Blogs from West Midlands, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 7

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

I have always enjoyed reading travel blogs. Most travel blogs I read are produced by friends who have the fortune of being able to afford the opportunity to visit far away lands. These blogs are mostly entertaining and I enjoy getting the views and opinions of these wonderful places from people I have enjoyed company with and who are good friends and people (I would like to just mention a friend called Oliver Nawrat, who's blogs have built an eagerness to go and visit Thailand, how you doing fella?). Apart from a few trips to Ireland, a wonderful trip to Ontario in Canada to visit family, and a fun trip to Austria and Poland to play football, My own travel resume isn't impressive. However, one day, I do wish to have the opportunity to visit some ... read more

Due to the conditions we have had and weather to come it’s time to get away!!! We’re taking the Motorhome to Manchester airport and parking it up for a month and heading to the much sunnier climate of Alyana, Turkey. The plan is to spend some time in Alyana before hiring a car and heading off for a tour round Turkey. If time allows we will jump on a ferry to Cypress!!!! Packed and ready to go, will keep you posted. Woolly says – I’m a very happy Mammoth, have packed my bucket and spade and sun hat. I love flying and just hope there’s a good film to watch on the flight – Ice Age 4 would be great. ... read more

What a week. The past 7 days have been both amazing and emotional. I'm down to the final preparations, which have been a lot more complicated than they should have been. For starters, it has only recently occured to me that I am taking a rucksack, not a suitcase, and that my luggage padlocks have nowhere to attach. I have therefore spent much time agonising over other options. The very helpful man working in Mountain Warehouse recommended a "drybag". This is essentially a posh and thicker bin bag to put your rucksack into. This can then be secured with the normal padlocks. Downside: all is takes is a thief with a pair of scissors and the contents of my bag is all theirs. Option 2 - discovered in Blacks - a wire "mesh" that covers the ... read more

What a little gem!!!! What can I say? I feel a little lost for words trying to find the right things to say about Wightwick Manor. How did we end up visiting. Well it sort of came out of the blue. We had been out and about on Saturday and today was going to be a day of doing very little. A visit to the optician and a flu jab appointment booked . Having suffered from swine flu a few years ago I had no intention of suffering again. We had a few wreaths to take to graves at Telford and then planned to have dinner in the Bridge Builder before coming home. After lunch we suddenly had this rather good isea of travelling the 24 miles from Telford to the heart of the Black Country ... read more