Penny Travels - Page 5 of 12 - Travelling the world, near and far, one step at a time.

Lockdown Travel – the armchair version

May 5, 2020 by Penny Leave a Comment

There’s no doubt about it – travel is, for now, off the agenda. Everyone is staying at home. International borders are closed. Aircraft are grounded. The travel industry as a whole will probably never look quite the same again. Something no one was really expecting to happen quite so fast.

Having been somewhat grounded to the UK already by the reality of being a parent, the current lockdown is even harder because I can’t even go to my go to places here in the UK. My local National Trust site is closed. The London Underground is for essential journeys only. We can’t even jump in the car to escape to the coast for a day. I totally understand and respect why, but at the same time it is frustrating for a family who like to be moving around a lot.

Instead I’m trying to get my travel kicks remotely via a screen instead.

At the weekend I saw the end of the second series of what has to be the most exciting travel programme I’ve ever seen – Race Around the World. Last year I wrote about how much I enjoyed the first series, but the second one has been even better. Not only did the winning team win by only 20 seconds (honestly!) but I think it was a longer series, and one which shows off a part of the world that I know very little about – South America. If you haven’t seen it yet then please do, it really is wonderful television. South America, especially the Southern part, is now firmly on my bucket list. It looks absolutely gorgeous and the terrain there isn’t really what I was expecting. I think most of my South American knowledge was about the more northern countries. That needs rectifying now.

The rest of my travel viewing has been closer to home focussing on the London Underground. I accidentally stumbled across the Hidden London Hangouts that the London Transport Museum is putting out weekly on their YouTube channel. The experts from the museum’s Hidden London series of talks and tours sharing their knowledge about the London Underground. What isn’t to love? It’s certainly satisfying my current Tube withdrawal symptoms. It’s also making me keener than ever to finish our Tube Stop Baby challenge when we can.

Continuing the theme, someone on Twitter recommended the Heart of the Angel documentary on BBC iPlayer. Recorded back in 1989 before Angel station was redeveloped it is a fascinating look at 48 hours in the station and some of the people who work there. In a way it is hard to believe how much has changed in just 30 years.

One thing I miss loads under lockdown is being able to either travel by train, or see a train anywhere. We don’t live near a railway line and have no essential journey that requires one. I’ve managed to scratch that railway itch a bit though by watching the first episode of Tim Dunn’s new series on Yesterday – The Architecture the Railways Built. Not only does episode 1 let you have a nosey around the closed Down Street Underground Station, but he also visits the gorgeous Central Station in Rotterdam that Bonn and I were lucky enough to see for ourselves a couple of years ago.

Television Travel Rotterdam Central Station

Travel might change forever after all this, but we’re still determined to get out there as much as we can (rules permitting etc) and hope to still be able to share our adventures on here with you. Until then they might have to stay confined to our back garden!

RAF Museum, Hendon, London

January 15, 2020 by Penny Leave a Comment

London can seem awash with museums, but I’m not sure that all the ones away from the centre are as well known. That certainly seems to be the case with the RAF Museum in Hendon. It may be out in Zone 4, but it’s only a 30 minute tube ride, and not far from the M1 if you’re travelling by car.

For anyone with an interest in aviation, military or just technology in general you won’t be disappointed with the RAF Museum, and there’s so much to see and do there that it’s very easy to spend a full day at the museum.

For those that may have visited the museum before, it is worth pointing out that there has been quite a re-vamp over the last few years with the museum reopening in 2018 to celebrate the RAF’s 100th anniversary.

What is there to see at the RAF Museum?

Our visit to the RAF Museum took in the newest part of the museum’s offering – Hangar 1 – which focuses on the first 100 years of the RAF. With lots of real life accounts of what it is like to work and live as part of the RAF’s family it is a great way to start your visit to the museum.

There’s plenty to read and look at, but for kids (large and small) there are also several hands on games to help you get a feel for the skills needed by the RAF.

