The Sailing Holiday continues

Over a week has passed since we started on this yacht trip and I would have to say at this stage this is one of the best holidays I have ever had. We have had beautiful weather and been to beautiful places. We continue to sail (or motor depending on the wind) to a new destination very day, sometimes stopping on the way for lunch and a swim. Every town is different in its own unique way. At present we are on Ithic and the two previous ports have been on Kefalonia. For those of you who have read the book or seen the movie, this is the setting for Captain Corelli's Mandolin. My book club read it last year but I felt a re-.read would be good so have bought it on my Kindle.

One day we moored in an inlet on the island of Skorpidi which is the private island of the Onassis family. Beautiful waters to swim in with a green clad landscape to look at. The whole island has been planted in a park like fashion. At Fiscardo we were moored so close to the water front restaurants we could have been served a meal on the deck of the yacht.

The one down side of the trip is that there are no holding tanks on our yacht for 'black water waste' so we are very aware of flushing the toilet while in port. Also another reason for no swimming near moored yachts in the harbour or marina! Of course every restaurant and cafe has toilets so each morning first thing requires a trip to the first cafe to open for the day, for a coffee! As nearly all the businesses also have free Internet access this is a time when emails and the likes are caught up on.

We still have five more days before arriving at the port of Levkos where we will leave our yacht Sirius and our friends, and catch a bus back to Athens where we will continue with the next stage of our trip.



If you are interested in plotting our trip these are the places we have been so far:

Kerkira, on Corfu; Mourtos on the mainland near Sivota; Paxi and Antipaxos for two nights at Gios and Lakka; Preveza on the mainland; Nydri on Lefkado; Vasiliki on Lefkado; Fiskardo and Agia Efimia; Vathi on Ithaki.

Posted with Blogsy

Greece

We flew to Athens on Friday 14 and spent the night at a B&B. We chose this particular place as they would collect us from the airport as well as store our suitcases and excess luggage while on the yacht trip. Cabin space on the yacht  is limited and so soft luggage is best.

We flew to Corfu in the afternoon and joined our group of 13 sailing companions. We have two 49 foot charter yachts each with four double cabins and ensuites.  We are well catered for with plenty space, food and drinks.

Each day we sail (or motor depending on the wind), anchor somewhere for a swim and lunch, sail to a new village and moor up for the evening. A meal in one of the many tavernas completes the day before we retire for the evening. The process is repeated again the next day. 

Weather watch: Temperatures average 25-28, clear blue skies, water temp average 25.7.

More detail to come later as Internet access is limited.  Photos issue still being worked on!  We return to our B&B on Saturday 29.

Sorry no photos

Sorry but I the programme I am using to add photos to my blog keeps crashing so no photos in the meantime. That's a shame as the scarecrow ones are cool. And just when I found the camera connector to get the photos from the camera to the iPad. That's computers for you.

Posted with Blogsy

Scarecrow festival

We had noticed a sign advertising a scarecrow festival for last weekend. It on the through road to the motorway pointing to the village, Harpole, which is the next one on from Duston which we thought sounded like fun so Jessica and I set off about lunch time on Sunday. The boys didn't think it was for them and chose to stay home to have lunch and keep working on the bathroom.

Not being absolutely sure what to expect at a scarecrow festival we were very surprised to find the whole village involved and scarecrows everywhere. It is a fundraiser for the community and information on our pamphlet told us that last year 10 000 people attended and that this was their 15th year. We had thought that all the scarecrows would be in one place but no, there was a trail around the village with the set up in front gardens and lawns. Each scarecrow had a number as you could vote for your favourite. So off we set to view these work of art. Many had an Olympic or royal theme though there were still plenty with a more traditional look as well. I had the camera snapping away and now have a great collection of scarecrows photos. I don't think we decided on a favourite one - just too many to chose from, and we never got to see any results.

We were certainly pleased we had taken a couple of hour's out of this lovely Sunday afternoon. We also chose a good time of the day to go. As we were leaving the carloads of people coming into the village was causing a traffic jam. Maybe the numbers would be even greater this year.

The following link to their website where you can view photos from previous years. http://www.harpole-scarecrows.co.uk/

G

Posted with Blogsy

London

This was our last week in the UK and we still hadn't been to London! The train service is very efficient so tickets were booked on line for Monday and off we headed. It is just an hour from Northampton train station to Euston. From there we navigated our way through the Underground to Bank Station, which Jessica had thought we then just need a short walk to our first destination, Tower of London. If you come out of the Underground at a different exit than you plan it can be very disorientating, which of course happened to us. To confuse us even more crowds were starting to gather for what we found out later was the Olympians parade through London. In the end that was to our advantage as hundreds of thousands lined the streets during the day, keeping them away for the main tourist sights.



