It was so lovely to hear the birds singing a morning chorus, the squirrels exploring and numerous pheasants foraging amongst the emerging spring flowers.
Already a beautiful display of colour is on display at the gardens and the gardens have been very well thought out for all times of the year. I loved the bright colours of the cornus stems against the background of the gardens and the blankets of daffodils and crocuses that covered sections of the grass areas.
A few sections of the gardens were closed off for maintenance but that’s to be expected at this time of year. I will definitely be heading back again later in the year to see the roses in bloom and take in the all summer offerings in the gardens.
With a coffee shop and restaurant on site you can enjoy a lovely meal or something a little lighter during your visit, I enjoyed a light lunch at The Gallery Café.
There is lots of parking but I can imagine this gets busy, parking prices are above average for visit gardens (£12 for 3+ hours and payment by card only) and is not included in the entry price. There are also several walking routes from the car park including to the Cow Pond which was was renovated in 2012 to commemorate H.M. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Past times exploring has given me so many special memories, this one seems so apt right now too far for me to reach and hold you my darling husband.
The children and I have grand plans for our lives and hold you in every thought.
St Michael’s Mount had been on our list for so long and so glad that we made it. With something a little special planned soon tied in with this beautiful place.
Love is holding on to the memories only the heart can see. 💙 I can remember so much of our road trips, from working out what budget I had to play with to planning what we could do when we got there. I will never change that, making memories so we can remember with laughter when things didn’t go so right or when we ordered food that we didn’t really know what it was or the stunning scenery and so much more. My heart hurts so much that I now don’t have the other half of me but I have the wonderful children to continue to explore the world with. 🌍 We have some great trips planned so I’m hoping that most of them can go ahead with the ever changing world around us.
Black Rock Sands in North Wales holds many precious memories for us as a family. You can drive on the beach in your car with all your kit and enjoy a fantastic day at the beach. We are looking forward to visiting this beautiful beach again soon.
With a population of just over 34,000, only 29km of roads and just over 2.6 square miles in size Gibraltar is British Over Seas Territory and an excellent place to take a vacation.
With the iconic ‘Rock of Gibraltar’, now a Nature Reserve the backdrop of Gibraltar is truly stunning and steeped in history. Standing at 426m high the imposing rock covers over 40% of the counties land area and is made from Jurassic limestone. With no rivers, streams, or large bodies of water on the peninsula rain water is a valuable resource with huge underground reservoirs excavated under the Rock of Gibraltar both for the drinking water and a separate supply of saltwater for sanitary purposes.
The Gibraltar Rock is home to the only wild apes/monkeys in Europe (Barbary macaques, officially monkeys but often referred to as apes). When visiting please remember to respect the animals they are wild, ensure you keep your personal belongings on you at all times, don’t litter and don’t feed the monkeys; there are fines if you are caught feeding them. We love to explore but we must also remember to respect, protect and enjoy at all times where ever you are.
There are several options for getting up and down the rock, Cable Car, Taxi Tour, e-bike, Guided Tours and walking. If you are looking to explore the rock you will need to pay for a ticket to the nature reserve, there are many options on how to do this we opted for the Cable Car ticket including the nature reserve as this provide the best value for us. You can also look to book a tour which will generally include the attractions in the price. With so many options there is something to suit everyone, we took the cable car up and walked the rest; although Gibraltar is small remember its very hilly up and down to get to the different sites of interest.
With many attractions on ‘the rock’ I would say it’s a good day by foot to explore, in the taxi it takes about an hour and a half. I felt that on foot we got to take our time and see a few hidden gems, and soak up the culture.
Attractions on ‘The Rock’: Apes Den, Mediterranean Steps, St Michaels Cave, WWII Tunnels, Cable Car, Nature Reserve, Pillars of Hercules, Jews Gate, Great Rock Gun Battery, Siege Tunnels, Windsor Suspension Bridge, O’hara’s Battery, Rooke Battery, Hayne’s Cave Battery, Douglas Lookout, Lord Airey’s Battery, Skywalk Gibraltar, City Under Siege Exhibition, Moorish Castle, Military Heritage Centre and Princess Ann’s Battery. With so many places there is sure to be something everyone in the family would like.
