Not all those who wander are lost

Last updated 18 January, 2023

The picture shows the Thorold, at Marston, near Grantham in Lincolnshire. It was formerly known as the Thorold Arms, and is a great pub to visit. But this is more than a pub. For sure, you will find a decent range of drinks, and a simple but decent menu.

Saving a great community asset

Torrevieja Friday Market

Google, of course, has many uses. But remember - it only knows what it is told. We set off to the market in good time. It is about a 40 minute walk from our apartment in Playa las Locos. The market is next to the Aquopolis, and from the sea front is not (unless you know the area) a straight forward route. [read on…]

A New Front Door

To his credit, the taxi driver remained professional, and polite. He opened the car doors, and he got the two cases out of the boot, and he drove off. We stood on the pavement. We had two cases of stuff, and we had, in our pockets, a rental agreement for a flat. [read on…]

There is always a story

I was sitting on a bench, enjoying the afternoon sun, with the sea lapping politely at the shore just a few metres away. The promenade is wide, at this point, almost a square. People mill around here, rather than walk purposefully through. [read on…]

Eerie and Empty

The date was 5th December 2020. The location, Newcastle International Airport. The total number of outbound flights all day was just 3. None of those flights were full. And so, unsurprisingly, the airport was not busy. [read on…]

Lockdown, Travellers

We were sat in the van, enjoying some untypically sunny weather in March, when the news broke. It sounded very much like this. Pack your van, put your van in storage, and prepared to be locked in a house. Well, it was like that. [read on…]

Perspective

We love exploring places, mostly on foot, so you can see the nooks. And also the crannies. This way you get to spot lots of gems invisible to you as you hasten by. Slow down. Take it all in. But there is another thing we very much enjoy doing, and here we did it. [read on…]

Islands near islands -Illot de la Galera

I like islands, for no particular reasons. Being an island seems to create something fascinating, culturally. I think Mallorca has something of that. Totally Spanish, but absolutely its own place. But, islands off islands are fascinating, too. [read on…]

The Malta Car Museum

Another day, but definitely not just another car museum. Don't misunderstand me. There are some great car museums out there, but this one will touch your heart a little. Like many of the best car museums this is a collection of cars that kind of happened to a fellow petrol head. [read on…]

Are We Nearly There Yet?

It's the standard journey joke. Four minutes into the journey, someone must ask this. Or, if you are visiting relatives with your children, the reality of a lengthy trip. But for the traveller, it is not a relevant question. [read on…]

Beverley. A surprise visit.

I had heard of Beverley, of course. But it sits to one side of the large extended county of Yorkshire - which traditionalists will argue is a number of counties. It is not far from Hull. And not far from Hornsea. [read on…]

Change of plan - Nottinghamshire to Yorkshire

Sometimes, when you are out and about, your plans get changed. And one of the reasons is weather. You see that nice field? The fields near where we had planned to go were not like that. They were filling up with water. [read on…]

Quick on the Draw

Playa del Palma, S'Arenal, in Mallorca, is a nicely lively place to spend a while. It has decent beaches, lots of small shops, but is free of some of the more noisy aspects of resorts like this - with the exception of just a few weeks a year. [read on…]

Travelling, or on holiday?

We greatly enjoyed our trip to Majorca. A temperature in the high 20's was just the thing to ease us into Autumn!There was a snag, however. The air conditioning in the room became too zealous. It got stuck on what seemed like freezing, and in its attempt to maintain the low temperate it made a lot of noise. [read on…]

The Weather

Sooner or later, of course, amongst musings like this, one of us was going to mention the weather. Not simply as a social silence filler, though. We need to actually talk about the weather. All holiday snaps, in polite company, show the day you were bathed in sunshine. [read on…]

One Rainy Day. Followed by more rainy days

All 'vanlife' pictures must be taken in glorious sunshine, with amazing backdrops, of course. Now wandering around, living in a van, is brilliant. We obviously think that. But it is not sunny every single day. I am writing this in the van, listening to very heavy rain bouncing off the roof. [read on…]

Cromer - lots of ice creams and an upset golfer

Cromer is a magical place towards the north of Norfolk. It sits on the coast facing north, despite being on the east coast. This creates a situation where you can see both the sunset and the sunrise over the same bit of sea. [read on…]

Sheringham - not all High Streets are Equal

The High Street is dead. We all know that. And it is not entirely a false accusation, is it? Rows of charity shops interspersed with boarded up retail units, decorated with real estate boards. The reasons are all well rehearsed, too! From time to time, when we are wandering around in Norfolk, we go to Sheringham. [read on…]

Morecombe Bay Remembers

A regular place that we visit is Morecombe Bay. Well, more usually, Bolton le Sands, just around the headland. Let's be clear. It is a beautiful place. The views, the sunsets, the mountains in the distance, the canal - there are a lot of reasons to visit here. [read on…]

Warm Coldingham

Coldingham bills itself as an historic village. I think it is allowed to do that - there was a monastery here as early as 660AD - although that caught fire not long afterwards. There is a church on the site of the old priory, and some of the ruins of the priory are visible. [read on…]

That is some water feature in your garden.

