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The Malvern Hills are fantastic for a gentle walk with really satisfying veiws. From the tops - which only take about half an hour or so to get to you have a 360 degree panorama for miles and miles. Then you can walk along the ridge as far as you want. Absolutely brilliant - maximum result for minimum effort. Although if you're not used to walking up hill you will also feel like you've had a good work out.
Malvern Hills, Worcestershire
Great Malvern Station
Lovely unpretentious B&B in an old school building. The cooked breakfast was great.
In the town centre and very near the hills - you can just walk onto them.
So nice to go somewhere that is neither trying to be flash or twee, just comfortable and interesting.
Also very reasonable price.
Como House, Como road, Malvern, Worcestershire.
www.comohouse.co.uk. Doubles from £62.
Google map: tinyurl.com/37c29la
01684 561486
Near Great Malvern Station
Peacock Bar starts off the evening as a really raucous burlesque cabaret club, but once shows are over becomes a 70s/80s/90s club with great super-cheesy music. Really up for it 20-30-something crowd, lots of whom are all dressed up.
148 Falcon Road, Battersea, SW11 2LW
www.the-peacock-bar.co.uk
+44(0)207223 9633
Google map: bit.ly/mfwefM
This is a superb gastropub hidden down in Leith which is an up and coming area of Edinburgh. It is just round the corner from The Kitchin ( Tom Kitchin's restaurant ), so now seen as a rather cool and modern new quay area with some relaxed bars.
If you are looking for wonderful gastropub food at a reasonable price, then I cannot recommend this place enough. I had a Pork dish and it melted in the mouth and the crackling was to die for, and it was only £7.50. A little bit off the usual beaten track of the Royal Mile however well worth the "extra" mile to get there.
78 Commercial Quay, Leith.
Take the number 22 bus from Princes Street and will drop you off just outside the pub.
www.thekitchin.com.
Google map: tinyurl.com/y4s4fbw
The Walker is a really impressive gallery, with a collection that takes in a fantastic copy of Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII and other terrific pieces by Rembrandt, Millais, Rossett and Waterhouse, as well as slightly less impressive pieces by the likes of Degas and Monet. There's also a brilliant sculpture room and a really striking series of modern art in a side wing. Free entry and a beautiful building – though give the cafe a miss.
A fantasic place to stay when visiting Edinburgh, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, great local knowledge. It has views of the castle and is right in the heart of the city. The room itself was awesome with great personlised touches, homemade muffins yum :) We also dined in the restaurant and we loved the food and service, we wouldn't normally dine where we stay, but was so glad we did and we even got a 10% discount which we thought was a nice touch. We really enjoyed our stay, I'm sure you will too – it's a little gem.
www.therutlandhotel.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/y2as29r
If visiting nearby Sherwood Forest here's a good and inexpensive place to spend a couple of hours. Crumbling, haunted ruins of a medieval monastery and later country house, contemporary craft centre, modern sculpture trail, attractive park and lake, shops, cafe and restaurant with good value cooked lunches. Unusual things for the kids to discover like the camera obscura, the dragon gateway and the 'stone harp'. www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/ruffordcp
About 20 miles north of Nottingham on the A614, 3 miles south of Ollerton. It's on the old Great North Road which once ran through Sherwood Forest.
If you are really trying to get off the beaten track to find the authentic London experience - whatever that is - then head east of London Bridge; by riverboat, bicycle, Docklands Light Railway or best done on foot, along the Thames Path, north or south of the River. You won't be disappointed with what you might find; amazing historic neighbourhoods, famous and infamous characters, the Docklands and Canary Wharf, Maritime Greenwich, Deptford and of course Stratford.
We stayed at Dyfiview in early February, as friends of the owners, as they prepared to launch their B&B business.
We were very impressed. Dyfiview B&B has a superb location overlooking Machynlleth and a short walk takes you into the centre where there is a good choice of places to eat and drink.
Our room (Room 1) was very spacious, newly and tastefully decorated and well appointed with a large en-suite bathroom, a very comfortable bed, roomy wardrobes, a flat screen TV, together with tea/coffee making facilities, toiletries etc.
There are fantastic views over the Dovey Valley from the bedroom and from the large dining room and terrace where we also enjoyed watching a wide variety of birds, which were attracted by the bird table and feeders.
Gill and Mike are most welcoming and helpful to visitors: while relatively new to the area they are very enthusiastic about the many opportunities this part of Wales offers. While we were there we enjoyed some local walks and a visit to the nearby Centre for Alternative Technology.
Dyfiview B&B
21 Ffordd Mynydd Griffiths
Machynlleth,
SY20 8DD
www.dyfiview.co.uk
Telephone: 01654 702023
Mobile 07952 370569
There's an underground and a quite good bus network in Glasgow, but take a walk if you want to get the best impression of the city. It takes about an hour to walk from the Science Centre (outer west end) to Glasgow Cathedral (east end). See a few of my pictures here.
Had to be in the UK for business and extended my stay there, for two days before heading to Barcelona for the weekend.
I found a nice little studio apartment in South Kensington, close to Hyde Park and the Victoria & Albert Museum (beautiful building, great exhibitions). The apartment, Cromwell, was perfect.