This hangar also features the RAF First to the Future gallery which uses simulators and other interactive exhibits to help visitors really get an understanding of what it is like to be a Hawk pilot or a drone operator. My older kids both had an absolute ball in this part of the museum.

With only half a day at the museum we didn’t have time to visit all the hangars, but did spend an enjoyable hour or more in hangars 3, 4 and 5 that no only house the indoor picnic space (brilliant if you’re trying to have a winter day out on a budget) but also everything that comes under the broad heading of War in the Air 1918 – 1980.

With separate sections on the Battle of Britain, Bomber Command, Helicopters and Wings over Water it really does cover a huge range in the same way that the RAF itself does. My kids’ favourite part of these hangars though is always the section that houses a reconstruction of an aircraft factory that was hit during a bombing raid. Not only does it open up an interesting conversation with the kids about where the enemy might target, but my kids are always super excited about the fact that there’s running water to depict a water pipe having been hit!

RAF Themed Kids Playground

With only half a day at the museum we simply didn’t have time to see everything, but it is worth mentioning the playground area. My kids always need somewhere to let off a bit of steam and there is a brilliant RAF themed outdoor play area – think planes and helicopters, as well as a model of one of the nearby buildings on the site. It’s nicely fenced off to keep it safe, lots to do for all ages, and for the parents the cafe with outdoor tables is right next door! You can tell a parent was involved in the planning of that.

Practicalities of visiting

One of the best bits about the RAF Museum is that it is free to visit. They do ask for donations and you do have to pay for car parking – but the charges for it are very reasonable, especially when you consider that you’re not being hit by a high entry fee.

If you’re planning a visit to the RAF Museum in Hendon there’s a brilliant page on their website about getting there. There’s also plenty of information on the site about the different hangars and what they contain, as well as details on exhibitions and special events.

If you’re not near London, did you know that they also have a separate RAF Museum in Cosford in Shropshire?

Want to read more?

If you’re looking for places to go on a family day out, or museums to visit then make sure you take a look at the other places we’re written about here on Penny Travels.

Disclaimer: We visited the RAF Museum in London in January 2020. We did so of our own free will and were not asked in any way to write about our visit.

AD Using the Three App to make the most of my mobile whilst travelling

September 30, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

It’ll come as no surprise to readers of this travel blog that I travel a fair bit. Both around the UK and overseas. My husband Bonn travels for his day job, and rather than sit at home whilst he’s gone, Tube Stop Baby and I try to go with him wherever we can. I’m fortunate in that my job means that I only need an Internet connection to be able to work. I’ve been a Three customer for more years than I can remember and when I pack for any trip my phone (and charger) are right up the top of my packing list alongside my passport and wallet.

Penny sat using her phone in a restaurant in Copenhagen with Tube Stop Baby sat next to her in her pushchair smiling. Photo to accompany an article on the Three App.

My Phone. My Travel lifeline.

For me though, it’s not just having the ability to call my other kids whilst we’re away that means my phone is so necessary. I use it for a million and one purposes. Everything from maps to find my way around, geocaching apps when I’m being a tourist, translation apps to work out what a menu says, currency converters to find out how much things cost and also for catching up with news and my favourite TV programmes. It’s my business lifeline too. I’m self employed as a blogger and writer and I use my phone to keep all my social media accounts up to date, and also to connect via my laptop to enable me to write whilst on the move. I’m sat writing this post whilst in an Airbnb property in Copenhagen having spent the day exploring the city. It will be uploaded via my phone as the 4G data is actually better than the host’s wifi in terms of speed and reliability!

Penny working on her laptop whilst sat at a table in an Airbnb in Copenhagen. Photo to accompany an article on the Three App.

