Lyn, I can taste the salt water already!how i envy our members who live by the sea and or countyrside...never take this for granted because trust me being trapped in a concrete jungle for what will turn out to be an 18 months stretch has been no fun at all as most of our members will know...just wait until we are fully unlocked ..i have no desire to travel abroard anytime soon as i would not feel safe and i am not going to blow it now... the uk will do me fine...my urge is to get to the sea and the nearest easy run from here is probably weston...shorts..sun hat.. flip flops candy floss... ice cream and fish and chips so as soon as is allowed weston here i come stay safe everyone
lyn
But are nthe fish & chips at Weston anything like as good as those from the black country museum?how i envy our members who live by the sea and or countyrside...never take this for granted because trust me being trapped in a concrete jungle for what will turn out to be an 18 months stretch has been no fun at all as most of our members will know...just wait until we are fully unlocked ..i have no desire to travel abroard anytime soon as i would not feel safe and i am not going to blow it now... the uk will do me fine...my urge is to get to the sea and the nearest easy run from here is probably weston...shorts..sun hat.. flip flops candy floss... ice cream and fish and chips so as soon as is allowed weston here i come stay safe everyone
lyn
Must be the extra salt in WestonBut are nthe fish & chips at Weston anything like as good as those from the black country museum?
We lived in Durham not far from Ushaw moor then the centre of Durham for 10 years and were out every weekend whilst the children were young, Hamsterley Forest was one of our favourites also the beaches around Alnwick etc but as we’ve become older and the children have their own families we just don’t bother anymore.I live in County Durham, about 10 miles to my local beach which we visit 2/3 times a week whatever the weather. Lots of gorgeous places to visit which we do/will visit when this damn virus is sorted. Maybe not the hot sun & warm sea that you get in Spain or Greece but who cares anymore !
Oh if it's beach v mountain then mountains win every time. When I've gone to Spain it's the Pyrenees, Slovenia it's Julian Alps, and then Switzerland and Norway aren't renowned for their beaches either.Smudger, Richard & Jim,
It sounds like you've all got it sorted. We're not beach people and rarely visit them unless with relatives over, and never did in the 40 years I lived in Bournemouth. Here I much prefer to go up in the mountains, lots of wildlife and no darned tourists! My Greek son-in-law's place is 2,000 feet up and stays a nice temperature even at the height of the summer, when it often reaches the high 30sC at only 800 feet up where we are. We just like to sit outside in his garden, which has a great view over the bay, have a cool drink and chat - can't beat it. Why would I want beaches with the hordes of Genghis Khan and the burning sun beating down on me? I don't even swim!
Maurice
Can I suggest Waterfront Fish Bar opposite the Grand Pier.how i envy our members who live by the sea and or countyrside...never take this for granted because trust me being trapped in a concrete jungle for what will turn out to be an 18 months stretch has been no fun at all as most of our members will know...just wait until we are fully unlocked ..i have no desire to travel abroard anytime soon as i would not feel safe and i am not going to blow it now... the uk will do me fine...my urge is to get to the sea and the nearest easy run from here is probably weston...shorts..sun hat.. flip flops candy floss... ice cream and fish and chips so as soon as is allowed weston here i come stay safe everyone
lyn
Get ready Maurice the Brits are coming...Smudger, Richard & Jim,
It sounds like you've all got it sorted. We're not beach people and rarely visit them unless with relatives over, and never did in the 40 years I lived in Bournemouth. Here I much prefer to go up in the mountains, lots of wildlife and no darned tourists! My Greek son-in-law's place is 2,000 feet up and stays a nice temperature even at the height of the summer, when it often reaches the high 30sC at only 800 feet up where we are. We just like to sit outside in his garden, which has a great view over the bay, have a cool drink and chat - can't beat it. Why would I want beaches with the hordes of Genghis Khan and the burning sun beating down on me? I don't even swim!
Maurice
We regularly walk through Barrow Hill (Barry Bank we call it), great place for blackberry picking when they are in season. JenMountains and beaches ? You can’t beat the old volcanoes of the Black Country.
