Category Archives: Solo female travel

September 25, 2013 · 4:56 am

Visiting someone I know, woot woot!

20th – 22nd June 2013

I stayed the night in Birmingham because it was a bit far to go from Scarborough to my next destination, near Northampton, in one day. I’ve found that here in England, it’s not the kilometres you have to measure by, but the time it takes to do them, it generally takes so much longer than at home. Anyhow, I was heading south to visit with the lovely Elaine, Graham, their two gorgeous boys and assorted animals.

Stowe Wood, Northamptonshire

Elaine is a distant cousin by marriage, and I just couldn’t visit England and not try to see her. We’d met aeons ago when she & Graham were in Australia, and seeing them again was like catching up with long lost friends, it just felt so comfortable. She kept me busy for the next couple of days. We drove all over the countryside, walked through Stowe Wood, had lunch at the Old Dairy in Upper Stowe, visited a beautiful church and graveyard, (that I can’t remember the name of), did the running around after boys with school and cricket and met her brother and some of her friends – just for starters!

The ‘footpath’ between Church Stowe and Upper Stowe

While I was there I had the unique experience of walking from one village to another through paddocks – something you wouldn’t do in Australia, that’s for sure. I honestly thought Graham was pulling my leg when he was giving me the directions. But I found the ‘footpath’ that took me up hill and down dale (honestly) and came out right where he said I would, without being chased by any animals too, which I thought was a bonus.

Measuring the intended cricket pitch

And of course life with the boys is never dull, the day I left, Graham had them out helping him put posts into position for their cricket pitch. Let’s just say, things weren’t going completely smoothly! But it was cheap entertainment for me – and there wasn’t nearly as much friction as I’ve seen with my boys and their father trying to do similar things.

There’s some people who are just born nurturers. and Elaine is one of them, she welcomed and enfolded me in her warmth and I missed her hugely when I left. Sadly, my little visit only lasted a few days before I was on the road again, this time off to Bath.

PS: Bet you’ll like this lot of pics C!

Stowe Wood, Northamptonshire

Church near Stowe

Church cemetery

Tiny, tiny doorway

That’s where I’m going – I think.The ‘footpath’ between Church Stowe and Upper Stowe

The ‘footpath’ between Church Stowe and Upper Stowe

Across the paddocks between villages

Bookstore at the Old Dairy, Upper Stowe

Boys live here

Elaine’s girls!

More of Elaine’s girls!

Back to the big cities

17th, 18th, 19th June 2013

Another day just enjoying Scarborough, a day getting to Birmingham and one spent seeing just a tiny bit of that very cosmopolitan city!

Upscale beach huts at Scarborough, England

Everywhere I went back to in Scarborough I found more interesting things to look at and take photos of, it really is a wonderful place and I just love the area around the Spa Complex, wish I could have seen it in it’s heyday.

Had to backtrack to York to get to Birmingham but it wasn’t a very long wait there and I met a girl and her Dad, who was from Australia. Strange to meet someone who emigrated to England from Australia, usually it’s the other way round. She was telling me her parents help out heaps with babysitting her little one, seems much more common over here than at home, but maybe it’s just that I don’t see how often it happens at home. It’s one of the sights that’s really made an impression, the oldies, men and women, out walking the grandchildren during the day.

Birmingham was a bit of a shock – obviously, I’ve been in the really English England for a while. It’s really the first place since London that I’ve felt in the minority, fair skin, hair and eyes, not that it worries me but you do tend to notice when you’re the odd one out. I didn’t realise it at first, but I was only a couple of minutes walk from the Bullring, which I think might be Birmingham’s major shopping centre, so went for a walk after checking in to apartment. I don’t know, but I think Australia has it all over England and Europe when it comes to shopping centres – ours seem huge compared to any I’ve seen here.

Birmingham’s very own little version of the bridge of sighs

Next morning I had a nice wander to the city, must have been reasonably early, not many people around and had to wait for the museum to open – wonder or wonders. I spent a couple of happy hours here ogling more fine works of art and trying to get some of the information to stay in my brain. But, guess what, one of the best parts was morning tea in the gorgeous café. I honestly think I could do an exhibition showcasing just the cafes attached to museums and art galleries in England – and be on a winner, because they are superb.

Wrought iron pieces in Birmingham museum

But, I have to say, I’ve gotten a few favourite artists since I started this trip. Birmingham has quite a few pieces of one of my favourites, Edgar Degas, he just gets ballerina’s doesn’t he? They also have a unique collection of wrought iron pieces, who’d have thought they’d be museum worthy one day? But they definitely are, and they’re works of art too.

Updated ‘back to back’ in Birmingham

Serendipity’s a funny thing isn’t it? I’d read about the ‘back to back’s’ of Birmingham, and thought I’d love to find them – well I walked past them near where I’m staying. They were a bit like Scotland’s tenements but built around a common courtyard. I thought this would make them better than the tenements but apparently the courtyards did nothing to help at all, just added to the dirt and filth because they were mostly mud.

