Pembroke Castle, Pembroke, Wales

When you think of Wales, you may think of Welsh rarebit, Welsh cakes or many wonderful Welsh singers.  But you may be unaware that Wales is often called the country of castles.  At one time there were as many as 400 castles.  Now there are still 100 castles still standing.

One of the oldest is Pembroke Castle in the Pembrokeshire area of Wales (most known for its walks on the Pembrokeshire coast).  It was constructed by the Normans in 1093 following the Battle of Hastings in 1066.  It was a very formidable castle known for its Great Keep.  In 1148, an Anglo Norman invasion of Ireland took place from here. in 1400, Pembroke Castle escaped being besieged by Owain Glyndwr as they paid him off.  During the English Civil War, Pembroke initially sided with the Parliamentarians and the castle was strengthened.  But six years later, in 1648, Pembroke and its mayor switched sides to support the Royalists.  However Oliver Cromwell arrived and turned off the Castle's water supply and they had to surrender.  In 1454, the half brother of Henry the 6th (Jasper Tudor) renovated the castle and offered protection to Margaret Beaufort following Edmund Tudor's death in November 1456.  She was Henry the 7th's mother.  Henry the 7th was born here on January 28th, 1457. The castle was neglected and isn't the same as it once was but it holds a commanding spot in the city of Pembroke still today. A fairly new development is that in the cavern, called Wogan Cavern, the earliest remains of humans in Britain have been found by archeologists.

On the northern coast of Wales are two castles that are some of the most well-known in the country..  These are Conwy and Caernarfon Castles.  They have similar origins and histories.  Both are medieval castles built in the 13th century by Edward the first of England who wanted fortresses there.  Caernarfon had been a motte and bailey castle in the 11th century.  Both were stone structures.  Caernarfon though was built as an administrative centre.  It was sacked and captured by Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294 in a rebellion against the English but recaptured again in 1295. Both castles were besieged during the Owain Glyndwr uprising 1400-15.  And the owners of both castles were Royalist supporters during the English Civil War and were besieged again.  Both Castles attract many visitors and have an important presence in their communities. Caernarfon Castle has been used twice for the investiture of the Prince of Wales - in 1911 and 1969.  These castles are both World Heritage sites and are two of the four castles that are part of the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd.  

The other two castles that are part of the Castle and Town Walls of King Edward inn Gwynedd are Harlech and Beaumaris.  Harlech Castle is on a rocky knoll close to the Irish Sea.  It withstood the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn but fell to Owain Glyndwr in 1404.  It was captured by the English in 1409. In the English Civil War, it was the last fortification to surrender to the Parliamentarians.  This castle was involved in the War of the Roses.  The Lancastrians held it for seven years but in 1468 the Yorkish troops forced a surrender.  The Beaumaris Castle, which is in the Anglesey area of Wales, was not constructed until after the Madog ap Llywelyn uprising and work stopped when Edward the 1st invaded Scotland.  As there was an invasion scare in 1306, work recommenced.  It was taken during the Owain Glyndwr uprising.  It was also on the Royalist side during the English Civil War.  As with the other castle occupants in Wales, they eventually surrendered to the Parliamentarians and all of these castles were partially ruined so they could not be used militarily again.  These 4 castles are under the control of the cadw in Wales - an organisation to preserve their history.

Chepstow is another interesting castle to visit.  It was also built after the Battle of Hastings but by Earl William Fitz Osbern, a friend of William the Conqueror. After that, it was home to many of the wealthiest men in the medieval and Tudor ages.  This list includes William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke. This castle is on the Wye river, across from present day Bristol.

Raglan Castle near Raglan village in north of Newport, was built in the 15th Century. Sir William ap Thomas, known as the blue knight of Gwent, built the Great Tower in 1435.  His son was the Earl of Pembroke and he build the gatehouse.  This castle is known for the residence of Henry the 6th, born at Pembroke Castle, during some of his childhood years.  But due to its allegiance to Royalty, it also came under siege during the English Civil War, fell to Parliamentary forces and was deliberately destroyed.  A piece of Tudor panelling was rescued from a cow shed in the 1950's and is now displayed in the visitor's hall.

