Tenerife (2nd - 9th November)

This was my first visit to Tenerife, Jayne had been on numerous occasions, on family holidays, and said what a great place to visit.

We stayed in Los Cristianos at a family-friendly hotel called The Paradise Fun Lifestyle hotel. It was a good 15-minute walk downhill to the paved seafront. This particular area is known for its quiet, laid-back aspect. The seafront is easily accessible and goes on for miles. We often walked for an hour or more along the coast. 

 

                             

The next town to Los Cristianos is Las Americas which is known as a much more lively, youthful place with lots of clubs and pubs, and shops. Next to that is Costa Adeje and then Colon and Duque. All areas are different and offer many restaurants and shops. The locals were friendly and welcoming and to top it all the weather was fantastic for November- hot and sunny most of the time which for anyone British is a dream come true. We also hired a car and ventured to Los Gigantes- a huge and beautiful cliff face with a harbour

                         

 and then East and south to Santa Cruz to Teresitas beach where Saharian sand was imported. 

 

                                 

We took a coach trip to Mount Teide where a Planet of the Apes was filmed years ago, 

                                     

and then on to Icod to see an almost 1000-year-old tree (picture on the left)

     

and to Garachico for lunch,

              

                                     

 ending up at Masca a beautiful, sleepy village nestled in the hills. The hairpin bends looked difficult to navigate even for the most accomplished of coach drivers and sometimes there was only a foot leeway on those bends. 

The island is easily navigated as it is so small and there are still areas we have not visited. The flights in and out of Tenerife were seamless and without incident- the only issue being, coming back to a colder and less forgiving English climate.  

Tenerife was all I want from a holiday. From the parking at Stansted airport to the flights both ways, the hotel which was clean, and well staffed, and the food which was great. The hotel also had a pool on the roof just for adults which was fabulous and a shuttle to the beach 8 to 9 times a day,  Tenerife itself I couldn't fault either. Lovely people, awesome scenery, and spectacular weather. Masca was so beautiful, it was a shame we couldn't have stayed there for longer but we were on a coach tour. Mount Teide, a dormant volcano that had an environment that looked like another planet. Just a lovely holiday all in all. The only negatives were the African hawkers that operate all along the beach but aren't too much in your face and the cost of the tours which were quite expensive. Tenerife caters to all ages from Las Americas, full of bars and clubs for the younglings to Los Cristianos for the older generation, highly recommend it.

I am particularly biased when it comes to Tenerife. All I can say is that I feel safe there. I find Los Cristianos charming and friendly. During this trip, I looked at Tenerife through Trevor`s eyes and saw something different. We ventured further along the coastal promenade and I found places I had not been to before. I also enjoyed taking Trevor to places I had previously liked. I enjoyed the coach trip, as I wasn`t the one driving along those hairpin bends. Mount Teide for its sheer ruggedness, barbarity, and living example of the earth`s volcanic power, and Masca for its remote charm are still my favourite places. Bearing in mind that Tenerife is only about 4 hours away from England and is sunny and warm most of the time, child friendly, and has jungle parks and whales and dolphins( not yet explored in this trip) what`s not to like? As I said, I am rather biased.

 

Audley End House and Mountfichet Castle ( 19th October 2022)

 On a lovely, sunny, and warm October day we drove to Audley End House, which is in Saffron Walden in Essex. This is a Jacobean mansion, with Capability Brown-designed gardens. We strolled around the ground taking a few pictures but were not allowed to take any of the insides of the house. We spent 2 1/2 hours here exploring and then went to Mountfichet Castle.

   

                                                

Mountfitchet Castle and Norman village is a reconstruction of a Norman Mott and Bailey Castle and the village is built on the original site which dates back to the 11th century. It also has a very impressive toy museum and also very friendly deer, goats, chickens, geese, and peacocks which you can feed by hand if you are brave enough, and like to be fed.

    Audley End House was opulent and interesting but nothing out of the ordinary as big houses go, We visited in October and the gardens weren't looking their best but in the spring and summer, they would look fabulous.  Mountfitchet Castle and the village was historical, theatrical, animal friendly, and engaging. We first visited the toy museum which is chock full of toys games and figures that I remembered from my youth, very nostalgic. On the way to the toy museum, there are dinosaurs statues which are always worth a look at. In the grounds of the castle and in the castle itself were a variety of human-friendly animals. We bought a bag of animal feed from the shop and then bought another bag as it was so enjoyable. This would be a great morning or afternoon visit for a family or childish adults like us. There are many huts in the norman village that explain their purpose and even have smells and commentary. All in all when you combine this with the animals and toy museum and dinosaur sculpture it's a winner-winner chicken dinner for a place to visit, highly recommend it.           

I  liked Audley End House and Gardens. The gardens were well maintained but sadly not in bloom at the time we saw them. The gardens were landscaped by Capability Brown in the Parterre style. I can imagine they could be stunning when in flower. The house itself was majestic and interesting. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take any photographs which was a shame- however, although I should know better I still took a sneaky picture. Call it the rebel in me.  We did have a bit of excitement though as there was filming afoot- the Tic Tok phenomena Mrs. Crocombe was being filmed when we visited. We stopped for a cup of tea and a scone and there is a little gift shop too.

