I was going to be at home for over a week – coming up for the Spice Girls concert, staying for a family meal – and I suggested to my mam that we go somewhere on holiday together. We opted for a cheap National Holidays deal, a trip to Scotland featuring Loch Lomond and the Ayrshire coast.
We joined the coach at Sunderland; I was the youngest person there, but only by about 20 years, not 30. Our first proper stop (not counting the Houghton Hall garden centre near Carlisle) was Moffat, a former spa town near the Scottish border with a quaint high street, a tiny museum and a statue of a sheep overlooking the town centre.
The next day featured trips to Girvan and Ayr. The best thing about Girvan, to be honest, was the rainbow ice cream cone which I joyfully Instagrammed. The weather wasn’t great and the local museum was shut. Ayr was bigger and had a Wetherspoons that used to be a pub (big plus) but we were too far away to visit the nearby Burns Cottage, which was a real missed opportunity.
The third day featured a boat ride on Loch Lomond, but as I’d done this before and the weather was windy, I spent most of my time downstairs. My mam, who is much hardier than I am, stuck it out on the top deck almost till the end and appeared none the worse for it.
A trip to Glasgow followed, with a tour round the city followed by a guided tour of the Council Chambers in George Square and a visit to the Gallery of Modern Art to pass the time until the bus called for us again. Even though we’d visited Glasgow before I thought this was one of the best parts of the trip, as we still managed to find new things to do.
We stayed in the Adamton Country Hall Hotel near Prestwick Airport. The hotel looks pretty posh until I point out that we were staying in the budget bit at the back. It was fine, the meals (breakfast and dinner provided) were perfectly decent. It’s a shame that we were in the middle of nowhere and were pretty much trapped in the evening. The company does put on entertainment in the evening, but bingo and cabaret isn’t really my thing, although we gave the bingo a shot. Mostly we drank wine and chatted to the other guests, and I took the opportunity to have a few baths, having brought along a couple of Lush bath bombs for the occasion.
Would I sign up for another National Holidays trip? Perhaps. They’re definitely aimed at older people, and the itinerary and entertainment takes this into account. However, they’re good value for money – well, cheap – and if you don’t drive they can be a good way of getting to places you’d otherwise struggle to go. My mam and I would have liked to have more control over where we went (I wish we could have avoided Girvan and paid a visit to Burns Cottage) but if there was a day or an overnight trip to a particular location (I’ve seen one to Castle Howard, where I’ve always fancied visiting), I’d certainly consider it.
The Spice Girls aren’t the first group I’ve seen at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, but they’re possibly my most anticipated. I’ve been a fan for years, their single ‘Wannabe’ was the first single I ever bought, and their album ‘Spice’ the first album. I never got a chance to see them live when I was younger, so I wasn’t going to miss this one.
They played all the hits and my friend and I had a fantastic time. I was sad that Victoria (Posh) wasn’t there, but frankly she was always my least favourite and the others definitely made up for her absence. I loved the costumes too, especially Geri’s – I really want an Anne-Boleyn-inspired initial necklace like hers!
Dulwich Picture Gallery‘s latest exhibition, Harald Sohlberg: Painting Norway, showcases the work of one of Norway’s greatest painters. He isn’t an artist I’ve come across before, but I was pleased at the opportunity to see his work, which, in its melancholic beauty, deeply appealed to me.
The exhibition marks 150 years since the artist’s birth, and showcases gorgeous paintings of Norway in all seasons, portraying the country’s gorgeous landscape and evoking Norwegian mythology. As someone interested in Scandi-noir and Norwegian literature, I really enjoyed the exhibition and the chance to learn more about one of Norway’s key artists.
I’ve lived in Ealing for several years now, and did visit Pitzhanger Manor a while ago, but it has been closed for three years for refurbishment, only reopening in March of this year. I was happy to finally get the chance to visit this local landmark again.
Pitzhanger Manor was designed by Sir John Soane, the architect who designed the Bank of England and whose central London home is now a museum showcasing the many antiquities he collected during his lifetime. In 1800-1804, when Pitzhanger was being designed and built, Ealing was outside of London and considered the countryside: this was well before the Tube and the expansion of the city. Despite this, Soane would often walk for several hours to reach Pitzhanger on foot.
Pitzhanger Manor was a family home that Soane hoped would nurture architectural ambitions in his sons; he harboured dreams of a Soane architectural dynasty. It functioned as a place of entertainment, playing host to clients and friends, as well as a place to display artworks, including Hogarth’s series A Rake’s Progress. Sadly, Soane’s sons proved disappointments to him, and he eventually sold Pitzhanger, moving back to his Lincoln’s Inn home.
The restoration programme has restored important elements of Soane’s original design, such as the conservatory, which has been rebuilt after originally being demolished in 1901, and a colonnade connecting the Gallery and Manor. Historic paint analysis and attention to the original details of the decor has led to the restoration, wherever possible, of Soane’s original vision.
I also attended the inaugural exhibition in the reopened Gallery, featuring works by Anish Kapoor.
Pitzhanger Manor is well worth a visit, not just for Ealing locals. The Gallery exhibition changes frequently and there are often events going on that are certainly worth a visit.