Barrow Hill Nature Reserve; the Dudley Volcano - Black Country Geopark Walks, Saltwell Wood
By Pedrocut. Barrow Hill Local Nature Reserve situated in Pensnett. Its most distinctive feature, Barrow Hill, is the remnant of an extinct volcano that erupted 315 million years agowww.ipernity.com
Pedro,
Unless I go into Aghios Nikolaos, our provincial capital 15 minutes drive away, I rarely see a tourist. Occasionally a few, who've hired a car, may stop and walk around the village, but it's not very often. In the current covid situation, I am grateful for that, and I expect that as much as the local government would like to see tourists, admission is only likely to be after showing proof of vaccination or a negative covid test within the previous 72 hours. Proof of vaccination is held on a central computer here and you can download your certificate 24 hours after your second vaccination.
What sort of foolproof system the UK will need to institute, I've no idea. After the second wave that started within a couple of weeks of allowing tourists, the Greek authorities are certainly not going to risk this happening again. Currently we are still under curfew from 9:00pm until 5:00am and only food shops and a few other places are open, so we have a way to go yet. I'm not sure how many Russians we shall see this year as the last influx was sent straight back when they landed in Athens, but they own three large hotels in Aghios Nikolaos and several in Elounda, so I guess that they will try and get their money's worth!
If anyone is coming, try and avoid July and August as it can get unbearably hot if you're not used to it. Any time after the kids have gone back to school is best!
Maurice
Richard, are you saying that beer is 2x in the uk vs Europe?I'm lucky, I'm a short(ish) drive to the Brecon Beacons and the Gower Peninsula so day trips are sorted and we still go family camping (weekends) here in Wales. Growing up in brum day trips were often to places like the Cotswolds and we'd have caravan holidays.
It would be nice to think brits will stay in the UK and boost the home economy when restrictions are lifted but truth be told the draw of a €1 pint and €2 full English will be too strong to ignore for many.
But you might attract other seasidey thingshow i envy our members who live by the sea and or countyrside...never take this for granted because trust me being trapped in a concrete jungle for what will turn out to be an 18 months stretch has been no fun at all as most of our members will know...just wait until we are fully unlocked ..i have no desire to travel abroard anytime soon as i would not feel safe and i am not going to blow it now... the uk will do me fine...my urge is to get to the sea and the nearest easy run from here is probably weston...shorts..sun hat.. flip flops candy floss... ice cream and fish and chips so as soon as is allowed weston here i come stay safe everyone
lyn
oh crikey mike that could be me soon lol
RichardinWales,
I presume that you are referring to the western end of Crete as I am not familiar with the Stella Palace, though I have been to several English weddings and lots of Greek weddings over here. I certainly prefer the countryside here to that of Spain, which I though was fairly barren and uninteresting. I've never been to Cyprus, and only a couple of times up the other end of Crete. Although this island is only about 160 miles long, we have no railways and only a good highway for part of the distance. Once you get off of that, you're back to ordinary roads, many twisty with steep gradients, so going from the eastern end to the western end takes around 7 hours whatever car you've got.
Maurice
And soon Maurice the memories of our past will be gone forever!RichardinWales,
You can't beat it! What has happened in quite a few places on Crete is the the Kafeneons have been taken over by a new younger generation that want to see some profit for their work. So the days when the old men would sit outside playing Tavli and buy a cheap Greek coffee about once ever two or three hours are starting to disappear. Whereas the school children now seem to have more money than the old men and more time on their hands, are quite happy to sit eight to a table and buy a Coke or whatever, so sadly things are changing. The old men, profitable or not, were the essence of traditional Crete and never objected to having their photos being taken, so any tourists went away happy.
Maurice
I'll tell you one thing Maurice, the Cypriots don't like it when a brummie starts beating them at TavliRichardinWales,
You can't beat it! What has happened in quite a few places on Crete is the the Kafeneons have been taken over by a new younger generation that want to see some profit for their work. So the days when the old men would sit outside playing Tavli and buy a cheap Greek coffee about once ever two or three hours are starting to disappear. Whereas the school children now seem to have more money than the old men and more time on their hands, are quite happy to sit eight to a table and buy a Coke or whatever, so sadly things are changing. The old men, profitable or not, were the essence of traditional Crete and never objected to having their photos being taken, so any tourists went away happy.
Maurice
Pedro, a great link, than’ you! Most before my time, however I do remember many of those areas. I will have to check with BBC here, they are continuing to develop a strong presence in the US and in our area have two TV channels that carry a lot of BBC and now they are streaming!historic England have published a book of aerial photos from the 20C showing the seaside resorts. It costs 50 quid, but some can be seen on the BBC new site.