Robin Hood's Bay, Whitby, Yorkshire Moors and York

We made a few outings with school and had two great sightseeing in Yorkshire. We started the first Wednesday by going to Robin Hood's Bay, a sweet little village on the coast. It has quite a dodgy history famous for being smuggler's paradise. The cliffs made a perfect lookout and the village being remote and isolated made it perfect to smuggle goods from all over the world. Today it is a quiet village with sweet narrow streets.

Next stop was Whitby. For the ones who like Bram Stoker's vampire story, Im happy to show you pictures from where Dracula landed when he came to England. It's a story but when you walk around the church and old abbey you can understand why Bram Stoker chose this place to be a part in his gothic story. Whitby is a small town and is build around a harbor which almost divides the town. The old town is crowded with tourists shopping for jet stones and other souvenirs. I liked the abbey and to climb the cliffs, up and down. We also had a very reasonably priced and very tasty fish and chips at a lunch place by the harbor but otherwise I don't know if it was worth the visit. Maybe I need to give it another chance. There is a little old steam train to take you up to the moors, that is absolutely something worth doing.

 The abbey or what is left of it.

 Maybe this is where Dracula took sweet Lucy?

Yorkshire Moors was the last stop. I love Dartmoor and was very excited. It is just something with that barren desolated landscape. I think either you hate it or you love it. We didn't hike that day, I think I really want to come back and do that one day. But we did do a short stop at the Goatland Station, where Harry Potter got off the train and met Hagrid for the first time... or the spot where this was all filmed. We also got to see where the British Tv series Heartbeat was set, the pub and the garage. Never really followed that series though it has been running on Swedish television for years. But my mother loves it and was thrilled to see the pictures.

The following Wednesday we headed for York. We could follow the guide from school or take some time by ourselves, we chose the latter. York is a town a could really live in. It has everything and then some. I only spent a day but will definitely come back. We started at the Railroad Museum. Now trains have never been a passion of mine but I can seriously recommend this place if you do have an interest.

We walked into the city centre, saw the magnificent cathedral and then spent the day in the old town. Some of us visited the viking museum Jorvik. You go in a sort of wagon or cart through a viking village which was very realistically made with smells and everything. History has always fascinated me and I think this is worth the while if you are in York. Then just walking around town is very charming and they do have some odd shops.

 They don't make them like this anymore. Must be the Rolls Royce of trains.

 Apparently this street inspired JK Rowlins  Diagon Alley

 A long name for a short street!

 Viking museum.

Scarborough

We had two lovely weeks in Scarborough. We had applied to a methodology course at Anglolang and took a pause in our precious off time from work to get useful and inspirational tips for our teaching. Though still in holiday mode we were very chuffed to be back in school and hungry for knowledge... well, I think between the afterschool beers and wines, we got very valuable tips and new friends from all over Europe.

Down below I have posted some pictures from Scarborough. It's a seaside town, not too small but not very big either. It's easy to walk around. In South Bay you have the typical arcades and touristy little shops which didn't impress me. Walking along the promenade to the North Bay you get a more quiet part of town.

 South Bay with the Spa below and the Grand Hotel.

 City centre, in the morning on our way to school.

 Launcher's Cottage, home sweet home.

 North Bay with the castle ruin on top of the hill.

 Anglolang, filled with student groups. I was lucky not to be responsible one for all the kids.

We mostly stayed in Scarborough, except for the two outings we did with Anglolang. On the Saturday we were free and busied ourselves with walking around Scarborough, shopping and we had afternoon tea at Francis Tea Room. Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Francis-Tea-Rooms-South-Street-Scarborough/152480368136503

I must say as an English teacher this was such a fantastic experience. We had cucumber sandwiches, salmon sandwiches, cheese sandwiches and egg sandwiches, scones, Victoria sponge cake and some chocolate cake. No need to say that dinner was not needed.
    Francis Tea Room is an old hair salon made into a café. The booths from past time are still there and we were lucky to find one available. Usually if you want to make sure, book one in advance. The tablecloths were charmingly old-fashioned and the china as well. And we, the ladies, really appreciated the complimentary bowls of sweets on the tables. If you are in the neighbourhood, or even if you're not - this is a must! You will love it!

 Like Alice in Wonderland...

 the booths seen from the entrance.

