- family
- (1945)
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A restored tin/copper mine near the Geevor mine, but Levant has a working beam engine lovingly restored by volunteers which can be seen working on three days each week.
In one day you can visit one or both mines and the nearby Pendeen lighthouse. Very rewarding.
By the way, others have mentioned the Minack Theatre and Porthcurno beach. From the Minack you can climb down the cliff to Porthcurno - another combination you can do in a day.
Bar/restaurant just above the beach with wide floor-to-ceiling windows giving a fantastic view of the beach and sea. Good food, great relaxed atmosphere, good with kids and, although it can get a bit busy in high season, it's a fantastic place to recover from a walk along the Sands.
Praa Sands, off the A394 Helston - Marazion
20 minutes by boat from St Peter Port, Guernsey is Herm Island. No cars, so very quiet. Two absolutely stunning beaches within 20-30 mins walk of the harbour.
Costal path walk with views of Frances, Guernsey, Jersey, Sark and the Barclay twins' castle on Brechou. There are cafes at the beaches and a hotel and restaurant by the harbour.
In 2007 a day trip for 2 adults and 2 children was £27.00 (cheaper if you go on the 08.30 boat).
The Administration Office
Herm Island
Guernsey
GY1 3HR
www.herm-island.com/home.aspx
Telephone: +44 (0)1481 722377
Fax: +44 (0)1481 700334
email: directors@herm-island.com
Chilean Naval museum with some interesting exhibits, a bit OTT nationalistic at times but aren't most military museums like that?
The scale models of the ships are cool and the building itself is quite interesting.
It costs about 50p to get in.
Cerro Artlilleria at the top of the Acsensor of the same name. Avoid the restaurant at the top of the funicular-not good...
Quite simply the most evocative industrial heritage site ever. Understand the privations and hardships endured by Cornishmen mining for tin through the centuries and decide whether this kind of work was better than the no-work that Cornishmen now suffer.
Many of the guides at Geevor were miners and engineers when the mine closed, they are always knowledgeable and keen to impart that knowledge. There is a museum, and a walk through the ore separating plant. There is also a trip down an 18th century mine adit.
Utterly fascinating and an immensely important project. Oh, also very good pasties in the cafe!
For the fit, you can walk to Pendeen lighthouse which has spectacular views and is very atmospheric, especially when there's a sea fret and all the long-dead-drowned-sailors come up out of the sea!
www.geevor.com
Geevor Tin Mine is located in the village of Pendeen, 7 miles west of Penzance. The mine is easily reached from Penzance, St Ives or Lands End by car or bus. There is a 10% discount for visitors who travel to Geevor by bus.
In the centre of Athens, a museum in a neoclassical villa with collections covering every period of Greek history.
Lots of interesting exhibit types you don't see in the more popular places; not particularly visited by tourists so good to spend time there.
Good little shop with quality souvenirs; cafe.
Admission worth €6 of anybody's money.
Closed Tuesday, Free Thursday and also if you are a family with more than three children - there is a toys and games collection.
Also other collections in annexes around town: for example, one of the most important collections of Islamic art outside the Islamic world. See the website.
1 Koumbari and Vas Sofias avenue (up side of Houses of Parliament just off Syntagma)
www.benaki.gr
Visit Edinburgh in the middle of winter - at Christmas or at New Year...?
Yes, and I recommend it!
The locals are full of bonhomie; every pub or eatery with a fireplace is welcoming; and the locals, who act as tourist guides at the castle and other touristy places, are happy to see you and have a chat.
Crowds? No ... have have the castle and the whisky tours all to yourself.
You can even venture out of town and maybe have a hit at St Andrews ('cos there is noone else there playing).
There is also the added bonus of Scottish New Year celebrations. Something everyone should do at least once in a lifetime: Hogmanay.
Downside? It's cold - very cold; sleeting and snowing, but hey, nothing a couple of jackets, coats, mufflers, gloves and hats can't fix.
Seriously: go and visit in winter;
it is a different place.
Edinburgh is in Scotland! Drive or fly or train it there.
www.edinburghschristmas.com/
and
www.edinburghshogmanay.org/
I went with wife and teenage son by train to Barcelona.
