Churches & Monasteries in Sandwich
There are three churches and a vanished monastery in Sandwich. READ MORE
River Stour nature reserves in Sandwich
We enjoyed walks in two more River Stour nature reserves in Sandwich, after we had explored the Gazen Salts nature reserve. And we were lucky with the weather too. READ MORE
Gazen Salts Nature Reserve
In Roman times, Gazen Salts Nature Reserve was the bottom of the Wantsum Channel, the channel of water which divided Kent from the Isle of Thanet. John Gason was once a leaseholder here,... READ MORE
Sandwich Town Walls
Sandwich must be one of the most complete Mediaeval towns in England and as such it would have been walled. So, we walked the line of the Sandwich town walls on successive days.... READ MORE
A few days in Sandwich
After a gruelling winter we needed a break, nothing too dramatic, but a change from the everyday, work, and responsibilities, and so decided on a few days in Sandwich on the Kent coast.... READ MORE
Gijon to Santander
Our time in Spain had come to an end and we had to drive from Gijon to Santander to take the Ferry back to the UK. It was sad to leave but at... READ MORE
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Historic Houses in Church Street, Tulbagh
On 29 September 1969 Tulbagh was hit by an earthquake of 6.8 on the Richter Scale. Although the old buildings in Church Street were badly damaged imaginative and careful restoration has returned them to their original structures. Sadly, however, the … Continued
The Old Church Museum in Tulbagh
The Roodezand Church, the Old Church of Tulbagh, was built in 1743, one of the four early churches in the Cape Province, the others being in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Paarl (Drakenstein). The first minister was the Rev Arnoldus Mauritius Meiring. … Continued
The head of the Tulbagh Valley, Cape Province
The Old Drostdy in Tulbagh lies about 4 kms outside the town, further towards the head of the valley, and so after visiting we drove as close as we could into the head of the valley and the Groot Winterhoek Mountains which … Continued
The Old Drostdy in Tulbagh, Cape Province
Tulbagh is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Swellendam. The valley was ‘discovered’ by Pieter Potter, the surveyor to the Dutch East India Company, who found the way into the valley via today’s Nuwekloof Pass and … Continued
The countryside around Riebeek Kasteel
From our base in Tulbagh we followed a circular drive to Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel, visiting Jan Smuts birthplace just outside Riebeek West.
Bain’s Kloof Pass, Cape Province
Andrew Geddes Bains is legendary in South Africa for his ingeniously engineered mountain passes and poorts. Bain’s Kloof Pass was his first mountain pass and connected Wellington with Ceres and Tulbagh. The 30km pass was built in four years, 1849-1853, … Continued
Wellington in the Cape Province
We landed early in Cape Town and were in Wellington in time for early morning coffee at The Perfect Place.
Gatwick to Cape Town
Gatwick really has very little to recommend it while waiting for a flight. You can eat (and many people were) and shop (sort of) but the building is not attractive. The BA Lounge (temporary) provided a welcome refuge however and it … Continued
The Palaces in Florence
Renaissance Florence was politically and economically extraordinarily powerful and the ruling élite built suitably grand homes for themselves in the centre of the City. The Strozzi Palace was built in the 15C for Filippo Strozzi the Elder, a political rival to … Continued