#Visit Dean Wye

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A moonlit Bigsweir Bridge, Wye Valley with Ursa Major ( The Plough) rising in its Winter orientation

📸 Tim Scanlan Photography

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Today’s Picture: 14 Sep 20

Today’s Picture: 14 Sep 20

Canoeists take the gentle route down the quiet River Wye through the Forest of Dean.

On a hot day, what could be better than paddling down the river?

If you’re visiting here, please be generous to those who can’t escape their own four walls at present, and share this widely with them on social media, so they can enjoy it. Thank you.

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Day 7: Fangirling

After Thursday’s excursion to the Gloucester Cathedral, I knew I needed to continue my ‘Harry Potter’ Quest. I spent the day hiking through the Forest of Dean until I came upon Coppett Hill. Avid Harry Potter fans know that the Forest of Dean is where Harry and Hermione reunite with Ron, who saves Harry from dying in the lake, captures the Gryffindor sword, and kills off the necklace Horcrux. In the movies, these scenes were filmed at Coppett Hill. I was so excited to sit and reread Chapter 19 of Book 7: The Silver Doe in the very spot that these events took place. The forest was serene and beautiful. There were a few other hikers about, probably giving me strange looks when I took about 857 photos of myself. But I didn’t care. I was so in my element, and I almost wanted to waste the entire day wandering the forest.

What I hadn’t realized was that there have been several movies, as well as TV shows, that have filmed in the Forest of Dean:

-Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part One

-Star Wars: Episode VII

-Jack the Giant Slayer

-Captain America: The First Avenger

-The Huntsmen

-King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

-Doctor Who

-Merlin

And more!

The forest also served as inspiration to JRR Tolkien for the Lord of the Rings. One particular part of the forest, Puzzlewood, is almost exactly what I envisioned Mirkwood as when I read the books.

After my adventures through the forest, I drove around to a few castles in the area. First stop: Clearwell Castle. Unfortunately, this castle is used as a wedding venue now and isn’t open to the public, but I still snapped some pictures of the front gate and the trusty Donkeys that were guarding its walls. Next stop: St Briavels Castle. Unfortunately again, this castle was closed for the winter, but the outside was magnificent and the views from the hill where it sits was beautiful. Final Castle Stop: Chepstow Castle. Just on the boarder of Wales and England, sits this amazing castle. Overlooking the River Wye, the castle commands the surrounding area.

My next stop was fueled by the Harry Potter nerd in me. While I was researching cool things to visit in my area on Thursday, I found out something quite amazing. It turns out the JK Rowling’s childhood home is less than 10 minutes down the street from where I am staying! Needless to say, I had to stop by and see it for myself. This woman is a great idol of mine, one who has taught me many lessons. She wrote Harry Potter when she was in one of the darkest times of her life and her success now is virtually unparalleled. It makes me believe that although these past few months have been some of the most difficult for me, there is still hope. 

I ended the day at this cute little barn that served endless soup and garlic bread. They should rename this place: Heaven! The soup was incredible and fresh and the bread was warm and delicious. A perfect ending to a great day!

[parishchurches]

St. Laurence Church  Hawkhurst  Kent  UK

I visited this church on 4 October 2017

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The parish church of St Laurence stands at the south end of the village known as The Moor, which is the older part of Hawkhurst. It falls within the Canterbury diocese, and has as patron the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church, Oxford. It is likely that a church has stood on this site since 1100, or even earlier.

After the Battle of Hastings William the Conqueror gave the Manor of Wye, with rights over a large part of the parish, to the Abbot of Battle. The first mention of the church is in the charter of 1285, and its first rector was Richard de Clyne in 1291. The Chancel and North Chapel are the oldest parts of the church.

The Great East Window was built about 1350 and has been described as one of the finest pieces of architecture in the country. Most of the rest of the church dates from around 1450, when the nave was lengthened and raised, the aisles, porches and tower added, and it took on its present appearance.

The room over the North porch was used by Battle Abbey officials for rent collecting, and used to be called "The Treasury". In 1574, communion rails were introduced at a cost of 53 shillings, to keep communicants from the altar, the first parish church in England to have done so.

In 1944 a German flying bomb fell in the churchyard, caused considerable damage, and the church was put out of action until 1957. Part of the flying bomb can be seen on the south side at the back of the church.

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Contact : Thatch Close Farm

Contact Thatch Close Farm Bed And Breakfast, Guest House, Guest Houses, Accommodation, Pet Friendly Accommodation, Dog Friendly Cottages, Dog Friendly Accomadation, Wheelchair Access Cottages in Ross On Wye, Wye Valley, Symonds Yat, Forrest of Dean

Visit: https://thatchclose.co.uk/contacts.html

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New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/walking-in-the-wye-valley/

The Ross-on-Wye Walking Festival 27th to 29th September 2019

  If you love walking you will love walking in the Wye Valley, and what better chance to learn about this beautiful area while getting your fill of exercise and fresh air, than by joining in the Ross-on-Wye Walking Festival – 3 days of guided walks along trails and footpaths offering a taste of the town and the surrounding countryside. There are 16 walks incorporating everything from steam trains and forests, caves and hills to alleyways and cream teas.

