Blogs from West Midlands, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Woolly says – it seemed like only moments before we were back on the road, still 1200 KM to go and Ollie was off on his mission. France was empty and we were grateful for it being a Sunday, we watched as the landscape flew past, with hot air balloons taking to the early morning skies, an odd dear having breakfast in the fields and the sun slowly rising. I kept seeing names of places we had been and told Zoe tales about them, it seemed to help her sleep! After a fuel up, croissant and the much needed coffee we started to see signs for Calais ….. Woolly says – no ferry this time we were going for a first for me and Ian and using the Chunnel, I wasn’t sure if I would need ... read more

Locks today 9 – total 38 So much for only 3 hours motoring each day – 6 hours Friday and 8 ½ today to reach good moorings at Crofton. Far-reaching views for most of the way, with a lot of sunshine. The Kennet & Avon Canal runs between (wait for it.....) the R. Kennet in the east and the R. Avon in the west. Hving travelled uphill since we started, today we crossed the summit, via Bruce Tunnel, and the locks are now all downhill. There are two major pumping stations on the canal, on e of which is here at Crofton. Canal water is pumped uphill to the summit to replenish all that is lost downhill as each lock is used. Frequently the summit pond is too dry for full navigation though. There are two ... read more

Welcome to the Severn Valley Steam Train Railway ! If you were asking me what my favorite attraction in the UK was, I would certainly list in my top three attractions the Severn Valley Steam Railway which runs from the town of Kidderminster to the town of Bridgnorth. I discovered it back in 2008 while organizing a week-end around Stratford upon Avon and the Cotswolds with my Friend Christine and our Sunday spent in the Severn Valley Steam enchanted us then and still enchant me now. So it is with great anticipation that I revisited this almost confidential attraction which is well worth a visit by all steam train enthusiasts and amateurs of unspoiled natural sceneries alike. As soon as one enters the old fashioned train station of Kidderminster, one steps back in the time when ... read more

Welcome to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens ! I discovered these gems of Botanical Gardens two years ago after attending a fair at the Birmingham NEC and was I in for a pleasant surprise ! They are of course much smaller in scale and variety than places such as Kew Gardens, though 15 acres in size, but they are definitely well worth a visit especially at Springtime. They are located in Edgbaston, a few miles away from Birmingham in a very leafy residential area. They were created by leading Gardener J. C. Loudon and opened to the public in 1832. At the time of my visit, the Botanical Gardens were holding a very interesting exhibition on the life and work of Charles Darwin. Here are a few pictures of my visit to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in ... read more