Blogs from England, United Kingdom, Europe

Well, this is the first in what I hope will be a long line of these...Christmas has passed, and it appears that we will be going in around 6 weeks. Obviously, we have no flights booked or an actual schedule planned, but we will get there. Buenos Aires will be our first port of call, and given the time of year, we'll most likely go south to Patagonia for some animals and ice before hitting the wines in Mendoza and heading for Bolivia and Peru, where we may join a guided tour for a few weeks. The main question right now is where we'll end up in mid-June: Lima, Quito, Santiago, or back in BA...? I'm looking forward to it regardless; just need to get this place rented out now.... read more

After the torrential downpours on the coast, the weather forecast was an an improving picture for the following few days. We are in the Lakes though I thought to myself, as I watched the clouds initially lift from the opposite hills only to descend again within minutes. I consoled myself with the full English breakfast, which arrived shortly after. We were staying at the Embleton Spa between Cockermouth and Keswick. The village of Embleton lies just off the main trunk road linking the coast to the M6, making it both peaceful and convenient. It even has a very regular bus service stopping in the village next to the hotel, which links Workington to Penrith. If you therefore fancy giving the car a rest from parking woes in the height of the summer or just want to ... read more

We left Alston in Cumbria and crossed into Northumberland. It was a short drive to Haltwhistle, following the route of the River South Tyne. You automatically think and associate Newcastle as being on the River Tyne, but the two tributaries North and South never seem to get a mention or an acknowledgement of their existence. Haltwhistle, a small market town of about 4,000 people on the main East / West route between Carlisle and Newcastle, has a similarly little known claim to fame. Haltwhistle is the Centre of Britain or at least, so it claims. There are others with a similar claim to the geographical centre and Haltwhistle conveniently disregards measurements to Shetland and settles at Orkney as the most northerly point. Claim or counter claim aside, Haltwhistle has branded itself. We positioned our Vera next ... read more

The Lake District is synonymous with Cumbria and most think of the two, as one. The reality is that a mere 39% of the modern day Cumbria is in fact part of the Lake District National Park, which means there is an awful lot more to explore beyond the boundaries. I think it is fair to say, the majority don't bother. A boat trip on Windemere, a thought or two about Beatrix Potter and a quick wander round Keswick and the car is pointed back in the direction of the M6. We set off in the direction of the Cumbria less visited. The rain lashed against the windscreen on a bleak March morning. The weather was to put it mildly, less than promising. The North West of England is not known for a lack of rainfall ... read more

Hope and Irene from Uganda had the opportunity to attend a leadership training for non profit leaders put on by Girls Not Brides in London this winter. Normally this time of year I would visit them in Uganda to check on our work, but since they were in London I thought I would take the opportunity to meet them there. This was the first time both of them had left Africa. It gave us a chance to reconnect as well as review the status of our current loan recipients. England is quite expensive for them compared to home and my first time there so the three of us explored for the first time together. We started with taking in the sites of London. Then we rented a car and headed into the countryside. We stayed in ... read more