Yep, done a City break in Madrid, great walking city, Royal Palace, tapas backstreets off the Plaza Mayor are good, the Prado and Thyssen galleries, and we did the Bernabeu stadium tour, Real's trophy room really is something else, probably enjoyed Madrid more than Barcelona.
Walking through the Yorkshire Wolds to a great village pub: the Goodmanham Arms A saunter through a historic village and chalk hills to a quirky, rustic pub that brews its own ale please log in to view this image All Hallows Church in the village of Goodmanham is where the conversion of King Edwin of Northumbria’s kingdom to Christianity began in 627. Edwin had already embraced the new religion in nearby York, and to seal the deal the pagan temple that stood at Goodmanham was destroyed by his high priest, Coifi. This was a symbolic moment in the spread of Christianity in north-east England. Matters spiritual often crop up along this walk, which takes in a holy well where people leave offerings to this day, and allows you to sample brews named after pagan witches and their victims. From the car park in Goodmanham, I turn left for the centre of this pretty East Yorkshire village, whose fine brick houses and whitewashed cottages surround the 12th-century church. The Goodmanham Arms stands on the corner, but I resist temptation for now and stop by the church to take in the story of Edwin and Goodmanham, told in stained glass. please log in to view this image Londesborough Park has chalk streams, lakes, paths and a rich 19th-century history. Photograph: Artur Chromy/Alamy Striding uphill out of the village, I follow signs to the Wolds Way to the right. Beneath cloud-streaked blue skies, it is nose-tinglingly cold with a veil of frost underfoot. The whirring blades of two wind turbines on the ridgeline ahead create flickering shadows on the hillside. Here I get my first proper glimpse of the Yorkshire Wolds, where the last ice age carved deep valleys between undulating chalk hills. It’s an area of wild, big-skied beauty that inspired artist David Hockney. The 79-mile Wolds Way runs through it and my walk will take in two sections. Hudson Way– but not before a brief diversion to Rifle Butts Quarry, a first world war rifle range that’s now a tiny nature reserve, home to chalk-loving wildflowers and butterflies in summer. On the quarry face the layered geology of millennia is exposed, with a useful information board to help you tell your Cretaceous from your Triassic. The Hudson Way was named for George Hudson, the 19th-century “railway king” whose wealth enabled him to buy the Londesborough Hall Estate (which I will pass a bit later), though his dubious financial dealings led him to jail and penury. please log in to view this image High on the Wolds plateau. Photograph: Richard_Pinder/Getty Images The gurgling waters of Mill Beck glint through the trees edging the track where moss envelops decaying branches and the brick vestiges of railway infrastructure. Chaffinches and song thrushes sing sweetly, their trilling punctuated by the coarse calls of rooks and jackdaws. Fluttering ribbons catch my eye on a tree besides St Helen’s Well, one of four springs in the area named after the mother of Constantine the Great, who was declared caesar in York in AD306, after the death of his father, Constantius. A hillside spring cascades through an arch into a triangular stone bath before being piped away. Belief in the healing powers of this holy well endures, with ribbons, medals, chimes and even a baby’s pacifier left here. Being so close to the railway line, it once provided a constant flow of water to refill steam engines. Giant Bradley Heritage Trail. I continue along York Road to a Wolds Way sign on the right, leading along field edges, before crossing the A614 on to a track and through a farmyard. The scenery becomes more pastoral, taking in undulating meadows fringed with pockets of deciduous woodland and emerging at the monumental stone gateposts of Londesborough Park. The stately pile at the end of the sweeping drive is long gone. Londesborough Estate belonged to the dukes of Devonshire; however, burdened by debt, the sixth duke, William Cavendish, had the Elizabethan hall demolished in 1819 and the stone used for building projects at Chatsworth. The current Londesborough Hall is an enlarged Victorian hunting lodge. please log in to view this image Sunset in the Wolds. Photograph: PDerrett/Getty Images The absence of a grand house adds to the romance of this glorious 18th-century landscaped park with its chalk streams, lakes and weirs, original brick deer house and forlorn stone staircase. As I settle on a large tree stump with a flask of tea, a swan glides across the lake and there’s the plop and swoosh of green-winged teal and coots on the water punctuating the tranquillity. A pair of red kites circle above. I press on, crossing a footbridge over a small weir, to climb out of the park. An irresistible urge to look back rewards with splendid views across the shimmering lake and a glimpse of Londesborough Hall rising above the trees in the distance. The final stretch follows the Wolds Way along lanes and tracks, the afternoon sun casting elongated shadows of skeletal trees on to ploughed fields. Emerging from a tree tunnel at Goodmanham, I obey a notice to “clean your boots here”, discarding clods of earth on a boot scraper fashioned into a shepherd’s crook, before heading to the pub. Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Google map of the route ","isTracking":true,"isMainMedia":false,"source":"Google","sourceDomain":"google.com"}" config="{"renderingTarget":"Web","darkModeAvailable":false}" data-island-status="hydrated" data-reader-unique-id="159" style="max-width: 100%;"> Allow Google content? This article includes content provided by Google. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Start Goodmanham village car park (free parking) End Goodmanham Arms Distance 7.5 miles Time 4 hours Total ascent 158 metres Difficulty Moderate GPX map at OS The pub please log in to view this image The Goodmanham Arms, East Yorkshire. Photograph: John Morrison/Alamy Inside the Goodmanham Arms, I’m greeted by the hum of chatter. There are several eclectically furnished rooms, one of which is a motorcycle museum: the passion of Italian landlord Vito Logozzi, who enjoys restoring old motorbikes. A cooking pot hanging over the log fire contributes to the menu, chalked up on the overhead blackboard, offering traditional English and Italian dishes. Across the courtyard is All Hallows brewery. Landlady and brewer Abbie Logozzi brought her skills from a former life as a laboratory technician, only brewing dark ales. “The hard water suits dark ales. I don’t like using chemicals, which I would need to make light ales,” she says. Favourites include the smooth-tasting No Notion, a dark bitter, and Ragged Robin, a ruby porter – named after an alleged victim of 17th-century local bandit Peg Fyfe. please log in to view this image The rustic Goodmanham Arms is run by an Italian couple. Photograph: Sarah Banks Where to stay The market town of Beverley is a good base for exploring the area. The Beverley Arms, a Georgian coaching inn, offers well-appointed rooms (doubles from £121, room-only). In Sancton, the North Star Club (suites sleep up to six from £295 for two nights) is an enchanting retreat offering safari-style tents with four-poster beds and roll-top baths
You only posted that hoping we’d argue about it so you can figure out what it all said from the comments.
Anyone been to Hong Kong in the past 10 years? ...I was last there in 1999, thinking about a return in Sept. If yes, any recommendations on hotels etc..etc Tah..
Thinking of going to Australia in july...only concern is the flight home as an 8 hour lay over in china...does anyone know if you can leave the airport for a few hours to explore ?...or is it a sit n wait job?....thanks for any advice!!
Not sure how much exploring you'd be able to do in China around an airport in 8 hours even if it's allowed. I'd be looking for a different flight!
I did UK to Aussie in the early 2000s. Stopped off in Hong Kong on the way there for about 18 hours....I did Sydney to Hong Kong, then Hong Kong back to Man via Paris in 2 back to back flights..I was fecked... Recommended stopping in some place both ways....BTW... Hong Kong was friggin amazing....
Completely different part of the world for me in a few weeks time, flying to Singapore, then it’s a cruise around different parts of Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam before flying back from Singapore. Long flight but it’s a part of the world I’ve never been too. Then completely different but going back to good old Benidorm later in the year.
You can, but you'll need a Chinese VISA to leave the airport. I did Melbourne for the F1 last year and connected via Bangkok which is way less admin.
We did Singapore on the way to Australia stayed four nights and loved the place .We did four nights in Dubai on the way back and we detested the place from minute one certainly not our type of place .
Ditto about 10-12 years ago I was doing a lot of work in Aus. I always had a 24 hr hour stop over in Singapore or Dubai, a few drinks & a nice meal with a bit of an explore to ease the pain away from the journey. Although the hangover replaced the jet lag lol I know you can get direct to Perth now, any direct flights to the east coast city’s?
I would suggest Doha is a better stopover than Dubai, nicer place to spend a day or two. Abu Dhabi is ok too, and Etihad is the better airline in my view.
My brother lives in benidorn so go quite often. It's great if you know where to go. He lives next door to the church on the promentory . He has the best views in Benidorm. Uninterrupted views of the med and levante and poniente beaches.
Sounds good, I’ve been many times mainly out of season, lively British end as loads of great bars and some great cabaret acts, where as the old town is great for a different night. I think some who go don’t realise that going both ways from the old town is equally long in fact I’ve walked to Cala finestrat many times. It’s not for everyone but it’s cheap as you want to make it, lovely beech, great nightlife and easy to get to other places. Mind you I once got £700 pinched and I had my wallet in my front pocket, we just arrived by taxi and my wife at the time was in a wheelchair because she was poorly, he came out of nowhere and because my hands was pushing the wheelchair somehow managed to get it. A couple of years later went back filled a wallet with Monopoly money, deliberating left it hanging out of my back pocket, walked around the market and the town and typical nobody nicked it.
