Hello and Good Evening. Before I start, I just want to say, this is not a sponsored post, I paid £177 for my three night stay at the Abbot Hall Hotel. I treated myself, this is my reward for saving my pennies on my day to day living expenses. Anyone can stay in a nice hotel if they budget their finances accordingly. If people prefer to spend their money on pubs, eating out, smoking, boozing, electronic gadgets, designer clothes, new sofas, flash cars, then that's their choice. Unless you are very rich and can buy anything you like, it's prudent to prioritize on what is important to you.
I took a few pics while I was there, I'll show you around. The hotel is set in extensive grounds, plenty of room to amble around, up a long drive to the large car park, hidden well back off the very quiet road, surrounded by trees. Occasionally you get the sound of a train passing by, the railway station is close by. There is a swimming pool in a separate building, plus some log cabins at the side of the main hotel. I didn't photograph those.
A large, light and airy dining room with windows looking out onto the lawns. Table set for breakfast.
Help yourself to a buffet style breakfast with lots of choice. Over on the other table is a hotplate with the cooked items, which are prepared fresh and replenished as and when needed.
Beautiful interior, stairs off the entrance lobby, leading up to some of the bedrooms.
Three spacious lounges with comfortable seating. Relax, chat, read, or watch the television. Wifi available in the lounge areas. If the weather is miserable just stay in the warm.
Coffee and snacks are served in the conservatory next to reception.
This is a great place to stay, follow the link here to check it out. I see they have a special offer from today, until the 21st of December, £39 per person per night, for B & B and evening meal, minimum of two nights. I think that's bloomin good value.
Christian Guild have five hotels in total around the country, this one plus Gloucestershire, Devon, Cornwall, and Derbyshire, and it looks like they all have the same offer of £39. I think I might give some of them a try.
Thank you to those who have updated their walking miles. Don't forget, it's the end of October, only two more months to go of the challenge. Some have already completed the 1000 miles, so well done to you. Let's have one more push and bump up those miles. Just because the weather is getting cooler, that's not an excuse for giving up. Wrap up and put extra clothes on.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip
Hello. When I first joined the RAC a long time ago, it was very easy to sign up. You get this, this, and this, and pay your money. The choices were very simple, they come to you if you break down, they repair if they can, or they tow you to a garage.
I pay annually on a direct debit, and every year they send me a letter telling me how much they are going to take out of my bank account. I always check back to the previous year to see what the price difference is, and yes, it always goes up, never goes down. You would think that as a gesture of goodwill for a long standing customer, they would offer a little discount. Well yes they do actually, last year it was £6.93, this year it is £5.61. Not a lot to shout about, eh! The thing is these figures are meaningless, as every year they jiggle about with their prices, so what looks like a discount, isn't.
The price difference is up £13 from last year, £83 to £96, and this increase is not acceptable to me. I had a conversation with my insurance broker a couple of months ago about recovery. She asked me how much I was paying, and a few other questions. It turned out that she had a cheaper policy with BD Assistance, and the breakdown service is provided by the RAC. Strange that isn't it, you book direct and it costs you more than going through a third party. She also told me that there is a policy which insures the car rather than the driver, and it is a lot cheaper. This is something that the RAC neglected to offer me when I signed up, and every year since. They make it sound very attractive when they say you are covered no mater what car you are travelling in, even as a passenger, you will still get recovered. I thought that sounded pretty good, so I went along with it, now I'm not sure I need it. I hardly ever travel in someone else's car.
Anyone signing up now for a breakdown service is presented with a menu of benefits, a bit like a menu at a restaurant. You want extras? You pay for them. It's not simple any more, there are lots of items to choose from. Battery rescue £1.67 a month. Onward travel if you car can't be fixed, replacement car or accommodation £3.09 a month. Courtesy car £2.09 a month. Tyre rescue £5 a month. Key replace £1 a month. Garage parts and labour £6.67 a month. Mis-fuel rescue £2.09 a month. European rescue £108 a year. Legal care 75p a month. You add all those up over a year, and you can see where they get their high prices from, and that's how they calculate a piddling discount.