Two castles that I will mention are under the auspices of the National Trust.  These are Chirk Castle and Penryn Castle.  Chirk Castle, which is south of Wrexham, was part of Edward the 1st chain of fortresses across the north of Wales.  His Coat of Arms remains at this castle.  This was another castle whose owner was a Parliamentarian at the beginning of the English Civil War but changed sides to the Royalists.  It was partially demolished in this war but was rebuilt. Penryn Castle, in Bangor, wasn't built until the 19th Century (1820-1848) so has an entirely different history than the other castles.  It is more of a Manor House and is said to be one of the most important country house in Wales.  It looks like a Norman castle.  The owner believed in the slave trade and was against trade unions and these topics are discussed in the castle.

Wales has so much to offer a visitor and castles pay a big part in its history.  Make Wales your next destination!
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o I recently had a friend who walked the Thames 16 Bridges 25 km walk across London and really enjoyed it.  The walk started at Putney Bridge and went over Fulham Railway Bridge,Wandsworth Bridge, Battersea Bridge, Albert Bridge, Chelsea Bridge, Vauxhall Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Golden Jubilee Bridge ( the pedestrian footbridges flanking the Hungerford Railway Bridge), Waterloo Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Southwark Bridge, London Bridge and Tower Bridge (which was the final crossing).  There was a snack stop at the Oval Cricket Ground and a celebration at Southwark Park at the finish line. My friend said that it was a great way to see London.

I went to the website to look this up as I was very intrigued about this event.  The website is ultra challenge.com.  Their calendar has 24 events for 2027 and it says that there is lots of support along the way as they offer massage and welfare teams. There are snacks and drinks and finish line celebrations.
You can walk or run. 

The events are all over England and they are offering one in Scotland at the Borders for the first time in
August 2027. The options are many.  Most events offer 10km, 25 km, a marathon, 50 km ,75 km and 100 km options. You can participate as an individual or a team.  You can self-fund or fund raise for a
charity.  The ultra challenge group are affiliated with many charities so you can pick one of them if you want to.

There is a special offer of joining an event for only five pounds until the end of September 2026.  They are really trying to make exercise be a lot of fun.  I am going to look into joining one of these events inthe New Year!

This year's festival is over the August bank holiday weekend (Aug 27-30)

This festival has changed its music focus and its venues over time but it is one of the major music festivals in the UK today.  It started as a national jazz festival in 1961 by Harold Pendleton and was held in the London Borough of Richmond's Athletic Ground. The focus changed to rhythm and blues later in the 1960's.  As they had acts such as the Who and the Rolling Stones, the festival became more and more important and well known.  The name was changed to the National Jazz and Blues Festival. 
The festival moved to other venues around London such as Windsor Racecourse, Kempton Park and Plumpton, East Sussex.  

The first Reading Festival was in 1971.  Rory Gallagher played that year. During the 1970's, the Reading Festival was synonymous with a serious rock festival.  The festival went from strength to strength during the 1980's when hard rock and heavy metal bands started to take part such as Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath.  There was no festival in 1985 as Reading Council refused permission due to noise complaints. But it continued in 1986 to everyone's relief.

In 1988, a new organization came in to book the bands (the Mean Fiddler organization).  The focus changed again to indie, alternative rock, punk, goth and emerging new music. The main standout band of the 1990's was Nirvana in 1992.  Kurt Cobain's attendance made this one of the most famous festivals at that time.

The 1990's saw this Festival as the one where new bands had a breakthrough such as Radiohead, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Smashing Pumpkins.

In 1999 this festival added an additional venue.  It was decided that the Reading Festival was becoming too big and it was decided to add a venue in the north of England.  Since then, this Festival has been at two sites at the same time.  Last year, there were 180,000 people at the 2 sites - 105,000 in Reading and 75,000 in Leeds.  Many people camp out for the duration of the festival and arrive 1 or 2 days early to set up.  The festival usually has younger festival goers than at Glastonbury Festival.

