It's a secret bunker, but it's clearly signposted from the A530 near Nantwich, Cheshire. The signs say, 'Secret Bunker'. Oh, how we laughed. Until we got there, and then were sobered by how close it had come to this being in use. Hack Green was one of 17 sites where the government were going to go in order to carry on in the event of a nuclear attack on the UK, during the Cold War. From the outside it looks like a large and grim shed, which is what it is essentially, but with many rooms below ground. Inside, where once was space for governance, is now a museum, where you can see all manner of historic monitoring and communication equipment, go into a room that simulates what it's like to be under nuclear attack (WELL scary), watch public information films that must have terrified all who saw them broadcast, and if you are little, like my daughter, follow a trail spotting the Spy Mice in each cabinet. The place is thoroughly eerie and massively wonderful. We stayed for lunch at the N.A.A.F.I. Canteen, which reflects the building's WW2 origins, dressed with Union Jacks and wartime memorabilia. We loved the crockery and wondered how much of it gets nicked.
23/10/2015 0 Comments Eye in the SkyYou don't need to book in advance if you go off peak. Or queue for very long. We discovered this on the first day of our trip to Londinium. Having dumped our bags, we were off out to look for adventures and explore our capital city. It was our daughter's first visit, so this excursion to The London Eye was an orientation and welcome to the city. You can see for miles. Once she'd recovered from the dizzy heights of it all, she was up at the window of our capsule, asking what all the different buildings were. At the top we were 135 metres from the ground. It was late afternoon but the sun was still shining for us, dazzling me as I tried and failed to get a decent photo of Big Ben with my zoom. On the way down we posed for our photo, taken by computer. Us from the outside. We saw ourselves on the big screen in the gift shop but didn't buy it. Outside, we relaxed in Jubilee Gardens then went for a wander. We all quite liked this unhurried version of London we'd discovered.
21/10/2015 0 Comments Cragside Delights19/10/2015 2 Comments The Castle of AdventureThis was the view from the top. A weekday visit to Corfe Castle meant that it was quiet but not deserted, which was just right, we felt. If we'd been any later in the week there would have been re-enactments, and re-enactments mean busy! They were already setting up camp in the fields nearby. Inside, they did have a small area where a trebuchet was shown off and woodworking was in progress. We read all the information boards diligently. But really, I was there for the views! Destroyed in the English Civil War but dating back as far as the 11th Century, Corfe Castle still has many complete walls, with window spaces that still frame the surrounding Dorset countryside beautifully. Our daughter did the Castle Quest activity trail with questions and brass rubbings to complete and earned a wristband for her trouble. She also made a lavender bag and fired a model trebuchet, under the guidance of some National Trust volunteers.
The title of this blog post, like the previous one, is that of an Enid Blyton novel. Blyton knew this area well - it is quite likely that Corfe Castle was the inspiration for the castle in this book and others, including Kirrin Castle from Five on a Treasure Island. The village proved worth spending time in, with an excellent courtyard cafe which is part of Corfe Castle Model Village, although we didn't go into their shop or the model village itself. The food was fantastic though. We needed to walk it all off, but first stopped off in the tiny (but free) Corfe Castle Town Trust museum - which is also the Smallest Town Hall in England at only 350 square feet. Needless to say, it didn't take long to look around! 18/10/2015 0 Comments The Island of AdventureFlat Holm Island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Bristol Channel, accessible via boat from Cardiff Barrage. It was at the barrage that we met our guide for the day, salty sea dog Gwyn Jones. Although I have named this post 'The Island of Adventure', the island has no formal connection with Enid Blyton's novel of the same name, although I am sure she would have heard of it, its long history of smuggling and its rumoured underground tunnels. Gwyn knew all of the established history - and he began his tales on board the boat, as we headed out of the barrage. Exciting in itself!
