Butlins with Colin & Jen

Our journey to Butlins was only interrupted by lunch at a nice country pub. Once there we settled in to our accommodation and had dinner before heading for Centre Stage for an evening of entertainment.

The following day we went to the fair ground and went on the rides. The carousel was a firm favourite with all. Sally was the “Jensen Button” of the go-carts, storming around the track! Bumper cars were also much fun and braves souls went on the sky-ride! The afternoon was taken up with 10-pin bowling and Bruce took pride of place with the highest score. Dinner was at Pappa John’s and then onto Centre Stage for another night of great entertainment and dancing until late.

The next day we took a walk into Bognor town and along the prom. There we went on the pier and played on the amusements. We had a nice fish & chip lunch and then shopped for gifts and souvenirs! Another evening of entertainment at Centre Stage enjoying the show “King meets Queen” was preceded by dinner at a local pub.

More gift shopping was done in Butlins on the next day and swimming was also something that some of the group enjoyed. Ice creams were another little holiday treat. It’s just got to be done! That evening we had a special dinner at the new “Brian Turner” restaurant and celebrated Keith’s birthday. As usual we spent another good night being entertained by the fabulous Butlins troupe.

During our stay we also played pool, air-hockey and generally had a good time in the amusement areas as well as watching a pantomime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alton Towers & Peak District with Derek & Pat

We arrived in good time to our lovely lodges within a beautiful country park. As we had allowed enough time we had a swim in the pool before eating on site in the restaurant. To end the night we played pool, air-hockey and had a go on the dance machines.

The next two days were forecast as fairly good, so we took the chance to spend the two days at Alton Towers theme park. We had a wonderful time working our way through the rides, starting with the easy rides and working up to the more adventurous ones. Naturally we had to try out the wet rides and all got a good soaking, but that was great fun. The scary rides were only braved by Tony, Kevin and Pat. The rest of us were a little bit scared, especially Derek!! There was a 4D cinema experience of “Ice Age” and also an aquarium.

On another day we went to see the glorious Chatsworth house, set in the most beautiful grounds. We went into the house and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The grounds are vast and we walked around a lot of it. There were statues, water features, fountains, many flower beds and massive lawns. We even nearly got lost in the maze! We also enjoyed the farm animals.

We visited a tram museum and took a ride on one of the trams. It was a lovely experience and it took us back in time.
We spotted an interesting looking tower as we travelled through the magnificent countryside, so it was decided to stop and find out about it. It turned out to be a memorial site for those that had fallen in several wars. It was set in a superb place.

Evenings were spent in lovely country pubs, with good company and good food. We saw the lights in Matlock Bath on one evening and when a shopping trip was necessary, we went to pretty Bakewell.

It was a great week and our thanks go to all for making it such good fun.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yorkshire Dales, TV Soap Country with Colin & Wendy

We all met up en-route to Yorkshire and set off to our holiday home. After stopping off for lunch at an old country pub we arrived at our large cottage set in a very pretty village in the Yorkshire National Park. We quickly settled in and made ourselves at home for the week ahead.

We were keen to see many of the sights made famous in TV shows through the years. We first headed to Esholt, where the ‘Woolpack Inn’ is located, used in Emmerdale for 22 years. After a look around the main street we stopped in the Woolpack for a drink. On another day we drove through the countryside to the village of Holmfirth. Here we visited Sid’s Cafe, where we popped in for lunch and walked through the village stopping to see the house where Norma Batty lived.

One day we visited Harewood House, the setting of which has been used in Emmerdale. We walked the grounds of the magnificent residence and visited the Bird Garden, home to over 90 species of birds, many of them endangered. We visited Bolton Castle, where we saw the 14th Century structure as well as various animals, including baby hogs and a falcon. We also went to the Wensleydale Creamery, where we saw cheese being made, and got to taste many of the varieties on offer.

At Oakworth we visited the Edwardian railway station that played the setting for The Railway Children film. We even found time to play 10-pin bowling. Though the weather hadn’t always been kind to us, we enjoyed marvellous views of the countryside all week, and visited many interesting places.