Krakow | The first stop on a mini Euro trip 🇵🇱 🥟

A cracking place for a weekend away 😍

I was incredibly fortunate to have a couple of weeks off work & some funds saved up to travel around Europe. Usually I love to just wing it & see where the wind takes me. Starting in Krakow, I worked my way up to Riga, through into Tallin & then ‘Finnishing’ up in Helsinki (see what I did there? 🤭). Initially, this was to be a completely solo trip, however my friend decided to join me for the Krakow leg. This somewhat changed the complexion of the trip from a purely cultural & historical visit, to a little culture & lots of beers. As you may expect, things escalated pretty quickly.

Whilst Krakow is often synonymous with the stag do & party people, it is actually a beautiful city & incredibly well kept. The architecture of the buildings is stunning, the people are really friendly & everywhere is just bustling with life.

Krakow used to be the Polish capital & it’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Whether you are looking for cheap beers & food, or something more cultural & historic, Krakow has it all.

Littered with beautiful Castles, Churches & Cathedrals, you can easily spend an entire day walking around with your head in the clouds. There is a Jewish quarter to learn about the history there, Schindler’s factory & of course Auschwitz Museum is nearby. I only spent 3 days in Krakow & unfortunately it was nowhere near enough time to get through everything, so I shall have to return some day soon.

If you have ever done a trip on a shoestring budget, you will have played the Ryanair postcode lottery of being sat in random places away from your friends. As my entire row was free, we won the game & my friend came to sit beside me at no extra cost, post take-off. Don’t pay Ryanair extra for specific seats, just wing it 🤭

Traditionally you might associate a bar crawl with marauding morons climbing on statues naked, swinging from chandeliers & diving into water fountains. However, the Krakow one was very well run & we got to meet some lovely people from all over the world. My friend left early for the apartment. We only had one set of keys, so decided to leave them in the lockbox in the stair as it was a key code to get in the stair door. A genius solution that meant nobody would lose the apartment keys. Alas, our genius was undone by a power cut, rendering the key pad to get into the stair nothing more than decoration.

When my friend returned, he ended up just getting a hotel room nearby, but didn’t send me the details. When I got back, I was stuck outside in the middle of the night & it wasn’t particularly warm either, exacerbated by the fact I was in my kilt. I had thought the owner would have lived in one of the other apartments in the block, so called the ‘on call number’ to come & let me in the stair, I felt awful when the worker told me they had to walk from the other side of the city to save me. It also resulted in me having to provide a chunky tip of Polish Zloty for coming to let me in. Normally things that happen after 10pm don’t make the blog, but it was a character building experience 😂.

Despite this less than fortuitous set of circumstances, we must have been very well behaved on the bar crawl, as on the second evening we weren’t on the bar crawl, but we did see the organisers when they were moving between bars & they offered us to join back on for free. I maintain that it was my wonderful magic tricks with the cards, providing untold unparalleled levels of entertainment to the other revellers.

We went to a couple of places for food but by far the best was Krakowskie Klimaty & it’s also beside a cool market with lots of little individual stalls. The food here was decent & very well priced. We got 2 lots of Polish dumplings, 2 main courses & 4 pints, costing only £35 including a tip. These days you’d be lucky to get a Big Mac Meal & a Fish Finger Happy Meal in McDonalds for that price! If you want something closer to Old Town, Pierogarnia Krakowiacy was alright. The food wasn’t fantastic but it’s cheap & cheerful (which is code for, they sell decent Vodka).

If you are looking for somewhere to play Pool or watch sports, Diament Billiard Club was incredible. It has lots of tables, TV’s & a good variety of drinks so a great place to start your night. If you want to try different Vodka flavours without breaking the bank, there is a lovely little spot on the edge of Old Town called Wódka Café Bar. Now these types of places are usually tourist traps & there are a lot of them in Krakow, but this was the best I found, you get a paddle of 6 Vodkas & it’s around £10-£15, the staff are awesome too. You can find it at address; “Wódka Café Bar, Mikołajska 5, 31-027 Kraków”

If you are staying in & around the old town, everything is within walking distance. Uber isn’t particularly cheap, so I would suggest walking is a good method of getting around. You will also see golf buggy type tours starting on a lot of street corners. These are good ways of getting around the town & up hills etc, however they can be expensive, I would suggest shopping around a couple of different ones before joining as they all have different prices.

If you are looking to pick up some groceries & essentials, Zabka has to be on your list. It is the most incredible corner shop, a true Polish institution. If they opened in the UK, they would blow Spar out of the water! The candy & crisp scene in Poland is absolutely jumping, you need to get a massive goody bag with one of everything while there.

When visiting a bar, if you are looking for the cheapest beer I would suggest Warka, it’s decent enough & usually the cheapest. We found a couple of bars that did 2 euro Warkas, however that is pretty much corporate manslaughter for it to be so cheap. If you order a Vodka orange, they don’t give you it mixed, they give you an orange juice & a double shot of Vodka. If you don’t want to be carted off by the cops, ask for a glass so you can mix it together yourself 😂.

Next up I will be posting about Latvia, Estonia & Finland. I am currently in 2026 planning mode & I would love to take any trip recommendations, if I can get there by bus, boat, train or plane, I will go🤠

Hit subscribe to get notified when the next post goes live, thanks for reading through & as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Caerleon, Wales | The Romans were there, an ancient history nerds dream! 🗡️

Wales’ Ancient Roman Gem!

Caerleon has always been somewhere I have wanted to visit, however have never had the opportunity to do so. Some friends recently got married in Usk, which is a beautiful town nearby Caerleon, providing the perfect opportunity to swing by! Having recently visited Conwy (Post here) & Llandudno (Post here), I have absolutely fallen in love with Wales, it is an incredible place with such a rich history & fantastic people. In 2026, I will be visiting all over Wales. so any recommendations on hidden gems would be much appreciated ❤️

Caerleon is one of only 3 permanent Ancient Roman settlements in Britain. With the others being York & Chester. They did not have one in Scotland, so it’s either that the local tribes were too mental & couldn’t be defeated or the weather was awful & Scotland wasn’t worth the hassle. As a proud Scot, I would suggest its the former. However, it is more than likely the latter 😂.

