Tag Archives: Slow Travel

A Short Stop in the Eternal City, Rome, Italy

As generally happens over an extended holiday, some days are better than others and I would have to say the latter few days in the UK and Ireland were not the best of our trip. Pouring rain to greet and farewell us in The Lake District, high winds in Wales, a cancelled ferry and then no cabs at the ferry terminal in Dublin when we eventually arrived had made for a less than ideal few days, but that was all about to change!

As we flew along the Italian Coast, I felt an uplift in spirit and a regret that we had not scheduled more time in Rome before going home, but getting bathroom renovations completed before Christmas and my PhD meant we needed to be home.

With only a couple of days in Rome, all we could do was enjoy a coffee or two, some gelato, pasta an Aperol Spritz (perhaps more than one) and the chaos that is Rome. Just wonderful.

The weather was bright for our arrival. Flying into Rome the country side was so different to what we’d seen in the previous  6 weeks. The patchwork quilt of green replaced by the grey browns of a countryside that has experienced a Mediterranean Summer and a bright blue big sky.

Once on the ground we were through immigration in no time Continue reading

The Diary of a Slow Traveller- Quaint or Odd, The Howtown Hotel, Lake District

Howtown Hotel

Odd or Quaint? We weren’t sure as we somewhat hesitantly booked our accommodation in the Lake District. I’d been intrigued by an article I’d found online in the The telegraph that had made reference to staying at the Howtown Hotel. How odd or quaint, I thought. Reservations are made in writing and by that they meant by post, a real letter with a stamp.

The hotel is pretty much all there is in Howtown. Once through Pooley Bridge, it’s a sharp right hand turn onto a narrow windy road for what seems an eternity, about 4 miles. Our drive is not made any easier by the torrential rain, making viability poor and the road in many places covered with water. We’d been told to expect rain in the Lake District and the day we arrived there was about 4 inches!

As we drive taking the track to the hotel we note that unlike Scotland there don’t appear to be designated passing places on the roads, necessitating our having to back up more than once on our drive to the hotel. We also note that the drivers in England seem much less gracious than their Scottish neighbors when it comes to allowing on coming traffic pass.

After a drive along a narrow windy and often flooded road we arrive.

Our greeting at the hotel is pretty low key. The proprietor greets us with a quizzical “Good Afternoon” and brief welcome. She arranges for one of the staff to show us our room and that’s it, we’re registered. No id required, no credit card imprint, nothing more than our brief introduction and confirmation of name.  Our room has as well as no wifi ( we knew this before we booked), no TV, no coffee or tea making facilities, no toiletries other than a bar of Imperial Leather soap and no room key! What it does have is great views to  Ullsawater. Continue reading

The Diary of a Slow Traveller – Walking in Edinburgh, Scotland

Walking around Edinburgh is the best way to see it. It’s narrow streets and closes. It’s history, galleries museums, houses and pubs. These are not seen from the top level of a double decker bus or car. They are seen by walking, stopping and looking, not cruising by. For us walking makes it our own journey of discovery, not someone else’s pre-packaged highlights reel.

If we hadn’t been walking in Edinburgh, we would not have seen the wonderful textile exhibition at the Dovecot Gallery. The Dovecot Gallery and coffee shop are in a side street,  a short walk from the Royal Mile.

Dovecot Gallery


Dovecot Gallery

We stumbled on the Museum, sure, it was on our list but Continue reading

The Diary of a Slow Traveller – London, its museums and galleries

My photo does not do this painting justice

A challenge in visiting a city like London is that there is so much to see. As a result, it can easily become overwhelming with a few days going by and little achieved.

We have been fortunate to visit London on more than one occasion and have adopted a list approach. The list is not so much a ” bucket list”, a term I loathe, but a way to order our thoughts and each visit has seen us slowly work our way through the list.

Our first visit involved Buckingham Palace and walks through the Parks and a visit by me to The Emirates Stadium where my tour was hosted by Arsenal Club Legend, Charlie George. Subsequent visits have seen us take in more of the high spots in different parts of London.

In our most recent visit we based ourselves in the Marylebone area. Continue reading