In the 2000's, this festival became a mainstream festival and a broader mix of musical styles. Now there is hip-hop, pop, electronic music and alternative music.  They have 6 headline performances across the weekend.  Sometimes, there is an unknown band such as the Arctic Monkeys were in 2005.  And there have also been major stars such as Kendrick Lamar and Stormzy.  Today it is organized by Festival Republic.

For tickets go to:

www.leedsfestival.com (with options to camp or not, certain days only etc)
www.readingfestival.com (with the same options but the only tickets left are single day tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday)

The 2026 Show. A Call to Gather.  It will run from August 7-29 on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.

With pride, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo announced earlier this year that the voice of the Narrator of Call to Gather will be Scottish actor Richard Rankin, known for his roles in Rebus and the Outlander.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo started in the 1950's in its present format but it is really a celebration of Scottish life: a centuries old tradition of the bringing together of clans to share in the elements of Scottish culture such as sword dancing, precision marching drills, drumming, and bagpipes.
Today, performers come from around the world to share their Scottish heritage and their talents. Storytelling plays a large role. This year, The Royal Air Force is the Lead Service.

There will be over 800 International artists participating over the 23 nights of the Tattoo in 2026. People are coming from such countries as New Zealand, Germany, Qatar and the United States.  Canada will be represented by the Vancouver  Police Pipes and Drums.  They are making their fourth appearance at this event.

The acts are sensational and they are capped by laser lights, pyrotechnics, smoke/haze effects and strobe lighting against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.

Go to the Royal Military Edinburgh TATTOO website to buy tickets.  You can top up your experience two ways.  One is a hospitality package - adding a little whisky or wine with Scottish cuisine next to the Castle and having the added feature of a guest performance from members of the cast. The other possibility on the official website is having a dining experience in the heart of the Castle combined with a backstage view of the show.

I have my ticket.  I would suggest that you get yours today!  See you there!

A resort near Aviemore, Scotland.

A resort near Aviemore, Scotland.

When you go to the UK, there are many more places to stay other than in hotels.  The choices are endless.  From castles, estates and luxury hotels to camping or glamping, there is much in between.

There are campgrounds for tents and caravan parks for trailers (caravans to the British) where you can move in to one that is parked there. There are many sites close to the beach or in the countryside. Go to ukcaravans4hire.com.  You could also choose to rent a caravan for a period of time and travel with your own lodging.  Many Britons do just that as there are so many areas of the UK which are wonderful vacation destinations. Some popular destinations are the Lake District, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales, Devon and Cornwall, The Cotswolds, the New Forest and anywhere along the coast. You can start at one destination and return there or finish miles away.  There is an added cost to do the latter.  Go to indiecampers.co.uk for more information.  For camping holidays, search www.pitchup.com which has campsites available on beaches, farms and in the UK countryside.  The National Trust, which owns property all over the UK that one can visit, also has camp sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. One site, hipcamp.com, advertises campsites, caravan parks, cabins and clamping so has it all!

If you are looking for a quaint cottage, look no further than last minute-cottages.co.uk.  You input the area of the UK you are wanting to stay in and other filters including dates, and a list of options all over the UK come up.  National Trust also has unique properties to rent such as a lighthouse, a hop kiln and as pilchard cellar for example.  Go to national trust.org.uk.

Families can choose luxury resorts, farm holidays, or accommodation at theme parks if they do not wish to camp, caravan or stay in a cottage.  Websites such as silverspoonlondon.co.uk offer luxury resorts for families in many different locations.  There often is a kids club and a swimming pool.  Holiday cottages on working farms can be found at classic.co.uk.  An example of a theme park with accommodation for families is Crealy Theme Park and Resort.  Some families choose to have a weekend getaway or longer at a family oriented resort.  An example of this is Center Parcs which has 5 locations in England.  They are situated in forested locations. These vacation spots are popular as they have many activities and many choices of restaurants.

