Travel & Trips Blog

Great Yarmouth is a classic British Seaside Town, complete with pier, winter gardens, crazy golf on the seafront, sticks of rock, fish & chips... need I say more? We were lucky - we even had some sunshine and that is not always guaranteed in the UK. Our accommodation was in a converted chapel - so that was nice too.

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Covering as much as 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of heather-covered hills with stunning views of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Welsh hills, this is an important place for wildlife, geology and archaeology.

There are paths for walking, cycling and horse riding, you can even drive to the top of the hill to take in the views. In Carding Mill Valley there are excellent visitor facilities including a tea-room, toilets and car parking.

In Carding Mill Valley you can play in the stream, watch birds from the hide, pond dip and relax with a picnic; or you can simply use the Valley as your base for the day and head on up the hill for an adventure. You don't have to venture far out of the Valley to find your own piece of solitude on the Long Mynd.

I first came for a school trip when I was in Primary School, this trip - I brought my wife!

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Back in the UK we had a trip down to Devon again - this time staying in the north part of the county. Amongst our various trips and activities was a day at Dunster Castle. The castle itself is lovely, but so are the grounds, and, in true Downton Abbey style, we had a tour of the servant's quarters.

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The Troodos mountains are the largest mountain range in Cyprus, covering a third of Cyprus' area in the centre of the island. The highest peak is Mount Olympus which is often covered in snow all year round.

The area has been known since antiquity for it copper mines, which explains the orange/brown colour in the Cyprus flag. In the Byzantine period it became a centre of Art, as churches and monasteries were built into the mountains.

The journey took us past some of the main water reservoirs/dams, and past a small waterfall where we were able to enjoy an ice-cream! We also stopped for coffee and I found a beautiful cemetery.

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Another quick blog post from Cyprus - this time a visit to Kykkos Monastery - one of the richest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus. Founded around the end of the 11th Century by the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos (1081 - 1118), the monastery lies at an altitude of 1318m on the north-west face of the Troodos Mountains. Interesting, the first president of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III began his ecclesiastical career here as a monk in 1926. The galleried murals are fantastic. Enjoy!

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Another day trip promised an opportunity to see ‘traditional’ Cyprus, and so we booked!

After being picked up at the hotel, our first stop was the village of Yeroskipou where we saw traditional pottery being thrown, as well as the famous loukomia being made (Cypriot ‘Turkish Delight’). We also visited the five
domed church of St Paraskevi, built in the 9th Century on the site of the ancient temple of Aphrodite.

From here, we drove to the village of Letymbou, where we visited a traditional style house and enjoyed a
home-made breakfast of village bread sprinkled in olive oil with fresh halloumi cheese. Delicious!! Nicely filled, we got back on the bus and headed to the Saint Neophytos monastery and the ‘Enkleistra’, an enclosure which was carved out of the mountain in the 12th Century by the hermit Neophytos. The main church of the monastery was built around 200 years after the death of Neophytos and is dedicated to the virgin Mary.

Our final stop was a local winery, where we not only got to see the production process, but,naturally also
got to sample the final products! Cyprus has a significant wine industry, dating back 6000 years, and is
best known for its Commandaria sweet wine (first made at Kolossi Castle!). Most wine production
remains based on a few varieties of local grape such as Mavro and Xynisteri, although international
varieties are also cultivated. Unfortunately, although happy to have a taster, I really am not a fan of wine – give me a good Spanish Sangria any day!

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Another day trip saw us visiting Kolossi Castle, and the village of Omodos.

Kolossi Castle is a former crusader stronghold built in the thirteenth century when the land was given by King Hugh 1 to the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers). Taken by the Knights Templar in 1306, it was returned to the Hospitallers in 1313, with the present castle being built in 1454.

Omodos is a traditional village in the troodos mountains. Our stay here included a small meal of homemade Halloumi Cheese and Commandaria sweet wine, both fantastic Cypriot products exported throughout the world.

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One of our daytrips from Paphos was to Kourion, the ruins of an ancient Greek city-state formed in the twelfth century BC. This was especially special for me as the Kourion site lies within the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (I was born in Akrotiri), and the drive took us past many memorable places such as 'Happy Valley' where we used to go kick a ball on a Sunday afternoon, and Aphrodite's Rock.

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The main trip in Summer 2017 was Cyprus, a chance to show Shanhong my beautiful country of birth. We stayed at an all-inclusive hotel in Paphos, a perfect base for exploring the south part of the Island. The King Jason hotel (adults only) has some of the best food I have any in hotel in the world - and, although "in the middle of nowhere" it is not too far to walk into Paphos central or to the seafront.

Paphos is also one of the best spots for historical sites, with excavations at the tombs of the kings and the Paphos archeological park. The photos that follow show you both the historical sites and the great food! I must say, I still love Cyprus - maybe we should retire here!

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Coleton Fishacre is a National Trust Property on the Devon Coast, epitomising the Jazz Age in an Arts & Crafts home imbued with Art Deco elegance. The house allows insights into life 'upstairs and downstairs' from the glamorous Saloon to the servants' quarters. The beautiful gardens weave through glades and past ponds to the sea. A lovely place to visit!