The area was initially inhabited by the Silures tribe, who for years fought against the Romans, resisting their rule.

Eventually the Romans took over & built out their legionary fortress in Isca, later named Caerleon. The historical sites here are remarkably well preserved, considering how long ago the Romans ruled! You can visit an Amphitheatre, Roman Baths, Barracks & the National Roman Legion Museum.

The city has a strong links to King Arthur & his knights, which is mentioned in a few different texts. The Arthurian legend lives on, although whether he was real & at Caerleon in the early centuries remains to be seen. However, with the Romans having already built & left behind so much useful infrastructure, it would make sense for Arthur to have been there a few centuries later. One thing is for sure, is it is a very cool city & I would loved to have been there to see it back in the day!

Within the National Roman Legionary Museum there was a cool little mock soldier’s quarters. They have plenty of props you can play with, such as shields, swords & helmets. Being the man child that I am, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity & it was pretty quiet so nobody around. I get myself kitted up to the hilt ready for war. As I was trying to take a series of selfies, I was getting really into the mood to start fighting the enemies of Rome. Using the Gladiator speech I was ready for my vengeance on the murdered family wife & kids that I don’t have. As I began swinging the sword around a couple of children came into the little room & started laughing at me. Usually, I don’t get embarrassed, it’s all in good fun. However, I think they thought I was a worker there as they started asking me all sorts of questions about the Romans etc. I managed to just about wing a best guestimate of a couple of the answers, but I am no Maximus Decimus Meridius, that’s for sure!😂.

This story I really thought to leave out as it will lead to me taking some fierce ridicule from my friends, however when I heard they had a Roman Baths here, I’d thought they were actual baths that you could swim in. Especially considering the website for the place explicitly highlights that it is an indoor attraction. As you are probably guessing already, you can’t swim in the baths. I felt like a right wally stood at the ticket office with my towel & trunks. However, it is still an epic place to visit!

Although my post is about Caerleon, I must give a special mention to Usk, the Town of flowers. My friend’s got married there & it’s truly beautiful, if you are driving it’s a short trip & you can combine it with a day out in Caerleon. You can take the bus if not, but double check the times as they are pretty infrequent.

Entry into the National Roman Legionary Museum is free, so is the remains of the amphitheatre & barracks. You do have to pay to get into the Roman baths. These tourist sites are all within walking distance of each other, there is plenty of space to park at the amphitheatre & you can have a wander from there. According to Google there is a Castle ruins, but I couldn’t find it 😂.

There are a couple of nice looking country type pubs but I didn’t go into any so can’t offer any real advice. In Usk I stayed in The New Court Inn, which is a cute little country pub & hotel. The food was really good & the owners are lovely, so check it out if you need somewhere to stay! The Usk bridge is really pretty & worth stopping by if you have time.

Next up there will be posts about my mini Euro trip to Poland, up through Latvia, Estonia & Finland. I had the most amazing time & am so grateful for having had the opportunity to go!

I would love to take any trip recommendations, if I can get there by bus, boat, train or plane, I will go🤠. Hit subscribe to get notified when the next post goes live, thanks for reading through & as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Llandudno | Sun, Sea & Seals 🦭

A beautiful location for a weekend away!

For my 30th birthday (Plus VAT) this year I wanted to do something other than cheap beers with my friends until someone passes out! When exploring weekend trips, North Wales cropped up as my friend Terri had mentioned it a few times. Starting out in Conwy (Blog post available here), I made my way over to Llandudno for a couple of nights 😍

LLandudno is a remarkable place to visit on the North coast of Wales. Perched on the Irish Sea it boasts pristine beaches, wild seals, stunning topography/geology & lovely walking trails.

As far as seaside towns go, I don’t think you can get much more beautiful than Llandudno, however from the photos Anglesey looks pretty special, so will be visiting there in ’26 (any recommendations would be appreciated).

Whether you are visiting the Great Orme or Little Orme, you feel like you are in a fantasy novel. This is an analogy I have exhausted, so will have to get the thinking cap on for my next post. However, this time it is fully appropriate. Unbeknownst to me, some of The House of the Dragon (Game of Thrones spin off) was filmed in parts of North Wales. It wasn’t until somebody recognised it on my Instagram post (you can see here) that I realised. I did watch the first couple of episodes, but gave up after they changed some of the actors halfway, I couldn’t keep up.

I love my friends, but you wouldn’t want them on your Team for a group health & safety Project! They talked me into going on the Big Wheel (It isn’t quite as big as the London one, but big enough to cause you a serious mischief should it malfunction). When I say talked, what actually happened was they cleverly used juvenile reverse psychology to make me go on it. You’d hope to be impervious to such childish behaviour, but I wouldn’t have heard the end of it. There was nobody else on it & all 3 of us in a small singular cabin. We got halfway up, so 9 on a clock & it began to break down, which did absolutely nothing to allay my safety concerns. The guy brought us back down & whilst I couldn’t work out what he was saying, it was most likely along the lines of “You are 3 fat numpties, the weight distribution needs to be more even”. My thinking was, ideal scenario I will hop out & my 2 mates can go at opposite ends. Wrong, given that I am the heaviest, I had to go in one carriage myself & my 2 mates at the opposite side, so we could get the ride going. I didn’t even want to go on the thing! By the time I get to the top, I notice that half of the metal beams are held together by cable ties & they were not looking all that sturdy. I really thought that was the end of my journey, my hangover was so bad the next morning, I was retrospectively wishing the cable ties had snapped 😂

We had booked a slick looking apartment on Booking, but didn’t realise it was above a first floor Curry House restaurant & they shared a stairway. When we were returning the first night, we convinced my friend that it was open 24 hours & we would pick up a curry on the way home from the discos. He stood in the hallway for about 5 minutes trying to catch a servers eyes to get in for a curry, for the avoidance of doubt it was not a 24 hour place. This was the same friend we convinced you needed a passport to get into Wales & that you could swim to the Isle of Mann from Llandudno in under 20 minutes. An empiricist might come to the conclusion that he is in fact a rather gullible fellow. He claims to read my blog, so when I next see him, we will see if he gives me a shake down for calling him gullible or not!