Our strong advice is to book early if you can, to avoid missing out.  Take a look at the programme to book your walks. They range from 3 easy miles to 9 tougher ones  and take in local geology, bird spotting, picnics, visits to local pubs and food outlets and a number let you bring your dog (or dogs!) too. All of them are headed up by knowledgeable local guides

Today Ross-on-Wye is recognised as an accredited “Walkers are Welcome” town – offering something special for walkers and others who love the outdoors.

Visitors to our wonderful group holiday home in Symonds Yat, Hollytree House, are particularly well placed to take advantage (one walk goes right past the front door). You’ll find yourselves within a stones throw of Ross on-Wye which is acknowledged as the birthplace of modern tourism, drawing visitors for over 200 years.  It sits at the heart of the River Wye along which the original tourists travelled by boat and later by train and on foot.   If you’re sat in the front garden at Hollytree you can look down on the river and experience the same view, largely unaltered,  as that seen by William Gilpin when he travelled down in 1770 and wrote his guidebook “Observations on the River Wye”

For today’s visitors, in addition to walking there is so much to do and see,  cycling, canoeing, caving, climbing and a host of other outdoor activities. There are studios and galleries to visit, and the annual Hereford Art Festival; the Borderlines Film Festival; an annual Beer Festival by the river; the lively Ross Regatta and so much more.  the varied and picturesque background scenery – from the dramatic cliffs and wooded hills of the lower Wye to the rolling farmland and towering border hills, or the ancient Forest of Dean  it remains much as it would have been in those past years.

To purchase tickets contact:

Ross on Wye Walking Festival

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10 Best Places To Visit In Wales

10 Best Places To Visit In Wales

Best Places To Visit In Wales

Wales is a small country, known for its rugged coastline, mountainous national parks and its culture, in southwest Great Britain. The country is dotted with historical castles and landmarks. From sandy beaches, heritage sites, underground attractions, sea caves and its cities and beautiful small towns, there are a lot to see in Wales. Here is our list of the best…

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Summer reading: British book settings

We visit the places that inspired iconic summer scenes in the works of some of our favourite authors.

It is the brightest day you ever saw. The sun is sparkling on the water… The tide is in, and the fishing boats are dancing like mad.” Charles Dickens, writing to a friend in 1841, simply loved Broadstairs and nearly every summer from 1837 to 1859 he escaped to the Kent seaside resort in order to work on his bestselling novels away from London’s bustle. 

Most notably he put the finishing touches to David Copperfield while ensconced at cliff-top Fort House – now known as Bleak House – and modelled his character Betsey Trotwood on local resident Miss Mary Pearson Strong: the latter’s aversion to donkeys passing in front of her home on Victoria Parade was transformed into Betsey’s “incessant war” against the donkey-boys. “Jugs of water, and watering-pots, were kept in secret places ready to be discharged on the offending boys; sticks were laid in ambush behind the door…”

Broadstairs in Kent with a view of Charles Dickens’ cliff-top Bleak House. Credit: Credit: Andrew Beck/Alamy Stock Photo

You can follow a town trail around Broadstairs’ cobbled squares and fishermen’s cottages to discover Dickens’ haunts, and tour Bleak House, today offering luxury B&B-style accommodation that includes the author’s original bedroom, with use of his study overlooking the fabulous horseshoe of Viking Bay. Miss Strong’s cottage has become the Dickens House Museum, where Copperfield fans will recognise the square gravelled garden and old-fashioned parlour.

With sun and warmth (hopefully) filling our days, now is the ideal time to visit the places that have inspired iconic summer scenes in the works of some of our most popular authors: from picnics on the Cornish coast with poet John Betjeman (“Sand in the sandwiches, wasps in the tea” – ‘Trebetherick’) to walking amid woods with Wordsworth.

Jerome K Jerome originally intended Three Men in a Boat (1889) to be a serious guide to the Thames, “its quiet backwaters, its sleepy towns and ancient villages”. But the tale quickly turned instead into a classic of British humour charting the accident-prone rowing holiday of the eponymous three men and Montmorency the dog. Heading upriver from Kingston, London, the heroes niggle about ‘loud’ blazers and burnt breakfasts; sense the centuries slip back to 1215 and imagine themselves waiting to witness King John set his seal on Magna Carta at Runnymede. 

Passing Cliveden Woods in Berkshire (“In its unbroken loveliness… perhaps, the sweetest stretch of all the river”) and Cookham, they rejoice in feeling “like knights of some old legend, sailing across some mystic lake into the unknown realm of twilight, unto the great land of the sunset…” and crash into a punt of disgruntled fishermen. 