If you are an adult looking for a bit of pampering, you can search luxuryhotelsguides.com and mrandmrssmith.com for the best boutique and luxury hotels. If you are looking for something special, try uniquehomestays.com which has properties listed in the UK and Ireland.  A peaceful holiday could be boating on one of the UK's many canals. One such company to approach is Chas Hardern Boats (www.chashardern.co.uk) which is a family-run business with a long history.

You may wish to be active on your holiday.  If this is the case, search out walking sites such as letsgowalking.co.uk to have a walking holiday arranged in the area you are interested in.  A cycling holiday is another option. There is a wide range of companies that offer self-guided, ebike tours or guided tours in a variety of locations. Sailing holidays can be booked with companies such as classic-sailing.com.

The variety of possibilities in the UK is like no other place.  Whatever you choose to do, enjoy your summer!

What else but fish and chips! But there is a lot more to food in the UK!

As London is the largest city, there are many more food and drink tours here than anywhere else. There is such a diversity of cultures here. There is a foodie tour in the Brixton area of London that features African and Caribbean food, as there are many people who trace their roots from these countries.  Another tour is centred in the Soho and Chinatown areas that showcases food from the Mediterranean as well as Chinese, Indian and British cuisine.  An East End tour features food from the many cultural groups that have shaped the history there - French, Chinese, Jewish, British and Indian. In all of these tours, you learn about the history of London and why people from these various backgrounds left their homelands to live here.

Typical British foods are highlighted in some of the tours, such as one that is an English scone making course.  There are several tours on double decker buses where you can have afternoon tea ( and even a tipple) while you see the city. My favourite could be the cheese tour. Imagine walking through London sampling as much cheese as you want!  My dream day!

Outside of London, the city of York has several foodie tours.  One is at a cocoa works, and another is a tour sampling food at 6 different locations.  Manchester has an Indian food making (Chapatti n Curry), Liverpool has a food and drink tour, and Bristol also has a chocolate tour. In Norwich, someone has a tour sampling sausage rolls.  I am sure there are not many Brits who don't like sausage rolls.  They are served at most British functions.

Cardiff in Wales has at least 3 foodie tours which all include walking and tasting Welsh food along the way.  You can learn about culinary delights here as well as what life is like in this part of the world. Scotland has a lot of whiskey tasting tours (I will talk about this in another blog) and pub crawls, but there is a food and pub tour in Edinburgh which also includes walking. Belfast has several food and drink tours where you walk and learn about the City.  As with all of these tours, the tour guide and the commentary are often what make your time memorable.

It is always worthwhile to take a tour when you are travelling.  Eating and drinking while you learn about an area is always a good pastime.

Until the next blog, Cheers!

Tenby Beach, Wales

There are many beautiful beaches in the UK.  There are so many that are a bit out of the way and not explored as much.  We will look at some of these here.

In the south of England, people flock to Bournemouth and Brighton beaches and they can be very crowded on a hot day.  Instead, try West Wittering, a National Trust property that features a long sandy shore and less people.  It is about one and a half hours from London.  When I lived there, this is where I would go for a day out. 

In Somerset, Brean beach has a 7 mile stretch of sandy beach which is flat and clean. In North Somerset, instead of heading to Weston-super-Mare, head a bit north to Sandy Bay Beach.

There are many well-known beaches in Cornwall but one of my favourites is Marazion Beach which looks across at St. Michael's Mount. This is a large safe, sandy beach between Marazion and Penzance.

Instead of busy Torquay in Devon, go to Blackpool Sands south of Dartmouth. It is a great place for families as the beach is very safe. You can go kayaking and paddle boarding here and there is a sheltered cove to swim in and a children-only sandpit.

Beautiful Holkham Beach in Norfolk is widely known for being one of the best sandy beaches in England but it is more of a walking beach than a swimming area.  It is a National Nature reserve and has many nesting birds here.