There is a beautiful little cove where lots of Seals live, to some people it may just be a Seal, but to see them in the wild hanging out on a beach was really special for me. The area they live is call Little Orme or Porth Dyniewaid on Google Maps. The walk here is stunning as you can see from the photos below. However, we were hungover & trudging along at a very slow pace, we didn’t notice some of the signs. When we arrived, we climbed down the side of the mountain onto the beach, which was pristine. After around 15 minutes though, we became aware of a commotion up above. It turns out you aren’t actually allowed down onto the beach in case you disturb the Seals, I felt awful but there were none there when we first landed or we wouldn’t have went down. We came back up & the Seals visited later, unfortunately I couldn’t get a good photo of them. Coming back up the hill was pretty tough, I slipped but thankfully managed to grab a rock sticking out of the terrain. Otherwise, it was a long way down!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to visit everywhere. But if you have time in Llandudno, there’s a plethora of things to do. There’s a cool Great Orme railway, cable cars, a zoo, wild Kashmiri goats, walks along the pier & scenic drives to take if you have a motor.

Usually I would suggest a nice local restaurant here, but we didn’t go to many. There was a cracking fish & chip stall at the beginning of Llandudno pier I would recommend. Look for the one that has a slide in it, they cook the fish at the top & then slide it down. Great quality & at reasonable prices. The Palladium Wetherspoons was actually alright too. We got our food in under 10 minutes, they must have had all 15 microwaves running at full speed!

There are a couple of decent places to grab a drink. The Craft Beer Cave is awesome, you can try all kinds of different beers from across the UK & abroad. The people who own it are lovely & it’s a great vibe there. For general bars, karaoke or a boogie there is a couple of cool places on Mostyn Street 🫡

The seal cove at Little Orme is awesome, but if you don’t drive it’s quite a bit away from the main pier at Llandudno. The buses are frequent & takes about 15 minutes to get there. I wouldn’t trust Uber, the app says it is connecting but it never comes. There are a couple of places you can rent bikes, the beach front would make a lovely cycle route.

If you have your heart set on spending the day at the beach, I would check ahead to see when the tide is going to be out. We also didn’t get the chance to go, but if you want to do the cable cars to the top of Great Orme, I think it is cash only, so definitely bring some paper! If you are getting the train and/or on a tight budget, I found it much cheaper to get the train to Llandudno junction than Llandudno.

Next up there will be posts about more historical places like Caerleon, Chester, Edinburgh, York & Liverpool (mainly for the Beatles history). I have not yet built out my posting schedule but I am just back from a mini Euro trip to Poland, up through Latvia, Estonia & Finland. So, I’m keen to do the write up on them too.

I would love to take any trip recommendations, if I can get there by bus, boat, train or plane, I will go🤠. Hit subscribe to get notified when the next post goes live, thanks for reading through & as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Conwy | The most beautiful town in North Wales?🏰⛵

My first time in North Wales, a must visit for anyone living in the UK!

For my 30th (Plus VAT) birthday this year I wanted to do something other than cheap beers with my friends until someone passes out! When exploring weekend trips, North Wales cropped up as my friend Terri had mentioned it a few times (Thanks T). After a quick Google of Llandudno, I was instantly sold on the trip. Then I was subsequently delving further into the area & towns round about I randomly discovered Conwy. Massive Castle, beautiful Quays & city walls to explore, need I say more?

Conwy is a stunning market town sat on the river Conwy with city walls surrounding it. The river itself is rather large, which results in really beautiful sandy beaches & a Quay that you can spend all day relaxing on.

Besides the enchanting scenery, the town is very historical & one of the top 2 or 3 coolest medieval towns I have seen, although admittedly I do still have so much more exploring to do!

Wandering around Conwy you feel like you are lost in a moment in time, where things are more slow paced & life is simpler. Being from Scotland, I have a unique affinity with historic Castles & Conwy’s is truly special. In addition to this, there is so much more to experience. You can take boat safaris out to see sea lions & dolphins, the town has a plethora of quaint local independent shops, there’s an awesome suspension bridge, the smallest house in Britain, Plas Mawr & the Conwy estuary trail is a must visit!

Usually my adventures are solo, however as it was my birthday a couple of friends travelled down with me, one of them coming all the way from Scotland. He had never been to Wales before so we convinced him that you needed a passport to enter (For my non UK readers, you can move freely in UK without a passport). In order to really sell the prank, I brought my Lilo & Stitch passport holder, whilst ensuring my oblivious friend saw me bringing it. After alighting the train, I handed my passport holder to him & sent him up to the help desk to find out where passport control was. The gentleman working at the station was perplexed to say the least, but he saw the funny side once he realised what was going on. My friend then threatened to throw my passport across the rail tracks, still unaware that my passport was at home & he was walking around with my prop, Bazinga!

