Holidays – Page 2 – Well Blogger Me

2013 – thanks for the memories

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Dec 312013

2013 was a year that will always by in my memory, thanks to the wedding of my eldest son Jamie, to his long-time partner Alice, and four amazing holidays. My trips this year took me to the Outer Hebrides, along the railways of North Wales and return visits to Tromsø and Herm. Jamie’s and Alice’s Wedding The wedding took place on June 8th and was a day to remember. The ceremony took place in the Booking Office of the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley and was followed by lunch on a steam train, which made several journeys along the line [Read more]

So, where to next?

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Dec 282013

At this time of year, I often reflect on what I have done in the past year, and I think ahead to what I want to do, and where I want to visit, in the coming year. In the last five years, I have had some memorable holidays abroad. I have seen a total eclipse in China, an annular eclipse in Kenya, been on safari in the Masai Mara, toured Switzerland by rail, visiting the highest railway station in Europe, seen the Northern Lights, Polar Night and Midnight Sun in Norway, seen volcanoes in Iceland, and watched the jet-set in [Read more]

Spurn – after the surge.

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Dec 192013

Spurn is a long, narrow finger of sand stretching out into the Humber Estuary from the rapidly eroding Holderness coastline. Spurn is a unique, and beautiful. place, a concoction of beach, mudflats, salt marsh, sand dunes, grasslands and lagoons. Spurn was formed from sediment washed down the coast as the clay cliffs of the Holderness coastline were washed away. Spurn is dynamic, always changing and always interesting, but no-one could have foreseen the changes that occurred on December 5th and 6th 2013 when a tidal surge swamped the peninsula, and the nearby village of Kilnsea. Thousands of pounds worth of [Read more]

Tromsø in Winter

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Dec 112013

Following a very enjoyable early December holiday in Alta last year, where I saw a wonderful display of the Aurora Borealis, I decided to visit Norway again this year. Having visited the city of Tromsø in July 2012, I decided that I would return to the city to see the Polar Night, as well as attempting to view the Northern Lights. I booked a holiday, with my friends Sue and Simon, arriving in Tromsø on Thursday December 5th 2013, and returning on Monday 9th. Our holiday was arranged by Taber Holidays, who arranged my previous visit to Tromsø, as well as my Alta [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day eight

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Sep 192013

Homeward Bound After a hectic week of coach and train travel, our last day arrived. It was another bright and sunny day when we made an early start at Wrexham University. Hearty breakfasts consumed, we set off at 08:45 for the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway at Welshpool. The special gala day celebrated 50 years of a preserved passenger railway between Welshpool and Llanfair Caereinion. The line closed in November 1956, but re-opened in April 1963. There was a re-enactment the last train to run on the line, with music provided by the Aberystwyth Silver Band. Diesel and steam traction was provided, [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day seven

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Sep 182013

Broken towel rail and proper trains Before breakfast, I reported the towel rail that I broke on day six to the cleaners and security guard. The guard told me they are brittle and he would get it repaired – which he did. After a large breakfast, we boarded our coach for a trip to Llangollen Railway. This was the first standard gauge railway we had been on, apart from the main line. Before the railway, we stopped at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal over the valley of the River Dee. I walked the length [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day six

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Sep 172013

The railway that inspired Thomas On day six, we visited the Talyllyn Railway, which inspired the Thomas the Tank Engine books, and the film The Titfield Thunderbolt. We then went for a trip on the Bala Lake Railway, before travelling to our third, and last, accommodation, at Wrexham University. The weather on day six was cloudy, and there were a couple of spells of very light rain, though not enough to wet the ground. The sun made a brief appearance on a few occasions and it was still mild. The trousers and jacket were still stored in my suitcase. After [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day five

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Sep 162013

Bridges and Tea with the Corris Day five was probably the most relaxed day so far. We started with an excellent breakfast before boarding the coach to the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a five-minute drive away. I have been on this line before, but this time it was a glorious sunny day, in stark contrast to the last time when it poured all day. The route goes from Aberystwyth, along the Rheidol valley, before climbing steeply to Devil’s Bridge. This is the location of the Three Bridges, each one built on top of the other over the centuries. Underneath the [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day four

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Sep 152013

Bangor to Aberystwyth Day four of my Welsh steam adventure took me from Bangor to Aberystwyth, stopping on the way to take some line side shots of the Welsh Highland Railway and the Ffestiniog Railway. Our first stop was Rhyd Ddu station at the foot of Snowdon where the two trains from Porthmadog and Carnarfon crossed. We had an hour to kill here, so there was plenty of time for everyone to choose a spot to get their shots. When the trains departed, we raced the train to the Aberglaslyn Pass, south of Beddgelert. Here we were able to take [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day three

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Sep 122013

The long and the short Day three was another day that I had looked forward to, and it didn’t disappoint. Today was the day that I got to ride the length of the Welsh Highland Railway, and in style too. After breakfast, we boarded the coach which took us to Carnarfon in plenty of time for the 10:00 departure. We had been booked in third class, so I paid an extra ten pounds to upgrade to the observation car, and it was worth every penny. The line runs for a marathon 25 miles and winds its way from coast to [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day two

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Sep 092013

Lakes and mountains Day two was a day that I had looked forward to since I booked the holiday – a journey to the summit of Mount Snowdon. The day dawned bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky. Breakfast was served around 08:00, and after dining, we boarded the bus for the short journey to Llanberis, and the Lake Railway. This is a delightful little train which runs from the centre of the village along the lake, using a track bed laid down for the slate quarries. The round trip took an hour, and after leaving the train, [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day one

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Sep 062013

Alfreton to Bangor via the Great Orme Tramway This was a holiday that I was unsure about going on because it involved riding around on trains for a week, and staying in university student accommodation. The journeys between the various train rides was by coach. Despite my doubts, day one wasn’t too bad. The first place to visit was the Great Orme Tramway at Llandudno, but to get there, I had to take a journey involving three trains from Alfreton to Llandudno Junction. The first part was a short trip on Northern Trains to Chesterfield, where I changed for the [Read more]

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