Closer Home: Lyveden New Bield

I am home-bound this week (doctor's advise) and gutted that our Yurt Holiday up in the Peak District had to be cancelled. So instead of writing about our Yurting Holiday as was originally planned, I will write about some lovely places near where we live.

Over a year ago, whilst googling places to visit around East Anglia/Midlands, I came across Lyveden Nieu Bield. This place was was my inspiration for joining the National Trust. (NT) This mysterious Elizabethan structure is set in a very rural part of Northamptonshire and not far from Oundle, a lovely little market town. What intrigued me even more about the site was its rather fascinating history. It is thought to have been built around the very early 1600's by Sir Thomas Tresham as a 'Secret House' The structure itself is a testament to Sir Tresham's Catholic faith and is full of christian symbolism. According to various sources, the Tresham family and relatives got involved with the Gunpowder plot and eventually the structure was never completed.

The structure is surrounded by several acres of fields and orchards making it a pleasant place for a day's picnic and cycling. Ed and I have visited Lyveden a few times as its so easy to get to and Oundle (only minutes away) is great if you fancy a nice meal or shopping. Admission is £4.50 but free if you are a NT member. It is also free once a year as part of Heritage Open days so keep your eyes peeled. Happy exploring! Ann x

Across the Baltic to Tallinn

The Tallinn trip happened on the run. A few days before the trip to Helsinki, I was looking at a map of Europe and I realized was Estonia was so close. Some quick research later, I decided that Tallinn was an easy manageable day trip.In fact St. Petersburg, Russia is only about 5ish hours away and I've always wanted to visit St. Petersburgh. However, I did not dare test the Russian visa process at such a short notice.

Of course with my India passport I needed a visa even for Estonia. I was told it would take 2 weeks but decided test my luck and applied in person a few days before my flight to Finland. I got lucky and the visa arrived in time with no hassles.. They must have looked at my passport filled with so many stamps and visas and thought if I didn't seek asylum in any of these I probably wouldn't bother with Estonia. I also took the risk of booking the ferry trip cost £60 return in advance of obtaining my visa. Not cheap but what the heck I thought. Luckily it all worked out.

The 2 hour trip across the Baltic is an experience in itself. Tallin is quaint. Covering a area of 159 sq. km and a population of just over 400,000, it is one of Europe's smallest capital cities. Talinn was a key member of the Hanaseatic league.The architecture of the city is full of Russian influences. The Orthodox churches reminded me of some of the Orthodox churches in Kerala. I walked around town for a few hours taking in the architecture, visiting a few churches/museums and markets. There were some lovely knits on sale at the local market. I also happened to visit a boutique store that did fabulous shoes. I bought a cool pair of furry boots which I love!

By 2PM I was ravenous. I'd done a bit of research and a placed in the town ( City) square was recommended. Olde Hansa was a medieval themed restaurant serving old style Estonian food. I loved the decor and the staff. I tried a tasting platter which included quail eggs, wild boar, root veg spiced with juniper berries etc. The price while a little steep was worth every penny and the service was awesome. Definitely recommend it if you ever visit Talinn.

I had to walk off my heavy meal and thankfully had a good few hours before the ferry to do so. I headed out to the shopping complexes in town which were so-so before heading to the big complex near the ferry port. It was a strange place that sold strange clothes and accessories. It seemed like fashion ( Russian style) froze in the 1980's and just stayed that way.

The sail back was just as pleasant and I loved the views across the Baltic sea. I can't think of too much to do in Talinn but definitely worth a weekend/day trip if you are in Helsinki or St. Petersburgh.

London Town: Go Exotic

London, though a 100 miles away, is less than an hour on the train from us. Its a fantastic place and we travel there often to catch a show, try out a new restaurant or just shop away. I also love its many markets. There is an awful lot to do in London and today I'll cover a few random things under the 'exotic' banner.

 

 1. Billingsgate Fish Market: Believe it or not, I feel very close to home and Mangalore when I'm at this place. The sheer variety and quantity of fish and the energy of the place is fascinating. You need to get here early as by 7AM all business gets wrapped up. Check out the website for more details.
 