As alluded to above, the Conwy Quay is a wonderful place to spend time, just be sure to avoid the seagulls if you are eating! You need a PhD in Takeshi’s Castle to fight them off. We were eating some fish & chips down by the water front in an outdoor seating area. I was telling a story about a parent I saw in Egypt, whereby a youngster was running feral & his Mum grabbed him by the earlobe to move him along. It was done very tenderly & without any real force or malice, it just made me chuckle. Whilst I was telling this story to my friends, I stood up to give them a demonstration, with me acting as the Mother, I didn’t realise there was a small step / kerb behind me. So walking along, dragging my imaginary child by the ear, I slipped and went flying face first into the ground. The fall was only 0.5-1 meters so wasn’t high enough to do any major damage but did scrape my arms & legs. Much to the amusement of other people sat there, it resulted in a few cheers from the nearby pub beer garden. Although this was a fairly calamitous incident, it could have been so much worse. 😂

Once we had completed the tourist sites on our itinerary, we had to work out how to get over to Llandudno, which was where our apartment actually was. So we decided to stop by the first bar we saw, freshen up & devise a strategy. Subsequently, the first bar happened to be a comrades club. With some trepidation we went in, keeping an open mind. The club itself was actually lovely & the staff were really friendly, so I would recommend a visit. However, when we entered they were insistent upon getting our contact & address details. My first thought was that I would end up in some mad American McCarthyism trial one day if I signed away my details. However, everything seemed above board so I signed up. It wasn’t until we left that my friends told me they put fake details, so if I suddenly disappear & get carted off somewhere, it’s my own fault for being too honest with the comrades about my identity!

For food, you can get lovely fresh caught fish products down at the mongers on the Quay. Or if you are looking for something more quick & easy I would recommend the aptly named “Fishermans Chip Shop”, which is only a few minutes from the Quay. The fish & chips from there was awesome, although they do cook the fish to order, meaning it’s really fresh but does take a bit of time to prepare. Like most places these days, you also get charged for the sauce sachets too, capitalism has gone rogue when you’re paying for ketchup pots!

If you are looking for some drinks on the waterfront, the Liverpool arms was decent & has a big beer garden. Ye Olde Mailcoach doesn’t look much from the outside but also has a nice big beer garden out the back & is reasonably priced. I wouldn’t stop there for a cute date night, but if you want to watch sport & don’t mind a place with a bit of character, this is the one for you! Then of course, the Comrades club is a nice bar, just give them fake details or you could sign up if that is your thing, you’ll probably end up on the same hit list I am on somewhere! 😊

The city walls are beautiful to walk round & you get some lovely views of the town & surrounding hillside. However, there are certain sections of it closed off & it isn’t so easy to tell which parts you are allowed on. There is a little tourist information centre you can pop into & they will explain which sections are open. Conwy Castle is awesome, however it’s important to call out that the towers & staircases are very narrow, steep & can be dangerous. So take every precaution you can when climbing the steps. When you reach the summit, you are in for a real treat, the views are breathtaking, almost spellbinding. The backdrop could have been a scene from Harry Potter, it is that magical!

Conwy isn’t massive, so it’s easy to get around, however if moving between towns, do not trust Uber. The app says it is on it’s way but never comes, a couple of locals also said they didn’t think Uber was a thing there. Conwy does have a train station, although services are infrequent, if you time it well, it makes for an efficient exit.

My next post will be on Llandudno, where I almost died (slight exaggeration but it was terrifying), then there will be posts about more historical places like Edinburgh, Chester, Caerleon, York & Liverpool (mainly for the Beatles history). I will be taking a small break from posting in September as I have been very lucky & am getting the chance to do a mini Euro trip from Poland, up through Latvia, Estonia & Finland.

I would love to take any trip recommendations, if I can get there by bus, boat, train or plane, I will go🤠. Hit subscribe to get notified when the next post goes live, thanks for reading through & as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Hathersage, the birth place of Robin Hood? | The UK is awesome mini-series 🏹

A great day out, especially when on a tight budget!

Who does not love the tale of Robin Hood & his band of merry men? Well for this trip, I was able to visit the town where he was born (allegedly). It is pertinent to highlight top & centre that this blog post may or may not contain information that is entirely factitious or completely true when referencing Robin Hood 😂. Usually I do my best to provide accurate & useful information on the trips, so you can make the most of your day. However, I would take the Robin Hood references with a pinch of salt, personally I believe in all of the stories & he was definitely real 🏹

Nestled on the Eastern side of the Hope Valley, Hathersage is an awesome place for a day trip.

It has such a unique charm & character to it. Charlotte Bronte was inspired by the town when writing Jane Eyre, although admittedly I haven’t actually read it. The area is so picturesque it has provided the back drop for some major movies, such as Pride & Prejudice.

Hathersage also plays host to one of the few outdoor swimming pools in the UK. I didn’t go for a dip though, I’m still carrying a few lbs from Easter & Christmas, so a bit chubby for the swimming unfortunately 😂

Whilst all of the above is enough to make the trip worthwhile, my main reason for visiting was the connections to Robin Hood & his merry band of men. It is said that he was from Loxley in Hathersage, which is not far from Sheffield. Robin Hood & his men would steal from the rich & give to the poor, given how expensive being alive is at the moment, we could sure use a Robin Hood to save us! One of Robin Hood’s right hand men “Little John”, is actually buried at the Church of St Michael. He is called Little John because he was said to be 7ft tall. Now, if Robin Hood & Little John were not real, how come there is a grave for Little John? The Churchyard & the grave etc are in a really beautiful area, so I highly recommend it as worth stopping by.

One of the things I love about visiting these quaint towns/villages is that they are high trust. You often see people leaving things outside their house for sale & you are trusted to just leave the money. Now, there was a lovely big house with books outside for sale & a sign to deposit the funds into ‘The pipe’. I looked for a good minute or so & couldn’t find the elusive pipe, I even went down onto my hands & knees checking under the shelf etc. So then I was trying to peep over the hedge to see if one of the residents was around so I could buy the book. After a couple of minutes someone did walk by & I caught their eye, but they scurried off. It was only then I realised how I must have looked, a scary big Scottish guy window peeping 😂. I didn’t manage to buy the book & decided to shoot off as quickly as possible once I realise I looked like a window peeper!

By the time I had scaled the hill to Little Johns grave, I was truly desiccated by the sweltering heat (well sweltering may be a slight exaggeration, it was about 27 degrees, but to a Scottish person that is like the Sahara desert). I took refuge within St Michael’s Church, I was the only person inside at the time. Or so I thought, I was wandering around taking photos & as I got to the front there was a mannequin in one of the front rows of the benches about 1.5 meters away from me. I had been in for around 10 minutes in total silence, in my own little bubble. Then I hear a voice say “Hi dear”, I just about fell to the floor with fright, it wasn’t a mannequin at all but a lady who had just been sat still in tranquillity. In the photos you can decide for yourself if you would have thought it was a mannequin (the lady gave me permission to post the photo).

