Malardrottningen Hotel

Friday 19th - Sunday 21st February 2016

The Malardrottningen Hotel is worth a visit (and a stay). I think it used to be a luxury yacht for a member of the Woolworth family. It is located within walking distance of the city centre, close to the old town. Rooms (cabins) are quite small but comfortable. The bar was well furnished and staff were friendly. The bar was also used for the dining room for breakfast.

Getting from Stockholm Airport

Friday 19th February 2016

We flew from Gatwick to Stockholm Arlanda airport. After landing, the issue was how to get to Stockholm city centre 40km away - taxi, bus or train. We opted for the bus. It was cheaper than the train (230kr return) and Flygbussarna has a service running every 15 minutes which takes about 35 minutes to get to the city centre. We were dropped off outside the main railway station. Once there, all we had to do was find out hotel!

The Grain Store, Gatwick

Friday 19th February 2016

We got the bus from the Travelodge to Gatwick North Terminal where we were due to pick up our Norwegian Airlines flight to Stockholm. But first, we needed breakfast. We found the Grain Store. I was pleasantly surprised. Relatively speaking, it was not too expensive but the food was good quality.

Travelodge at Gatwick

Thursday 18th - Friday 19th February 2016

We had a morning flight to Stockholm from Gatwick on 19th February so we decided to get a cheap hotel. We ended up at Travelodge. Clean and basic and with automated check in. But, having put our luggage into the room, trying to get something to eat turned out to be nearly impossible. The bar/restaurant was taking food orders on the understanding it would take at least 45 minutes for the food to arrive, despite it being mass produced and needing minimal preparation. We gave up and bought some sweets and a bag of crisps from a nearby service station.

I wasn't impressed.

Causey Arch

Tuesday 16th February 2016

Having abandoned the South Causey Inn as a possible location for lunch, we headed about 1 km down the road to the Causey Arch pub. There were no customers when we got there but we stayed for lunch. Food was reasonable but competitively priced. The decision to move on from the South Causey Inn was obviously the right one.

The South Causey Inn, Stanley

Tuesday 16th February 2016

Every Tuesday, the South Causey Inn hosts a market. We decided to pay it a visit. The market is quite a small affair. We then went to the bar for a coffee and a look at the lunch menu. We saw the prices and decided to move on elsewhere after the coffees.

The Wellington, Riding Mill

Monday 15th February 2016

I needed to go to Hexham so on the way back, we called into the Wellington, a pub/restaurant in Riding Mill, in the Tyne Valley. It must be about 24 years since I was last there.





The food was good but relatively expensive. Service was good as well. I just felt the place was a bit too pricey.