Anyway, I got on to the phone to the RAC yesterday. Armed with the literature that my insurance broker had sent me. They got it right down to £46.50 which obviously had a lot of limitations. It was the car which was insured, not me. The next step up policy was the same as I have with the RAC now, and at £68, it was cheaper than £96. I was ready to do battle.
After going through the menu the price offered was £72, for an almost identical policy to last year, with me being insured. I went with it, to save me the bother of cancelling the direct debit and applying to the new company, for the sake of saving £4.
So the moral of this story is whenever any annual memberships come up for renewal, always do some research and look for a better deal. Keep your eye on any direct debits. Don't just cough up if you feel you are being ripped off. I'll admit, I am not very good at comparison sites, but I will do some checking then ring the company and threaten to leave.
It's raining and I am going to get my dinner. I will have a bowl of my lovely home made soup first, then see what I fancy after that. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.
Hello. This is a post about how to save money on parking charges. By sharing my experience with you, it may help you not to make the same mistake as I did. I'll start by saying that I hate paying for parking. There maybe times when it is necessary to cough up, such as the need to be close to where you are visiting, you have a timed appointment, you have elderly or young people with you, or you have heavy bags to carry.
If I am on a day out by myself I will park on the outskirts of a town in a residential street with no restrictions, taking care not block anyone's entrance. Then I will either walk in or get a bus. I hate driving in town centre's and getting lost in a one way system. The few times that I have paid in a car park was when I took Rocky in his buggy, when we had days out at the seaside and I want to be close to the sea front.
When I go to town here I generally drive. I could get the bus, but if I have bags to carry the car is more convenient, and why shouldn't I use it, I paid for it and I enjoy driving it. We have two hours free parking in our town, which is convenient because I can park at the back of the market, get a ticket for my car, and all the shops I need are close by in the High Street. My routine is to go there first, visit the bank, the library, discount stores, and charity shops. When I have finished there, I drive out and go into the Aldi car park, which is close by, and easier to walk from store to car with my food shopping. Then I go home.
On one occasion recently I changed my routine, I went into the Aldi car park first. I wanted a bigger shop, stock up on non perishables, and as I don't make a list I thought I would do that first while it was all fresh in my mind. I am of the opinion that if I forget something then I manage without it, so I don't do lists. I spent £33 that day, usually it's less than a tenner.
With shopping loaded in the car, I decided to walk the short distance to the market and the High Street, and pick up a few other bits and bobs. On my way back to the car, I bumped into someone I hadn't seen for a while so stopped to have a natter. Then I remembered that there was a 2 hour limit for parking at Aldi, and I couldn't remember what time I had pulled into the park. Something told me to keep my store receipt, just in case I had gone over the time.
Shopping centre and store car parks are generally monitored by independent companies, they have a contract with the land owner to police car parking, for which they pay a fee. This helps the store to free up space for their genuine shoppers, and deters people from dumping their car there while they go to work elsewhere. In the case of our local Aldi, that's what used to happen before they brought in a company to monitor movement within the car park. Now every car is photographed on entry and exit.
Two weeks later I got a letter from Parking Eye. I had been clocked going in and out, and had overstayed by 12 minutes. The fine, a hefty £70, reduced to £40 if paid within a week. Now this seems grossly unfair being as I am a customer of Aldi. OK, I shouldn't have gone to town and left my car there, because the park is only supposed to be used for the actual time you are in the store. There are signs, but they are high up on posts so you have to squint to read them.
First thing the following morning I got myself down to Aldi, and found the manager doing his stock check in the first aisle. I explained what had happened, showed him the letter and till receipt, and admitted my mistake. He took the letter from me and told me not to worry, he would get it cancelled. He said I will get some more letters because it takes time for it to go through the system. I thought, what a reasonable chap he is, in fact I was impressed by his excellent customer relations.
I will at this point just mention that the letters appear very threatening when they arrive. The £70 charge is in bold letters, and they demand that you pay. People often think this is a car parking fine, it isn't, the company cannot fine you, it is an invoice. They threaten to take you to court if you ignore it. All very intimidating. A lot of people cave in at the first hurdle and pay up. That's what they want to happen.
