After a day of rain, we woke in Toronto to sunshine ready to visit some great houses and explore the city’s history. But late-night revellers and the sirens of a city weekend had meant for a broken night of sleep so it wasn’t easy dragging ourselves away from the duvet to grand Casa Loma. Still,…
Tag: Castles and houses
Bateman’s and a walk through Sussex
A sweltering weekend offered the chance to escape the urban streets of London for a hike in the glorious heart of rural Sussex. We opted for a 9-mile walk from Stonegate to Robertsbridge, taking in the manorial home of author Rudyard Kipling – Bateman’s. And it was a walk that rekindled a few memories too. The…
A week in Gallipoli on the coast of Puglia
The Puglian seaside town of Gallipoli looked historic, elegant and characterful in the photos I found on Google ahead of our stay. But as a seasoned traveller, I should’ve known that marketing was at play. Lonely Planet had warned me that it was a working town, where fishing is still a mainstay of the local…
The castle at Sintra in Portugal
Sintra’s an easy day trip on the train from Portugal’s wonderful capital Lisbon. Hilly, with great views and some fairy tale architecture, it’s easy to see why the rich, the famous and royalty built their mansions around the village as an escape from the city. Sintra itself is touristy and busy but the real attractions…
Northern Ireland: The Argory
Pondering Northern Ireland, my thoughts are all too often coloured by the Troubles. It’s easy to forget that life went on despite the bombs, shootings and the hectoring background noise of politicians that filled my formative years. It’s weird to think that the National Trust was busy there despite all that trouble, doing its preservation…
Northern Ireland: The Giant’s Causeway and Dunluce Castle
If there’s one thing I’ll remember about Northern Ireland, it’s that this relatively small part of the UK has such a variety of landscapes. The coast of County Antrim is one of the best and its star attraction is the Giant’s Causeway. Driving to giant Finn MacCool’s legendary domain on a warm, sunny day in…
Seville: Noble homes and spectacular plazas
Picking a good hotel is all about research and we’re in the habit of choosing some great ones. The Palacio de Villapanes ranks among them. Once the home of a noble Seville family, it boasts luxury bedding, great service and fancy design. A giant coat of arms on the grand marble staircase is one of the…
The palace and monastery of El Escorial
Madrid is such a great city that it’s tempting to spend an entire visit deep in its wonderfulness. There’s so much going on, so much of a buzz and so much to see. But with our love of a good palace, we just had to visit El Escorial. The complex, which was both a palace and monastery,…
Chatsworth: A day out at a Derbyshire country house
It must be tough being a duke. There’s the grand country house to call home, no end of properties to rent out to the peasantry, stunning artworks to hang from the walls, acres of land to farm and gardens to landscape. Chatsworth, the spectacular Derbyshire estate of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, has all…
Japan: A visit to James Bond’s castle at Himeji
I’m a huge James Bond fan so I couldn’t go all the way to Japan without paying homage to a castle that 007 himself visited back in the 1960s. The film was You Only Live Twice, Bond was Sean Connery and Himeji Castle was a ninja training school that he visited with the boss of…
Polesden Lacey – in the heart of the Surrey Hills
I’ll come out of the closet and admit to being a fan of country houses. I always have been. So it’s not just grannies who spend their leisure time nosing around mansions and palaces. Deep in the Surrey hills is a house with beautiful views and real style, now in the possession of the National…
Verona: A Roman survivor
Italy may change but some things remain resolutely the same. The food is great, the architecture is awe-inspiring and the locals can’t resist a shiny puffer jacket. On our first evening in Verona, nursing a beer in a touristy but quiet bar in the Piazza Bra, there were plenty of puffer jackets on display. Veronese and…
The Cairngorms: A visit to Craigievar Castle
If nothing else, my first visit to Scotland in years confirmed that the weather can never be relied upon. One day we were hot and bothered in the sun on top of a mountain, the next waking to drenching rain. At least we had Craigievar to visit during the couple of days we were spending…
Scotland in the spring: To Cawdor Castle
It’s surprising what gets classified as a tourist attraction in some parts of the world. How about a shop? That’s where we found ourselves on a wet morning on our last full day in the Scottish Cairngorms, guided by the local tourist board’s ever-optimistic marketing blurb. It was billed as the Scottish Heather Centre but…
Scotland in the spring: Rain at Brodie Castle
The number one challenge of holidaying in the UK is the weather but the Cairngorms in Scotland had been good to us on our first visit. Would we be lucky a second time? Stepping off our dinky British Airways Embraer 170 at Aberdeen, to the soundtrack of helicopters heading for the oil rigs, the drizzle was…