 

We eventually found our way to the Tower of London. We joined a Beefeater Guard's tour to start with and then made our way to the crown jewels. No queues here, and plenty of time for a good view. After having a good look around the other main exhibitions we walked along the Thames Path down to Waterloo Bridge, stopping to look at St Paul's Cathedral, and to walk out on to the Millennium Bridge. Stephen was keen to visit the Transport Museum which was in Covent Garden. While we spent an hour or so in there, I took the opportunity to browse the markets, window shop some of the upmarket shops and watch some street theatre.

 

 

 

Next stop was the National Art Gallery, which we had visited when we were here last time. We hadn't had enough time that day to see it all so thought it would be good to go again. The Art Gallery is in Trafalger Square and this had obviously been a very busy place in regards to the parade. There were still hundreds of people about enjoying themselves though most had gone by the time we emerged from the Gallery at 6pm(closing time) and the staging and fencing was being packed up.

We had arranged to meet Alice (Jim and Julianne's daughter) in a Tapa's bar at Kings Cross at 6:30 so it was back to the Underground to find our there. It spent a very pleasant evening with Alice, catching up with all her news, and enjoying a drink and some food. It is a short walk back to Euston Station to catch the train again and travel back to Northampton. It was a long day but certainly worth the trip.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Norfolk and surrounds

After our visit to Hidcote we had quite a drive ahead of us over to Kings Lynn where we had a B&B booked for the night. We would have liked to have camped as the weather for the week was looking great but we weren't sure what time we would get there and as sunset is at 7:30pm these days and we had no desire to arrive in the dark to put the tent up. Our B&B was lovely and after weeks of sleeping on an air bed were looking forward to a 'real' bed. It was a lovely king sized one and very comfy but would you believe it neither of us slept that well. Not sure why. I think that it was a very warm night and we were on the third floor in a small room.

 

 

Kings Lynn is a very old town on the mouth of the River Great Ouse. When we arrived it was low tide with the river bottom being mud. Within a hour it had turned and the water was fair rushing in at 6 knots. Amazing to watch but quite difficult to capture and see on film. We enjoyed a lovely meal at a little restaurant on the quay and a wander around the town centre.

Our destination for the next day was Sandringham, the Queens holiday home! It was just six mile drive and we were there before it opened. A cuppa filled in the time and then we made our way to the gardens and museum. We had decided that we didn't need to see in the house as well and chose a guided garden tour instead. This was a good choice and we heard the history of the garden and how it had developed as well as getting to see the walled garden. This garden is no longer used to grow vegetables and fruit, with Prince Phillip saying that they are just as cheap to buy at Waitrose's or Sainsbury's. I suppose if you factor in the price of labour he is probable correct. And Prince Charles organic farm supplies much of Waitrose's anyway so it is still in the family so to speak. The museum was an interesting collection of mostly motor vehicles used by the royal family over the years, as well as some family history, a collection of artifacts from the old dairy and a few other treasures.

 

 

 

 

 

Our destination for the night was West Runton, where we planned to camp. The road was coastal along the northern part of East Anglia which we had hoped to have had good sea views as we went. Unfortunately the large hedgerows blocked our views for most of the trip. We did however make a stop at Wells by the Sea and walked out onto the beach. This was very much a holiday area with camping facilities close by, and facilities for swimming. However it was also very tidal on a river mouth and the tide was well out leaving the swimming area just as sand. It was possible to walk out across the narrow river channel but is very dangerous to be caught out there as the tide turns so a siren is sounded. I suspect the tide is similar to what we saw at Kings Lynn. In the distance was an off shore wind farm and as we moved around this area we saw several more both off and on shore.

Our camping experience was different this time. The campsite was difficult to find down a narrow road but obviously popular as it was well patronized. The mobile fish and chip shop was scheduled to visit at 7pm so we thought that we would try this traditional take away even though we had been warned they like what we get in NZ. First mistake is that we didn't join the queue at 7. It was quite long but even by 8 it wasn't much shorter. After about a 40 min wait, by now dark and getting decidedly cooler, got our meal. Back to the tent with only one lantern type light to eat by we were truly disappointed. The chips aren't cooked to order, but cooked ahead of time and kept in heated bin. I thought the cod was ok but was mostly batter. Even the mushy peas I tried did nothing for the taste buds. Not an experience we will be in a hurry to repeat. The following night we bought steak, new potatoes and salad from the supermarket and cooked a delicious meal on our little gas burner. And it was only 2/3 the price of the F&Cs.

 

I remember learning about the fens and broads in Standard Six so it was interesting to see this area. It is certainly very fertile and looks like a food basket growing area for the country. The only way to see much of the area is by boat so we went to Wroxham and took a trip on a replica 1920s launch that was electrically powered. It was so lovely and quiet and our skipper explained how the area of 'broads' is all man made, when the peat was dug out over many centuries leaving lakes or broads. These wetland areas are now protected and have become sanctuaries for wildlife.

