Planning for New Year at Center Parcs at Longleat
December 27, 2007 by admin
Filed under Accommodation, Cycling, Leisure, Self-catering, The West Country, United Kingdom
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When she consulted me on the best place for us to gather, I thought about a large country house, perhaps by the sea with roaring log fires and mulled wine to see the New Year in. But the reality of keeping several teenagers entertained cut in and we slightly regretfully settled on Centerparcs at Longleat. I say slightly regretfully because my husband, whose tastes tend towards the wild and windswept places, finds the place somewhat contolled and contrived. We once took a break there when the children were younger which was a great success for everyone but him, except for the hair-raising incident when the bikes almost came flying off the roof-rack on the journey down. The only drawback on this occasion was the price which seemed extortionate, even for New Year, but luckily our parents were feeling in a generous mood to help out.
So we settled on two 6 bedroom chalets to accomodate our two families and parents - our other sister planned to bring her children for a day visit. A scan through the comprehensive web-site gave us much of the information we needed, although suspiciously with little indication of prices. As we hoped, there were no shortage of activities to entertain the children and over ten restaurants to choose from - you could eat your way from the Mediterranean to the Swiss Alps. We planned to bring most of the food with us to feed the hungry hordes, using the on-site supermarket for top-ups, and splurge on a night out on New Year’s Eve. With the initial booking made I awaited the ‘Planning your break’ pack which is sent out a few weeks before the visit.
To be contined ….
Happy Hostelling in Cornwall
December 27, 2007 by admin
Filed under Accommodation, Beaches, Devon and Cornwall, Hostels, Leisure, United Kingdom
Every year since my husband turned 40 I’ve booked a youth hostel for a weekend break in February with a group of friends. Mostly we’ve sampled the youth hostels of Cornwall and had a great time - the shared food, wine and company of old friends outweighing the odd cold shower or broken oven. However, last year I’d vowed that it would be the last - with all our children now becoming picky teenagers, the struggle of getting everyone to commit was proving to be too much of a challenge.
However, with plans for Christmas and New Year sorted my thoughts started to turn to the dreary days of February and how to get through the grey winter months. Perhaps it would be nice after all to have a friendly gathering in Cornwall to look forward to - and aren’t the skys always brighter in Cornwall than the dull Bristol cityscape?
I alighted on Treyarnon Youth Hostel as a possibility - open all through the winter, we could book it a room at a time, rather than having to commit to taking the whole place. The log fires, fully stocked bar and position on the cliff above Treyarnon beach sounded enticing too. I made enquiries - they had plenty of space available for the first weekend of half term, so I started asking around among our friends.
To be continued…
Books that inspire you to travel
As I enjoy reading & travelling I thought I might double the enjoyment by finding some books to insire my travels. I don’t mean the trusty Lonely Planet or Footprint guide, but rather a novel or travel account that will let you can soak up the atmosphere before you even reach the airport, or even add a little spice to the experience while you are there.
On my wish list for places to visit in 2008 are Rome (taking my 11 year old son there for a long weekend), Lebanon (friend moving there soon), Ethiopia (friends who do aid work may be sent there) and Malaysia (possible family holiday this summer).
To get me in the mood I thought I’d seek out some possible reading material and this is where my own research or recommendations from friends led me;
For Lebanon
De Niro’s Game by Rawi Hage is about relationship between Bassam and George, childhood friends living in Lebanon.
For Ethiopia
The Emperor by Ryszard Kapuscinski relates the story of the court of the last Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie I (1892-1975),the period during which Selassie reigned as absolute ruler and source of all power in his country, and traces its way to his downfall at the hands of a military coup in 1974, and his subsequent death.
The shadow of the sun by the same author gives an insight into the African continent at the time of independence
For Malaysia
The Malayan Trilogy by Anthony Burgess is three inter-connected, but independent stories on the dying days of the British empire.
In October 2007 I spent three weeks in Ecuador and still retain a passion for all things South American. The book I had in my rucksack on that journey was The Mapmaker’s wife by Robert Whittaker !
which tells the story of Isabel Godin who travelled down the Amazon in search of her husband, experiencing disaster and tragedy - she was the only one of her party to survive. With two friends I retraced her steps from her home town of Cajabamba in the Andes into the Amazon basin as far as the Jesuit Mission station of Andaos (now in Peru) where she was taken to recover following her rescue from the jungle. The book gives a picture of the life of a wealthy woman in the 1760s as well as the context of the scientific expedition that brought her French husband to Ecuador. With this account of her journey I was able to taste a little of her experience, although thankfully not the capsized canoes or wandering for weeks in the jungle with only berries or plants to sustain me
I shall continue my researches on books to inspire my travels and let you know when I have actually read any of the above and whether they did the trick in making me want to go there.
