hired Toyota Aygo could negotiate, did not deserve its 4 star rating. The dining room was for breakfast only and there was no bar, the only public area being the lobby. There was no view from the smallish room but it did have a table and two chairs and the bed was actually the requested double, not two singles pushed together as in all the others. There was a parking garage but it caused us problems due to lack of headroom and, initially, difficulty in finding the lift to the hotel.
Labels: Travel
Friday, May 18, 2007
Andalucian tour; Cordoba
We continued our tour in Cordoba, temperature still 36 degrees C. This is a prettier city than Sevilla, with the tiniest street looking clean and prosperous rather than dirty and seedy. Once again we took the horse and cart tour for a quick overview and then saw the famous Mesquita (Mosque) as pictured.
Hotel Macia Alfaros was the most high class of those we used, worthy of its 4 star classification. The room was large enough and 'classically' decorated, with a view over the inside courtyard (with pool) from both bedroom and bathroom. There was a high class restaurant, proud of its cooking. The staff were most upset by Selina's justified complaint that the pork steaks were not cooked right through. The swordfish was much better. Wines were great, particularly the Vino Albali reserva, available in Tesco and Sainsbury. There was a good garage underneath the hotel for parking.
Labels: Travel
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Andalucian tour; Sevilla
After 2 nights in Jerez, our next 2 were spent in Sevilla, a large city still living off the heady days of Expo 1929 and Expo 1992. We tried the bus tour, the horse drawn carriage and the river boat and all three spent much of the time showing the expo sites. Catalonia Giralda Hotel was in a seedy part of town, hard to find and with no car parking nearer than 10 minutes walk. It did have a good restaurant with a superb house wine for just 12 Euros a bottle and our room had a good view, as pictured.
The 36 degree C heat caused us to drink too much in the middle of the day and we both fell prey to the evil alcohol.
Labels: Travel
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Andalucian tour; Ronda
From Jerez we took a 3 hour drive
over superb mountain passes to Ronda, the photograph showing the 'new
bridge'. We expected Ronda to be a small picturesque place but it was
disappointingly large and very busy. The return journey on the main roads took only 1.5 hours but was not so exciting.
Labels: Travel
Monday, May 14, 2007
Andalucian tour; Jerez
We arrived at Hotel Doña Blanca in Jerez at about 20:30 on Sunday evening. No dining room so asked for advice re. dinner. All the 3 restaurants suggested were closed so we ended up eating Chinese. The streets were quiet and the Plaza Arenal was empty. The next morning it was open for business as shown in the pictures, and very pleasant it was.
We did two sherry tours, Gonzalez Byass (very touristy) and Domecq (more serious). Unfortunately the sherry offered for tasting was, in our view, either too dry or too sweet. Our favourite in the UK is Croft's 'Particular'.
The next evening we did find some good Spanish food and fine Spanish wine, just off the plaza.
Labels: Travel
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Hamble-Le-Rice
On Sunday morning we drove through the beautiful countryside of Surrey and Hampshire to Hamble-Le-Rice, commonly known as Hamble. Major restructuring of the road in the village centre cause some problems but down the cobbled lane to the waterfront is as quaint as ever. Worth a visit in a few months time when the 'works' are finished.
Labels: Travel
Monday, April 09, 2007
Easter in Dorset
We spent the Easter weekend in Dorset, visiting Weymouth, Portland, West Bay, Shaftesbury and Cerne Abbas from our base at the
Ocean View Hotel in Bournemouth, pictured. This is one of a jointly-owned group of three on the East Overcliff, next door being the Cottonwood and two doors away being the Bay Court View where we stayed last year. Ocean View has the best restaurant, Cottonwood has the best (and cheapest) beer and Bay Court is good for entertainment, snooker table and indoor swimming. We tried each in turn for live music in the evenings. Friday was jazz at the Cottonwood, Saturday Brian Cox (keyboard and jokes) at Bay Court and Sunday Debbie Law singing at the Ocean View. We found dancing on a fair-sized polished wooden floor rather strange; we usually have about one square metre available ! Debbie asked about our preferred dance style so she could sing something suitable. I replied 'smootchy', which she thought was good.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Albury, Chilworth, Blackheath, Wonersh, Bramley, Hascombe, Hambledon and Haslemere
Today we drove through the beautiful Surrey countryside to Haslemere, passing through the villages of Albury, Chilworth, Blackheath, Wonersh, Bramley, Hascombe and Hambledon. The pictures show the centre of Haslemere and the Coffee shop where we stopped for tea and cakes. The many who seem to think that Surrey is full of houses and traffic should try a trip like this. On second thoughts, perhaps we should stay quiet and selfishly keep it to ourselves.
Labels: Travel
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Windsor Park, Runnymede, Egham, Virginia Water, Sutton Green
Today we were unexpectedly called to Park Farm to move vehicles that were blocking access to hay bales. One was the firm's old VW Golf test vehicle and the other was the Hot Honda Prelude belonging to our disqualified technician. To derive some pleasure from the trip we returned via places that we visited frequently when we had a young child. We drove across Windsor Park, where many old trees had died but was otherwise unchanged. We then passed through unchanged Runnymede to unrecognisable Egham, followed by Virginia Water. Our favourite pub there, 'The Crown' perhaps, is now a Thai restaurant.
The last leg was through Sutton Green, a strange village, closely linked with Sutton Place (pictured), where Paul Getty spent his later years. The village has only one road in and out and one cannot imagine many outsiders passing through. Although there is no village shop, there is a large pub/restaurant and a fair-sized garage. Do the residents have many cars and eat/drink a lot to keep these enterprises going ?