You, too, can cast off for all sorts of excursions on the Thames (without the mishaps), including from London, Windsor, around Cliveden, Henley and Oxford: hiring rowing boats or picnic punts, going on sightseeing trips or themed cruises (www.visitthames.co.uk). 

And while Jerome’s not-so-doughty heroes, dampened by a little summer rain, abandon their holiday at Pangbourne, you would do well to explore further. As the Water Rat says in children’s favourite, The Wind in the Willows (1908), “there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”.

Mapledurham House, the inspiration for Toad Hall in The Wind and the Willows. Credit: © Neil Cameron/Alamy Stock Photo

Kenneth Grahame’s tale of Mole, Badger, Ratty and Mr Toad grew from bedtime stories he told his son Alastair while living at nearby Cookham Dean, plundering his own dreamy childhood memories of the river, woodlands and wildlife; Grahame lived his final years at Pangbourne.

Summer is made for children’s adventures, and for Winnie-the-Pooh fans an ‘expotition’ to Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, where A A Milne set his whimsical tales in the 1920s, is a must. Or share a slightly later era of innocence and adventure Swallows and Amazons style with Arthur Ransome: boating in the Lake District or Norfolk Broads.  

Romantic poet William Wordsworth famously wrote of spring daffodils in the Lake District, but for a summer ramble head with him to south Wales where his ‘Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey’ recall a return visit with his sister Dorothy in 1798. 

The cult of walking tours taking in Picturesque ruins, Nature and dramatic scenes of beauty was in full swing, and these delights are still on offer today on the Wye Valley Walk through the wooded gorge along the river to the medieval abbey, with: 

“…steep and lofty cliffs, 

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion…” 

For Wordsworth, memories of such scenes refreshed the soul with “sensations sweet” long after visiting. 

A 40-mile drive from Tintern into the Cotswolds and the Slad Valley reveals another walk through unforgettable summer scenes: of Laurie Lee’s Cider With Rosie (1959), his bittersweet memoir of the sunny uplands of a vanished youth and semi-feudal way of life. 

The hauntingly lyrical book gave the world its image of the Cotswolds as the epitome of quaint, rural England, “with cattle, brilliant as painted china, treading their echoing shapes” and beech trees sunlit “as though clogged with wild wet honey”.Wander the Laurie Lee Wildlife Way through village and woodland of the Slad Valley, dotted with posts inscribed with Lee’s poetry; visit Holy Trinity Church where the author is buried and the ancient Woolpack inn where he liked to drink – real ale rather than cider!   

There is more honey and nostalgia in one of the most famous couplets in English poetry:

“Stands the Church clock at ten to three?

And is there honey still for tea?” 

Rupert Brooke posed the question in 1912 while abroad and pining after ‘The Old Vicarage, Grantchester’: conjuring up visions of lying “flower-lulled in sleepy grass”, gazing at the Cambridge sky as hours and centuries blur. Two years later he would write of dying in “some corner of a foreign field / That is for ever England”, but ‘Grantchester’ is suffused with the idyllic summer happiness of a quintessential English village.

Brooke lived in The Old Vicarage (now home to novelist Jeffrey Archer), gathering luminaries like Virginia Woolf around him while pursuing a fellowship at King’s College, Cambridge three miles away.

Grantchester Credit: © Rolf Richardson/Alamy Stock Photo

You can walk or punt along the River Cam past Grantchester Meadows to the village and visit the church, which dates from the 14th century. Then take afternoon tea including sandwiches, cakes and scones in The Orchard Tea Garden, the pavilion where Brooke and his friends tucked into refreshments when it was too rainy to sit outdoors (booking required; the village also boasts numerous good pubs).  

For a memorable finale to your summer reading, bask in the evocative descriptions of the ‘Author’s Prologue’ to Dylan Thomas’s Collected Poems (1952):

“This day winding down now

At God speeded summer’s end

In the torrent salmon sun,

In my seashaken house

On a breakneck of rocks…”

The “seashaken house” is the Dylan Thomas Boathouse below the cliff on the water’s edge of the west Wales town of Laugharne, where the author enjoyed a purple patch of creativity in his Writing Shed in the four years before his untimely death in 1953. 

After peeking into the cluttered shed, relax over bara brith (Welsh fruit bread) and tea on the Boathouse terrace. Then revel in views over the Taf estuary as dusk hovers towards “dogdayed night” and:

“My ark sings in the sun

At God speeded summer’s end

And the flood flowers now.” 

8 For more literary travel ideas, see http://www.britain-magazine.com

The post Summer reading: British book settings appeared first on Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture.

Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture https://www.britain-magazine.com/features/history/british-literature/british-summer-book-settings/

source https://coragemonik.wordpress.com/2019/09/02/summer-reading-british-book-settings/

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Shrewsbury + News from our partners: New Vice-Chancellor appointed at University of Chester

News from our partners University Centre Shrewsbury

Professor Eunice Simmons has been appointed as the next Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chester from January 2020.