St Michaels Cave was impressive and I would have loved to go for a tour in the lower sections of the cave but unfortunately we didn’t get time.
Dolphins are frequently seen in the Bay of Gibraltar and you take can a boat trip to explore the bay and search for dolphins. We opted for the Dolphin Safari Gibraltar as they offered a smaller group capacity of 25 with others up to 110 people per boat. They were incredibly experienced and friendly, we were out for just over an hour and a half seeing dolphins several times, check out my video here . We were also provided with a voucher that we could use to gain discounts at some restaurants in the ocean village area.
Beaches are in on the Eastern and Western sides of Gibraltar with Sandy Bay, Catalan Bay, Eastern Beach on the Eastern Side and Western Beach, Little Bay and Camp Bay on the Western side. With their own dedicated website providing weather information and live stream online cameras you can check out how busy the beach is before you go. We opted for Sandy Bay as we could see it from the top of ‘The Rock’ and put it on the must visit list. We got a taxi there and back dropped and collected at the steps side of the beach, taxis require that you to be dry and not sandy which was ok as we had taken spare clothes.
Gibraltar Botanic Gardens – The Alameda is free to explore, we headed there in the evening before sunset to take a look; open daily 8am – Sunset and are at the base of ‘the rock’ south of the town centre. The glasshouse ‘Bicentenary House’, is open to the public Fridays 10am-12pm, or by appointment. The open air theatre can hold a maximum of 450 people where events are held. There is also the Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park situated on the upper south-west side of the gardens.
Shopping is VAT free with many perfumes and other shopping at great prices. There are some English stores, a small Marks and Spencer, Next and Mothercare the international shop Tommy Hilfiger and more. There is also a McDonalds, Costa, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Pizza Express. There are also many fabulous local restaurants and shops, one of my favourite was chök which had an amazing, beautiful and delicious selection of doughnuts, kronuts, cookies, chocolate and much more.
Gibraltar airport is 1.8km long and intersects with Winston Churchill Avenue Road, the road is shut off for take offs and landings. A tunnel under the runway has been long planned but so far has not been completed.
Gibraltar has the Gibraltar pound and are used alongside the Bank of England bank notes and coins. Some retailers accepted Euros and US Dollars but most accept UK Sterling (Gibraltar Pound and UK Sterling Pound).
The official language spoken is English although many are bilingual and also speak Spanish.
Gibraltar has a Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and then summers that are very warm to hot and humid and with very little rainfall. Making it a great place to visit all year round, we enjoyed a Winter break with the February temperature at 18-19°C with the days clear and sunny.
There is not many places where I can say I have walked the length of the country more than twice in a day or even more than that in a week. Gibraltar was an excellent holiday we made lots of amazing memories and it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for something other than a just a beach holiday.
February Half Term Ideas – time to get walking and maybe jumping in muddy puddles. It’s cheap it’s fun and the kids won’t forget it. I mean really let them have fun, go prepared take spare clothes a towel and don’t forget your wellies ❤️
Why not explore one of the fabulous walks in Kent, a few lovely ones are:
Samphire Hoe created by the Eurotunnel in 1997 is a lovely place to explore with the sea one side and the grassland the other often grazed by animals. With 200 species of plants and more than 200 species of birds it’s a haven for many and made from the discarded waste land material from the Eurotunnel; a total of forty five hectares of land was reclaimed from the English Channel utilising five million tons of spoil from creating the tunnels in the cliffs.
Brockhill Country Park with a lake, meadow, play area and picnic site its a great place for a walk. There is also a café if you would rather someone else take care of the refreshments.
Grove Ferry Picnic Site is nestled along the banks of the River Stour and the great location to start a walk. You can either explore the river banks or head to the Stodmarsh Nature Reserve which is just over the road. And if you’re looking for some additional fun you could look to enjoy one of Canoe Wilds half term paddles.
Shorne Woods Country Park has a vast 292 acres of beautiful woodland, wetlands and meadows waiting to be explored. With trails to suit all levels it’s a great place for many to visit and boasting an eco-friendly visitor centre and restaurant you will be kept busy all day. There is also picnic and play areas to be enjoyed.
