Yorkshire Dales with John, Owen & Wendy

 We all met up and eagerly made our way to our wonderful accommodation.  It had huge well kept lawns, tennis courts and stables (where the German National Team were looking after their horses).  We unpacked excitedly, freshened up and then went out to a delightful pub where we chatted and got to know each other over dinner.  We enjoyed a few drinks and mad our way back home where we all relaxed before our first night!

We visited the nearby Fountains Abbey Visitors Centre.  It was a lovely place and we drove through the deer park and down by the lake.  We then took a beautifully scenic drive to Eshott to see the famous Woolpack Pub!  We even enjoyed a drink in there and felt like were part of the Emmerdale cast!  After our drink we headed to Harrogate and went into Betty’s tearoom which was wonderful!

We arose bright and early one morning and after our usual hearty breakfast, we headed for Huddersfield where we went to a long established ice cream shop ‘Dixon’s Milk Ices’ to sample!  The ice cream was beyond delicious so we all had one!  We then drove to Castle Hill, the best vantage point for spectacular views over the town and countryside, before the short trip to Holmfirth (where Last of the Summer Wine was filmed).  We had lunch in Sid's Cafe before exploring Holmfirth and taking the Summer wine bus tour!  Finally we went to the Summer Wine museum and shop which contained archives from the programme.  It was truly fascinating to be there!

On another morning we set off to the wonderful Yorkshire Dales.  First stop was the Wensleydale cheese factory where we watched the process of cheese production!  We were able to sample around 20 different cheeses which was very exciting!  They tasted absolutely delicious.  After a lovely lunch, we drove through the Dales National Park, alongside winding rivers.  We took in the views and arrived at a lovely village of Grassington.  It was then back to home for a super BBQ.  We cooked meat bought from a long established traditional butcher in Ripley!  We worked off a bit of dinner by playing tennis and another competitive game of croquet!  We then visited the second pub where again, we were welcomed warmly.  Owen discovered a number of guitars in this pub which were put to good use for a sing along!

We visited beautiful Pickering and the North York Steam Railway which we took to Goathland, Heartbeat Country.  We saw Grosmont Station and drove to Whitby where we parked by some lush cliff top gardens which overlooked the sea.  We were soon to realise that it was the last day of the Whitby Folk Festival week and musicians and dancers were going from the gardens to perform by the bandstand near the harbour.  We arrived just as the performance was about to start. It was truly excellent!  In the evening we took a final visit to our village pub where we were greeted as friends by the locals. 

 As always the holiday had come to an end too soon!  After a hearty breakfast we packed our cases and loaded the van.  On our journey home we chatted about our holiday and what our favourite parts were.  We all said we’d love to come back!

Out & About on the Isle of Wight with Phil, Andy & Melanie

Excitedly we all met up and had a delicious lunch in Lymington. We all chatted and got to know each other and were all looking forward to the week ahead!  We took the short ferry ride over to Yarmouth and arrived at our lovely resort.  After we unpacked we had a lovely filling dinner and then watched a fantastic welcome show put on by the entertainment team.  We all sang along to the songs we knew, and danced in our seats!  We all got up on the dance floor and had a boogie, too!

 We did so many brilliant things during our week away.  We visited the famous Needles at Allum Bay.  It was a beautifully sunny day and it was lovely looking out over the ocean with a refreshing breeze on our faces.  We watched some incredible glass blowing and watched them create the most beautiful glass vases. We really felt the heat of the furnace on our faces!  We also went into the sweet factory and saw the process of how sweets are actually made.  The best bit was that we got to try them afterwards!  We then made our own sand shapes by filling up a transparent ornament with different coloured sands.  Everyone loved it and there were some smashing results!  

We visited a delightful, picturesque little town called Godshill.  It was a small but buzzing place and we had the most delicious lunch in a lovely cafe garden.  We took advantage and dipped into a shop called 'Chocolate Island' which was full of very tempting things.  We then went into the Model Village where everything was miniature - it was truly an excellent experience.

One morning we all decided that we'd like to visit Osborne House - the stunning summer home of Queen Victoria. It was wonderful walking around the lush and beautifully presented grounds.  The house itself was spectacular with a lot of the original items still in their places.  After this we drove to the Donkey Sanctuary where we saw lots of beautiful rescued donkeys.  It was great to see them being so well looked after.  We enjoyed an ice cream in the sunshine out in a pretty courtyard.  

Another morning we set off to the Roman Villa at Brading.  What a mind blowing place this was!  We were able to see the 2000 year old remains of a Roman Villa!  Most of the stone works and mosaics were so well preserved.  It was a great interactive experience as were were able to play games on the way round and do little quizzes!  We were also able to touch the ancient artifacts.  We learnt a lot by reading the information boards, too.  We were all in awe of what we saw!  After this we went to Ryde to have a game of ten pin bowling.  Lots of strikes were scored and we all had great fun competing!  Afterwards we took a leisurely stroll along Ryde seafront, where we enjoyed some dripping 99's with flakes!  Bliss! 

As always, the resident entertainment team kept us thoroughly entertained in the evenings!  We saw lots of wonderful shows and we even saw a comedy magician one night. He really was very funny and he performed the most wonderful tricks!  We had our photo taken with him after!  One night we did karaoke in the lounge bar and everyone clapped and cheered us on!  

As always, the end of the holiday had come round too quickly!  However we enjoyed a lovely lunch together before we all went our separate ways.  What a fabulous week!  

 

 

Wales in Summertime with Adrian & Pat

We all met up over lunch and set off in the ‘Jolly Bus’ - destination Wales! Our accommodation for the week was a luxury converted barn with bedrooms downstairs and living space upstairs to make the most of the fantastic views over the lush Welsh countryside! For the first evening we visited the local pub which had a beautiful restaurant serving very good food.  

During our fantastic week away we did so many wonderful things.  One morning we set off and drove through the lush, Welsh countryside.  The views were simply stunning.  We visited a place called Corris where there was a large craft centre where we saw leather goods, glass work, pottery and candles being made. We bought some lovely souvenirs in the beautiful little shop! 

On another day we went to Devils Bridge.  We were so high that we were amongst the clouds!  We looked over the top of the bridge and it was such a long way down with waterfalls cascading all the way to the bottom.  A short distance away we boarded the Vale of Rheidol steam train which trundled it's way along a hillside offering wonderful views of the very green Welsh valleys all the way to Aberystwyth.  

Excitedly we set off one morning to visit a butterfly house in Cwmrheidol which was situated beside a hydro power reservoir in the Rheidol Valley.  We saw many beautiful butterflies - some were even bigger than your hand!  After enjoying an ice cream we drove to Aberystwyth where we all sat down to a lovely fish and chip lunch on the sea front before a leisurely stroll around the town itself. 

On another day we set off for Bala Lake.  The views across the lake were stunning and we stopped many times to marvel at them.  We found a lovely area for our picnic with plenty of dappled shade as it was a hot day.  We were right beside the lake and railway line.  We all waved at the driver and passengers as the steam train went by!  

On our last full day we paid a visit to Powis Castle in ‘Y Trallwng’ (Welshpool) where we were able to wonder around in and out of bed rooms and living rooms that were set up just as they would have been up to 400 years ago. It was truly fascinating.  A few presents were purchased in the Castle shop before we went into town for lunch and a last chance to do any more souvenir shopping.

The end of the holiday had come too soon! After breakfast the mini bus was loaded, we all said a fond farewell to our lovely accommodation and our wonderful hosts Chris and Sarah and set off homeward taking a last look at the beautiful and lush Welsh countryside. I think we would all like to come back here one day soon!