VC Eunice Simmons.

The University Centre Shrewsbury (UCS) is a unique partnership between Shropshire Council and the University of Chester. Now in its fourth year, UCS offers 15 undergraduate and 8 postgraduate degrees.

Professor Simmons is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), where she leads the Academic and Student Affairs directorate, encompassing the student journey from primary school through university to graduate employment. Her leadership has been instrumental in creating an outstanding student experience at NTU, recognised with three successive ‘University of the Year’ titles; a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold award; and a rise up The Guardian University Guide league table to 12th in the 2020 rankings.

Professor Simmons (Eunice) gained an Honours degree in Biology at the University of Manchester and PGCE at Roehampton Institute. She taught secondary school science before obtaining a scholarship to the University of Kent for an MSc. This was followed by a research post with the University of London and the Forestry Commission, surveying sites throughout England and Wales, leading to a PhD in forest ecology and conservation in 1992. Her Professorship in Sustainable Environments was awarded for research and teaching in land use and environmental habitats, ranging from Malaysian rainforest to Kent downland.

Eunice has worked in five diverse institutions including two in the North West: University of London’s Wye and Imperial Colleges; UCLan; University of Cumbria and at Nottingham Trent since 2010. Her academic leadership roles have included Course Leader, MSc Director, Head of School, Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor and she has significant experience as a residential warden. Eunice has managed many professional service teams supporting the student experience – several of which have been recognised with national awards. As the recipient of a ‘Green Gown’ award for leadership, Eunice has led many community and environmental projects including chairing the North West’s regional forestry framework steering group. She is committed to broadening access to university and the types of course on offer and has championed the development of online and degree apprenticeship portfolios, working with hundreds of companies.

Eunice is a trustee and board member of Advance HE, the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC), and the new Transforming Access and Student Outcomes Centre (TASO-HE). As a member of Southwell Cathedral Council she has strengthened links between the Minster and NTU’s students through ceremonial events, heritage projects and sharing of expertise.

She is married with two sons at university and is a keen gardener, ecologist and walker in her spare time.

She said:

“I am thrilled to be taking up the role of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chester in 2020 and am very much looking forward to visiting all the University sites and meetingstude nts, staff and partner organisations. Chester’s values and its educational heritage and ambition resonate strongly with me and I am eager to help the University grow its offer to students and increase its impact in the region and beyond.”

Professor Tim Wheeler, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chester, said:

“I am delighted that someone of Eunice’s immense talent and experience is taking on the role of Vice-Chancellor of the University. As she takes on the stewardship of this wonderful institution, she will undoubtedly bring her flair and energy in taking it still further in meeting the needs of students and the communities we serve. I wish her every success and will be working with her to ensure a smooth transition.”

Dr Gyles Brandreth, Chancellor of the University of Chester, said:

“The University of Chester is a very special University, so it’s exciting to welcome someone with the special gifts and experience of Eunice Simmons as our new Vice-Chancellor. She is going to be stepping in to big shoes – Professor Tim Wheeler’s contribution as the University’s first Vice-Chancellor has been unique – but Professor Simmons has all the qualities, qualifications and experience for the job. I am looking forward hugely to working with her as she leads the University in the challenging and exciting years that lie ahead.”

Anna Sutton, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Chester and Provost, University Centre Shrewsbury, said:

“With great pleasure, I welcome Professor Simmons as Vice Chancellor of the University of Chester. Her impressive track record and the depth and breadth of her experience speaks for itself and will be a great asset to the University. I very much look forward to working with her as we continue to build and shape the future of University Centre Shrewsbury.”

Caption. Professor Eunice Simmons.

The post News from our partners: New Vice-Chancellor appointed at University of Chester appeared first on Shropshire Council Newsroom.

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[tripstations]

The best boozy breaks and day trips around the UK | Travel

WINE

FizzFest, Hampshire

FizzFest is the Vineyards of Hampshire’s annual festival, held at a different vineyard each year – this year, for the first time, it is at Exton Park. Visitors can taste 16 still and sparkling wines from eight Hampshire vineyards (Exton Park, Hambledon, Hattingley Valley, Cottonworth, Jenkyn Place, Danebury, Raimes and Black Chalk), book a wine and food-pairing masterclass, and take a tractor ride around the 55-acre vineyard, which isn’t usually open to the public. Food comes from local producers and there is a live band. • 21 July, from £15, extonparkvineyard.com