Then it was on to the Toy museum and Stansted Mountfitchet Castle. This turned out to be a very enjoyable afternoon. The Toy Museum has grown since I last visited - which must be about 15 years ago.  Choc  full of all manner of toys from teddy bears to robots to action men to computer games, a varied and fascinating array of toys that will bring back the childhood in you. Well arranged over many floors, you would be forgiven for almost forgoing it but don`t, as it is pleasantly satisfying to take a trip down memory lane.

This Norman Castle is charming in both its compactness and orientation. It is not vast and yet you could easily spend a long afternoon there. I strongly recommend that you buy a bag of animal feed as another unusual aspect of this Castle is that you can hand-fed deer, goats, chickens, and peacocks. They are remarkably tame and there is something quite lovely about feeding a woodland creature such as a deer. When do you ever get the chance to do that?  Great fun for children and adults alike, you can wander into the individual huts with their noises and smells and learn how the Normans lived. There is a gift shop and tea shop which serves food. What I liked is that having had children and particularly lots of boys, there is a safe, large area to run around- trebuchet, gaols, and towers and gallows. Well worth a visit. 

Warwick Castle, East Riding York and Middlesborough (Mon 26th Sept- Sat 1st Oct)

It was our anniversary and being the romantic that I am I booked a night at Warwick Castle Medieval lodges, which are on the grounds of Warwick Castle. 

                         

What a fabulous experience, the staff were friendly, thoughtful, and helpful the lodge was ideal and the breakfast was excellent. We also got discounted tickets for Warwick Castle the following day which is one of my favorite Castles to visit in England, and we also had a wander around Warwick which is a nice town to visit.

We then drove over 4 1/2 hours to our next destination which was a holiday park called Sand le Mere which is about 15 miles outside Hull on the East coast of England. The caravan we booked was large, clean, and warm and the park itself although at the end of the season was clean, accommodating, and friendly if a little away from civilization.

Tuesday was bright and windy and we set off for a  manor home called Burton Constable Hall nestled in the countryside. A large but well-maintained stately seat dating back to the 12th century with each room decorated in opulent and distinctive style. We had a cup of tea and coffee and learned about the occupants including the serving staff and how they lived. We then moved on to Hornsea and walked along the seafront admiring the coastline and the very large  and colourfully sculptured puffins dotted around.

       

     

                     

On Wednesday we had booked to go on a Balloon ride from York racecourse. Sadly this was not to be as the weather was not conducive for piloting a balloon so the pilot said. Instead after a moment of disappointment, we ventured into York town centre and visited the marvellous cobbled streets and shopping area known as The Shambles which was full of many interesting and artisan shops.

                              

 We then went on a moving historical adventure dating back a thousand years at the Jorvik Centre, showing the history of the Viking people and how they lived a thousand years ago. 

                                         

After that  we went on to  the  York Dungeon experience,  scary and fun and full of two thousand years of York history. We decided to try the caravan site`s entertainment in the form of a quiz and won with a bottle of fizz but as we both don`t really drink, left it for the staff- which concluded a fun and busy day.

Thursday dawned breezy and bright and we ventured out to Withernsea for fish and chips as suggested by the locals. There is a lighthouse which is no longer in service lying amongst the houses presumerably built years before the town developed into what it is today. We went for a stroll along the sea front there.

It was raining on Friday but undeterred we headed for Middlesborough to our Airbnb via Scarborough. 

                 

It rained incessantly so we took a cable car from the beachfront up to where we had parked. Once dried out and again fit for purpose we headed for a live band to listen to at a pub called Three Fiddles in Guisborough and had a good night out.

Heading homewards on Saturday we drove into the picturesque and charming seaside town of Whitby which is immortalised by Bram Stoker`s  Dracula as the place where he landed in England, as well as the plentiful shops, restaurants, and the phenomenal amount of dogs with their owners. 

                

We drove south onto Robin Hood`s Bay, a stunning picture postcard of a hamlet with its steep incline of streets easy to walk down, not so to walk back up.

I loved all things, Warwick and would highly recommend a visit, especially the lodges and the castle. The campsite Sand Le Mere was remote and off the beaten track but we had a lovely caravan and it was clean and quiet which we both enjoyed.  Burton Constable was enjoyable as Manor houses go and the staff were very informative. Scarborough was a typical seaside town but didn't seem to have much personality or charisma. On the hand, Whitby exuded charm, tweeness and was very picturesque, in fact, the complete opposite of Scarborough. Robin Hood Bay is definitely worth a visit but beware that it is built on a steep gradient which on the way down is easy but on the way up is very strenuous and may require an extra lung. Lovely break 

Going to Warwick Castle was such a magical and special experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed The Knight`s Village finding it both charming and romantic. Well done Trevor !! 

I was not too sure that I would enjoy the week up North in East Riding but I did, very much. Highlights for me were all things York, Whitby, and Robin Hood's Bay. I didn`t like Scarborough very much or Withernsea or Hornsea for that matter.  The balloon ride being cancelled was a disappointment too. The caravan site was pleasantly well kept and the caravan itself was warm and not very old with plenty of room for the two of us, just a tad remote. It had a swimming pool and the restaurant was decent. Plenty to do for children I should imagine.