I went shopping at Harvey Nicols and Harrods and visited the V&A Museum and the Tate Modern.
A restaurant worth mentioning is Tokyo Diner, near Leicester Square. Great, inexpensive Japanese food. I loved their social and environmentally-conscious philosophy.
In Barcelona I was very lucky to have beautiful weather and was even able to spend time on the beach. I found a great two-bedroom apartment, Girona Design 2B, in the Eixample, just north of El Born, with Aspasios. The Eixample is a very nice and quiet neighbourhood to stay in and still in close proximity of all the good stuff.
www.vam.ac.uk
www.tate.org.uk
www.tokyodiner.com
www.shortstay-apartment.com/london/apartments/short-term-london-apartment-cromwell-a.html
www.aspasios.com/ficha.asp?idPiso=138
I use the site www.plymouthdevon4u.co.uk. It has some handy info on Plymouth, particularly the latest events.
The Silk Road Restaurant is a flamboyant and theatrical Mediterranean Restaurant in West Sussex with authentic cuisine and a weekly live entertainment programme, including belly dancers, dj hosted parties, Latin and acoustic jazz bands, table magicians etc. The food is fabulous and the atmosphere just cannot be matched. If you want to hold a party that will impress, contact the Silk Road - you will be amazed.
Silk Road Mediterranean Restaurant,
8-10 Arcade Road,
Littlehampton,
West Sussex,
BN17 5AP
Tel: 01903 722055
www.thesilkroadrestaurant.net
Google map: tinyurl.com/y8e6nor
Bistro Franc, as the name alludes, is a French bistro located in Church House, Hanover street, right next to the new John Lewis. Their 'Lunch Rapide' for 7.95 is a real bargain and a great way to stay on budget if you have one. The dining room is very quaint and while it is usually very busy at lunch times this only adds to the atmosphere. The portions are generous and the food delicious.
1 Hanover Street
Liverpool L1 4, United Kingdom
0151 708 9993
www.bistrofranc.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/ychwqmp
Its an eight-bedroomed boutique hotel in a quiet residential road just a minute's walk from the lovely seafront, and a brisk walk to Gunwharf Quays for shopping. I've stayed at The Clarence on two occassisons and it just gets better and better. The first time I stayed in the Luella Cherry Room with massive whirlpool bath complete with a TV in the bathroom. Stayed again last week in the Wild at Heart Room which has a bath in the room so Hubby and I can chat even when I'm lounging in the bath! The service is top notch with room service 24 hours a day and a breakfast menu that is the best I've ever seen - so much choice. And the best thing? No children allowed so it's an adult's haven from other people's 'little darlings'
Clarence Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, PO5 2LQ www.theclarencehotel.co.uk
Google map: tinyurl.com/ye8cjrm
It's a cosy holiday cottage for two converted from a former hayloft. It's next to the owners' home and is full of character. The cottage has extras like home made muffins, and a bottle of wine. As well as nice big towels you also have cosy dressing gowns to relax in, and a selection of films to watch, or books to read after your day out walking, at the beach or sight seeing. A great place to visit whether you come by car or public transport.
www.windchimeshayloft.com
Croft Lodge Lower Warberry Rd Torquay South Devon TQ1 1QP
+44 (0)1803 297695
Google map: tinyurl.com/ydrwc6c
Tate Liverpool is, like both Tates in London, a must-see! Housed in the historic Albert Docks the location itself is worth visiting. Also the artworks are exciting, and surprising!
www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/
Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 4BB
0151 702 7400
Google map: tinyurl.com/ybvynjh
If you are looking for a hotel in Birmingham, try these folk. Credit where its due these chaps know what they are doing. It's not often I'm driven to write a complimentary review but this case deserves it. The website is so simple to use and the telephone service was great, I'm happy book with them again and have already recommended them to friends.
www.birminghamhotels.uk.com
Tel: 0845 644 2283
On a nice day there's no better place to be.
One of the finest and most spectacular pieces of Elizabethan architecture. The beautiful roaming deer in the park. The gardens and the lake.
It's definitely the best urban park outside London, and not that far from Nottingham City Centre by car or bus.
Google map: tinyurl.com/ycwtvff
The Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds is the second oldest continually operating cinema in the country, one of the oldest surviving cinemas from the silent era and with many of its original features still intact. To be found on the corner of a terraced street you come upon it almost by surprise. Not only has it shown film, it has also featured in film, notably Wetherby in 1985. What makes it so appealing is its intimate feel - indeed it was advertised in 1914 as “the cosiest picture house in Leeds”. It hasn’t changed much since then. Among its most well known features is its gas “modesty lighting”, which could be dimmed by the projectionist to a level that would preserve decency during a show! To be found on the corner of a terraced street you come upon it almost by surprise. Today it serves the local community well, showing a mixture of selected mainstream cinema, classic cinema, arthouse films, Hindi films and is about to host the Leeds Young People’s film festival. It even welcomes babies to its Saturday morning screenings.
Hyde Park Picture House, Brudenell Road, Headingley Leeds, LS6 1JD
www.hydeparkpicturehouse.co.uk
0113 2752045
Google map: tinyurl.com/y8f584z
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