New wine region, Surrey

Albury vineyard tour. Photograph: Jonathan Blackham

Five vineyards have united to form a new English wine region, called Vineyards of the Surrey Hills. All are open for tours and tastings, and run special events. Denbies now opens for brunch at weekends, and has a host of events including regular vineyard train tours with sparkling wine and canapes, and there’ll be live jazz with wine, beer and a barbecueon 16 June. Albury has a wine, cheese and gin tasting day on 7 July, and a “dine between the vines” event on 18 July. At Greyfriars, there is a summer solstice tasting with local cheese and charcuterie on 21 June, sunset yoga and wine tasting on 22 June, and a free open day on 14 September. The other two vineyards to visit are Chilworth Manor and High Clandon. • surreyhillsvineyards.co.uk

Vineyards tour by ebike, Kent

Chapel Down. Photograph: Jason Alden

The UK Electric Bike Centre in Bibbenden rents ebikes for riding on suggested routes through the Kent countryside. One of the most popular is the Kent Vineyards route, taking in wineries including Chapel Down near Tenterden – a good stop for lunch or wine tasting (and panniers are provided for those who want to stock up). Another is the Brewery route, which includes a microbrewery tour and a pub lunch a few miles on. More itineraries are being developed this year, including off-road routes for e-mountain bikes. The company supplies maps, or cyclists can navigate using a new app. • Half day £35, full day £45, ukelectricbiketours.co.uk

Stay in a vineyard hobbit house, East Sussex

Oastbrook is a new vineyard, planted last year near the village of Bodiam. At the same time, the owners built a “hobbit house” into a grassy bank next to the vines. The living room has a vaulted and beamed ceiling and a woodburner, there are two double bedrooms and a garden with a hot tub – a nice spot to sip Oastbrook’s first vintage, a sparkling rosé (which, until their own vines grow to maturity, is being made in partnership with another vineyard). Guests can walk down to the river and use the kayaks, or continue to Bodiam Castle, a 15-minute walk away. • Sleeps four, from £735 for three nights or from £980 for a week, originalcottages.co.uk

BEER

Brewery sportives, nationwide

A sportive at Purity brewery. Photograph: James Rudd

Toby Fellows of LetsGoVelo launched a series of brewery cycle sportives in 2016. The idea was to create non-competitive, sociable cycling events with a place to relax afterwards – so where better than a brewery? That first started and finished at the Wye Valley Brewery in Herefordshire and is still an annual fixture, but the schedule has grown to 11 sportives at breweries including Thornbridge in the Peak District, BrewDog in Aberdeenshire and Purity in Warwickshire, plus cider mills and distilleries. New locations for 2019 include the Chase Distillery in Herefordshire (with post-race gin and vodka), the Towcester Mill Brewery in Northamptonshire and the Dartmoor Brewery in Devon. Cyclists can opt for the half-pint sportive (usually 23-35 miles) or the full pint (usually 50-60 miles) – plus as many pints as they like when they cross the finish line. • Next event 23 June, near Ledbury, last event 7 September, Dartmoor, from £20pp, letsgovelo.co.uk

Canoe pub crawls, Norwich

You can’t beat meandering along the river in a canoe, then mooring at a waterside pub. Pub and Paddle in Norwich offers just that along four routes, with suggested pub stops along the way. It hires out canoes and also collects them from your final watering hole, so there’s no danger of paddling under the influence. The shortest trip is a two-hour evening paddle into the city centre, calling at the Ribs of Beef pub (nine real ales, pie night on Wednesdays). The longest is seven hours to Surlingham, with six possible pub stops en route. There are new activities each summer, such as late-night solstice canoeing and pizza – check the website for upcoming events. • Daily, £12.50 to £30, pubandpaddle.com

GIN

Paddleboarding, foraging and gin-making, Highlands

Photograph: Ed Smith

Daffy’s Gin is made at Strathmashie Distillery, a Victorian shooting lodge in the Cairngorms. Its “gin school” opened last year and offers gin-making with a twist – pupils go out foraging for their own botanicals, either on foot in the hills or by paddleboard on Loch Insh. The price includes three 20cl bottles of foraged gin to take home and a G&T in the bar. Guests who fancy another drink or two can stay over in the Distillery Cottage or the Butler’s Flat, and go hiking, biking, fishing or wild swimming the next day. • From £95, next foraging trips 12-16 September, or by arrangement for groups of five or more, daffysgin.com

Gin garden tours, Edinburgh

The Secret Herb Garden, a 7½-acre site at the foot of the Pentland Hills just outside Edinburgh, is the UK’s first working gin botanical garden. More than 1,000 juniper bushes and 500 herbs are grown and dried here, then used to make Old Curiosity gin. Now visitors can go on a guided tour of the garden, visit the drying room and distillery, and taste the Secret Garden range (lemon verbena, chamomile and cornflower, apothecary rose, and lavender and echinacea) in the gin lounge. • Three tours on Saturdays and Sundays year-round, one on Thursdays and Fridays from 1 June to 21 September, £15, theoldcuriosity.co.uk