I am not necessarily sure it’s a funny story but I have to own up to my flaws. One of the cool places I wanted to visit was Robin Hood’s cave, where him & his men used to hang out & devise their battle plans. Google maps is good at the directions, but didn’t tell me the trek to the cave would be like traipsing through Middle Earth. I am ashamed to admit it, but I got halfway up the hill & thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest & I didn’t have it in me. I had to give up & turn back, it was too hot & I was woefully underprepared. If you have ever been to the cave, please do share any short cuts or tips for not dying on the walk!

There is a wonderful big country pub called the Scotsman’s Pack which is a great place to stop by. I didn’t get any food there but when I was having a nosey at other peoples plates, it looked great! It’s also within close proximity of the Church & Grave of Little John. Failing that the Cafe at the swimming centre was decent for a coffee & it is nearby the outdoor bookstore that may or may not have a pipe lurking somewhere.

The town isn’t massive & everything is within walking distance. There is a trainline that drops you within short walking distance to the centre & they run between Manchester to Sheffield every hour. There was plenty of places to park though & if you want to visit Robin Hood’s Cave, you’re probably best to drive up a bit closer rather than trying to walk from the train station. As outlined above, it’s a gruelling walk.

Hathersage has a useful little tourist/information centre place where they have public toilets etc but once you get up into the hills past the Church of Little John, there doesn’t seem to be many places when nature calls, so definitely plan ahead. I initially experienced a bit of a moral quandary about taking photos at a grave, however when you get there you realise it is a tourist site & to be expected. There is also a chance that nobody is actually buried there & Little John wasn’t real 😂. Whether you believe it or not, is up to you!

Next up there will be posts about more historical places like Edinburgh, Chester, Caerleon, York, North Wales & Liverpool (purely for the Beatles history). I will be taking a small break from posting in September as I have been very lucky & am getting the chance to do a mini Euro trip from Poland, up through Latvia, Estonia & Finland.

I would love to take any trip recommendations, if I can get there by bus, boat, train or plane, I will go🤠. Hit subscribe to get notified when the next post goes live, thanks for reading through & as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Piggy Poll Outcome | Knutsford Follow up | The UK is awesome mini-series! 🐷

Results from the adopt a Pig poll!

A few weeks back, I ran a poll on my post for Tatton Park in Knutsford about which rare breed Pig to adopt (Post accessible here). The poll was won by Lola, the sassiest of the bunch! However, as I subsequently attempted to complete the adoption, it transpires that they only have adoption packs for Martha & the funds are put into a pot to look after all of the Pigs. So I have adopted Martha who loves carrots & cuddles, but then again who doesn’t? 😍

The adoption pack has finally arrived & it comes with an invitation for a meet & greet. So when I attend that, I will be sure to upload some photos & videos. Hopefully Martha is up & about causing mischief when I visit, she was out for the count when I last went, as you can see below💤.

Over the weekend I will be posting about Hathersage, the Birth Place of Robin Hood, you definitely do not want to miss it 🏹

Hit subscribe to get notified when the post goes live, thanks for reading through as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

New Mills | The UK is awesome mini-series 🌉

A wonderful day trip & a biblical storm!

Living in Manchester UK, I am blessed with the opportunity to visit the Peak District regularly as it is right on the door step. This mini series will be covering the best places in the Peaks to visit that are easily accessible by train & gentle on the purse strings (One day I will learn to drive 😂). It is one the most verdant & ineffable places in the UK, with some truly incredible day trips!

This post covers New Mills, one of my favourite towns! It has all of the useful information you need to know to make the most of your trip alongside a customary tale or two.

Whilst New Mills is in the Peak district, it is a more lively town & much less rural than some places I have written about. New Mills was a powerhouse during the industrial revolution & also had the longest continuous running textile mill in the UK, in operation for over 200 years. Whilst no longer an active mill, the building is beautiful & is perched on a glorious gorge, with a stunning waterfall.

The mill used to be powered by the water & then later moved to steam & finally electricity.

Within New Mills there is a plethora of cute little independent shops, several scenic walking trails, countryside pubs, rock climbing walls, unique towering architecture & there are even alpacas you can see! For the science nerds, be sure to check out the man made hydro energy generator type of thing, that provides free electricity which is community owned & funded, providing power to lots of houses by the force of the water 🤓

Whilst I hesitate to cast aspersions on the weather forecasting people, on this trip I definitely called into question the validity of their analytical proficiency. New Mills was supposed to be glorious sunshine with a gentle breeze (which was certainly the case when I left Manchester). However, it ended up being a storm of biblical proportions! Although, you can’t let the weather determine your fun, so I powered on through. It was too wet to take any photos on this visit, but I am a regular attendee of New Mills, so have used older photos from Winter time. Soaked to the bone, I set out on my wanders!

The Torr Vale Mill & Millennium walkway are really resplendent, once you get over the fear of how high up the bridge is, it’s very scenic & peaceful. The Mill building now has a bar/restaurant in it & some smaller things. I had been a couple of times, but never realised it doubled up as an incredible wedding reception venue on occasion (if you happen to know anyone single, I am taking applications, hit me up, we might as well get this booked in advance 😂). I was attempting to go into the bar to escape the rain, but I was covered in mud & all sorts, the bridal party was hitting me with a barrage of vociferous verbal abuse to get out. There was not any signs up or anything, completely honest mistake!

