Two trips

 I recently had a lovely day in London with my eldest daughter, Jenny, along with Arty and Bonnie.  The kids had wanted to go for a while and neither Jenny or myself need much pursueding to visit London, we both love it. 

We had an early start, catching the 7.30am train into Marylebone, which gave us plenty of time to make the most of the day.  As it was the first time either Bonnie or Arty had been to Londone, we didn't pre-book any attractions, Instead, we thought it would be nice to take things as they came, walk around and see some of the more famous sights.

Bonnie had mentioned seeing Buckingham Palace, so we took the tube straight out of Marylebone station and arrived in time to see the Changing of the Guard.  It was so busy though, and I think the crowds were a bit overwhelming for her.  fortunately we managed to get both of them to the front of the railings at one point, and the guards came right up in front of them.  They absolutely loved and made up for having to battle our way to the front.

We also spent some time in the Lego shop, where they each chose a set ot take home.  After that, the rest of the day was spent walking around Londone and taking in some of the main sights.  In hind sight, I think it might have been better to have booked at least one attraction to visit, just to give the day a bit more structure and break up all the walking.

These are some of the photos from our day

They are still both a bit too young to fully appriciate the history and significance of many of London's landmarks, but they certainly enjoyed the experience of exploring the city.  Riding on the underground was an adventure for them, (and me, I always enjoy it) and of course seeing Big Ben, and London Bridge.  It was lovely to see Big Ben all clean and shiny now, the last time I visited it was covered in scaffolding.

By the time we finally headed home we were all exhausted.  We didn't get back until just after midnight, but luckily we had a direct rain, both children completely crashed out almost as soon as we set off and slept all the way back.

It was a long and tiring day, but enjoyable, and hopefully the first of many London trips for both of them.

Last weekend Mark was working so I went away for a few days.  Things have been so busy latley that I needed some time just for me, and I haven't seen the sea all Summer.  Living in the middle of England means that we do live a fair way from any coastal town so it's a lovely treat to be by a beach and the sea.

Can you guess where I went?

I've visited many times now but I never get tired of going, It was of course Llandudno in North Wales.

I stayed in a lovely little B&B very near the pier, and the weather was dry and bright, not rainy like predicted.

I didn't do a lot, these few days were all about having a rest, I walked, read my book, bought some more books, (oops) and knit while watching tv in the evening.  It was just what I needed.

I did venture out one evening, there was a charity Harley Davidson bike ride along the pier and around town.  The bikes were all lit up and some of the riders where dressed up too.  It was lovely too see, although much fewer than the 150 riders the advert said there would be.  Still it was fun.  No photos i'm afraid, for some reason they all turned out blurry, (user error).

I had a little walk along the pier afterwards, I wouldn't normally venture out alone when It was dark but It was mostly families around after the bike ride, I felt safe enough for an hour, and I was back in my room by 9pm.

We should have been going away again this week, but someone left it too late to book time off work - lets just say there were a few words!

 

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**I have no idea what going on with blogger, the blogs i visit most are in my sidebar but that's not updating and neither is the reading list.  Is anyone else having problems, and have you managed to fix it?

A little train ride

Colwyn Bay is only 20 minutes by train from Llandudno and as Llandudno train station is right on the edge of the town centre and Colwyn Bay station is right on the beach, that's where I decided to go yesterday.  The weather didn't look very promising first thing, It was cooler than the day before and looked like it might rain, but it blew over and the afternoon turned out quite warm.  

There is no pier at Colwyn Bay, it fell into disrepair and was eventually demolished following a fire, all that is left now is the small boardwalk.  From what I've read there are plans reinstate a pavilion in the future, but like everything It comes down to costs I suppose, but it would make such a difference. 

The Bay is stunning, the beach stretches for miles, (or so it seems) and I would imagine the previous day it wasn't so deserted.  I have to say though that the beach is the highlight of Colwyn Bay, although there didn't seem to be any facilities there on this particular day, one lonely coffee / ice cream van wasn't doing much trade and it was a bit windy to sit outside so I took the short walk into town to get a coffee.

The town was a disappointment, mostly boarded up shop fronts, very run down and neglected.   There was a small shopping centre and I ended up going there for coffee while I waited for the next train back.   I suppose every area has a town that isn't what it used to be, such a shame.

I've been packing up my things tonight and will be heading home tomorrow, I want to visit one more place while I'm this way, if the weather holds.  I've been so lucky with the weather this week, it's been warm and sunny every day, I think next week is all change with rain coming in for most of the week, the gardens will be happy.

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My week so far

The apartment is in a great location, just a short walk to the promenade and the town, it's only small but has everything you would expect, I can even see the top of the Great Orme over the rooftops from the windows and most important the bed is really comfortable.  The drive here was longer than it should have been, I hit three road closures on the way, one was unplanned, one had started two days earlier than it should have so the sat nav didn't pick them up and there were no diversion signs.  I ended up going out of my way several times and adding almost an hour onto the journey, never mind, I still arrived by lunchtime and was able to access the apartment at 3pm.

I've already done a fair bit of walking, Haulfre Gardens is always a pleasant walk with great views across the west shore and it's where you will find Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

I caught the tram up the Great Orme, walked down one side towards St Tudno's Church and around the rest of the Orme.  I thought It would be a shorter walk but it ended up being as far as walking the whole way round.

I'm having a slower start this morning after all the walking yesterday but I will head out later, not sure where but I'll let you know next time.

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Last day away

 I didn't set an alarm last night so slept late this morning.  I think all the walking and fresh air finally caught up with me. According to the app on my phone I've walked 87,675 steps since I got here last Friday, way more than I walk in a normal week at home.  

I spent some time this morning packing up things I won't need today and taking them to the car,  I have to be out of the apartment by 10am so It will save me time in the morning, then I headed out for a walk.  I went across the promenade, down onto the pier then up to Happy valley where I stopped for a cuppa and a toasted teacake.  As you can see it was very overcast today and by the time I'd finished my coffee it had started to rain.  I was going to walk a bit further but decided to head back as the rain looked as though it was in for the rest of the day.

Happy Valley, It's much nicer on a sunny day

I've really enjoyed the break away from my normal routine this week, I feel so much better in myself for taking some time out just for me. 

 Thank you for following along with me this week and all your kind comments.  

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Great Orme walking

 The day started with rainy weather but it soon cleared and the rest of the day was bright.  

It was a perfect day for my walk around the Great Orme, not too warm and there was a slight breeze.  I did this walk for the first time last year but you can see more photos on my Driving The Great Orme post from 2021 here

The walk is around 5 miles long, there are a couple of sections with gradual climbs but on the whole it is is fairly level.  You can start the walk at either the North Shore, just behind the pier or at the West Beach.  I chose to start at the North Shore and end at the West Shore.  I did note last year that If you start at the West Shore the incline is longer than starting at the Pier end.

Considering that the weather was perfect for walking there were surprisingly few people around.  I did see some climbers and had an up-close sheep encounter, which made me smile.

I don't think I'd ever tire of these views, I hope you enjoy the photos

A little 360 of a section of my walk

I've a day out planned for tomorrow, a little further afield but somewhere I've wanted to go for a while.

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