WHISKY

Raft to a distillery, Perthshire

Not in the Guidebooks, a travel company offering unusual experiences, has a whisky tour with a difference. Intrepid tipplers can now reach Dewar’s Distillery by raft. The six-mile journey from Aberfeldy to Grandtully in the Perthshire highlands is a scenic one, traversing the waters that go into the whisky. After lunch, visitors take a blender’s tour and make their own whisky from a blend of cask-strength single malt and grain whisky. The price includes rafting, tour and tasting, a glass and a 500ml bottle. • £65, notintheguidebooks.com

Whisky Trail sailing, western Scotland

If rafting to one whisky distillery sounds good, sailing to several must be even better. This holiday starts in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis and finishes at Oban in Argyll and Bute, island-hopping Jura, Islay, Mull and Skye along the way. There is plenty of shore time to tour the distilleries – there are eight to visit on Islay alone. Depending on the weather, there may be visits to other islands such as Colonsay, which has a brewery. No sailing experience is necessary – the first full day is a training day, and there are daily lessons from two instructors. • Next available trip 2-13 October, from £1,499 for 12 days, including all meals and equipment, rubicon3.co.uk

MIX IT UP

Aperol and Campari, Manchester, Edinburgh and London

The revolving Aperol Bar at Oast House in Manchester

Two Italian aperitifs, Aperol and Campari, are celebrating centenaries this year. Aperol was created in 1919 – as was the negroni, the classic Campari, gin and vermouth cocktail. In Manchester, the Oast House has an Aperol terrace until the end of August, plus a Big Birthday Social with a revolving Aperol carousel bar, live music and DJs (19-23 June, lineupnow.com). There are seven parties to celebrate Negroni Week – in London, Manchester and Edinburgh (20-27 June, lavitacampari.com). Drinkup London runs Negroni Experiments, where drinkers can sample various gins and vermouths before making their perfect cocktail (next event 4 September, drinkup.london). The Applebee’s Fish pop-up on the Southbank has Aperol spritz and negronis on tap (until 15 September, applebeesfish.com).

Great British booze break, Gloucestershire

Photograph: Mark Bolton

The Tudor Farmhouse, a boutique hotel in the Forest of Dean, has a two-night Great British booze break celebrating the area’s breweries, orchards, vineyards and distilleries. The package includes bed and breakfast, a minibar stocked with local beers and ciders, pre-dinner cocktails and three-course dinners. Guests also receive a copy of the hotel’s Great British booze trail, a guide to nine producers in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. At the Hillside Brewery, for example, visitors can brew their own beer, while the Apple County Cider Co has orchard walks and picnics. • From £235 a night for two, tudorfarmhousehotel.co.uk

Unusual tastings, London

Agave Sessions at The Distillery in Notting Hill. Photograph: Justin Gardner

The capital has some interesting alternative tasting tours. The Distillery in Notting Hill holds Agave Sessions, with tastings of tequila, mezcal and other lesser-known Mexican spirits. The session also includes four cocktails and a Mexican lunch, plus a bottle and small barrel of tequila to take home (£100, next events 6 and 20 July, the-distillery.london). At Laki Kane, a tiki bar in Islington, there are 20 mini pot stills for tipplers to make their own rum (from £45, daily, lakikane.com). TT Liquor in Shoreditch runs a range of tastings and masterclasses, including a molecular cocktail-making class (£70, next event 5 July, ttliquor.co.uk). And the Capital hotel in Knightsbridge runs vermouth sessions, with tastings and charcuterie (£45, Sunday-Thursday, capitalhotel.co.uk).

Looking for a holiday with a difference? Browse Guardian Holidays to see a range of fantastic trips

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[stuartaken]

Walking at Symonds Yat.

Walking at Symonds Yat.

River Wye seen from the viewpoint.

This illustrated post is here to help those who want to visit this spot and inform those who’ll never get there. I hope it serves those purposes and entertains along the way.

The smaller car park.

Where is Symonds Yat, and why is it so called? This local beauty spot is on the north-western edge of the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire, England. Click…

[parishchurches]

St. Laurence Church  Hawkhurst  Kent  UK

I visited this church on 4 October 2017

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The parish church of St Laurence stands at the south end of the village known as The Moor, which is the older part of Hawkhurst. It falls within the Canterbury diocese, and has as patron the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church, Oxford. It is likely that a church has stood on this site since 1100, or even earlier.

After the Battle of Hastings William the Conqueror gave the Manor of Wye, with rights over a large part of the parish, to the Abbot of Battle. The first mention of the church is in the charter of 1285, and its first rector was Richard de Clyne in 1291. The Chancel and North Chapel are the oldest parts of the church.

The Great East Window was built about 1350 and has been described as one of the finest pieces of architecture in the country. Most of the rest of the church dates from around 1450, when the nave was lengthened and raised, the aisles, porches and tower added, and it took on its present appearance.

The room over the North porch was used by Battle Abbey officials for rent collecting, and used to be called "The Treasury". In 1574, communion rails were introduced at a cost of 53 shillings, to keep communicants from the altar, the first parish church in England to have done so.