Scarborough Adventure

Next adventure is more of a work trip. This year I got a bursary/scholarship to go to Scarborough on a course for English teachers. I'm traveling with 2 colleagues and I am really looking forward to the whole thing. I have never been to Yorkshire before and will gratefully welcome ideas of activities in Scarborough, in York and surroundings. We will be in classes most of the day but evenings and weekends are off.

I will post pictures from this trip starting from next week. Meanwhile check out the cottage we have rented: Launcher's Cottage

See you soon.

Road Trips

I passed my driver's license late in life, but man, I LOVE to drive. Road trips are definitely my favorite kind of travel. I have loads of ideas of future travels using road trips as a concept. See photos from different road trips made by the Wincent family.

South of France, Langue D'Oc - Roussillon, is a great area to visit. This trip we made in 2007, we rented a house and a car and made day trips. Our daughter was just two and this suited us very well at the time. We didn't spend too many hours in the car but still there so much to see and experience in this area thus you do not have to go very far.

Calvission, a small village not far from Nîmes. 

La Grande Motte with its strange architecture of Jean Balladur. Not something in my taste but it is very interesting. There are also lovely beaches in the area. Check this out:

http://www.creme-de-languedoc.com

Now South Africa is the place I know as my second home and therefore there will be a lot of pictures from this marvelous place. This is what you might experience while driving through the Kruger Park. I really recommend you to drive yourself like a true South African. One of my future plan is to drive through the park, from north to south, renting good camping equipment and spend many days in the park. We made several trips to the park, driving ourselves or taking a guided tour. Both have their perks. If you have never gone a safari trip before, I would recommend to take a guided tour in an open vehicle. The guides will spot the animals for you, they know where to go. But there is really nothing that can beat when you do your own spotting and there are barely any other people around! 

Driving through South Africa, from Pretoria to George we passed so many great places. Sometimes we were all alone on the roads. This road trip took us from Pretoria, through Karoo, down to the coast, stopping in Knysna and Jeffrey's Bay. We headed to Port Elisabeth and drove into Addo Elephant Park. This was April 2010.

The Karoo is truly amazing. 

Driving through the Outeniqua Pass is beautiful. We were heading towards George to do the fantastic Garden Route.

I had to focus maneuvering the car safely in Lesotho. We were heading back after a short visit in the mountains.

Renting a car in Mauritius was quite expensive compared to other countries we have visited, and the car was quite old and in a bad condition. Driving was easy, local traffic was slow.

Cape Town is a real treat. As a Gautenger (a person from the Province where you find Johannesburg and Pretoria) you find the drivers a little less aggressive in CT. But still, This is Africa!

 We enjoyed the beautiful views immensely.

View from Chapman's Peak Drive, driving from Hout Bay to Fish Hoek.

April 2011, two families went out on a great journey. The whole stretch was 6200 k's. Not bad considering we travelled with five kids. The picture below was taken in Botswana on the A33, elephants and other animals were common sights next to road.

The ferry going between Botswana and Zambia, on the mighty Zambezi River. The place where the ferry lands is incredibly busy. This was a great experience, but if you're planning on going, remember  patience is a virtue.

Namibia is one of my favourite destinations. The first picture was taken driving on the Caprivi Strip. And the road signs... I love it! Speed limit is 120 k's per hour!

Namibian desert - imagine this mighty scenery for hours! 

Petrol station, we took what was left of the diesel.

Soussusvlei

Last summer we spent two weeks driving through Wales and south west of the UK. As an English teacher I am deeply in love with the UK. I planned a holiday filled with educational activities for the whole family. Our first stop was Oxford, then we went further north going to Wales. We drove south again to Bath, Exeter and on to Cornwall. On the way back to London we made a few more stops.

Dartmoor is incredible. The horses blocked the road when we were going between Haytor to Houndtor. Man, they were so cute! One of the real treats is to go for coffee bought from a caravan, served in a proper mug just beside the road.

Mousehole, Cornwall. 

The last night was spent outside of Salisbury. The narrow road with the lush trees and bushes surrounding it, sun coming down made driving magical. 

The next day going to Heathrow we got stuck in bad traffic. But we were prepared and had the extra time. I guess that is also something one should be prepared for. Living in Stockholm I'm used to heavy traffic and not easily stressed out about that. Driving in the UK was a real pleasure.