Go Roam

With my Three contract I have Go Roam, which means I can use my regular minutes and data in 71 different locations around the world. It’s one of the reasons why I am with them as a network provider. When you’re travelling you want peace of mind. I don’t want to suddenly discover that I’ve run out of data when I’ve got an important article to submit and can’t find any free wifi anywhere. Or even worse, be stuck in the middle of a strange city not sure which way I should head to find my way back to where I’m staying. For that peace of mind I use the Three App.

Using the Three App abroad

All I have to do is open the app from anywhere in one of their Go Roam locations, log in, and I can instantly see just how much of my data I have left for the billing month, as well as loads of historical usage data that statistic geeks like me love.

Picture of the Data Usage screen on the Three App.

There’s also a fantastic section on there covering everything you need to know about using your phone abroad. Not only does it list the Go Roam locations so you can check before you arrive somewhere new, but it also talks you through how to get international roaming to work on your handset.

Photo showing the section on the Three App on using your phone abroad.

That’s not all

That’s not all you can do on the Three App though. Through their live chat you can get help with any problems you might be having and also check whether you are eligible for an upgrade, and if so, what to. There’s also a handy feature on there where you can check how much it will cost to call a specific number. I can never remember what all the dialling codes mean when a company gives you a number to call them on. Via the Three App you can simply type a number in and it will tell you if it is included in your plan or not, and if not how much the call will cost you. So much better than being stung with an unexpected extra call charge!

When you’re exploring new places, especially with a young child, being prepared and having peace of mind is key. That’s exactly what the Three App gives me for staying connected whilst travelling.

Disclaimer: This post was commissioned by Three. All opinions in it are my own. I am an existing Three customer through choice and pay my own bills with them each month. I already used the Three App before being asked to write this article.

Popping over to Sweden for dinner – Copenhagen to Malmö

September 27, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

I love the way my husband doesn’t bat an eyelid when I say something along the lines of “shall we go to Sweden for dinner?”

For context I should add that we were in Copenhagen when I asked this particular question. So, the concept of popping over to Sweden, or more accurately Malmö wasn’t actually that crazy.

The Bridge

Since the year 2000, the Øresund Bridge (often just known as The Bridge – yes the one in the TV series!) has linked Denmark and Sweden and travelling between the two is a doddle.

Oresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden

The bridge actually has two levels – one which takes cars and motor vehicles, and the lower one which carries trains. As you fly into Copenhagen you can often see the bridge from the plane window and it is a sight so worth seeing.

Drogden Tunnel

The main span of the bridge is 8km (5 miles) long and whilst that in itself is spectacular, what makes the whole thing look slightly more amazing is that the journey across the Øresund strait is actually competed by a 4km (2.5 mile) tunnel. When they built the bridge they created an artificial island, Peberholm, which is where the Drogden Tunnel disappears into the ground.

When you see it from the air it really is one of the strangest sights. The majesty of the beautiful elegant bridge and then suddenly everything seems to disappear into the sea. When we first saw it from the plane on the approach to Copenhagen I could see why anyone who knows of the bridge, but not the tunnel part of the journey could be left a bit confused.

Practicalities of the Øresund Bridge

The practicalities are getting from Denmark to Sweden are relatively straightforward. Car drivers are required to pay a toll to cross the bridge via the E20. To take the train it really is as simple as going to Copenhagen Central station and buying a ticket. The journey takes about 40 minutes. When I travelled (September 2019) it cost just over £20 for a return train ticket.

In Malmö the central station is just a short walk from the centre of the city and at most ten minutes from the Lilla Torg (little square) which is packed full of restaurants and is the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by with a drink. It’s also where we found dinner that evening. There’s just something about the smell of dill that always makes me think of Sweden so Gravadlax was the obvious thing to have!

Passports

Despite the Schengen Agreement and the Nordic Passport Union passengers are required to carry a passport when they make the journey between the two countries. Since January 2016, identity and visa checks have been imposed by Sweden on travellers from Denmark due to the European migrant crisis. Both times I have made the journey officials have boarded the train at the first station in Sweden, but then only a small selection of passengers have been asked to produce them.