Unfortunately, it began to rain heavily as we arrived on the island and it did not cease, annoyingly, until we were back on the mainland later in the day. We didn't let it spoil our trip though. The boat dropped us on a boulder beach which we struggled across, to steps cut into the cliff. Then there was just the small matter of navigating the herring gull colony (hood up, head down, else they divebomb you to protect their chicks). We had arrived at the Visitor Centre - mainly a room to eat packed lunches in - there is no food served on the island, although it also has an incredibly small pub - just a small room in fact, as part of it! We had waterproofs and umbrellas, so as cosy as the pub was, we weren't going to let the weather have us miss out on being regaled by Gwyn. Firstly, he showed us the rare leeks growing alongside the centre - the 'original' Welsh wild leek. Next, he removed a few sheets of corrugated iron near the toilet block to reveal a native slow worm, explaining that they were far bluer here than on the mainland. Similarly the array of small snails which he pulled out are known for the clarity of their pattern. Aside from the dramatic flora and fauna, the island has a number of fascinating historic and natural features. Its occupation began in the Bronze Age and it was an important 6th Century Christian retreat. It has the ruins of a Victorian cholera hospital, Marconi sent the first wireless signals here and, of course it was used as a defensive post in World War 2. Going way back in time, just beyond the cholera hospital is a fossilised beach, where the ripple marks are clearly visible sitting at 90 degrees to where the sea hits the shore today. Flat Holm Island is wild and wonderful. It's a shame that more people don't know about it, although on the other hand, the site has so much wildness to it because it is little visited. We were careful, as the saying goes, to take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints. 17/10/2015 0 Comments Murder in the DarkIt was approaching night fall as we arrived at our deadly destination. Our guide warned us not to touch or taste anything beyond the gates, while unlocking them. Inside, we had a whistle stop tour of some of the most dangerous plants in existence. A lot of them were quite commonly known, like rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum) and castor oil plant (Ricinus communis). With the latter, the Latin gives away the dangerous toxin within. There were also various well known recreational drugs, including khat and cannabis, which The Alnwick Garden Poison Garden has to have special permission from the Government to grow.
We were at The Alnwick Garden at such a late hour as guests of the Royal Society of Chemistry who were hosting a special event there: The Molecules of Murder. The talk, by author John Emsley was unfortunately way too quiet from our spot at the back of the room. Unfortunately we couldn't see the screen either. But we got the gist - which was how many of the most gruesome famous murders and attempted murders have been carried out using poisons. After the talk, we eschewed the networking opportunity to stretch our legs around the main feature of the garden - a huge complex of fountains that were lit just enough for us to climb the steps up one, then down the other side, awestruck by the view. Our spooky adventure ended with drive along country roads to a stop-off in Amble. After passing some local teens who, by the look of them may have been inhaling something we had just seen growing under lock and key, we had a chip supper overlooking the harbour. In the dead of night, only the alternating red and green beacons could be seen, preventing sailors from fatal encounters with the piers. 16/10/2015 0 Comments Adventures up in the TreesOK, so I'll come clean. I myself didn't go up in the trees so much. It was only my husband and daughter who donned the safety harnesses when we visited Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, while I stayed on the ground taking photos. Go Ape have places nearer to where we live, but not with a Junior course, so our family took the opportunity while in Dorset visiting family. It was a beautiful, early Autumn day and the staff there were friendly and competent which put us all at ease. After getting accustomed to the course, father and daughter were enjoying the challenge of stepping from plank to plank or scrambling through netting way up in the trees. The high point, oddly perhaps, was the coming down - on a zip wire! - but the adventure didn't end there, as they could have as many goes as they could fit into their time slot.
Later, we explored the rest of the Forest, which has many opportunities for little climbers, in natural play areas spread along a well maintained trail. At the far end was the Tree Top Trail - difficult to say, but easy enough to walk along, giving a different perspective to those like us who ventured so far. I can see us visiting again, and although my husband probably won't need to accompany my daughter at Go Ape next time, I'm fairly sure he will! 15/10/2015 2 Comments Adventures in the 1900s Earlier this week we stepped back in time. Beamish is the North of England's open air museum, telling the story of the North East region from the 1820s to the 1940s, over a 350 acre site. We started off in the pit village where we poked our noses into the row of colliery worker's cottages and met a lovely lady making a cake, explaining to my daughter that it couldn't be chocolate because cocoa wasn't readily available in 1900, so vanilla it was. We got caught up in other things, so didn't get back later for a slice, unfortunately.
Next, we took a vintage bus into the town where we pottered about the shops, awed by the carbolic soap, the mangle and by the hollow wooden balls that rolled around a track to take customer account information into the office. The sweet shop was a major attraction to my daughter and friends, as was the fairground with its steam powered 'gallopers'. We stopped by the Resource Centre where they archive donations to the museum - everything and the kitchen sink! The museum has recently received funding to bring about a 1950s town on site, and it looks like they already have more than enough to furnish it. Our final stop on this visit was the 1940s farm, where the Land Girls were warming themselves by the fire, discussing how they could do anything that a man could, although the oldtimer accompanying them disagreed! It wasn't quite in keeping to see men who would have probably been at war out stacking the hay, but what a sight it was! We ran out of time for the 1840s manor house and didn't explore the colliery fully either, but as our entry tickets were 'pay once and visit free for a year' we'll be back! |
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