We drove to Lille via Eurotunnel and stayed at a budget hotel, leaving the car there the next morning when we took the nearby metro to Lille Flandres station.
This was because Eurostar and the train from home in Gloucestershire would together have been the most expensive part of the trip, and we could also bring back a decent quantity of wine!
Lille to Paris by TGV then Paris to Perpignan by TGV and a night there in a hotel near the station.
Lovely, intriguing chat with fellow travellers and a chance to explore a French Catalan city that evening.
Train next morning to Barcelona, which I think had come from Switzerland.
After a week's stay we reversed the trip and didn't feel the slightest bit travel-weary when we got home. We had to juggle around with train times on the SNCF web site to get best fares, but being accompanied by our young son seemed to give us cheaper fares than if we had only been a couple.
Roll on St Pancras to Barcelona without a change!
Really worth a visit! The Royal Pavilion is in the centre of Brighton set in beautiful gardens. Built for The Prince Regent, the architect Nash turned in into the Indian style building that exists today from 1815-23. The entrance price includes an audio guide to tell the story of the lavish interiors and the parties that took place! The banqueting room is extraordinary! Children can take part in the 'Dragon Quest' during this summer holiday too and 'tame the dragons' - lots of fun for the family.
Royal Pavilion, Brighton BN1 1EE,
www.royalpavilion.org.uk
01273 290900
Restaurant in the centre of "Le Panier", the oldest quarter of Marseille.
Always packed, this is a restaurant without menus or, perhaps worryingly, fixed prices.
Expect delicious traditional food: lamb with rosemary, beef, squid, pizza au feu de bois and fresh fish.
For tourists, prices tend to come out at about €25 a head for two courses and wine.
The atmosphere is warm and noisy: go on a Saturday night for maximum fun.
43, Rue de Lorette , 13002 Marseille
Metro: Vieux Port
Tramway: Sadi Carnot
Map: tinyurl.com/2bdugz
A beautifully kept and secluded campsite overlooking the valleys of the Dordogne.
Particularly recommended for off-peak camping, the site also hires out "mini-chateaux". Very warm staff, great location with nearby watersports, medieval villages and superb local cuisine.
Camping les Hauts de Ratebout,
Ste-Foy-de-Belves,
24170 Belves
Dordogne
00-33-(0)5.53.29.02.10
www.hauts-ratebout.fr
Azenhas do Mar ("Watermills by the sea"), in the region of Sintra, is a charming village of whitewashed houses, trimmed in blue, built on the slopes of the cliff and a small river with waterfalls running down through gardens to the sea.
There are Interesting rock formations and natural seawater pools, plenty to keep the kids amused.
The watermills were a popular seaside retreat in the 1950s. They have recently been carefully restored, offering a restaurant, bar and swimming pool arranged on different levels.
The restaurant has a stylish seaside wood panelled interior with magnificent views to the Atlantic Ocean. It offers a great selection of fresh fish and seafood caught locally by one of the owners, and is complemented by an excellent wine list.
The snack bar, Terraço da Azenha, situated above the restaurant and swimming pool, has a series of small terraces with great views. Inside the bar, through a glass section in the floor, you can see the old workings of the mill. It offers a good selection of snacks including sweet and savoury crêpes.
Well worth a visit, and you will find great walks that will take you along the cliffs to the beaches of Praia das Maças and Praia Grande.
Off the N247.
www.lookgofind.com/
Absolutely fantastic, amazing food better than most restaurants, hospitality great, views absolutely incredible, especially from the hot tub on the terrace! Had a wonderful time with our family - Basil the dog kept our son amused for hours - he is very friendly and didn't mind his tail being pulled; good selection of kids' tv too.
Would strongly recommend Ecrins Lodge whether you are coming for skiing, mountain biking or just having a relaxing family holiday, there's lots to do in amazing scenery. Book, I'm sure you will have a great time with Alex and Will.
The Boundary is a pub with a history,
although today it fronts as a pub with decent food, kid-friendly even for those with ankle biters or rugrats who want a meal out and, of course, it has the obligatory pokies and TAB. Oh, and a decent wine list in the dining room.