Given that the Gorge is so peaceful, whenever I visit I love to just stand on the bridge watching the waterfall go by. However, I must have looked really lost & broken, as someone asked me if I was okay & planning to jump in. The thing is, I love open water swimming & jump into water often, so before I could really process what the lady had said, I replied with “no the water isn’t deep enough” (In my head thinking of open water swimming, the water being shallow would cause me an injury & not what she meant). Once I had understood her concerns, it was a deeply profound moment. I’m very, fortunate, humble & grateful for the opportunities I have had in life, taking nothing for granted. I’m just a happy go lucky guy, wandering through life enjoying myself. In that moment though, it may have been a person who was struggling with mental health issues or just having a really bad day & that random lady checking in with them would have made all of the difference to someone. There are awesome people out there who really care for others, sometimes the internet would make you think otherwise, but they are out there! If you know of someone having a tough time or you haven’t heard from that friend in a while, check in on them from time to time ❤️

So long as there isn’t a mental bridal party trying to dice you up, I would highly recommend the bar/restaurant in the Torr Vale Mill, the food is lovely! If the weather is respectable there is also a massive beer garden to catch some sun. There are also plenty of little cafes, bars & delis on the main street in New Mills so you have plenty of options to choose from. It may have just been an anomaly because there was a football match on but the Royal Oak New Mills Pub had free pizza going when I was there, so definitely recommend stopping by for a beer!

There are lots of different walking/running trails around New Mills but it’s also got a hustle & bustle small town vibe to it, therefor it’s busier than a usual countryside retreat. You can use all trails or hiking apps to map out routes & there are plenty of websites with routes. New Mills isn’t huge, so I wing it whenever I go but I believe there are a range of circulars for every ability & fitness level.

Given that I don’t drive, I am at the mercy of the train companies to get around. It’s generally the case that you have no issues, but the last thing you want is to get stuck in New Mills! A useful tip is that there are actually 2 train lines that run through it, the Buxton line & the Sheffield line. The stops in New Mills are a 15 minute walk apart. Therefor if something causes a delay or cancellation to New Mills Central, you can walk to New Mills Newton & vice versa. If you visit on a Friday or Saturday, they have a mini market with all fresh food etc that is worth checking out, it’s positioned opposite the Sainsburys. If you are going to try the rock climbing wall, make sure & strap in & use an instructor, don’t try to climb it bare like I did 😂

Next up I will be posting travel guides for some more domestic places during Summer! The UK is awesome when the sun comes out, for that whole week once a year. There will be more spots in the Peak District, then more historical places like Chester, Edinburgh & York. I would love to take any recommendations in the comments, if I can get there by bus, train or plane, I will go 🤠

Hit subscribe to get notified when the post goes live, thanks for reading through as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Hope & Castleton | The UK is awesome mini-series 🏰

The perfect day trip combining history & countryside 🕺🏼

Living in Manchester UK, I am blessed with the opportunity to visit the Peak District regularly as it is right on the door step. This mini series will be covering the best places in the Peaks to visit that are easily accessible by train & gentle on the purse strings (One day I will learn to drive 😂). It is one the most verdant & ineffable places in the UK, with some truly incredible day trips!

This post will cover two beautiful quaint towns in one article, given their close geographical proximity, Hope & Castleton. It has all of the useful information you need to know to make the most of your trip alongside a customary tale or two. Thankfully I wasn’t subjected to a savage assault on this trip!

Hope is a cute little village in Derbyshire. It is very scenic & is situated where the Peakshole water & the River Noe meet. It is easily accessible by train & has rolling hills as far as the eye can see as well as ancient caves home to limestone, fossils & stalagmites.

Castleton is a short walk from Hope or you can drive / take the bus. This place is very special, it is like transporting back 40/50 years into the most beautiful quintessentially English villages. (Even as a Scottish person, I can still appreciate this 🤭)

The primary reason for my visit was to see Peveril Castle, which was one of William the Conqueror’s first stone built castles in England. However, I fell in love with the village, all of the old authentic locally run stores, the friendly people & the views of the Peak district are so picturesque, it’s difficult to articulate succinctly! From Castleton you can go into ancient caverns/caves, travel through Winnats Pass (I have videos on my Instagram post here!), do all manner of hiking, paragliding & see lots of cool wildlife.

Generally speaking, I am fairly decent at walking, after all I have been doing it for 20 odd years (+/-50% on the years), however the climb to Peveril Castle almost killed me off, without any exaggeration. When I arrived at the base of Castle grounds, I set off with a febrile mindset, excited to get to the top, full of energy! However, it’s incredibly steep & the path up to the castle is a zig zag rather than straight line. There are benches to take a rest halfway, but I couldn’t even make it to the first bench. I had to take a lie down on the grass, after a couple of minutes I realised I was being eaten alive by ants & all sorts of other creepy crawlies. Not a fantastic start to the trip 😂

Winnats Pass was one of the most awesome places I have ever been in the UK. My photos below don’t do it any justice, but it’s clear to see why it is such a popular place to visit. You can walk or drive through the hill pass & limestone gorge, but dotted around the place there are signs for falling rocks. I was thinking to myself this nanny state stuff is getting out of hand, rocks don’t just fall from the sky. If any do, it is probably some yob throwing them (or ‘flinging bricks’ as we say in Scotland), it turns out I was wrong. Some small rocks do roll down the sides of the hills, one just about took me out of the game, so when passing through be careful & keep an eye out for falling rocks.

There is a cool independent craft alcohol shop in Peveril that I went into. I wanted to get some Blue John Gin for my mates birthday, it isn’t mass produced & you can only get it in a few places. This was at the end of my walk, I had racked up around 35k steps, so was a sweaty mess. This is the type of store where they really value customer service & want to talk to you about what you’re looking for etc. However, given that I was rather aesthetically unpleasing (well more so than usual), I just wanted to grab the gin & go, no chat, no thrills, bag up the gin, thank you good sir & I will be on my way. Regrettably, as I went to leave I then noticed the counter was full of all types of alcohol that had ‘Taster’ written on it. If I hadn’t been so anti social & set in my way, I could have treated myself to a few samples, which if you have read my blog before, you will know I am a sucker for! Moral of the story is, even if you are feeling antisocial, free booze might be on hand, so keep an open mind!