It is quite possible to visit the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes and miss Hardraw Force. It is privately owned, and not, perhaps, massively advertised yet. But it is a rather magical place, and extremely accessible. [read on…]

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Saving a great community asset
The picture shows the Thorold, at Marston, near Grantham in ...

Torrevieja Friday Market
Google, of course, has many uses. But remember - it only knows ...

A New Front Door
To his credit, the taxi driver remained professional, and polite. ...

There is always a story
I was sitting on a bench, enjoying the afternoon sun, with the ...

Eerie and Empty
The date was 5th December 2020. The location, Newcastle International ...

Lockdown, Travellers
We were sat in the van, enjoying some untypically sunny weather ...

Perspective
We love exploring places, mostly on foot, so you can see the ...

Islands near islands -Illot de la Galera
I like islands, for no particular reasons. Being an island seems ...

The Malta Car Museum
Another day, but definitely not just another car museum. Don't ...

Are We Nearly There Yet?
It's the standard journey joke. Four minutes into the journey, ...

Beverley. A surprise visit.
I had heard of Beverley, of course. But it sits to one side ...

Change of plan - Nottinghamshire to Yorkshire
Sometimes, when you are out and about, your plans get changed. ...

Quick on the Draw
Playa del Palma, S'Arenal, in Mallorca, is a nicely lively place ...

Travelling, or on holiday?
We greatly enjoyed our trip to Majorca. A temperature in the ...

The Weather
Sooner or later, of course, amongst musings like this, one of ...

One Rainy Day. Followed by more rainy days
All 'vanlife' pictures must be taken in glorious sunshine, with ...

Cromer - lots of ice creams and an upset golfer
Cromer is a magical place towards the north of Norfolk. It sits ...

Sheringham - not all High Streets are Equal
The High Street is dead. We all know that. And it is not entirely ...

Morecombe Bay Remembers
A regular place that we visit is Morecombe Bay. Well, more usually, ...

Warm Coldingham
Coldingham bills itself as an historic village. I think it is ...

That is some water feature in your garden.
It is quite possible to visit the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes ...

Riding of the Bounds Berwick upon Tweed
The ancient tradition, known as the Riding of the Bounds of ...

The Old Mill Site at Crakehall
Crakehall is really two places. Great Crakehall, and Little ...

Narrow Streets in Castle Donington
We watched as the truck driver edged through the gap. Both his ...

The Inland Port of Shardlow
You are entirely correct. Shardlow, on the border of Derbyshire ...

What is there at Millshield
There is more than one River Derwent in England, you know. The ...

Hardware Stores Resist Time
The problem with the High Street, of course, is that they are ...

Perspective - This tree is not upside down
I love this tree picture. Of course, I would do. I took it. ...

Edinburgh. How did you get here?
I like Edinburgh. It is a great capital city. There is interesting ...

The Island of Instruction
The picture is of Cramond Island. Cramond is one of those bits ...

Winter wants love too
Winter is where we wait for summer, of course. Actually, of ...

Getting People Outside
This muse arose from a wander around a village that is not in ...

That is a Tidy Beach Party
Except, regrettably, it wasn't. As we wandered along the sea ...

Seahouses Harbour Sleeps
In our travellings in February we spent a few days in Seahouses. ...

Steaming out of Bury
The East Lancashire Railway Line is, as you will have swiftly ...

Second Hand Books in Wooler
If you are doing a tour of Northumberland, a visit to Wooler ...

Glasson Dock. Forgotten, but alive
Not so many people will have heard of Glasson Dock. Not so many ...

A Fix in the High Street
I don't only mean the High Street, of course, although untypically ...

Tees, Gromit
The wonder of engineering, shown off in a way the cheese eating ...

Are you in the Durham Loop?
Durham is a world heritage site. Much may be written about it. ...

All Roads Lead to Roam
There is a difference between a functional journey and a fun ...