Written by Bridget Blankley (One of two winning entries in the Off the Beaten Track Writing Competition.) The secluded village of Ystalyfera, which lies at the heart of the Welsh Dragon farming region, is at its most charming in the early autumn, when the hatchlings first stretch their legs on the gentle slopes of the Purple Hills. […]
Written by Andrea Wotherspoon (One of two winning entries in the Off the Beaten Track Writing Competition.) Caithness, the Kingdom of the Cats, is also known as the lowlands beyond the Highlands. Indeed not many people realise it’s possible to travel a further hundred miles north of Inverness, yet still be on the mainland. And those […]
Cardiff has much to offer senior travellers when taking a short break, whether by themselves or with grandchildren in tow. STE’s Holiday Editor, Tony Taylor, and his wife took a trip down memory lane with their granddaughter. We took our seven year old granddaughter to Cardiff for four nights – her first time away without […]
Yorkshire, England’s largest county, is a great place to visit if you are a heritage fan with both English Heritage and the National Trust having a wide range of sites. The many ruined abbeys around the county are testament to its rich agricultural land which proved attractive to monastic communities. Castles are also well represented […]
Written by Julie Noble (A highly commended runner-up entry in the Travel and Water Writing Competition.) The week before we go on the boat, roads all round England are gridlocked and people wait for days to enter the Channel tunnel and escape that way. When the radio features canals, we dream of forthcoming peace while […]
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Out of Place at Weston Park
Written by Simon Whaley (A Runner-up entry in the Off the Beaten Track Writing Competition.) “You’re in the School Room,” advises the Under Butler, as he carries my flimsy outlet-shopping-centre-bought suitcase into the room. I’m greeted by the beautiful, classical tones of Claude Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lume’ drifting through the air from the Roberts radio […]