At the risk of sounding unnecessarily melodramatic, you really cannot visit Castleton & not stop by Peveril stores & bakery. It is a winsome family run, long established place. Everything they sell is made in house with local ingredients, made by local people in the village. The food is to die for! They have everything from unique pies to pastries to succulent bread 😍. I wanted to get some photos inside or even try to do a video, but it was pretty busy & lots of children running around etc so I didn’t take any. When I was eating my pie outside on a ledge, a big seagull was eyeing me up, so I had to get it down the hatchet & not mess around with taking photos. There are also lots of countryside bars dotted around & small tap houses if you want to stop by for a beer!

There are plenty of public toilets dotted around Hope & Castleton, however as you get further afield into Winnats pass & more into the scenery I didn’t see any, so best plan ahead 😊

Some of the small shops I went into only took cash, but even the ones who take card definitely prefer you to pay cash, it helps them reduce bank fees & keeps cash circulating in the local economy, fight the good fight & bring cash 🤠

Next up I will be posting travel guides for some more domestic places ahead of Summer! The UK is awesome when the sun comes out, for that whole week once a year. There will be more spots in the Peak District, then more historical places like Chester, Edinburgh & York. I would love to take any recommendations in the comments, if I can get there by bus, train or plane, I will go 🤠

Hit subscribe to get notified when the post goes live, thanks for reading through as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Grindleford | The UK is awesome mini-series 🌳

A stunning day trip, perfect for a tight budget!

Living in Manchester UK, I am blessed with the opportunity to visit the Peak District regularly as it is right on the door step. This mini series will be covering the best places in the Peaks to visit that are easily accessible by train & gentle on the purse strings (One day I will learn to drive 😂). It is one the most verdant & ineffable places in the UK, with some truly incredible day trips!

This post will cover a beautiful circular route beginning & ending in Grindleford. It has all of the useful information you need to know to make the most of your trip alongside a customary tale or two.

This journey kicks off in the Grindleford train station, where you take a short walk into the Padley Gorge waterfalls & ancient woodland forest. The words elude me to accurately describe the beauty of this place! Take your most insane fantasy novel setting, the shire for example & you aren’t even close.

From here you move through into the Longshaw Estate which is awesome & has a variety of walking / running trails. You can also see plenty of wildlife here, so great for the kids!

Then it is onto Higger Tor via Toads Mouth, between Higger Tor & Millstone edge you get the most stunning views of the Peak district, then moving on to Lawrencefield, which is by far my favourite part of the trip! From here you begin the steep descent back down to the train station.

I had found myself a little spot by a river, way off the usual tracks & hadn’t seen another person for around an hour. What a beautiful day it was, the sun was shining, a light breeze bristling through the unblemished bushes & the gentle sound of the water trickling down the multitude of little waterfalls that make up the river. There were Butterflies of all colours & even a Dragonfly zoomed past. A place of truly profound serenity, in those moments it’s easy to forget where you are & feel like you’re the only person in the world. Alas, the peaceful retreat was short lived.

Usually, I am very child friendly, however this little spawn of the Devil was an absolute hooligan. A child (around 10 or 11 years old I would say), appeared out of nowhere, I could hear footsteps off in the distance so was looking around. As he approached he said “Excuse me Mr”, I am thinking what a polite young chap, but I was also worried as there was no sight of his parents or any other people, maybe he was lost. I asked him “Are you okay where are your parents?”, by this point I had stood up properly to look around. The little hooligan (hooligan is not the word I wanted to use, but for the purposes of keeping the blog PG, it’s hooligan), punches me full force in my baby making facilities. The hooligan starts giggling & runs off, although he was small it really hurt. It took me a few seconds to catch my breath & by the time I looked up, he was gone, completely vanished.

So at the very least I was the victim of assault, but given the proximity of the attack it probably should be upgraded to a sexual assault. After this I got back to the path & continued my journey, but the strange thing is I still didn’t see another person for around 30 minutes, but there are all sorts of woodlands etc so plenty of places I couldn’t see 🤔. If you are ever on this walking route, be careful if you get accosted by a young hooligan child! Even as I write this, I am still a little dumbfounded, but it can’t have all been in my head, I was still sore by the time I got back to Manchester 😂

Not all sheep are afraid of people, I found this out the hard way. When I go on these trips, I bring some bird feeder (you get a massive bag in Home Bargains for a few £’s). I was feeding some kind of bluebird or magpie type thing & a big ass sheep (I am not even sure the correct noun/plural for a singular sheep) started chasing after me, maybe it was bluffing but it had handy looking horns, so I wasn’t taking any risks!

When walking through Padley Gorge there are some really steep descents & lots of places to fall & do yourself a mischief. Being the big lazy toad that I am, I always try to invent shortcuts & take the quick route up or down hills etc even when there is no route. I couldn’t work out how to upload videos here, but I am starting a YouTube channel soon so will post there. I ended up falling down the side of a hill, it wasn’t high enough to kill me, but would have done quite a bit of damage. Thankfully I managed to roll onto my back & just slide down the side, so only a few cuts & bruises. The real issue was I couldn’t climb back up so had to cross the river, there was not many rocks & it was quite treacherous, albeit the river wasn’t deep, so I would have got soaked but not drowned. I had to go proper Lord of the flies & break a big branch off a tree to use as a walking stick to cross the river. All in all, a rather eventful day!

There is a cafe at Grindleford train station where you can get food, it is pretty basic but not too expensive & gets the job done. Further along at Longshaw estate there is a nice cafe, but it is quite expensive. It is run by the National Trust so I think the money goes into conservation etc (well that is what I convince myself of when I get hit for £7 for a bagel). The Fox house is a big country pub that looks awesome, although I have not been in yet.

It sounds very cliché but you really do need to take care when walking through Padley Gorge. Make sure you have decent footwear & even on a dry day the ground can be moist, so watch where you are going. If you aren’t a fan of falling over & getting hurt, stick to the main paths! There are not any public toilets that I have seen, so would suggest using Longshaw cafe halfway. Not that I would ever advocate for such behaviour, but if you don’t want to buy anything, the toilets here are round the back of the building, you can just wander round 😂.

