Northumberland April 26

 

The vast landscape of Northumberland belongs to “ Vera” a TV drama by Anne Cleeves which often features historic towns,  rugged rural spots and murder investigations. However, in real life there is simply peace and harmony which I was able to experience it during my short break there. The experience took me down the memory lane remembering me of my days spent in the North, almost 40 years ago! 

The hotel where I stayed was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by beautiful “ Vera’s “ countryside.The city of Durham with its famous cathedral was the nearest big attraction from the hotel. However one could venture out to Yorkshire for tea at Bettys Café Tea Rooms in Harrogate or to York for more of Bettys Tea and historical architecture which includes the iconic York Minster! Small town of Morpeth and Hexham described as the market towns were sadly lacking the hustle and bustle of market towns! 

The highlight of my  trip to “ The hidden gems of the North”  ( described in the travel brochure ) was the visit to Bowes Museum via the Barnard Castle( Castle made famous by Dominic Cummings). Amongst the vast collection of artefacts in the museum, I was pleasantly surprised to find there was an exhibition of textiles and fashion garments by Dame Vivienne Westwood. Sadly one item missing from the collection was her famous coat made out of a carpet, I wonder why? 

Sinah Warren ( Hayling Island) March 2026

Feel lucky to have photographed beautiful  Oystercatcher during my second visit to Hayling Island. The Island has numerous Nature Reserve sites including one overlooking the Sinha Warren hotel where I stayed for four days. Not only the Island is surrounded by outdoor attractions for bird watchers but it also offers the beaches for sailing, wind and kite surfing plus it’s popular with rambles ( like myself) and cyclists.  

Sinah Warren estate started life as a health farm, run by monks in the late 15th century. The vast estate went through numerous owners and in 2003 it was transformed into a very modern hotel by Warner which has 12 Royale Rooms however they were not available for coach full of visitors from Midlands like myself! 

I and few others from my party ( singleton ) were allocated a chalet and others who required double bed accommodation were given rooms inside the Sinah Warren Hotel which resembled massive “ RABBIT WARREN “ ! Designed to live  up-to its name,

 I guess ? 

Highlight of my stay was to make use of the spa and swimming pool just before it was closed down for maintenance! Felt lucky on my swimming day! I traveled to market town of Havant by local bus and I found in the middle of the modern town centre, a tiny church dedicated to St.Faith ( it’s roots goes back to nine centuries). Amazing find which doesn’t appear on top of goggle search engine?  On my last day on the Island the mighty strong winds made walking difficult however I did manage to walk to the nearest beach to see kite surfing. Amazing views and perfect weather for the surfers gliding around the waves however not good for decent photos! Came home with two blurry pictures of the surfers to remember the day.

Cricket St.Thomas Estate..January 26

 

The Grade ll listed building , Cricket St. Thomas Estate is currently run by Warner Leisure and it has been expanded to include leisure facilities, including swimming pool, sauna and steam bath which were few of their main attractions for me to visit and explore the place. 

The historical grand old Manor House was frequently visited by Lord Nelson and his Lady Hamilton and in the eighties the Manor House was made famous by BBC comedy TV show….” To The Manor Born”.  The extensive grounds was once used as a Wildlife park for the visitors to experience outdoor activities. 

However, nowadays the grounds have been converted into beautiful green fields with lakes  and waterfalls. My few days spent walking around the well laid out paths around the estate were blissful despite the rain, wind and no sign of the sun during whole of my stay in the House! 

On 22nd of January, I felt lucky to be in the beautiful medieval parish church situated in the gardens of Cricket House where a mass was held for St. Vincent. 

Hayling Island ( November 25)

 

Hayling Island ( near Portsmouth) with a population of 18000 is dominated by two Warner Leisure hotels, providing leisure facilities and accommodation for the visitors to the island and jobs for the local community. 