The history bit? The Boundary pub gets its name from being on East Boundary Rd which gets its name from being the former east boundary of a large farming estate (back in the 1880s through to the 1920s)
Take the kids (leave them in the playroom) and have a meal or play the pokies.
cnr East Boundary Rd and Centre Rd
East Bentleigh
Vic 3165
ph 9570 7044
free on site parking
Malapascua is small island just north of Cebu. Good diving, amazing beautiful beach - much better than the world-famous, but now too spoiled, Boracay beach.
Getting there is really quite hard work. Small native pump-boats run from the end of the road, Cebu-City bus terminal, at a very small place called Maya. Many taxi drivers will be willing to take you there, direct from Cebu City, but it's so little known, that not many of the local taxi drivers really know the right way to go! The bus takes 4+ hours from Cebu City.
When you finally reach Maya, there's no pier, so expect to get your feet wet! Last pump boat leaves at 5pm. Later than that - you must pay lots for a special boat trip.(PhP1500+ or negotiate with the captain!)
Dano Beach resort is at the far end of the white beach. Bungalows cost Php 1,200 - which is not a lot UK£12 / US$25 but service was appaling. I requested a chair to sit on, on the verandah, and was bluntly told none were available. Simple plastic chairs can easily be purchased locally for less than Php200. I tore a hole in my new shorts sitting on a homemade table of nailed bamboo strips as there was nothing else to sit down on.
In the morning the resort's water pump stopped and wasn't fixed, so no way to wash; the beach resort owners just shrugged and said to wash in the sea.
A few bigger resort places on Malapasqua have better facilities at maybe double the nightly price. Try Blue Water or Cocobana if you want to stay here. Ging-gings is a good place to eat. Greedy local owners have been overbuilding on the beach (which is public, govement-owned property) and a lot of illegal constructions have been marked with big painted red Xs to signal their demolition, if less than 30 metres from the high-tide line.
Will this really go ahead, or will the often lazy and corrupt Philippine bureauracy allow one of the world's finest beaches to be destroyed by greed and over-development?
Wheelers is a pub that has gone through a bit of a transformation and turned into a top class hotel with good food, good entertainment (especially Thursday and Friday nights) and a view to die for.
Having a lazy lunch in the fancy class restaurant overlooking the valley is a great way to spend a Sunday. The Wheelers is a fave with locals. And did I mention the views too?
Wheelers Hill Hotel
Ferntree Gully Road (cnr Jells Road), Wheelers Hill (about 20 mins from the centre of the city along the freeway) Tel. 9560 8922
car parking on site is free
www.melbournepubs.com/v/794/Wheelers-Hill-Hotel.html
At the back of the famous blue lagoon the beach club is on a sandy slowly shelving shore. There are beach bungalows and a camping and caravaning area (unusual in this part of Turkey) and is away from the main tourist resort.
They also host music afternoons with Blues/Jazz/Salsa styles. There is a kids park and good Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and a free bus service from hotels in Olu Deniz & Hisaronu.
Olu Deniz, past the national park (blue lagoon) entrance, first on left,
0252 617 0048, www.thesugarbeachclub.com
Leros is a beautiful island. We stayed at Vangelis studio apartments in Panteli with the best views in Panteli.The place is ideal for family. Relax in the evenings under the olive tree with a bottle of retsina and enjoy the view. Vangelis studios is situated at the road to Panteli very near to the beach.
Leros is a beautyful island .We stayed at Vangelis studio apartments in Panteli with the best views in Panteli.The place is ideal for family. Relaxing in the evenings under the olive tree with a bottle of retsina and enjoy the view.Vangelis studios situated at the road to Panteli very near to the beach.
For a restful break in stunning countryside, we can highly recommend Les Anes de Vassivière, just outside Peyrat-le-Château in the department of Haute-Vienne, in the Limousin region.
There's a website (see below) with a superb selection of moer than 5,000 other farms throughout France, offering a variety of services.
400 of these farms have camping of one sort or another.
Les Anes de Vassivière,
Champseau
87470 Peyrat-le-Château.
www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com
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