People love to walk the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales and here you will find many isolated and quiet, sandy beaches.  An example of these is Skrinkle Haven (parking is 500 metres down the road at Manorbier Youth Hostel) but there are 140 steps down to the ocean.  The water is a bit cold!  A beauty is Barafundle Bay which is a half mile walk from the National Trust carpark.  Or you can walk two kilometres here from Broadhaven South beach. Other beaches can be reached by car such as Tenby beach and Saudersfoot beach by towns of the same name.

Scotland has many sandy beaches but the water is quite cold all year long. On the west coast is Achmelvich Bay in the Scottish Highlands.  Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris is very Caribbean like until you test the water temperature!  There are so many sandy beaches on the Outer Hebrides and the Shetland Islands too.

In Northern Ireland, you will find beaches in County Londonderry (the 7 mile beach at Benone Strand), County Antrim (long isolated stretches of beach at White Park Bay and soft white sands at Portrush), and in County Down (flat sandy Murlough Beach and 2 miles of flat, sandy shores at Tyrella Beach).

​Enjoy exploring the beaches wherever you are this summer!

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, England, UK

Tennis Season is upon us!

From May until July every year is the season for professional tennis tournaments on grass in England.  The smaller tournaments are warm ups to the prestigious tournament and one of the four Grand Slam Tournaments - The Championships, Wimbledon.  In 2026, it runs from June 29-July 12.

The main tennis tournament leading up to Wimbledon is the HSBC Queen's (London), It is on at the moment (it started on June 6 and runs until June 14th for the Women's Tennis Association). This year there was a surprise contender - Serena Williams made an appearance playing doubles. The men will play from June 13-21 (ATP for the Association of Tennis Professionals).

Some of the top players slated to play at Queen's are Jack Draper (UK), Tommy Paul (USA), Holger Rune (Denmark), Denis Shapovalov (Canada), Alex de Minaur (Australia) and Lorenzo Musetti (Italy).  On the women's side are Elena Ruybakina (World #2 from Kazakhstan), Amanda Anisimova (USA), Emma Raducanu (UK), Victoria Mboko (Canada), Belinda Bencik (Switzerland), Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine), Victoria Mboko (Canada) and Leylah Fernandez (Canada).

A tournament that was already held this month was the Lexus Birmingham Open which was frorm May 30-June 7 at Edgbaston Priory Club.  Otto Virtanen (Finland) was this year's Men's Single's champion, beating out Colton Smith in the final in straight sets.  Alexandra Eala (Philippines) was the Women's Single's champion, winning over Nikola Bartunkova 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.                               

Other tournaments this June will be:

Lexus Ilkley Open from June 7-14 at the Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club in Yorkshire
Lexus Nottingham Open from June 13-21 at the Nottingham Tennis Centre
Lexus Eastbourne Open from June 20-27 at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club
Lexus British Open Roehamption from June 28-July 3 at the Roehampton Tennis Centre

Tickets for these tournaments are less expensive and easier to come by. Outside of the Wimbledon and Queen's Tournaments, you are most likely to see top players at the Eastbourne tournament.

The line up for top professional players for the Eastbourne tournament is entirely different than the line up for Queen's.  At Eastbourne this year will be women players such as Jasmine Paolini (Italy), Madison Keys (USA), Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia), Maria Sakkari (Greece) and Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic). On the men's side will be Taylor Fritz (USA), Tomas Etcheverry (Argentina), Gabriel Diallo (Canada), Jaume Munar (Spain) and Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina).

Tickets for Wimbledon are by auction. You will have more of a chance of attending if you live in Wimbledon.  Many people line up early in the morning to get a ticket in one of the stadiums for the day.  Outside of that, you can get an entrance ticket and get into the grounds.  There are monitors inside the grounds to watch the tennis and usually on what is referred to as Henman's Hill, named after the English tennis player Tim Henman who received an OBE after he had a successful career as a professional tennis player for England.  He won 15 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tour titles in the early 2000's and was the first English player to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon since Roger Taylor in the 1970's.  Scotland's Andy Murray won at Wimbledon twice (2013 and 2016) and won the US Open in 2012.  There was talk of changing the name of Henman's Hill at that time but it never took hold.