Effect on travel between Denmark and Sweden

The linking off Denmark and Sweden has done so much more than jut opening up Malmo to tourists visiting Copenhagen. One of the motivations for the link (which was amazingly originally proposed in the 1930s!) was to improve the transport links I’m Northern Europe from Hamburg to Oslo. It wasn’t until I sat down and talked to some friends we met up with in Copenhagen on our last trip and I heard about their holiday plans to go from Copenhagen to Oslo that I really sat down with a map and understood how the geography of the area fits together.

Picture of a boat and lighthouse framed by a square statue with a round hole in it I'm Malmo Sweden

The bridge has also increased the number of people who live in one country and work in the other. Many Danes have apparently taken advantage of lower house prices in Sweden and make the daily commute over the Øresund bridge. I can certainly think of worse commutes to have to make!

Edinburgh in a day – from Bedfordshire!

August 23, 2019 by Penny 1 Comment

I like to try and think big when it comes to school summer holidays. Big, but in my budget! With a new baby in the family funds haven’t exactly been plentiful lately, but I was still determined to give my elder two kids the best summer holiday I could. Lots of variety and plenty of fun and excitement. It was with those two things in mind that I came up with the slightly mad idea of taking them to Edinburgh for the day. From Bedfordshire!

Luton to Edinburgh

We’re lucky enough to live about 15 minutes drive from Luton Airport which means that cheap flights to a variety of places are pretty much on our doorstep. With that in mind I managed to find that Easyjet have a flight from Luton to Edinburgh that leaves just before 9am in the morning, and a return one that departs Edinburgh at 9pm. Perfect to be able to fit in a day of sightseeing in Edinburgh.

The other motivation behind my trip with that Little Miss C and Master C had no recollection of ever going on an aeroplane. LMC went to Madeira with me and her dad when she was under 2 and both of them came with us on a trip to Denmark for a wedding when Master C was just 9 months old. They’ve both been desperate to fly somewhere for a while, but the cost and work schedules meant that it didn’t really look possible this summer. I’d already got a long weekend planned in Norfolk as a “proper” holiday, so decided that a slightly mad day trip would make the whole thing even more exciting for them.

Making the most of our time was key with this trip, so we bit the bullet and paid for on airport parking at Luton. This meant that we were able to leave home at 6.30am, get to the airport at 6.45am and by some sort of a miracle by 7.15am we were already through security and sat enjoying a second breakfast airside. Why isn’t it ever that fast when Bonn is going through there for work?

Edinburgh Tram

At the other end we took advantage of Edinburgh’s tram system. Just a short walk from the airport’s arrival hall is the tram stop and from there it takes you straight to Princes Street in just 30 minutes. It’s super convenient and not that expensive either. Master C had also been asking to travel on a tram somewhere for ages so it kept him rather happy.

We went to Edinburgh without any real plans as to what we’d do for the day so it was a bit of a case of just going with what we found once there. When we got off the tram we headed over towards the Royal Mile (via the Golden Arches for lunch!) and soon found ourselves part of the crowd for a street magician as part of the run up to the Edinburgh Fringe. The kids thought this was fantastic fun and thoroughly enjoyed this unexpected bit of entertainment.

Continuing up the Royal Mile we headed towards the castle, stopping off on our way at numerous souvenir shops so the kids could admire the various kilts on offer and the variety of Harry Potter merchandise that everywhere seems to sell.

Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

After admiring the castle from outside (I wasn’t nuts enough to pay to try to go round it with a baby in a pushchair!) we then headed back to the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. Years ago I visited the Camera Obscura and thought it would be a fun thing for the kids to see. What I hadn’t banked on though was the amazing World of Illusions that it is now part of. I thought we’d stay there an hour or so and then head on to the Museum of Scotland. How wrong I was!