In 1944 a German flying bomb fell in the churchyard, caused considerable damage, and the church was put out of action until 1957. Part of the flying bomb can be seen on the south side at the back of the church.

[stupc]

It’s Easter, and we finally had the chance to visit Conny and Ben in the Forest of Dean.

Who’s Ben? Well, it’s technically correct to say he’s the fiancee of Conny, my dead brother’s wife, but that sounds absolutely horrible. To us, and particularly to the girls, they’re just Auntie Conny and soon-to-be-Uncle Ben.

Conny & Ben live in a tiny village in the beautiful Forest of Dean, far far away from our own outskirts of London. We’ve been meaning to visit them (and other friends) for ages now, but either haven’t had the means or the time. And because we don’t own a car this visit had taken months to arrange, eventually involving a convoluted mix of train to Swindon, an overnight stay, and a borrowed car…

But we got there in the end. 🙂

I’d never visited the Forest of Dean before, although I grew up in Swindon, only an hour away. And, despite living in Bexley, which is pretty darn green, and having explored many of the woods and green spaces of south London over the years, we found the Forest of Dean was a very different kettle of fish from the tame, managed green spaces we previously thought to be so wild!

We spent most of our time in the Forest of Dean walking and, because Ben’s knowledge of the local wildlife was so remarkable, we saw and heard all kinds of hitherto unseen and unheard anaimals, birds and plants. The biggest surprise for us were the wild boar and piglets, spotted just running about the Forest, doing their thing – which amazed all of us: Pigs! Wild pigs! Living in the woods! In 21st century Britain!

But also so many different types of birds, too. It was so different from anything before that it felt like our first time walking any woods. Plus, we had Ben there to point out all the different tracks and sounds and species felt like a real privilege. Thanks so much, Ben – the girls will never again trust my regurgitated Wikipedia explanations. 😉

As you can see in the pictures below, it was pretty damp and misty, but that mostly only added to the magic and the mystery, as we caught glimpses of rivers and landscapes from high above them on Yat Rock and trekked through the green Forest, surrounded by greens so bright it was hard to believe they were real: there was green everywhere, but now and again there’d be outbreaks of SUPER-GREEN, such as the clover in the picture below.

Bridge over the River Wye 2

Bridge over the River Wye 1

Carters on Yat Rock

In the Forest

Lurid Forest clover

“View” from Yat Rock

I was proud of the girls, too. We may live in the city, but we do quite a lot of walking and aren’t scared of a bit of mud. The first day we covered about five miles through the woods – up and down hills, through mud and water, pushing through trees and undergrowth. No doubt Ben thought it was pretty small beer, but the girls took it all in their stride and genuinely loved every minute – although they were grateful to pick up their phones as soon as we got back to Ben & Conny’s cottage, where Amber introduced them to the joys of Toilet Time.

The city folk get to see wild boar, the country-folk discover Toilet Time. Somehow, that doesn’t feel like a fair exchange to me.

I’m looking forward to our next visit, when Ben has promised us all some canoeing on the River Wye, and promised me some caves.

I love caves.

The Forest of Dean It's Easter, and we finally had the chance to visit Conny and Ben in the Forest of Dean.

[nunoxaviermoreira]

Horsing Around in the Forest of Dean! by antonychammond This handsome equine posse took a passing interest in us too as we walked in the Forest of Dean. The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north-west, Herefordshire to the north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east. The area is characterised by more than 110 square kilometres (42.5 sq mi) of mixed woodland, one of the surviving ancient woodlands in England. A large area was reserved for royal hunting before 1066, and remained as the second largest crown forest in England, the largest being New Forest. Although the name is used loosely to refer to the part of Gloucestershire between the Severn and Wye, the Forest of Dean proper has covered a much smaller area since medieval times. In 1327 it was defined to cover only the royal demesne and parts of parishes within the hundred of St Briavels, and after 1668 comprised the royal demesne only. The Forest proper is within the civil parishes of West Dean, Lydbrook, Cinderford, Ruspidge, and Drybrook, together with a strip of land in the parish of English Bicknor. Traditionally the main sources of work have been forestry – including charcoal production - iron working and coal mining. Archaeological studies have dated the earliest use of coal to Roman times for domestic heating and industrial processes such as the preparation of iron ore. The area gives its name to the local government district, Forest of Dean, and a parliamentary constituency, both of which cover wider areas than the historic Forest. The administrative centre of the local authority is Coleford, one of the main towns in the historic Forest area, together with Cinderford and Lydney. For further information please visit http://ift.tt/2x6pc1h http://ift.tt/2fAYToC

[robertmcangusgroup]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Thursday 20th April 2017

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. Strong winds have returned, so it’s on with the jacket this morning making sure the “Poop Bags” are in my pocket, don’t want to be evicted… the surf is pounding on the beach, white sea foam careening over the sand, almost reaching the beach cafes, Bella stands fascinated by the spectacle, then realizing that there is no food, turns and tugs me towards home… it’s cold on the walk back, wind whipping against the posters and shutters on the walls, was quite a relief to close the door and be back in the comfort of the house….