If you are a lover of the game of tennis, now is the time to indulge!  Go see a game if you can and get your raquet out of the closet and head to the courts.  Wherever you are in the world, there is sure to be one near you,  

In the UK, the Championships Wimbledon is covered every day by BBC.

The UK is renowned for its pubs and you will want to go into one or more while you are visiting, whether you consume alcohol or not. Many non alcoholic drinks are served too and many pubs now have food of an excellent standard.  And of course there is usually fish and chips, as British standard.

I lived near the Ostrich Inn at one time and I took a friend to see it last year while in England for a visit. It was my friend's first English pub experience and she loved it.  The old timbers and the old fireplaces and furnishings make for a special ambience.  The Ostrich Inn offers rooms for the night as it has done for centuries.  Two separate parties checked in while we were there.

There is some controversy as to the date of its origins.  It is thought by many to originate from 1106 as there is a note that a Hospice in Colebroc (Ostrich in Colnbrook) was gifted to Abingdon Abbey in 1106.
Colnbrook was on the London road so would have been on a well trodden route to and from London.

The historical information around this Inn is that a landlord by the name of Jarman (thought to have been there in the 12th Century) killed.lodgers by managing to pull pins in the kitchen which upended the bed after which a trap door opened and the poor person slid into a large pot of boiling water or fat.
What I was told when I was there, was that the landlord would choose a guest who was travelling alone so wouldn't be missed.  That guest would be put in the room over the kitchen. If someone did ask where the person was the next morning, they would just be told that he had left early.  Jarman was caught after the last man's horse returned to the Inn empty and a search was undertaken for its master.  Jarman was found in Windsor woods.  He said he had killed 60 guests.

There are quite a few older pubs in the UK which include the Old Ferry Boat Inn in Cambridgeshire (from 560 AD), Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Alban's (793 AD), )Porch House, Gloucestershire (947 AD) and Bingley Arms in West Yorkshire (953 AD). There is a pub in Llanvihangel Crucorney, Wales that is said to have originated in 1160 and once was a courthouse.

It is often difficult to say which have been the longest ongoing running pubs as sometimes the original building was used for something else or has been replaced at some time.  It is said, however, that the Old Ferry Boat Inn has serviced alcohol since 560 AD!  

When you go to the UK, have fun searching out old pubs and learning of their history.

St Katharine Docks, London, UK

If you are a person who likes to have some exercise while on vacation, a bike tour of a city or a longer cycling tour could be for you!

Last year I was in London with a friend who is used to walking or running everyday so we decided to book a half day bike trip.  We had planned for the half day organized trip around London's landmarks.  However, that morning was the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe) and the roads were blocked off around Westminster Abbey and the Parliament Buildings.  We were offered the afternoon organized trip starting at Waterloo station, going by Bank Station and Mansion House to St Katharine Docks and the East End of London, back over London Bridge, by Borough Market, the Globe theatre and the Southbank. It was an unforgettable trip and we saw and learned a lot in a short period of time.  There is nothing like hearing the history of a place from a local. What we do remember the most from this day was cycling over London Bridge in heavy traffic.

There is quite a bit of choice of bike trips on offer. In London, there are numerous half day trips through various parts of the city.  Other cities have bike tours as well.  On line, I found city tours in Liverpool, York, and Bristol as well as ones on the south coast of England such as in Weymouth and to Corfe Castle.  Many of these tours are listed on Trip Advisor.

Outside of London, there are cycle trips lasting a week or longer.  Some tours go around very pretty areas such as the Cotswolds, Oxford and Bath.  There are other tours that go coast to coast and a very rigorous one that lasts 13 days that goes through 5 countries - England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.  Check out websites such as wildernessengland.com, wildernessscotland.com and activeengland.com.  Guided, self-guided and private tours are all available.  Some are marked road cycle tours, others are gravel road tours and e bike tours are offered as well.

What a fun way to explore the UK!  I would recommend looking into one of these tours before you embark on a journey to the UK.