I got three letters in total, then they stopped. I didn't open the second and third letters, I refuse to be bullied. At the end of the day, the land belongs to Aldi, the manager can liaise with head office and override the parking company if he or she so wishes. Luckily the manager here is a decent sort. My friend got caught at the same car park, he felt intimidated by the letter and paid. Afterwards he went to Aldi and complained. Head office sent him a voucher for the full amount to be spent in the store.
If you have been stung with these sort of parking charges, go to Money Saving Expert and read up about it. These are not real parking tickets. Read this thread first. It will explain the procedure for challenging the parking company. Then read this thread how people are fighting their unfair charges.
Watchdog on BBC television have also done a report on these car parking companies. They sent an undercover reporter to work in an office, with a hidden camera. What they found was a room full of people all intent on squeezing as much money out of the public as possible, by whatever means.
A lot of people are fighting these charges on the grounds that the signs are not clear, that they didn't see them because they appear to be hidden. Others are challenging the legality of the actual wording in the letters, and the biggest bug bear is that the charges are disproportionate to the perceived crime. If your appeal is rejected, you can then go to POPLA, an ombudsman. A high percentage of people are getting their charges cancelled at some stage, it all depends on how long you are prepared to hang on in there.
Here are a couple of vids from yooootooob to watch. There are many more.
Anyway, what have I learnt from this? Always note what time I entered a car park. I may have to write it down because I get distracted and forget easily. Always read the signs. Always remove my car before the time expires. If I do that I shouldn't get any more demands for money.
Hello. So many places to see and not enough time, the UK really does have a lot to offer. Here are a few more of Julia's Wonders of Britain. Pictures from the relevant web sites, and Wikipedia.
St Pauls Cathedral, London. There has been a Cathedral here for 1,400 years, built and rebuilt five times. The present cathedral is the masterpiece of Britains most famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren. It's world famous dome is an iconic feature of the London Skyline. I have been here, but didn't go inside, must do that next time.
Manchester Town Hall is on Julia's list. It was five years ago when I was in Manchester for the day and went to see it. I can say it is a fabulous building, if you are there go inside and have a look round. It was designed by Architect Alfred Waterhouse and was completed in 1877. The Town Hall is open Monday to Saturday, check on the web site which rooms are available for viewing. Free entrance.
Julia chose The Watercress Line as her favourite steam train destination. The Mid Hants Railway runs between New Alresford and Alton. I love steam trains and was lucky enough to get a ride on one here when my friend Carol who lives in Hampshire, took me for a visit. There are many special events planned for 2015, check the web site for details.
SS Great Britain is a museum ship and former passenger steamship, built in Bristol. She was the first steamer to cross the Atlantic between Bristol and New York, which she did in 1845 in a time of 14 days. She was designed by Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company. Oh my, does she look magnificent or what. This has to go on my list, I need to go to Bristol. The picture and additional information can be found on Wikipedia.
I went to visit the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield, and can report that it is fantastic place to visit. You can read about my trip here. Julia also enjoyed it, taking the same underground trip as I did. It really brings it home to you just how hard the work of a miner was at the coal face. Entrance to this site is free, there is a small charge to go down to the coal face.. Here is the web site.
Julia also visited The Leadenhall Building, a new skyscraper in the centre of London, which has been nicknamed The Cheesegrater. It looks a fascinating place, I've been reading up about it. I haven't any plans to revisit London any time soon, but if you are there, maybe this is a good place to visit. The picture and more information can be found at Wikipedia.
These are some of the places that Julia Bradbury visited on her Wonders of Britain tour, I am sure that there are many more that would be worthy of inclusion. Hope you have enjoyed this small selection. Blimey, I've got a lot of travelling to do before I die, I need to get a move on. Are you going travelling this year? Tell me where. Toodle pip.
Hello Blogger Buddies. Sorry I didn't post yesterday, needed to catch up on a few things, and last night I decided to chill out and watch a bit of tele, which has given me the idea for this post.