These water ways are very popular with over 125 miles to navigate through. However they are also very narrow in places and we watched in horror in one place where this large gaff rigged yacht came around the corner too fast and slammed into another boat. No damage but it could have very easily been a nasty accident.

On our way to Cambridge on Friday morning we took a detour through Great Yarmouth. We were keen to see a seaside resort and this wasn't too far out of our way. A seaside resort is all set up for the British holiday maker and is quite a sight to behold with the piers and all the carnival and arcade type attractions. Of course school had just gone back so it was quite deserted. We strolled along the promenades, wandered through the town and paddled in sea.

We decided to spend the night in Cambridge as it was such a perfect late summer's day, ( and the car didn't have to be returned until 11am on Saturday). We pitched our tent and caught the bus into the town centre. It is an amazing city with all of its university colleges, each with such historically looking buildings forming the centre of the town. The river is a central draw card and the punts on the river bring back memories of Christchurch and the days before the earthquakes. Our choice of restaurant was decided on whether there was outside seating, and our choice of an Italien in the Market Square was the perfect ending to our week's break.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday morning we were up early to shower, take down the tent and then head back to Northampton, an hour and a half away. We have had some great camping experiences ov rhe last few weeks and we certainly would be happy to travel this way again if we return to the UK for another trip.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Hidcote Manor Garden: A National Trust Treasure

Long before we arrived in the UK, during one of my research sessions to find places we might like to visit I came across Hidcote. It is only an hour's drive from Duston and it looked like a great place to visit. In fact you could camp out over night one weekend in August, with the opportunity of seeing wild life and I had thought that might well be on our list of things to do. So when we were sitting scrolling through the TV channels one night looking for something to watch a couple of weeks ago, my eye was drawn to a documentary about it.

After watching this programme our resolve to make the effort to get to see it was even stronger though we had long given up the idea of camping out. So on Tuesday we made a detour on our way to Norfolk, especially to visit it. The history is a story in itself, with it's owner and designer Lawrence Johnston, being nicked name The Quiet American Gardener. His mother purchased the property in the Cotswolds in 1907, with the intention of him becoming a gentleman farmer. However his interests lay in horticulture and garden design and much to his mother's dismay this is where his focus lay.

The garden is divided into a series of outdoor rooms, each with its own distinct style and character - from formal rooms to semi natural plantings found in the wilderness. The rooms are divided by hedges, ( over 2 miles of them) providing the shelter needed to grow the wide variety of plants found here. Johnston was also a plant collector and made several expeditions to collect unusual plants. There are several plants that bear his or the Hidcote name and include a climbing rose, a fuchsia, a verbena, a penstemon, a lavender and the popular Hypericum "Hidcote".

Hypericum "Hidcote"

Hidcote lavender

We wandered our way around the many 'rooms' before joining a gardener's talk about the history of the garden. It seems that Mr Johnston was rather a private man, never marrying and not always accepted by the mainstream horticulturists of the day. Before he died, he gifted his property to The National Trust and it is now one of the most influential gardens in Britain today.

We took copious photos of which I am still to transfer to the iPad but that will be a treat to come for those interested in gardens and design. It certainly is a garden that you could return to many times and each experience would differ depending on the season. We probably were just a little late in the summer as many of the plants were past their best, though we didn't feel this detracted from our experience in any way.

Posted with Blogsy

Stratford Upon Avon

Since we missed out on Oxford, we decided to detour home through this town after our visit to the Motor Cycle Museum. What a lovely place it is. We arrived later in the afternoon so it wasn't too crowded. We walked around the narrow cobbled streets, taking in the sights including Shakespeare's house. We were too late in the day to make visiting this place worth our while but looked through the gift shop and out into the gardens to get the 'feel' for the place.

We made our way down to the Avon River and did a good walk along the banks before searching for a place to eat. It was such a lovely evening and would have liked a place outdoors but this wasn't to be found. Instead we opted for a restaurant, in a very old building with very low ceilings and beams, called Lambs of Sheep Street. Stephen had to be very careful to duck his head. The meal was beautiful and we left for Duston just as it was getting dark.

Posted with Blogsy

Blenheim Palace and an aborted trip to Oxford

Wednesday a week ago we decided was the day to head off In our latest rental a Fiat 500,very cute and ideal for tripping around the countryside. It is just over an hour's drive from Duston to Oxford and we thought we would do a full day trip, and take in Blenheim Palace on the way. Jessica had checked the forecast and she didn't think it looked flash but we decided to take the risk. Weather forecasts are not always accurate.

