Friday 14th April

We drove a few miles from where we are staying to Upton House

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/upton-house-and-gardens

In 1927 it was bought by Lord Bearstead who remodelled it as his country estate and a place to exhibit his art collection.



 

A few miles further west we admired the building that is the Hook Norton Brewery.

Our final destination was the Rollright Stones near Chipping Norton.
The King's Men stone circle is thought to be about 3,500 years old.

The Whispering Knights cover a burial chamber and command long views down the valley and across the Cotswolds..

On the other side of the ridge the King Stone is a standing stone on a Bronze Age cemetery which dates from about 1,500BC. It is this shape because drovers and travellers used to chip pieces off for protection from evil.

There are far reaching views across the Vale of Evesham from this area.

Thursday 13th April
This afternoon we set off to spend a few days with Moira and Rob in Henfield. We have stopped on our way for a couple of nights at Banbury. We checked into the hotel and then drove in the town to explore. After a short walk we came upon Banbury Cross and nearby was the fine lady on her horse.



Monday 3rd March

We had seen signs for Nidd Gorge on the far side of Knaresborough many times. Today was the first time we had explored this area which is managed by the Woodland Trust. It is full of well-maintained paths by the riverside and through woodland.

 

The wood anemones showed up bright white in the sunshine. We will certainly explore this area further.



Sunday March 26th
As a treat on Mother's Day we took a riverside walk with Russell which began in Hebden near Grassington.
The path led downhill to Hebden Mill Gill.

We crossed a footbridge next to a weir where we found the traces of the old mill pond and the possible position of the old mill wheel.

The beck winds its way through typical Dales countryside.

We weren't sure what this was at first but on closer inspection we realised it was a fish hatchery and a little research explained that they raise trout to stock angling lakes.

After a picnic lunch we climbed away from the river and the extra height gave some lovely views of Burnsall.

The lambs round here only seems to be a week or so old and were enjoying the sunshine.

The bridge at Burnsall is very impressive and the riverside was busy.

From Burnsall we followed The Dales Way beside the River Wharfe. At Loup Scar the river cuts through the limestone and this area is very picturesque.

We crossed the Hebden Suspension bridge to return to our starting point.



Wednesday 22nd February
A fisherman was out on the rocks this morning, just below our balcony.

We drove east across the island and this is the view from the road with Mellieha in the distance on the right hand side. The scent of the flowers here was very rich and sweet.

We followed this road along the top of the bay on the east coast.

From the summit there are sweeping views of the lower lying farmlands to the south.

This area was earmarked for a new golf course. Opposition led to the creation of a nature reserve instead. We walked along part of coastal path and enjoyed stunning views of the coastline with Gozo in the distance.

This rough and rocky moorland-type land covers much of the interior of the island around here.

We came across this remote tiny house in its own little garden at the bottom of some rough steps leading to a cove.



Tuesday 21st February
We drove up the steep hill towards the centre of Mellieha. Just after the second hairpin bend we got a sight of Our Lady of Victory church.

Even when we parked we still had three steep flights of steps to climb.

Just below the church we found this lovely quiet courtyard .

The framed views of Mellieha Bay and the lower part of the town were wonderful .

The church fronts a large square where local farmers sell their produce from lorries.

The road from the square leads through the town in a route which is parallel to the main street.

There are steep stepped alleys joining these roads.

Trees seems to scrabble to survive in odd corners. On our route we saw modern buildings being shoehorned into the spaces between the older ones.

Later in the day we drove to the far end of the Marfa Ridge peninsula to enjoy the views.



Monday 20th February
Today's route into Valletta took us past the wealth of the Royal Yacht Club on one side and on the other were some very dilapidated buildings which housed small workshops.

Work is in progress on the entrance to the old city and this bridge has been created to give views of the ditch and fortifications.

Renzo Piano's new Parliament Building was completed in 2014. It's design includes two massive machine cut stone blocks supported on stilts so they look as though they are floating.

These colonnaded Upper Barrakka Gardens which were created in the 16th century provide a lovely peaceful retreat.

The colonnades lead to a terrace give magnificent views of Valletta Grand Harbour and Vittoriosa across the water.

St. John's Co-Cathedral was built between 1573 and 1578 and has a plain façade which faces on to a busy square.

 

The interior is a breathtaking example of exuberant Maltese Baroque style with a superb painted barrel vault ceiling and eight wonderful chapels.
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The walls are covered with intricately detailed stone carvings painted gold.

The Grand Master's Palace was the seat of Malta's Parliament until 2015 and yesterday this square was full of hundreds of political activists protesting about the EU's investigation into tax avoidance.

On this building is the plaque commemorating the award of the George Cross to the Island of Malta by King George VI.

UNESCO named Valletta a World Heritage Site, describing it as one of the most concentrated historical areas in the world. It was the first planned city in Europe with building tall enough to shade the street from the hot sun and straight street to allow the cooling sea breezes to circulate.

We took afternoon tea at Caffe Cordina, the Maltese equivalent of Betty's in Harrogate.

Our final visit was to the National Museum of Archaeology where we wanted to see the beautifully modelled figurines that were found locally.