Jurassic Garden at the Natural History Museum

 

Outside the Natural History Museum in London is a Jurassic Garden, focused on plants from prehistory. You walk through it before getting to the entrance to the Museum. It's well worth spending some time there.

A visit to Bletchley Park

 

Ealier this month I visited Bletchley Park, the Allies main centre for breaking the Axis codes during the Second World War. Varying estimates put the length of time the war was shortened by the codebreakers at one to two years. This is definitely a place to visit if you are into 20th century history.

View from the Brighton i360

 

Earlier this month I took a ride on the Brighton i360. A great way to get a bird's eye view of Brighton. My trip was done at night. If you visit Brighton, this is definitey one of th attractions to try out.

Brighton i360

 

The i360 is one of the big attractions drawing people to visit Brighton. I had a ride on it last week, seeing Brighton from a height at night.

Ask Italian, Brighton

Another restaurant visited while I was in Brighton last week. I was lucky to be allowed in. The restaurant was just about to shut the kitchen! Opt for a salami pizza. Follow it with a lemon tart with a scoop of ice cream.
 

Indian Summer Restaurant, Brighton

 

I was in Brighton on England's south coast last week and Indian Summer was one of the restaurants I visited. I rather liked the decor. Food was good. Prices reasonable.

Legend Hotel, Brighton

 

I am in Brighton for a few days and I'm staying at the Legend Hotel. Though it is gay friendly, it seems there are plenty of guests who are straight couples. Perhaps the term gay and straight friendly would be more appropriate. The hotel is clean and tidy. Carpets in hotels are often worn down but in the Legend, it looks like they place is kept prim and proper. My room is in good order and someone comes in each day to make the bed and keep the place tidy. Breakfast is good.  If you are coming to Brighton, I am happy to recommend staying here.

Durham Cathedral

 

Durham has one of the greatest medieval cathedrals in the UK. Building work started in 1093 but continued for hundreds of years after. If you are visiting Durham, the Cathedral is a must-visit.

Jaguar vintage car rally in Durham

 

This was the 4th and final vintage car rally in Durham City on 31st August 2026. Lots of Jaguars.

3rd vintage car rally

 This was the 3rd classic car rally we stumbled across in Durham City on 31st August 2026. The campervan particularly caught my attention.

Vintage car rally in Durham City no. 2

 

This was the 2nd vintage car rally on 31st August 2026 in Durham City, held next to the Cathedral. Mainly BMW and Mercedes but a few wartime Jeeps plus Morris Minors and Jaguars.

Vintage car rally in Durham City no. 1

 

On the August Bank Holiday we visited Durham City and stumbled across 4 vintage car rallies. This was the first, held on Elvet Bridge, mainly MGs.

26 Elvet, Durham

 

Having spent Monday afternoon walking around the City of Durham, we stumbled across 26 Elvet on Elvet Bridge in the city centre. We needed a refreshing drink so we headed in for a couple of smoothies served in jam jars with the widest straws ever to enter my mouth!

Durham Cathedral

 

You can't miss Durham Cathedral. It dominates the city. You can see it sitting majestically next to Durham Castle. Pass through Durham on the main East Coast rail line and you will see it. It is one of the greatest medieval buildings in the North East of England. It's free to enter though some additional exhibitions come with an entry charge. As a completely non-religious person myself, I do however find the Cathedral to be a fantastic building, showing off the architectural skills of the people of the medieval period. If you visit Durham, you need to visit the Cathedral as well.

Turkish Kitchen Meze and Grill in Durham City

 

Out for lunch in Durham City centre and we found the Turkish Kitchen Meze and Grill (Ground Floor, 66 Sadler Street, Durham, DH1 3NP). It wasn't full but there was a steady flow of customers in and out of the door. We stayed for a two course meal. I recommend the white bait for started.

Durham Botanical Garden

 

Slightly away from the Durham centre but definitely one to go on your list of places to visit if you are in Durham City. Consisting of large gardens showing plants from around the world. I particularly liked the cacti. It takes about an hour to walk around.

The Story, Durham

Yesterday I headed to the City of Durham, by car only 20 minutes drive from where we live (it's even quicker by train). Our plan was to visit The Story, effectively a history of County Durham, the Botanical Gardens, the Cathedral and Durham City centre.

The first port of call was The Story which I found quite absorbing. Okay, I am an historian, but I liked the way the history of the area was presented. The good news is that it's free to get in though they rigidly enforce the 10am opening time. Definitely worth a  visit.

 

Insieme in Newcastle

 

Insieme is an Italian restaurant on Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. We paid it a visit last week.

I was a bit disappointed with the starter - kalamari. It was a bit stringy.

My main course - steak in tomato sauce more than made up for the kalamari.

Dessert was a must-have!

Tanfield Railway - the video

 

Here's the video I filmed last week of our visit to the Tanfield Railway and fish and chips on the train.

Photos from the visit to the Tanfield Railway

 

Last weekend we paid a visit to the Tanfield Railway in Gateshead to enjoy fish and chips on the train. Here are a small number of photos I took during the ride.

The fish and chips lunch was organised by a company called Fox and Edwards. It's worth looking them up as they do similar events at heritage sites throughout the country.

Momos in Kings Cross

 

We were in London recently, staying in the Kings Cross area. After a bit of a search we found Momos where we turned up without a reservation. Although crowded, they still fitted us in. Being outdoors was helpful as we were experiencing the back end of a heatwave. First class Greek food. The photos speak for themselves.

Ravensworth Arms

 

The Ravensworth Arms is a pub/restaurant in the village of Lamesley in Gateshead, North East England. We had lunch there yesterday. It is worth a visit though it is busy and popular with older couples and funeral parties (at least when we were there!) A full menu for pub lunches is available.

There is a good area for sitting outdoors.