So, this post is sponsored by the wonderful places visited by Julia Bradbury in her programmes, Wonders of Britain. I love finding out more about our beautiful island, reading travel books, looking up places on the internet, and reading maps. I think I have a pretty good knowledge about my country, then I learn something new and it makes me want to go there and see it for myself. The programmes about the Scilly Isles inspired me to go there, and numerous other places I have read about and visited have been ticked off my list. I like to pick up a book and read about places I have already been to as well, it refreshes my memory of the trip and puts a smile on my face, ahhh yes, been there.
My passport ran out a few months ago, I thought about renewing it, but won't bother at the moment. I like roaming around the UK, plenty of places I haven't seen yet. So, this is a shout out for good old Blighty, singing the praises of our wonderful homeland.
Julia is a very easy to listen to presenter, she injects enthusiasm for the subject matter with her body language and friendly disposition. I watched two programmes back to back last night, a wonderful couple of hours of free entertainment. I'll list a few of the places she visited here, with a few links, if you want to know more.
Wonders of Britain Series 1 episode 1 Beautiful Buildings Wonders of Britain Series 1 episode 4 Industrial Revolution. These links are on the ITV player and will not be available forever. 21 - 28 days. May be available on yoootooob (haven't checked) or may be repeated at a later date on the ITV site.
So where did she go. Castle Howard, a stunningly beautiful stately building in North Yorkshire. The house is closed at the moment, due to open on the 21st of March. Visitors can walk around the grounds for a lower entrance fee during the winter months. Open every day except Christmas Day. I want to go there.
Eden Project in Cornwall. A brilliant place to visit, I have been twice, if I lived nearer I would go more often. It boasts the worlds largest rain forest in captivity, stunning gardens and world class sculptures. Always something going on, ice skating at the moment. Open most of the time, except a few dates in Jan - Feb. Check the web site.
Caernarfon Castle, a world heritage site, the most impressive castle in Wales. Check here for opening times and prices. I want to go there, it looks amazing.
Royal Crescent, Bath. I have been here and I love it. There are thirty grade 1 listed houses arranged round a great lawn. It was built between 1767 and 1775. A must to see if you are in Bath.
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This has been called The stream in the Sky. The structure has 19 arches with the River Dee running below it. You can cross on a narrow boat, or if you are feeling brave you can walk across. The views are out of this world. On my list to visit.
All photo's taken from the relevant web sites.
I'll come back tomorrow with a few more places to visit. No need to travel anywhere else, we have it all here. Toodle pip.
Hello, here I am at the start of long walk number 7. My friend Paul dropped me off on the South bank of the Humber Bridge at 9.15, just as a group of ladies from the Barton Slimming Club were starting their weekly get fit walk across the bridge. What a nice start to my walk, to have the company of a smiley bunch of ladies. None of them wanted to join me for the rest of the day, ha ha, so we parted company after 1.25 miles when they turned round and went back.
The weather was misty but quite warm so it wasn't long before I took my jacket off and put it in my rucksack. I walked along the river on the north bank following the Trans Pennine Trail. The rescue services were out practicing in their boats.
Goodbye to the Humber Bridge.
When I reached North Ferriby I turned right and walked through the village. Then it was a case of walking on minor roads following the main A63 road, a major trunk road between Leeds and Hull. Through Melton, Welton, Elloughton, Brantingham, and South Cave. I have walked some of these paths before. A quick lunch was taken next to the the duck pond at Welton Church.
I crossed the A63 four times altogether over steel footbridges. This is the war memorial in the centre of Brantingham. Sadly it looked a bit neglected. The area around it was fenced off, the grass was long and unkempt, and the memorial itself looks like it could do with a good clean. Behind it the low wall looked like it was topped with a dirty sewage pipe, not very attractive at all. Come on villagers, get your scrubbing brushes out.
I have posted this picture before, it's the entrance to the hotel at South Cave.
Love these pink flowers.
Some of you may remember seeing this tree on a previous walking post, it's on the side of a house at North Cave. Worth another posting I thought.