Labels: Travel
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Walk and lunch at Bognor Regis
Today, we took a drive through the beautiful Surrey and Sussex countryside to the seaside town of Bognor Regis, made famous and then maligned by King George !!!. We parked the car by the gardens at Aldwick (pictured) and walked along the promenade to the pier and back. It was very calm but there had been at least one storm recently, judging by the weight of pebbles thrown up on the prom'. Before returning home we had a nice snack at
The Waverley at Aldwick, washed down with the excellent Young's Bitter, better than the 'Special' in my opinion.
Labels: Travel
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Beware the A30 in Cornwall
Despite slowing for every speed camera I am to be fined 60 pounds for exceeding 70 MPH on the Launceston bypass on a Sunday morning in good weather with no traffic. The notice states 'manned camera' so I assume it was a well-concealed police officer. Be warned !
Labels: Travel
Sunday, January 21, 2007
White Alice Farm bed & breakfast
While setting up the first wind turbines at our Misty View Farm test site in Cornwall, we stayed at
White Alice Farm for two nights. Great view, nice bedrooms, a kitchen and a residents' sitting room that proved really useful for a business meeting. I recommend this for anyone wanting a remote Cornish location. We will definitiely use it again next time.
Labels: Travel
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Fortis Insurance and PMC body repairs
On Friday evening we stopped at a roundabout because cars were already on it and a careless driver rammed our stationary Suzuki in the rear, causing extensive damage. After wrenching bent bodywork away from a rear tyre we were able to drive home. I telephoned
Fortis Insurance later in the evening and they immediately faxed
PMC body repairs in Sussex with instructions to proceed with repairs. PMC telephoned on Saturday morning to say we could bring the car there immediately and drive away in a Fiat Punto courtesy car or, if we preferred, a PMC driver would come to us on Monday to collect the Suzuki and leave us the Punto. Result: less than 24 hours after the accident, and on a Saturday, we have a fully functional car to drive (as pictured). Good service !
Labels: Travel
Saturday, January 06, 2007
CarTrawler and car hire at Brussels airport
We tried to hire a car using Cartrawler, an agency provided by the airline (or was it the hotel booking service ?). Cartrawler is telling us that we cannot have air-conditioning unless we have a car the size of a Toyota Avensis. I have responded as follows:
----------
I have just checked a few hire companies on the web (something I had hoped to avoid by using you) and find:
Easycar; Corsa Diesel with A/C
Avis; WW Golf with A/C
National; Opel Astra with A/C.
I accept that the smallest cars might be difficult but surely we don't need to have as large a car as the Avensis in order to have A/C ? There will be just two of us plus one suitcase and a flight bag and we intend to use the narrow roads in the Ardennes so size is a disadvantage. The weather is unpredictable in Belgium during August but I have seen a middle-aged healthy man become ill due to the heat. We cannot risk our holiday being ruined by a heat wave.
I will give you one more chance to come up with something suitable.
----------
Labels: Travel
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
River Thames at Shepperton
On Monday we ate lunch by the River Thames at
Shepperton. It remains a lovely spot, apparently immune from development.
Labels: Travel
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
The Ardennes
On boring Boxing Day we planned and booked our August holiday in Belgium and Luxembourg (pictured).
Day 1; fly to Brussels, staying overnight near the Grand Place
Day 2; visit Waterloo, drive to Dinant, staying overnight
Day 3; drive to Luxembourg, staying two nights
Day 4; explore Luxembourg, visit Bastogne (Battle of the Bulge museum)
Day 5; drive through The Ardennes, visiting WW2 sights, to Spa for one night stay
Day 6; Drive to Namur, staying one night
Day 7; back to Brussels airport and home.
Much has been written about the best time to book the cheapest flights. This was the last opportunity; we watched tinyBMI prices increase on the
BMI web site before our very eyes.
We booked all the hotels via
Expedia and car hire via
Argus Rentals.
Labels: Travel
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Andalucia
As there was nothing to do on Christmas day we planned and booked our May holiday in Andalucia. We will fly from Gatwick to Malaga by
EasyJet and tour the region, spending two nights each in
Jerez de la Frontera,
Sevilla,
Cordoba and
Granada. We booked all the hotels through
Expedia.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Brighton on a windy day
Today we went to Brighton and walked along the top of the colonnade in Madeira Drive. It was very windy with rough seas. The photograph shows waves breaking over the harbour wall at the Marina end.
Labels: Travel
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
High Beech, Essex
On Monday we stopped off between business visits at the Place of my birth, High Beech in Epping Forest. We were amazed that, despite the spread of London and the nearby M25, it was the same lovely spot. The picture shows the beautiful view, there is adequate car parking (at least in mid-week) and a friendly pub.
Labels: Travel
Monday, November 20, 2006
Bosham
On Sunday morning we went to Bosham and had lunch at the Mariners Coffee Shop. It was a beautiful day for November as can be seen from the photograph.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Riverdale Hall, Bellingham
On 25 August, after driving along the route of Hadrian's Wall, we stayed ovenight at
Riverdale Hallin Bellingham, Nothumberland. This is an old house, converted and extended as a hotel, popular with fishermen. The AA Hotel Guide gave it only two stars but one rosette for dinner, a fair assessment in our view. Our room in the old part of the building was in need of renovation although it had the best television we have ever used, a modern Philips flat screen model with unbelievable picture quality. Dinner was very good, with Thai options on the menu, and the staff were very friendly. Price was just above the middle of the range on our tour. On balance we would not stay there again although there is a shortage of good hotels in the area.
Labels: Travel
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Eastbourne, Pavilion Tea Rooms
Today we went to Eastbourne for the first time this year. It is probably the best seaside resort on this rather poorly served south-east coastline.
We had brunch at the excellent Pavilion Tea Rooms. It has been brought up-to-date recently, e.g. the traditional old-fashioned waitress uniforms have gone, but the food is as good as ever.
Labels: Travel
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