Holidays

This collection of pages is a sort of photo album. I like to store the pictures from my holidays, and write a bit of text to remind me of what we did and where we went. If it helps anyone decide to go somewhere or to avoid somewhere or if you just enjoy reading about our experiences, fair enough, but it's mainly a personal reminder.

2011 - Narin

In a first for us we had three holidays this year. In October we took the school week off to drive up north to Nairn for a couple of days. We had sun and driving rain but mostly wind and cold, but Nairn is a beautiful part of the country whatever the weather.

2011 - Center Parcs

In July we had a week at CenterParcs Whinfell Forest, which is near Preston, just outside the Lake District. We went with Linda, John and Kyle, stayed in a lodge for the week and booked up lots of activities for the kids. We had a good week and got plenty of exercise riding around the forest paths.

2011 - Blackpool

A short holiday in April to Blackpool Haven caravan park. We stayed for 5 days and enjoyed the park, the Sandcastle and the Pleasure beach. It was a cold start to the season though and the little gas fire in the caravan was on full-tilt for most of the time we were in it.

2010 - Scarborough

This year we stayed at home in the UK. We rented a cottage in the North Yorkshire Moors, near Scarborough, for the week. We managed to get out somewhere reasonably interesting each day and the cottage was an excellent base to work from, as well as being a relaxing place to return to at the end of each day. Colin, Irene and Sam came along with us for this trip.

2009 - Anstruther

Our holiday in Paris was in early May, so by the time summer was well in, we were yearning for another break. So we had a few days in the East Neuk of Fife, staying at a lovely hotel in Anstruther. With a full cooked breakfast every morning we were well fuelled to explore the excellent beaches nearby, and visit a few other places as well. It was only four days but we left with some happy memories (mmmm, battered prawns).

2009 - Disneyland Paris

This is the last chance to book a cheap holiday abroad since Cate will be in school by next year, so we had a May week at Disneyland Paris. The weather was variable but the queues weren't as bad as they will be at high summer and we had a great time. We had four days at the Disneyland parks, plus a day at the nearby sea-life centre and a day trip to Paris.

2008 - Majorca

After last years failed attempt to go abroad we thought we'd have another go. Somewhere warm, fairly quiet and with not too long a flight. The Mediterranean sounded nice and we've never been to Majorca so we tried there. A frined recommended Puerto Pollensa as a nice quiet area, so we found a hotel with a kids club and booked it up. Our most expensive holiday since Kenya, but it was half board so we saved a lot on restaurant bills.

2007 - Berwick

Well, the trip to Turkey didn't work out, but we wanted to get a week away somewhere. We ended up in the Haven caravan park in Berwick, for a week of beach trips, castle visits and trampolining. There was plenty to do in the park, which had an indoor swimming pool as well as the usual leisure pursuits, and the evening show by Rory and friends was popular as well.

2007 - Not Turkey

After a couple of trips to Wales we thought Cate was old enough to travel abroad, so we planned to go to Turkey for our holidays. Our plans were overruled though, as Cate broke out in chicken pox on the day we were due to fly. Instead we spent the week visiting a number of more local spots of interest, from Largs to Loch Lomond, Ayr to Hamilton. We did have a good week, and some lovely weather.

2006 - Wales

We liked our trip to Wales last year so much that we decided to go again, to the same cottage. This time we shared with Irene, Colin and Sam. We had the most amazing week of sunshine, and really enjoyed our holiday, especially the beaches.

2005 - Wales

This year we decided to stay in Britan for a change. I'd read that the Llyn peninsula was a lovely place to visit, and found a cottage in Snowdonia nearby, which had been voted the best place to stay in Wales a couple of years ago. We booked it up and it turned out to be a great choice. We were close to the mountains and within a fairly easy drive of some decent beaches. And the cottage was fabulous.

2004 - Jersey

A week in Jersey this year, trying to get the sunshine of France with the currency and language of Britain. We had a good week here, with a variety of places to visit and some good, sunny weather for the second half of the week. Visit Plemont Bay if you go there and are looking for a nice beach. Just be careful of the tides.

2003 - Paris and Normandy

We fancied a longer holiday this year, so booked up some time in Paris again, plus some time in a hotel in Normandy, booked through VFB Holidays. Paris was suffering a heatwave, so we didn't walk about too much, and appreciated the air conditioning in the hotel. Normandy was cooler, and the food at the hotel was first class.

2003 - York

We had a mini-break, as they're known, in York. We got a hotel near Leeds through Hotel Connexions, and drove into York each day. There's lots to see in York, and the town centre is fairly well contained, so you can walk everywhere. Overall, a refreshing and interesting break.

2002 - Turkey

I found this hotel in Turkey in the advertising pages of a BT newspaper. The rates were very cheap and it sounded nice and relaxing. It was. We spent most of our time sitting by (and swimming in) the pool, with just a few excursions. The hotel food was lovely, and cheap. Our only problem was that Turkey in August is very hot.

2001 - Gran Canaria

We went to Gran Canaria this year, booking through the travel agent. We had a fun week, with a jeep ride and a camel ride being the main highlights. Our hotel was up the top of a hill, and hot in the evenings, but had a good pool and decent dining. Not a bad holiday over all.

2001 - Madeira

We got a free weekend break this year, thanks to a colleague nominating me for an award at work. We spent the weekend at the world renowned Reids Palace - very plush. We did feel we were the youngest tourists on the island, but enjoyed our weekend, including the flower festival.

2000 - Paris

A city break for a change this year. I found a dcently priced hotel on the internet, and had enough air miles to get us there, so we had plenty of spending cash for this holiday. We went to most of the major attractions in Paris, including getting lost in the Louvre. There was so much more we didn't do, though. Highlight of the week was our visit to Versaille.

2000 - Lake District

A short break this time, with a few days in the Lake District. We stayed in Windermere, and managed to drive around most of the lakes in our 4 days. There are some lovely views among the hills, and a decent variety of eating places in Windermere.

1999 - Ibiza

Still recovering from the fanancial hit of getting married, we had a cheap package holiday in Ibiza this year. Known for it's clubbing, there is a lot more to the island, and we found some interesting and historical places to visit. The walls around Ibiza Town were a good walk, though perhaps I shouldn't have done that after psraining my ankle a couple of days before.

1998 - Torquay

It's a long drive down to the south of England, but we were able to use the car to good effect when we stayed in Torquay for the week. We went to the zoo at Paignton, which was OK, went down int Kent's Cavern, which was good, and spent the day in a forest park, which we really enjoyed. The weather was good, so we managed a bit of time at the beach as well.

1997 - Kenya

This was our honeymoon, so a bit more special than the next few holidays we'll take. We stayed at a four star hotel in Mombassa for two weeks, including a three day excursion on safari. The safari portion was great, seeing the wildlife in the flesh, and the hotel was perfect. The main dining room served great 5 course meals, and there was a good quality Indian restaurant in the basement. Mmmmm.

1991 - Zimbabwe

This was a holiday I went on with my Uncle Alex. We spent a couple of weeks in Zimbabwe with my uncle, aunt and cousin, who stay there. We had a chance to go on safari, cruise on the flooded lake at Kariba, stay in the high mountains and visit the mighty Victoria Falls. A beautiful country, with friendly people and the most amazing sights.

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