Final bonus tip, don’t wear a white T-shirt, it will get ruined!

Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll from last week. The winner was Lola with over 30% of the vote, Bonnie came second & Bob came third. I will contact the farm about doing the sponsorship etc 😊.

Next up I will be posting travel guides for some more domestic places ahead of Summer! The UK is awesome when the sun comes out, for that whole week once a year. There will be more spots in the Peak District, then more historical places like Chester, Edinburgh & York. I would love to take any recommendations in the comments, if I can get there by bus, train or plane, I will go 🤠

Hit subscribe to get notified when the post goes live, thanks for reading through as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Knutsford | The UK is awesome mini-series! 🦌

Thrown out of a wine shop, chased by a scary dog & a really important poll at the end! All in a days work, not to be missed 🤠

In spite of its problems (brutal weather & expensive chip shops), the UK is an awesome place to live with so much to do & see. Given that we have to hibernate for most of the year, I wanted to do a mini series on some wonderful trips you should consider for this Summer that won’t break the bank. From beautiful scenic sprawling countryside to incredible historic towns & cities, the UK has something for everyone! Plus I am more likely to make a nuisance of myself on a domestic trip, which should make for a more interesting blog post. Todays post is about Knutsford & Tatton Country Park, with a very important poll at the bottom, please do vote, even if only anonymously 😊

Knutsford is a cute little town in Cheshire, England. The name actually goes all the way back to King Canute, if you’re a Viking history nerd, the name will be familiar to you. The town has an interesting history & was very important during the second world war. Unfortunately, it is one of the most expensive places to buy a house in the UK!

There is a famous TV show about bored rich housewives based in the Cheshire region, I haven’t see it but I am always on the lookout for a rich sugar mumma! Alas, I haven’t managed to find one whilst visiting Knutsford 🤭

Whilst I was sauntering around the town on route to Tatton Park, fortunately by sheer dumb luck I stumbled upon a wine store offering free tastings. Given that it was around 25 degrees & I was melting, a lovely refreshing glass of wine was just what the Doctor ordered. However, I outed myself as a chancer almost instantaneously, it transpires that I in fact have a rather miniscule bank of knowledge pertaining to wine. Some free advice, if you are ever in Majestic wines for a free tasting, you have to at least pretend to be interested in making a purchase. When the worker asks what type of wine you usually like, you don’t have to be a seasoned connoisseur, but at least attempt something more believable than ‘that Red badboy out of Lidl, the £6.99 one’ (I panicked & couldn’t think of anything more realistic!). I was unceremoniously turfed out.

Tatton Park was the real reason for my Knutsford trip, it is the most stunning picturesque country park. All sorts of animals roam freely, there is a cool mansion you can visit & a great little farm with funky animals! Dogs are supposed to be kept on leads, so as not to scare the animals but a dog had escaped it’s constraints. A whole herd of deer came running towards me, which was mildly terrifying & I could hear the dog before I saw it. Suddenly, I was looking for a tree to climb thinking it was an XXXXL Bully coming to eat me for supper, turned out it was the tiniest poodle type dog just trying to play with the deer. Maybe it was a sheep dog in a previous life. Eventually the dog started getting too big for its paws & the deer decided to chase it off, it was a rather amusing sight to behold!

Whilst watching the baby pigs roaming around, I managed to land myself in a live episode of Jeremy Kyle Family Feuds. A pig was snoring loudly, the guy said “Oh it sounds like Grandma”, all hell broke loose. The Grandma was annoyed with the Dad, the Mum was annoyed at Dad for laughing, the toddler was in hysterics at the whole episode!

You should stop by The White Bear, it is the Oldest pub in Knutsford, really cool & authentic, feels a little like a time warp. The building has a lot of the original features, however that means there are a lot of low ceilings & no matter how many signs there are you still club your head on something. So either be really small or make sure & crouch down when entering. I managed to bang my head 3 times, I think that has reduced me to a single digit IQ now. Sometimes it is okay to drink sewer water lager, you don’t always have to go for something new. I decided to be exotic & pick something random, ended up with a Theakston bitter, which was more shambolic than exotic. If that is for you, each to their own, but you won’t catch me on the bitter again! Lesson learned the hard way!

If you walk or cycle to Tatton, entry is free but you have to pay if in car (Around £10 I think per car). Thousands of animals all roam freely in the park, but if you want to go in to see the pigs, lambs, goats, horses & chickens you have to pay extra. This is a little expensive (£10 for an adult), but is well worth it as there is a little play park (although you look weird if you go on it alone & don’t have kids with you). You also get a chance to hold lambs & chicklets, but the events are all on at different times & dates so check ahead.

If you are susceptible to midge bites, I would highly recommend bringing some insect repellent. There are plenty of places to eat & drink, or you can bring a picnic, however if you share your lunch with the sheep you will get a shake down from the park ranger (I did this once & the ranger appeared out of nowhere, like some mad apparition). Tatton park has a variety of events on, ranging from flower shows, to concerts to classic car shows, even if you don’t go for the animals, I highly recommend looking at upcoming events, there is plenty of fun to be had.

There are a few different Pigs at Tatton & some of them are rare breeds. All of them are super cute, but each with their own funky personality, one thing they all have in common is they are fat & smell 😂. I am going to make a donation / sponsorship of one of the Pigs on behalf of this blog. Please let me know in the comments or poll which one sounds most like you or that you want me to sponsor. I want to say I am like Lola, although being realistic I am probably closer to Bonnie, slow & lazy!

I am going to be posting much more regularly. Next up I will be posting travel guides for some domestic places ahead of Summer! The UK is awesome when the sun comes out, for that whole week once a year. There will be a mini series on spots in the Peak District, then more historical places like Chester, North Wales, Edinburgh & York. Would love to take any recommendations, if I can get there by bus, train or plane, I will go 🤠

Hit subscribe to get notified when the post goes live, thanks for reading through as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️