Day two of my trip to the Peak District began early. I was out of the hotel before 8 a.m. as I had a sixty minute drive through the glorious Derbyshire Dales to reach High Peak country. My mission today was to find a plane wreck… macabre, I know, but Read More
Tag: history trail
Eyam: The Original Lockdown Village
Whilst on my travels in the Peak District I made a quick detour via Eyam village a.k.a the ‘Plague Village’, which seemed rather apt a place to make a visit in 2020, annus Covidis. The story goes that, in 1665, the bubonic plague arrived in Eyam from London, via a Read More
Dovedale Stepping Stones & The Nine Ladies
It’s August. By now, we should be deep into the UK motor racing season – which we kind of are, but Covid has meant that meetings at which one can actually spectate are few and far between. ‘Hooray! Thank heavens for MSV and the British GT Championship’ shrieks the ardent Read More
The Devil’s Punchbowl
I was in Conan Doyle country today: the gorgeous Surrey heathland of Hindhead Commons and the intriguingly-monickered Devil’s Punchbowl. I arrived mid-morning and it was already busy with the lockdown-induced stir-crazy picnic crowd – indeed, they were already sprawled out on the grass scoffing pork pies (not that there’s anything Read More
Chatley Heath & Wisley Airfield
I’d been meaning to visit the old Admiralty semaphore tower at Chatley Heath for ages, but, little did I realise when I set off this morning, I’d be walking the length of a 1900m disused airstrip and lunching by a beautiful lake. Chatley Heath, near the village of Ockham in Read More
The Devil’s Bridge & Other Tales from France…
I was back in France last weekend to visit Papa Blue, and, as is now the custom, went in search of a few more historical treasures of the Corrèze and Lot departments. My planned visits (to Argentat and Mercœur) were curtailed by le crachin – persistent mizzly rain that only cleared Read More
A Treat at Fleet
It’s the end of January and I’ve made a deal with myself to track down a Concorde every month this year (well… eight months of this year, because then it gets more tricky and transatlantic!) I have a big selection of aircraft dotted about the south of England from which Read More