I then walked through the grounds of Hotham Hall and village, no pics because they are elsewhere on the blog. On this first days walk I am passing through places I have already been to. Then across some fields and onto the road for a long straight walk to Market Weighton. On entering the village, or is it a town, I stopped to check my list of B & B's. I could push on to Pocklington but it would be late when I got there, and the B & B I rang yesterday didn't reply to my message. There was another one halfway between Market Weighton and Londesborough, it's on the Yorkshire Wolds Way, so I rang the number. YAY, success, they have a room, and at £30 a very reasonable price. I popped in Tesco and spent £2.10 on two cheese and onion pasties, and a packet of donuts. These will do for my tea, along with the boiled egg and tub of couscous I have brought with me. There is enough for snacking tomorrow as well. A few quick snaps as I passed through. The church.
And a monument, can't remember who this chappie is.
I picked up the Yorkshire Wolds Way again, beautiful blossoms in the hedgerow.
And here we are, arrived at Towthorpe Grange.
A cheery welcome from the owner.
The room is very comfortable, an easy chair to relax in and watch the tele. Tea and coffee provided, the bathroom is next door. As far as I am aware I am the only guest tonight. Breakfast will be served at 8am.
I've made good progress today, and covered 21.25 miles. I will head for Pocklington in the morning, then Stamford bridge, and on to York, probably bypassing it to find my next bed on the north side as I head towards Thirsk. Thanks for coming with me. Catch you tomorrow.
Hello. This post concludes the three day report of my trip to Woody's Top Youth Hostel in the Lincolnshire Wolds. After my very brief visit to Alford the day before, I decided to come back in the car and have a proper look around. I said goodbye to my room mates, which took ages because we couldn't stop nattering. I didn't get to Alford until nearly lunch time, parked in a side road and walked into town. How sad that this lovely thatched roof building is going to rack and ruin. The hotel is boarded up, let's hope that someone will come along and revive it with some TLC.
That's interesting, another church has found a new role in it's life, it is now a furniture showroom and warehouse. I took a peek inside but didn't go in as the furniture looked a bit top notch and pricey. It was obvious I wasn't a customer, just some nosey old biddy wanting to have a poke around. Unlike the other church at Horncastle, the interior had been completely redesigned with the addition of an upper floor. It was hard to imagine it as a church. Good to see it has been given a new lease of life.
A bit further up the road is Alford Manor House. There was a £2.50 charge to go in that I didn't mind paying, as it is run by volunteers, and all money goes towards it's upkeep. It was built in 1611, and is reported to be the largest thatched Manor House in the country. There is a very good web site if you want more information.
Alford Manor House. I see they have their annual Food and Drink Fair on Sunday 30th of June, and admission is free to the house, gardens, and museum. Open 10am to 4pm. Worth a look if you are in the area.
A little tour around the house. This is a beautiful German cabinet.
The school room.
There are not many artefacts on display, because it is the house itself. and particularly the construction of it, that is important. This section of wall has been left to show what is underneath the plaster.
The scullery is outside, across the courtyard.
In the corner is the copper, used for heating the water. A fire is lit underneath it.
St Wilfreds Church juts out into the road. I can remember years ago coming through Alford with a massive load on my trailer, struggling to get round the bends. A lot of heavy loads come this way en route to Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal.
There are several wall hangings in the church, this one I particularly liked because of the vibrant colours, and the novel way the little figures had been crafted out of wool.
Alford is famous for it's five sailed windmill. Alas it was not working on the day I was there. If you want to check opening times you can do, on their web site.
A fruit shop with it's wares displayed outside on the pavement. Looks tempting but I would rather not buy my fruit when it has been left out all day on a busy road, getting smothered in traffic dust and fumes.
The council offices.
A hotel in the Market Square.
There is a plaque on the wall, to the right of the front door.
The weather had started to deteriorate, and the threat of rain made me hurry back to my car. My overall impression of Alford was that it was a bit shabby, and not much to do and see there. I think I should have chosen a Tuesday to visit because that is market day and there is a lot more going on. My mistake in not doing enough research.
The heavens opened on the way home, and it hammered it down, which rather pleased me as I was getting a free car wash. I called in to visit a friend as I was passing through Brigg, it was good to have a coffee and a catch up.
I will post pictures of Uncle Stan's party tomorrow, it was a fantastic 'do', everyone enjoyed it. I made a little video which has turned out quite well. Bye for now. Toodle pip.