If your looking for a seaside walk Deal to Kingsdown is a lovely beach walk with space for cycling and walkers so you could even bring your bikes. Maybe you could enjoy a refreshing drink at the Zetland Arms Pub and there is often the ice cream van to be found along the way and some great fish and chip shops. The walk is easy to follow and parking is available at various places along the front at Deal and along to Kingsdown. Walk towards the beach and then follow the wide footpath/cycle path along the beach.
So I’m going to wrap the walk ideas up as I could go on and on however I will add more places to walk in coming months. The ones above are ones that I enjoy going to over and over at different times of the year. If you follow my Instagram account I am always sharing places to walk.
If you would like some inspiration Explore Kent have some great mapped walks so take a look.
Burns Night is a celebration of the life of Robert Burns, born in Ayrshire in 1759, Robert Burns is Scotland’s national bard (poet).
Auld Lang Syne is perhaps Burns’ most famous work and is one of the most widely sung songs of the English language, with many of us singing Auld Lang Syne on Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve).
Burns Night celebrations range in formality some much more relaxed than others but main parts would include:
Piping in the guests – to bagpipes or traditional music
Reciting of the Selkirk Grace – recited after the guests have entered the room and are seated at the table and before the haggis is piped to the table.
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.
Piping in the haggis – guests stand to welcome the haggis to the table!
Toast to the haggis – honouring the most important ingredient of the meal
Time to enjoy the Burns Night meal
The ‘immortal memory’ – an account of the life of Robbie Burns, followed by Burns’s songs and poems often read by guests around the table.
Toast to the lassies – a traditional thank you to the women involved in the preparations (and a light-hearted homage to Burns’s love of women).
Finale is singing Auld Lang Syne.
And how about a traditional Burns Night Meal? This would include, Cullen skink, Haggis, neeps and tatties followed by Clootie dumpling. Why not try making your own Burns Night meal by using the these recipes. I think I will try making the Clootie dumpling this year.
LLangollen is a fantastic area to take in the Welsh atmosphere, stunning scenery and the beautiful River Dee.
You can take a trip on the train, have a picnic by the river, take a walk with nature and look in the many independent shops in the small town.
There is an 11-mile canal corridor from Horseshoe Falls in Llangollen to Gledrid in Shropshire that crosses aqueducts, goes through tunnels and along viaducts and sits across two countries (Wales and England) with World Heritage status and mostly located in the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Standing at 39m high The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site is only a short distance from Llangollen. The aqueduct took 10 years to construct (1795 – 1805) at a cost of £38,499. With 18 tapering stone piers and 19 arches it is a truly beautiful piece of engineering. Holding 1.5 million litres of water the aqueduct holds enough to fill 8,572 bath tubs!
‘Pontcysyllte’ pronounced Pont – ker – sulth – tay, is the Welsh name for ‘the bridge that connects’
Walks
The Old Railway Walk at Trevor is a gentle 2-mile stroll in the Dee Valley taking in sites such as the natural rising spring Fynnon Oerog renowned for its ‘healing powers’.
Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail runs adjacent to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. At 177 miles passing through 8 counties and crossing the boarder between England and Wales over 20 times, Offa’s Dyke Path is a unique journey. Why not head on up and take a short walk along a section of the path, taking in the beautiful views.
Walk the LLangollen canal, easy to follow and plenty of beautiful views and nature to see. There is a selection of places along the canal where you can get a drink and an ice cream or if you’re looking for a meal you won’t have to venture far from the canal. Check out the Canal and River Trust website for more information on the Llangollen Canal Walk.
The Anglo Welsh have a delightful round trip across the 126 feet high Pontcysyllte Aqueduct with spectacular views across the Dee Valley.
Boat Hire
Maybe you would like to captain your own boat, with many companies offering reasonable hire rates this is a great way to explore the canals. A few hire boat options are:
Have your own paddleboard or kayak? Then head to Horseshoe Falls for a trip along the canal. Check out the Pontcysyllte Paddle the Right Way Leaflet for all the information you need.
Food & Drink
There is a lovely local selection of places to eat for all tastes and budgets:
So why not get planning your trip now, I know that I will be making another visit again this year, why not follow my Instagram account to follow my travels.
My Jones Life 