Exploring the world, one place at a time
Over the summer I was working at the National Eisteddfod, the annual Welsh cultural festival that this year took place near Tregaron in west Wales. Deciding to make something of a weekend of it before I started work, I stopped off at Llandeilo in the neighbouring county of Carmarthenshire so I could spend a couple... Continue Reading →
Last weekend I finally paid my annual visit to Dyffryn Gardens, the National Trust-run stately home and gardens just outside Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan. For one reason or another, I hadn't had chance to visit earlier in the year and was beginning to worry I wouldn't make it before the end of summer.... Continue Reading →
Looking for places to stop on my drive back to Cardiff at the end of my 2019 north Wales road trip, I came upon Powis Castle, a National Trust property just outside Welshpool in mid Wales. It's an enormous castle with stately interiors and a glorious garden, and as it was a third of the... Continue Reading →
The elegant manor house, Plas Newydd, is the ancestral seat of the Marquess of Anglesey. Situated on the banks of the Menai Strait on Ynys Môn (the Isle of Anglesey), the stately home boasts superb views of Snowdonia National Park and is surrounded by park and woodland that's home to an array of wildlife, including... Continue Reading →
The banks of the River Thames to the south-west of London are dotted with stately homes and grand palaces. From Kew Palace to the Duke of Northumberland's Syon Park, to Marble Hill House and the majestic Hampton Court Palace. So when I was browsing through the National Trust's handbook and came across Ham House and... Continue Reading →
Nestled among the trees and woodland of the Carmarthenshire countryside, Dinefwr is a grand estate boasting a medieval castle, a stately home and a 100-acre nature reserve that's home to a host of wildlife including deer, otters and badgers. Looking for somewhere to stop on my drive back to Cardiff from Pembrokeshire, I stumbled upon... Continue Reading →
One of my favourite places in London for a Sunday stroll is Hampstead Heath in the north of the capital. When I lived in London, I spent many a morning tramping through the heath in all kinds of weather, but I hadn't been back since I left the Big Smoke more than three years ago.... Continue Reading →
Nestled in the lush green hills surrounding Sintra is the extraordinary Quinta da Regaleira, a stately home quite unlike any other. This marvellous home and its unusual gardens were designed at the turn of the 20th century by the Italian architect Luigi Manini. The estate was built as a summer residence for António Augusto Carvalho... Continue Reading →
Conceived as a grand Tudor palace to rival Hampton Court, Layer Marney in Essex, despite its owner's grand plans, was left unfinished with only its tower making it past the design stages. Set in the scenic Essex countryside between Colchester and Witham, Layer Marney Tower is an intriguing place to visit. Boasting the tallest Tudor tower... Continue Reading →
There's no better place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon in springtime than the grounds of a country house with beautiful gardens. So I headed to Dyffryn Gardens, a gorgeous National Trust property in the Vale of Glamorgan with extensive grounds and lovely Edwardian gardens. The main house (below), which was built by the fabulously... Continue Reading →
Little Old World 