We ended up at the World of Illusions for the rest of the day. The kids thought it one of the most amazing places they’d ever been, and I’m inclined to agree with them. I’ll explain exactly why in a separate blog post – watch this space.

All too soon our day in Edinburgh was coming to an end and we hot-footed it back to Princes Street via a quick pizza and a wander down Victoria Street (supposedly JK Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley) to pop in the various Harry Potter themed shops there.

Travel broadens the mind

I won’t deny that we only feel like we’ve scratched the surface with Edinburgh, but that just gives us an excuse to return again. The aim of the day was to give the kids an adventure, and that’s certainly what we achieved. From leaving Luton full of apprehension about what flying was going to be like, they returned confident flyers. Purposefully climbing the stairs of the aircraft at Edinburgh without even a backwards glance.

They say that one of the most important parts of parenting is giving your children experiences to help them in future life. I like to think that’s exactly what I achieved with this trip. After all, travel broadens the mind like nothing else.

Riding the Helter Skelter at Norwich Cathedral

August 14, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

As we set off towards the Norfolk coast for a weekend away we had vague plans to stop somewhere en route to break the journey up for the kids and to stretch our legs. We had no idea quite where we’d find to have that break, but as the radio news came on a slightly mad idea started to form. The SatNav was quickly reprogrammed for Norwich Cathedral and off we went!

But just what was it that we’d heard that suddenly made all 4 of us in the car able to talk determined to go to visit a cathedral? News of them placing a 50ft Helter Skelter in the nave of the cathedral was what swang it for us.

It’s fair to say that the response to this bold move has been somewhat mixed. There are people (both within the church community and outside) who think it is a brilliant idea. A great way of encouraging people into a cathedral that might mot normally go there. And a way of also creating noise and laughter in a place that is normally filled with hushed whispers and quiet prayer.

On the flip side there are also people (who mainly seem to be within the church community, but some outside it too) who believe that it is totally the wrong thing to do. Some even going as far as saying that it is disrespectful.

Personally I fall into the former camp. I’m not a religious person, but I admire those churches that do try and welcome the whole community into their place of worship. Whether that be to play crazy golf (as is apparently the case at Rochester), to watch a football match on a big screen, or to take a trip down a vintage Helter Skelter. I think that the silence and formality of many churches can put people off from stepping inside.

In Norwich’s case the Helter Skelter is part of their Seeing It Differently exhibition. It’s there, along side other activities to encourage visitors to look at the cathedral in a different way, in particular the roof bosses that people don’t usually get to be so close to.

The Helter Skelter itself is a beautiful vintage wooden one. Although it looks slightly bonkers sat there towering above everything else, it also has sufficient vintage charm to look strangely right there. I imagine that in darkness it will look even better when lit up.

Now, I’ve been on Helter Skelter before and generally don’t have a problem with heights or speed, but flipping heck it’s a ride and a half coming down. Firstly, there’s the slightly strange surroundings. You find yourself suddenly hurtling towards a stained glass window before twisting your way down towards a stone wall. It’s certainly one of the fastest heater shelters I’ve been on, and also one that really does throw you around a bit. It’s a completely exhilarating ride though and without meaning to I found myself screaming as I went down.

I did take a look up at the ceiling bosses whilst up there, although I also found it quite amusing that the volunteers at the top were busy explaining to so many visitors what ceiling bosses actually were. It seems being a kids when Blue Peter ran a competition to help design the new bosses to go on the repaired roof at York Minster after their devastating fire taught me something useful.

I’m so glad we happened to have the car radio on as we drove last week. Without it we wouldn’t have had what my kids simply describe as a “bonkersly brilliant” experience. Thanks Norwich!

Seeing It Differently runs from Thursday 8 August until Sunday 18 August 2019.

The helter skelter ride costs £2 per person. All the other Seeing It Differently installations are free.

General opening times for Seeing It Differently are 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday and 12 noon-3pm on Sundays.