The man doing the guided tour was lovely, and as they mostly are, full of little bits of personal insights. It’s really not that long ago, during the 60’s, that people were still living in the back to backs, before the council started knocking them down.

There were a couple of women from just outside Birmingham on the tour who could both remember visiting their grandparents living in back to backs too. They were a funny pair, reminiscing about bits they remembered and cracking themselves up laughing the whole time. It added to the tour for me because it was like having 3 tour guides instead of just one – perfect.

Must have been having a lazy day, because that was the sum total of my Birmingham sightseeing!

One last Scarborough view

Table setting for breakfast at The Mount, Scarborough

Cute, hey?

Scarborough, England

Past the Spa Complex, Scarborough

The rotunda in use, Spa Complex, Scarborough

Scarborough

York train station, I think

Fancy detailing for a train station

Dolly pegs at the back to backs in Birmingham

Neck to knee washing on the line

Old fashioned lolly shop, Birmingham

Wrought iron pieces in Birmingham museum

Birmingham museum

One of Degas’ ballerinas

They look just like the ones on The Bill

Tiling in Birmingham museum

On the buses again!!

15th & 16th June 2013

Had a day just foofing around Scarborough yesterday and today was ‘on the buses’ again, but this time I didn’t let the bus decide, otherwise I probably would have ended up in Whitby again! Today I went to Bridlington – at least I think I did.

And how green is England, still can’t get over it

For a while there I thought I was stuck in a time warp or something, like Alice in Wonderland or Groundhog Day. BTW, not sure if Alice in Wonderland is the right analogy there, it’s a long time since I’ve actually read it, but anyway you’ll get my drift eventually.

Can you guess, what I’ve been doing prior to writing this? Yep, that’s right, writing the last post and having a glass or two of vino!! I’ve worked out how people are happy all the time – they just live in a fog of alcoholic haze, hahaha, just kidding – or maybe not!! I’ll keep you guessing.

Anyhooo, back to Bridlington, or maybe we’ll go a tad further back to one of the villages on the way from Scarborough to Bridlington. Don’t ask me the name, because I have no idea but I was sure the bus driver had amnesia or Alzheimer’s or was looking for his lost puppy, or something. We came to this little place, went left up the hill, right past a really interesting house with cute window, right at a T section, back through town and out the other side then another right and did it all over again – and again!!! Three times we did the same circuit, not joking, and nobody seemed in the least bit perturbed except me.

Then we stopped at a bus stop for a while – and took off again, never to return, I’m sure. Strangest thing I ever did see.

Amusement park on Bridlington beach

Bridlington, when we got there, was a bit like Scarborough, for me. A big amusement place on the beach, even more rides though than Brighton, a harbour, yardahyardahyardah………… It was nice enough and I had lunch at a cute little café, but, you know, it really is just another nice little beachside town. Mind you, I’m not complaining, because I’ve had my entertainment for the day, just getting here. END OF POST!!

How cute is this? Bridlington, England

Bridlington, England

Bridlington Harbour, England

The Grand Hotel, Scarborough

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Filed under England, Mid-life travel, Solo female travel, Travel

Tagged as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Bridlington, Groundhog Day

September 16, 2013 · 3:04 am

Where-ever the bus takes me.

14th June 2013

Whitby, England

I let the buses decide my destination again today, whichever one came first is where I was going – Whitby won and I had another lovely day out. Whitby seems a very quaint place with a great little area below the Whitby Abbey full of twisty little lanes with shops galore. Then there’s the main town area where the harbour is, full of fishing and tourist boats with a huge long stone pier curving out to the sea. And all around are the big wonderful old houses mostly made of gorgeous red brick.

Magnificent, Whitby Abbey

I conserved my energy (or maybe I was being lazy) and did a circuit on the tourist bus, which is usually a good way to see a lot in a short length of time anyway. I got off at the Abbey, spent ages there looking around and also had a nice lunch at the café. There was method in getting off the bus there – 199 steps to go back down to the village. When I was in the church, I heard some old lady saying they had the cubicles around the pews so people could do a tinkle during church without being seen, the sermons went for so long, it was necessary. Not sure how true this is but it was good for a laugh.

Whitby was Capt. James Cooks home for some years and I visited the house where he lived during his apprenticeship. Sadly, again, no photos allowed but they had some very interesting maps and drawings dating back to his expeditions.

I also found out that Whitby served up inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula – the things your learn!!

et jewellery, Scarborough, England

It would have been nice, I think, to buy a piece of jet jewellery, but that would have been the end of my travels – HUGELY expensive, nice to look at and read about though.

Back at the bus stop for the bus home and chats with some of the oldies again. Wouldn’t it be lovely to record some people’s life stories. Just ordinary people with memories. They’re so interesting, yet they think I’m the interesting one. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to remember all this when I’m older and grayer!!