Andrew needed a ride to work that day as Jessica was taking the car to Leicester, and it was on our way so we set off just after 8am. We decided to go to Blenheim Palace first and then thought we would spend the rest of the day in Oxford, have a meal and return later in the evening.

As we pulled into the entrance to the Palace the first spots of rain started, and it turned cold and miserable. Our plan had been to walk around the garden/ park areas first as entry to the palace wasn't until 10:30am. So we made a made a dash the pleasure gardens, decked out in our raincoats and made a soggy trek around the area. There were interesting museum/sheds showing how early life had been for the gardeners, a large lavender garden, a butterfly house and an exhibition about the One Oak project which we found very interesting. The One Oak Tree website says that "We are bringing people closer to growing trees for wood, by following the full life story of one oak tree.". The 800 old year oak that was chosen for the project came from this estate. The tree has been studied, measured and then taken down. All parts of the tree have been used and some sculpture and furniture were being exhibited. To complete the cycle acorns had been grown and planted out by children to replace it. Further info is on their website if you are interested in following this project.

OneOak Project • following the life story of one oak tree



We then made a dash for the Palace and once inside at least it was warm and dry. This is the home of the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, it is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a World Heritage Site.

Stately homes in England, Historic Houses and Days out Oxfordshire

We started with a tour, and our guide was playing out the role of the Head Gardener's wife (early 1900s period). She was meant to give us a tour with 'a below stairs' perspective and in particular the garden but as it was so wet it was all done from undercover looking out at the various parts of the castle and gardens. She was very informative and played her role well.

We then self guided ourselves through the rest of the Palace. There was a large exhibition dedicated to Winston Churchhill. He was born here (you see the actual bed)and even though it was his uncle that was the Duke Winston spent a good deal of time here, in during his childhood, with his Grandmother. The family tree clearly explained how the Churchill and the Spencer families are related. The Duke's surname is still Spencer-Churchill. The 1st Duke(John Churchill) had no male heir and so it went to his daughter. She remained childless so it was then passed to her nephew, a Spencer. The Churchill name was then lost for several generations and it was only bought back by the 5th Duke under Royal Licence.

The second exhibition was the Untold Stories of the Palace and a "virtual lady’s maid invites you to immerse yourself in the illustrious family history, seen through the eyes of the household staff. Meet some of the more colourful characters such as the wilful 1st Duchess of Marlborough and listen to tales of dramatic events that affected the lives of all who have lived here.". This tour is audio visual using the latest technologies and visual effects to guide you through 7 - 8 rooms. Finally we visited the state rooms and these were never built to live in but be a show place. Such wealth but certainly not what we could ever imagine or want for that manner.

We made our way back to the car, only to find that we were jammed in and there was no way we were going to be leaving until at least one car moved first. By this stage we were cold and my feet and shoes were very wet so we sat in the car, ate our picnic lunch intended for enjoying under a tree or by the river in Oxford, waited for a space to get out and then headed back to Duston for some warmth. Oxford would have to wait for another time.

This is a very well worth place to visit but you need a fine day and plenty of time to explore the trails and parks. This property is not part of the National Trust and entrance tickets are expensive (especially if you are converting pounds to NZ$). If you are visiting more than one of these "Treasure Houses" of England you can get a voucher for 2 for 1 entry which does help. Chatsworth and Woburn both come into this category.

Posted with Blogsy

The National Motorcycle Museum

Birmingham is the home to The National Motorcycle Museum and as this is only an hour's drive from Duston we decided to take a trip up to have a look. It was very easy to find - straight up the M6 and there it is right at Junction 4.

Tie website advertises it with the following:

It is a place where ‘Legends Live On’ and it is a tribute to and a living record of this once great British industry that dominated world markets for some sixty years.

It is a place where an older generation can once again view with nostalgia the machines they rode in days gone by, and younger generations can study the development of the motorcycle from its earlier days to the golden years of the 1930s-60s, when British motorcycles ‘ruled the world’.

 

 

The museum is home to over 800 British motorbikes so there is certainly plenty to see,even for the non motorbike enthusiast like m user! This link is to all the exhibits that can be viewed though bikes are often loaned from enthusiasts for varying periods of time so it is constantly changing. http://www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk/museum/exhibits/

 

The first hall had an example of a bike from every year from 1898 to 1970s. It was interesting to see the development over the years with the early bikes being little more than bicycles with a small engine. Some had as little as 1/2 horse power.

 

There are five halls stacked with bikes, many with an information display as well. Stephen was particularly enarmoured with the BSA Bantam as he has one in the garage in Otatara that needs restoring.

There was a huge range of Norton,Triumph, and BSA and in fact the museum sits on the site of the Triumph factory. There was even a display of a AA motor bike and an officer dressed in khaki. There was even a McKenzie bike.

All in all it was an interesting place to visit and well worth the trip.

 

Posted with Blogsy