LORRY DRIVER'S NARROW ESCAPE IN A82 LOCH LOMOND CRASH…. A lorry driver had a narrow escape after crashing in darkness, feet from the edge of Loch Lomond. The HGV went down the embankment on the A82 at Stuckgowan in the early hours of Friday morning. Police Scotland said the driver was uninjured in the incident. Traffic was queued between Tarbet and Stuckgowan throughout Friday while the rear of the lorry continued to block one carriageway. Witnesses said the cab was stopped from entering the loch by a tree, about 3ft from the water's edge. Temporary traffic lights have been put in place to manage Easter traffic on the popular bank holiday route. The HGV is due to be removed early on Saturday morning when both carriageways will need to be closed. Eddie Ross of BEAR Scotland said: "Roads are busier due to the Bank Holiday weekend. Rather than close the road to recover the vehicle, Police Scotland have arranged for temporary traffic lights to remain in place. "We've made the area around the HGV safe for road users to get past until full recovery can be arranged."

KING ARTHUR FILM VIEWS INSPIRE MAGIC SCOTTISH TOURISM DRIVE…. Stunning scenery locations from a new King Arthur film are being used to attract tourists to explore Scotland. The campaign comes in the run-up to the release of the Guy Ritchie film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword in May. Scenes from Scotland in the movie include the Devil's Pulpit, near Killearn, and The Bealach at Applecross. A six-week VisitBritain digital campaign is running across Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Legend of the Sword has scenes shot on the Isle of Skye and in the Highlands, as well as in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley in England and Snowdonia in Wales. VisitBritain said films and TV were powerful motivators for travel, with visitors seeking out places they have seen on screen.

POLICE SEIZE £6,000 WORTH OF CANNABIS FROM LERWICK HOUSE…. Police in Shetland have seized an estimated £6,000 worth of cannabis from a house in Lerwick. It was discovered on Thursday using sniffer dogs funded by the charity Dogs against Drugs. A 30-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested and charged with being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.

INSCH CRASH MICROLIGHT SUFFERED TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER…. An Aberdeenshire microlight crash which left the pilot injured happened after it suffered a total loss of engine power, an investigation has found. The incident happened in Insch in August last year. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the 59-year-old pilot lost power and decided a field was the best landing option. The microlight struck the ground and flipped over. The cause of the power loss has not been identified.

LEWIS, 7, RAISES HUNDREDS OF POUNDS TO HELP ABERDEEN COUSIN GET LIFE-CHANGING OP IN US…. A young girl with cerebral palsy who is raising money for life-changing surgery has been given a helping hand by her seven-year-old cousin. Olivia Brands, who is also seven, from Kincorth, requires walking splints and often uses a wheelchair because of a neurological condition that causes constant stiffness and tightness of leg and arm muscles. Last month parents Senga and Steven announced hopes of raising £70,000 for her to travel to America to undergo Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) – an operation that could improve her mobility. Now, her cousin Lewis Brands has offered to pitch in by doing a sponsored climb of Bennachie at the end of the month. Senga, who is 26 weeks pregnant with her third child, told of her delight that Lewis would be helping with the fundraising. She said: “We are very proud that Lewis wanted to do this walk – it was all his idea. “He really wanted to help raise funds towards Olivia’s journey.” Olivia, who will attend the climb accompanied by Steven, is looking forward to the event. She said: “I am so excited to do the walk with Lewis.” Lewis’ mum Nicola said: “When we told Lewis about the operation, he wanted to raise all of the money himself. “He is a very empathetic person and always has been so I was not surprised to hear he wanted to help, and Olivia will find a way to do anything she wants.” Nicola, a sales assistant, explained the close relationship the two cousins share. She said: “There are only six months between the pair so they grew up together. “They can go for weeks without seeing each other but when they get together again, it’s like no time has passed.” Lewis, who lives with his family in Huntly, has raised approximately £600 to go towards Olivia’s operation from fundraising at dad Gary’s offshore workplace and his mum’s in Tesco, Huntly. He said: “I’m really excited – I’m just doing it for my cousin.” To sponsor Lewis, visit: www.gofundme.com/6mn6eu-olivias-journey      

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of the 15th-century church of Rodel on the Isle of Lewis, built for the warlike chiefs of the MacLeods, towers over the sea lochs of Scotland's Outer Hebrides. Nothing in early modern Britain, from its cities to its remotest corners, was more political than religion. The church in every parish—nearly always the most imposing building—was as much a symbol of worldly control as a shrine to God.

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Thursday 20th April 2017 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in ….. Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus