Postcard 2 from Norway – Oslo – The Unsupervised Scandy Tour
Today is a wall to wall sunshine, bike hire (again) and ferries sort of day. I leave the SmartHotel as they’ve quadrupled their prices as the town is flooded with …
Postcard 1 from Norway – Oslo – The Scandy Tour
The original plan was to fly in to Bergen, wander the streets and take a cable car up the mountain but I was beaten to the peak by the pilgrim …
Postcard 3 from Coniston – The Billy Nine Mates Tour
Today is a slow day. We have a five miler planned, it’s mostly flat although we will discover that there is a bit of ‘up’ this will achieve our aerobic …
Postcard 2 from Coniston – The Billy Nine Mates Tour
The Yorkshire Dales, National Park post on Facebook encourages us to use nature to reduce anxiety. Maybe things are different in Cumbria! The plan is to walk to Brown Pike …
Postcard 1 from Coniston – The Billy Nine Mates Tour
So Switzerland is a memory and after a brief stop off to wash my smalls and talk to the dog, I’m back on the road again. Millie gave me one …
Postcard 6 – Last post of the Billy no mates tour of Switzerland
Today was a wonderful day with my own personal guide to show me around Geneva. It begins with a natural move in bed, just changing position and my toe rubs …
Postcard 5 – Billy no mates tour of Switzerland
Hergiswil, Interlaken Ost, Zweisimmen, Montreux and Geneva The Interrail Planner App is on fire today. It wants to route me to Geneva through Bern and miss out all the good …
Postcard 4 – Billy no mates tour of Switzerland
So, it’s wet. Yesterday was great though so the yings and the yangs are in balance. I take my time with breakfast which is part of the deal and it …
Postcard 3 – Billy no mates tour of Switzerland
Luzern, Kriens, Pilatus Kulm, Oberhaupt and Hergiswil The train drops us smoothly into the centre of Luzern (if you’re looking it up try Lucerne) and I make my way out …
Postcard 2 – Billy no mates tour of Switzerland
The weather forecast could be better but the morning seems promising so I’ve been on the app and booked tickets to Luzern. It’s the 9:15 change at Orten and only …
Postcard 1 from Switzerland – The Billy no mates tour
The Ireland, Italy, and Geneva Interrail adventure is just a memory, but the reality is it’s only a fortnight ago and in between was the wonderful Costa Music festival in …
Walk – Clay Bank Loop
This is hugely different to what I’ve been doing over the last few weeks. At the beginning and well up the stone path to Carr Ridge, spring is displaying her …
Postcard 12 – Arona to Geneva
All goes well with planning the Arona to Geneva trip with only one change of trains at Stresa. The wait is slightly over an hour so we take the opportunity …
Postcard 11 – Vernazza to Arona
Easypeasy, hmmm – but not everything goes to plan!.Do we go direct to Geneva. Well we could! We could always take in an Italian lake, after all, I’ve never been …
Postcard 10 – Vernazza, Monterosso al Mare and Corniglia
Cecilia had been talking about the Cinque Terra part of Italy for some time. I can’t describe my expectations as I’m not sure I had any but the one thing …
Postcard 9 – Florence to Lucca and Vernazza
Florence is a fabulous city and I’ve added a few more pictures to illustrate the astonishing beauty of the snappily titled ‘Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore’ and the astonishing …
Postcard 8 – Rome to Florence
Vatican City, St Peter’s and The Dome.The intention is to get up early and join a minor queue to tour St Peter’s Basilica so we rise at about seven thirty …
Postcard 7 – Sunday – Rome
Back at street level now and after a little bit of thoroughly enjoyable aimless wandering we buy tickets for an open top bus. The process is interesting though and the …
Postcard 6 – Castellamare to Naples to Rome
Rain – lots of it.The Pilgrim has gone to Herculaneum and I’m thinking about a cable car to the top of the local mountain. In fairness, mountain is probably not …
Postcard 5 – Friday – Pompeii
A not so early start but we avoid a huge downpour in the process. Pompeii is really interesting both from an antiquity point of view and also how it is …
Postcard 4 – Thursday – Dublin and Naples
We’re up at five and ready for our taxi at five thirty. I’ve received a text informing me that Christopher Grogan is the driver and will be outside the hotel …
Postcard 3 – Wednesday – From Dublin
Whilst Belfast wasn’t intimidating as such, there are tensions. In Dublin the accent is on welcome and hospitality. We present ourselves at Wuff’s, a corner cafe run by some lovely …
Postcard 2 – Belfast to Dublin – Interrail
Postcard 2 – Tuesday – Belfast and Dublin The wind is gusty and bitter as we make our way across the city to the bus stop that’ll take us to …
Postcard 1 From Belfast
Postcard 1 from Belfast – Monday.I fancied the Titanic Museum in Belfast for some time but never got around to doing anything about it then, last year, we read a …
Postcards from Spain
Postcard No 1 – From Somewhere in Spain! So, here’s your test. From where I was to where I am now and family are not allowed a guess. Postcard 2 …
Swainby to Lordstones
Postcard from the North Yorkshire Moors Outstanding walk today from Swainby to Lordstones and the real heroes walk back too. I’m going one way which is just a smidging under …
Haystacks – Or walking in the mountains at 80 years of age
”I’m eighty this year so I think I’d like to do something to celebrate”, it’s Kathy, she’s from St Louis and we met her four years ago, almost to the …
Saltburn to Skinningrove
Saltburn “How come we’re walking to Skinningrove, isn’t it really industrial?”. It’s a good question from one our group and he’s in for a very pleasant surprise! If you haven’t …
Muker – Keld – Crackpot Loop
Today we’re ‘co-ed’ and the better for it. Language is less Anglo-Saxon and the anecdotes are either new or told from a different (and more caring) angle. Even the scenery …
Black Hambleton – Far Moor – Sheep Wash Loop
A Busy Week Well, that was a week and a half all done in only a week. Last Sunday, I had my second Covid jab and was delighted; however, by …
An Evening at Costa
The ‘on-stage’ acts are wonderfully choreographed throughout the day and evening then, around midnight, the atmosphere changes and some of the most memorable sessions are to be had. It’s not …
Swainby to Lordstones with two Kiwis!