However, when I visited the island for a few days, l couldn’t miss the Union Jack flag flying proudly over the coast of the island and I also learned about the part the island had played in the WWII.  During the war the Warner Hotels and other places were used for the war effort and the island's population nearly tripled as military personnel moved in for D-Day rehearsal and the landing craft training. 

Little Hayling Island unknown to most, was also the base for the highly secret Combined Operations Pilotage Parities ( COPP) unit.Their work was vital for the success of the D-Day operations. 

October 25 Mullion Cove, Cornwall

One of the most stunning sight surrounding the Cornish Coastline is the Mullion Cove nestling in southern region of Cornwall. However the road leading to the cove is not easily accessible by coach full of tourists from middle England! Our brave coach driver received applaud each time he drove through one extremely narrow lane  of the Mullion Cove village! Old Cornish villages are not built for coaches and I wonder when the village  will ban big tourist coaches driving through its narrow lanes ?

Few days of autumn season were spent walking around the Cove while witnessing sunrise and sunset each day. The visit to the Tate Gallery of St. Ives and a little town of Porthleven (I stayed there for few months in 2005) were places taking me deep down the memory lanes of my past life. During this short stay in Cornwall, I even managed to walk to St Michael on the Mount! Luckily on the day of our trip to the Mount the tide was low, the sky was blue and the sea seemed very clear and calm.

Finally, I was lucky enough to meet up with an old friend who took me further afield to another deserted cove at St. Agnes via a visit to Truro’s old cathedral and lunch at    

Charlotte Tea House. A unique place on the second floor of the building where one has to walk through old bookshop to get to the seating area of the Charlotte tea house. 

Will I ever want to return to the stunning place called Mullion Cove by coach again? 

Nope! 

p.s.

The return journey home,  a surprise pit stop at the Jamaica Inn , Bolventor, Launceston. The commercialisation of the book ( of the same name) by Daphne Du Maurier seems to have made someone extremely wealthy!  One can view Du Maurier’s  museum at a fee , purchase gifts in a massive gift shop, eat at an excellent restaurant and stay overnight in an accommodation for a price! 

Runnymede ( London) June 25

 

Having seen a copy of  Magna Carta at Salisbury Cathedral I spent two blissful and sunny days in  the Runnymede national trust park, learning more about the importance of the document. 

It was at Runnymede in 1215 the English Barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. This document limited the monarch’s powers and gave legal rights to all, thus the first English constitution was written. 

In recognition of the Magna Carta’s importance as a basis for the American of Independence, the American Bar Association built the Magna Carta Memorial in 1957 and later John F. Kennedy Memorial placed nearby on an acre of land to USA in the memory of the President’s work on Civil Rights.

Magna Carta marked the beginning of what are now called Human Rights.

Oman in April 25

 

A snapshot of peace loving and peace making little Oman where I went to experience great Omani hospitality at friend’s home who had once shared my house in Coventry.

Oman’s economy is largely driven by oil however the government is actively diversifying into other sectors such as tourism which is sadly suffering due to the wars in the surrounding regions! Once you pluck up courage to make the journey to Oman you are welcomed with the smile by friendly and helpful Omani people dressed up in their native costumes. 

Oman prides itself on building its cities based on low lying traditional architecture ( no skyscrapers in sight) so that the surrounding mountains are visible. Oman is absolute monarchy, with ruling Sultan Qaboos ( whose portrait is proudly displayed in every establishment) exercising ultimate power over all major decisions of state. The Omani police patrol the streets especially in the tourist areas. The country on the whole is a safe place for tourists including the single women travelling around alone. Newspapers or world news is not readily available!

The local Omani population are not keen on working in the service sector so it relies heavily on the labour force from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Africa and surprisingly Myanmar! With very little public transport available, fuel guzzling , air conditioning cars domain the major roads. Plastic bags are handed out freely at the supermarkets and plastic bottles of water are freely available in the hotels and used in homes too! 

A week in Oman has left me feeling that they are all ( five million of them) living in an ivory tower and I wonder when the impact of heat and climate change will reach the shores of stunning landscape of friendly Oman?