Author Archives: Louise Jayne

Unknown's avatar

About Louise Jayne

Avid reader who enjoys travelling and taking photos of her adventures.

Bamburgh Castle

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

Bamburgh Castle is another of Northumberland’s impressive castles, notable for its position on a rocky outcrop allowing for some wonderful views of the surrounding coastline. The area has been occupied for over 10,000 years and there’s been a building there since at least 547 with successive owners from the Normans, Anglo-Saxons and Victorians adding to the castle’s structure.

Continue reading

Categories: Bamburgh, England, Northumberland | Tags: , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Alnwick Castle

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

One of the largest still inhabited castles in the country, Alnwick Castle has been the home of the Percy family for over 700 years. In 1309 Henry Percy purchased a Norman style castle and converted it into a border fortress – over the following years the Scots did mount raids against the castle – and since then it has been extended and rebuilt, and faced other threats such as during the War of the Roses and the Civil War.

Continue reading

Categories: Alnwick, England, Northumberland | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments

Edinburgh Zoo

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

One of the things we definitely wanted to do on a recent trip to Scotland was visit Edinburgh Zoo. Naturally we were hoping to be able to see the pandas – a timed ticket for their enclosure is a must and is included in the main ticket price which is cheaper if booked in advance.  Thankfully we were rewarded in our planning by arriving just in time to see the male panda enjoying some bamboo before lying down for a sleep in the sunshine.

Continue reading

Categories: Edinburgh, Scotland | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Throwback Thursday: The Houses of Parliament

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

The Houses of Parliament, or more correctly the Palace of Westminster, doesn’t really need any introduction. It is thanks to a fire which destroyed much of the site of the palace in 1834 that we owe the present design of the building (the Jewel Tower was among the few buildings to survive intact).

Continue reading

Categories: England, London | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Nottingham at Christmas

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

Recently I went on a walk around Nottingham to take photos of the Christmas decorations around the city including at the Winter Wonderland and the Exchange.

Continue reading

Categories: England, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Museum of Scottish Railways

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

The Museum of Scottish Railways at Bo’ness Station is Scotland’s largest railway museum. It opened in 1995 and displays items of Scotland’s railway heritage such as trains, coaches, signals and my personal favourite, old railway posters.

Continue reading

Categories: Bo'ness, Scotland | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kirby Muxloe Castle

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

Kirby Muxloe is an English Heritage property that was built by William, Lord Hastings, who owned Ashby de la Zouch Castle. Like that castle Kirby Muxloe Castle was built around an existing manor house around 1480.

Continue reading

Categories: England, Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ashby de la Zouch Castle

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

Ashby de la Zouch Castle is an English Heritage property in Leicestershire, the ruins of a castle dating from the 15th century. The town of Ashby de la Zouch got its name from the Le Zouch family who owned the manor of Ashby in the 13th and 14th centuries. By 1472 William, Lord Hastings was transforming this manor into what would have been a magnificent castle that you can still appreciate from its remains.

Continue reading

Categories: Ashby-de-la-Zouch, England | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments

The Alnwick Garden

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

We had assumed when booking a combined ticket for Alnwick Castle and garden, that the gardens were part of the castle, but in fact they are also an attraction in their own right and a registered charity created by the Duchess of Northumberland.

Continue reading

Categories: Alnwick, England, Northumberland | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway

Please note photos have been removed due to lack of hosting space.

My dad being a train enthusiast it’s no surprise that on our recent trip to Edinburgh we visited nearby Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, a heritage railway that operates over 5 miles of Scottish countryside.

Continue reading

Categories: Bo'ness, Scotland | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Blog at WordPress.com.