Today we learn that 55 years ago there was a working lifetime in front of us and now, in the autumn, there are dreams to fulfil but now we’re more …
Sheepwash loop with a Kiwi
Today we learn that friendships never wane and a walk reveals a lifetime of memories. It’s a blue sky with some low cloud. Sixty years ago, there’d be significant excitement …
White Horse, Gormire Loop
It’s a beautiful morning with blue skies and sunshine, there’s a chill in the breeze that’s making a subtle suggestion that autumn has a plan. It’ll be the equinox in …
A Short Stay in Hospital, a Triple ‘A’, Followed by a Long Recovery – Aug/Sep 2015
Today, we’ll learn about an Abdominal Aortic Aneurism (AAA), good friends, the scalpel skills of an amazing woman, wonderful family and a potential for error that could lead to erectile …
Captain Cook’s Monument Loop
The plan is to walk a circular route from Captain Cook’s car park to a viewing point then skirt back along the Cleveland Way with a glorious sight of Roseberry …
Rosedale Loop
Getting There I’ve missed the last few rambles so today is something of a bonus. We’re heading for Rosedale to do a walk that I’ve fancied for some time. I …
Camino – San Vicente de la Barquera to Pésues
Today we learn that walking alone isn’t lonely, little people are affected hugely by big decisions and even at 80, you’re never too old to walk 500 miles. The morning …
Lodore Falls Hotel Loop
The rain is set in for the day and there’s a fair amount of low cloud so we make the decision to walk a loop that Dave had done previously. …
Superheroes at The Natural History Museum
Today we learn the irony of the Extinction Rebellion demonstration in London disrupting the SuperHeroes who are expanding their quest for knowledge of the climate when they visit the Natural …
Captain Cook’s to Roseberry and Loop
Today we learn that six weeks away has taken its toll on my fitness but when you’ve friends like these you fit back in as if you’ve never been away. …
Kathy and Otto – An Emotional Farewell
Whitby to York – but this time we use four wheels… Friday Today we learn that a small Whitby hospital and its delightful staff are fabulous representations of our National …
Coast to Coast – Clay Bank to Blakey Ridge
It’s a beautiful morning with blue skies the width of the horizon and the warm sun means the lizards and the odd snake will be out warming their blood before …
Coast to Coast – Ingleby Cross to Lordstones & Cringle Moor
So today we learn that even an expert can get it wrong and not all ‘ends’ are where you expect them to be! We drive to Ingleby Cross. The weather …
Coast to Coast – Keld to Reeth
Ex-Hurricane and now Storm Helene is only a couple of weeks old but on a world stage, she’s got presence! Ali isn’t even a twinkle in Helene’s eye but manages …
A Sentimental Journey – Whitby to Scarborough by Train
This is one of the last trains to travel the Whitby Scarborough line in 1966. Wonderful footage…
Superheroes in Training at Center Parcs Woburn
This is the Christmas Training Camp at Center Parcs with SuperZak and SuperHarry our world protecting Superheroes. We arrive at the camp late afternoon on The Winter Solstice so the …
A short Walk in London
I receive an email… “Hi George, just let me know when we can book you into the Rose and Crown and I’ll set up a bar tab for £67”. …I …
Costa del Folk – Ibiza – Day 1
So…the start of the festival is almost upon us. Sound checks are being conducted and we’re sitting half-naked relaxing in the sunshine on our veranda looking out over the swimming …
A Christmas Tale – Applegarth School 1956
A Christmas Tale from The Applegarth in 1956 Miss Lee’s Class 1956/57 Miss Lee’s Class They were tiny people, all under six years old and without exception firm believers in …
Liz and Simon’s Beautiful Quirky Wedding
Well my Dear Peeps, what a weekend… on Friday we made our way to the beautiful Swinton Bivouac site above Masham to celebrate the marriage of Elizabeth and Simon Das …
Westport 2015
Westport 2015 Well, it’s all happening on the Ireland trip. I’ll try to protect the innocent by giving them pseudonyms, let’s call them Ant and Reen. Dogging near the Airport …