For those who are not familiar with what is generally referred to as the Edinburgh Festival, this is in fact not just one, but up to 24 different festivals taking place in and around the city in August every year. The city is quite literally transformed to the point that you almost wouldn’t recognize it if you’ve visited at any other time of the year.
Scotland’s capital has it all!... great shopping, fantastic attractions, fun watering holes, high standard of eateries, and a wide range of accommodation. But when I come to a city with so much to offer, I often get to the point where I feel overwhelmed and develop a craving for having some greenery and open space around me… but Edinburgh’s got that too! Here’s the lowdown on my some of them…
As part of a walking holiday which I've now done a few times in Ireland, we get to spend a whole day in Killarney National Park and around the Muckross estate which seems to be an activity that crops up rarely on most group itineraries so I thought it would be worth a mention!
A day out in Connemara is a real treat for the discerning visitor, especially if you're prepared to hire a car and just take off in to the wilderness, but there are day trips which leave from the city of Galway on the north east end of Galway bay and you'll be able to find details in your Galway hotel or from the city's tourist office.
Windsor Castle – royal residence and one of the largest occupied castles in the world. It is a spectacle not only for its architecture and what seems like an endless history, but also for the many treasures of priceless art housed at the castle as part of the Royal Collection. There is however, another side of Windsor…
For many years now I’ve been taking groups following this itinerary on a day trip around the famous sightseeing route of the Ring of Kerry, and I thought a description of this spectacular tourist trail would make a great blog entry.
We all love a bit of lavishness if and when we can get our hands on it right? But is ‘lavish’ something which is tangible or is it merely a concept? I’ve been in so many situations where someone has said to me that they want me to recommend a ‘nice’ hotel, but ‘nice’ is such a flimsy word that can be perceived in too many different ways and so we need terms like ‘lavish’ to be tangible.
Well this weekend has been pretty spectacular in the UK to say the least. We’ve had a 4 day official celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee recognizing her 60 year reign – only the second monarch in British history to celebrate a 60 year reign (the first being Victoria in 1897).
York is a 2 hour train journey from London's King's Cross station and easy to get to for a quick day trip.
