South East
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Travel Guide: Margate, Kent
Margate: Margate is the largest of the three towns in East Kent comprising the Isle of Thanet. It’s a popular seaside resort that became fashionable during the 19th century and this is still evidenced today by its splendid Georgian seafront terraces. The resort’s hey day continued with the arrival of the railway bringing hordes of…
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Travel Guide: Broadstairs, Kent
Broadstairs is the jewel in Thanet’s crown and a delightful resort along the east coast of Kent with a backdrop of chalk cliffs and seven golden bays to be explored. Surrounded on either side by its neighbours Margate and Ramsgate these three towns are collectively referred to as the Isle of Thanet. Whilst in the…
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Travel Guide: Ramsgate, Kent
Ramsgate is an attractive seaside town situated in northern Kent. Along with its near neighbours Broadstairs and Margate, these three towns are collectively referred to as the Isle of Thanet. Whilst in the past Thanet was separated from the mainland it is no longer an island. Ramsgate boasts a gorgeous harbour, Regency architecture, quaint streets…
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Review: The Bush Hotel, Farnham, Surrey
Hotel Review The Bush is an independent hotel that has been welcoming guests through its doors since 1618. Steeped in history but embracing contemporary design, it’s the perfect blend of old world charm and contemporary design. Location: Known for its Georgian streets, historic buildings and craft heritage, Farnham is a historic market town located in…
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Aldeburgh, Suffolk: Travel Guide
Aldeburgh, Suffolk: A Travel Guide If you fancy a few days at the seaside in an unspoilt part of the country, then look no further than Aldeburgh as this East Anglian resort is hard to beat. Read on to discover lots of lovely things to see and do and of where to stay. Getting there:…
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Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk: Travel Guide
Bury St. Edmunds is a delightful market town located in Suffolk, south east England. The town lies 32 miles north east of Cambridge with London being an 82 mile drive. With good road links and Greater Anglia rail services from both London Kings Cross and Liverpool Street stations, Bury St. Edmunds is an ideal location…
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The Roseate Reading
Hotel Review Overview: The Roseate Reading is a luxurious five star hotel in the centre of Reading. The building was originally the Berkshire County Council Shire Hall and since becoming a hotel has been fully restored to its former glory. Location: Reading lies on the River Thames in south east England and is easily accessible by…
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The Reading Walks Festival
The inaugural Reading Walks Festival took place over five days in May and was such a huge success that it’s now been firmly placed onto the town’s calendar as an annual event. We were invited to attend and with over 40 guided walks taking place and most of them free, we were spoilt for choice.…
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Reading – the perfect weekend break
Getting there: Reading lies on the River Thames in the county of Berkshire, south east England and is easily accessible by car as it is just two miles from Junction 11 of the M4 motorway. For visitors arriving by train GWR operate regular services between London and the west with Reading being the first stop…
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Review: The Brudenell Hotel, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
Hotel Review Location: Aldeburgh is a seaside town in Suffolk, south east England situated between the county town of Ipswich and Norwich just across the border in Norfolk. The town has good road links being just off the A12 and for guests arriving by train, the nearest station is Saxmundham 7 miles away. Arrival and…
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The Swan at Lavenham, Suffolk
Hotel Review Lavenham is one of the country’s best preserved medieval villages with its streets lined with Tudor half timbered houses and cottages. The village has been used as the backdrop of numerous television programmes and films such as Lovejoy and Harry Potter. Location: The Swan Hotel is situated in Suffolk, south east England, lying…
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Review: The Angel Hotel, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
Hotel Review The Angel Hotel is a luxury hotel and former historic coaching inn spread across Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Angel Hill. No. 3 was the original building constructed around 1778 with the remainder added in the 1830’s. Charles Dickens stayed at the hotel on two occasions, once in 1859 and again in 1861…
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A weekend in Basingstoke
We planned a short break in Basingstoke, the largest town in Hampshire, located close to the West Berkshire border. The town lies 30 miles (48 km) north east of Southampton and 48 miles (77 km) south west of London. It is easily accessible by road being just a few minutes drive from Junction 6 of…
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The Percy Arms, Chilworth near Guildford, Surrey
Hotel Review Location: The Surrey Hills is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with its hills stretching across a quarter of the county from the chalk North Downs running from Farnham in the west to Oxted in the east. We’d arranged accommodation at The Percy Arms in Chilworth, a village three miles south of…
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Exploring Guildford & Shere, Surrey
After another blissful night’s sleep we tucked into hearty breakfasts downstairs in the Percy Arm’s cosy restaurant. As the inn has South African owners included on the menu are some interesting dishes. My husband was tempted to sample the S.A. breakfast which comprised two fried eggs, bacon, Boerewors farmers sausage, polenta, chakalaka spicy bean relish…
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Exploring Godalming, Surrey
We’d both slept like logs in our cosy room at The Percy Arms in Chilworth and after enjoying a delicious cooked breakfast sat in the bay window of the charming country inn we drove into nearby Godalming. The small town benefits from several town centre car parks and we easily found a space in the Crown…
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Exploring the Surrey Hills
Along with 10 National Parks, England is home to 34 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Surrey Hills is one of them with its hills stretching across a quarter of the county from the chalk North Downs running from Farnham in the west to Oxted in the East. The region is approximately 35 miles…
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Brighton – a travel guide
Brighton – What to see and do British Airways i360 Start by visiting the i360 viewing tower, opened in 2016 on the site of the old West Pier. Over 25 minutes the large glass capsule rises to a height of 450ft (138m), offering great views both along the coast and inland across the South Downs.…
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Newbury Canal Walk – Speen Moors
We decided to spend the day in the attractive market town of Newbury which lies in the heart of West Berkshire. The town is approximately 30 minutes drive from Oxford and around an hour by train from London. We left the car in the Newbury Goldwell car park beside the leisure centre on Northcroft Lane…
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Reading – A Walk along the Thames
We decided to spend the day in Reading, a town in the Thames Valley to the west of London. It’s Berkshire’s biggest town and also the largest in the UK to not have city status. Reading is a popular commuter town with a train almost every five minutes into London and the fastest services taking…
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Aldermaston to Woolhampton on the Kennet & Avon Canal
Aldermaston is a small village in West Berkshire near to the Hampshire border, 46 miles (74km) from London and close to the towns of Basingstoke, Newbury and Reading. It is best known as the home of AWE, which is located just a mile outside the village, and responsible for the UK’s nuclear deterrent. We’d planned…
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Norwich – A Travel Guide
Getting there Norwich is the county town of Norfolk and lies approximately 100 miles (161 km) north east of London. Getting to the city is easy with excellent road links, regular rail services and an airport five miles from the centre. Trains leave London’s Liverpool Street Station every 30 minutes with a journey time of…
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The Pheasant Inn, Highclere, Hampshire
Hotel Review Location This picturesque 17th century inn is located in the village of Highclere, Hampshire close to the Berkshire border. Highclere Castle, where most of the filming for Downton Abbey took place, is just up the road and the attractive market town of Newbury a fifteen minute drive away. The Pheasant has ample parking…
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Littlehampton and Petworth House
The sun was streaming through the windows as we pulled back the curtains of our hotel room. The Premier Inn Worthing had been a good choice with its seafront location and our three night stay had been very comfortable. The Coastliner 700 bus service which we had used to get to and from Brighton continues…