As a child, the iconic TV series ‘The Prisoner’ scared me so much that I used to have to watch it through my fingers.  That big ball rolling relentlessly across the sands towards a fleeing Patrick McGoohan was the stuff of nightmares.  Visiting the living film-set that is Portmeirion village, at the...

The city of Bath was en fete for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and the Highgrove Shop was doing a roaring trade. People were queuing outside the famous Roman Baths and Pump Room.  (When you visit, just be warned – the water tastes … well, let’s just say that it must do...

Afternoon Tea is such an English tradition and some of the best places to try it are not the posh London hotels but in the country villages around the UK. And of course, you can have coffee and cake any time of the day! Here are five tantalising Tea Rooms...

Photo c/o thediamondjubilee.org Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II looked up at her son and smiled, nodded to a gold-clad footman and stepped carefully into the 1902 open-topped State Landau.  Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (who'd have thought it?) got in beside her and Prince Charles settled opposite.  Dark rugs were placed...

In January this year I was invited to take part in 6 Challenges by Dan Brown of The Kendal Courier, the newly relaunched local magazine for Kendal and the south Lake District, Cumbria.  For each edition I agreed to do an activity that would push me out of my comfort zone,...

Thanks to the current economical climate, more and more people are finding ways to enjoy cheap holidays in the UK. With over 240,000 square miles of magnificent scenery, there's little wonder why. Of course, a holiday can be made just that little bit extra special if it saves you money...

What’s Easter all about?  As I arrange small colourful eggs in straw nestled within a wooden trug, the sounds of the Eucharist service from Manchester Cathedral tumble out of the radio; a beautiful voice celebrating Christ’s resurrection.  Teenage son struggles to wake up from a late night’s X-Box playing and can’t...