 2. Archipelago: My friend Millie suggested this place for my birthday a few years ago and the experience was mind-blowing. The menu includes kangaroo, gnu, crocodile, wildebeest, scorpion, cricket and other insects. The food isn't cheap but the taster menu is good value.

 3. Mosob: If you fancy something East African, Mosob is your place. This quaint Eritrean restaurant at Westbourne Park introduces diners to the authentic Eritrean dining experience. The flood was good value and absolutely delicious. The highlight for us was the coffee ritual, Bunne, which may seem a bit pricey at £10 but is well worth it.
  

4. Chinese New Year: The celebrations in London for the Chinese New Year are apparently the largest outside Asia. It usually falls round January/February in accordance with the Chinese calendar. You will find lots of markets stalls selling chinese food, snacks, decoratuons and there is always plenty of music and dance. Its an experinece well worth it but wrap up warm!

5. Notting Hill Carnival: This carnival which takes place in West London during the August Bank Holiday is the largest festival of its kind in Europe. According to the organisers 'The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe and originated in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions.' My friend Hina and I joined in the party a few years ago and boy was it fun! However, I do not recommed it if you can't stand crowds!

In and around Dorset

I enjoy watching Mary Queen of Shops and the episode of Cleall's of Corfe Castle inspired me to visit the place. The TV series portrayed it as an idyllic and quintessential Dorset village with lots of interesting characters. Of course when we did get there, to use my husband's phrase, 'there were more tourists than you can shake a stick at'.

As my Mum and sister were visiting, we decided its probably best to rent a cottage rather than go camping. We also decided to break up the journey there and make good use of our National Trust memberships along the way. Lastminute.com were offering some great hotel deals so we stopped at Hilton Newbury en-route. While its certainly not the best Hilton we've stayed at, it was pretty good. My mum has always wanted to visit Oxford and so that was first on the itinerary with of course the mandatory shopping.

En-route we also stopped by Mottisfont Abbey and Gardens in Hampshire. The history there dates back to the 1200's where it was originally an Augustinian Priory. It was eventually converted into a house by Lord Sandys. According to the Nation Trust Handbook, in the mid 20th century the final private owner, society hostess and patron of the arts Maud Russell, used the Abbey as a base for her racy and intriguing life. The property is built adjacent to the River Test which is supposed to be one of the finest chalk streams in the world. You will now ask what the heck is a chalk stream and I had no idea until I looked up good old Wikipedia. According the Wiki' Chalk streams have characteristics which set them apart from watercourses associated with other rock types.Aside from those with an interest in the geological and ecological disciplines, the term chalk stream is most widely used among a small group of fly fishermen (who fish for trout on these rivers utilizing a specific type of artificial fly and their attendant techniques), as the ecology of the chalk streams creates an especially entertaining variation on the general theme of fly fishing. My sister was fascinated by the fish and fed them most of our leftover lunch. The gardens were also quite impressive and my mum was especially taken by the rose gardens.

The cottage we stayed at was a very old thatch in a village called Shroton which is not far from Blandford Forum. The low ceilings were a bit of a struggle sometimes for my 6.4" hubby but everything else about the place was tranquil. There nearest shop was over 3 miles away and there was nothing touristy about the place which was refreshing. The village pub was right next to the cottage which was also a bonus. Corfe Castle did not fail to impress but the village was teeming with tourists due to the August Bank Holiday weekend. We also visited Studland Beach and Nature Reserve which is not far from Swanage which had some impressive views of the coast. As the weekend traffic was a bit horrific we missed out on Brownsea Island near Poole. We will be back gain sometime to do things we missed. Britain's first classical music festival Seranata and the Dorset Steam Fair were also on in the neighbourhood that weekend, all of which adding to the busy feel and traffic.

As part of our National Trust mission, we visited nearby Stourhead. its 18th century gardens are supposed to be one of the finest in the world and according to one of the volunteers, the garden often gets more attention than the house itself. My sister took a special interest in the history of the house and was full of questions. The house was owned by the Hoare family and one of the family members still uses an apartment within the house. One of the most important exhibits there was the 16th century Pope's cabinet which was originally built for ope Sixtus V. A couple of years ago, the cabinet was restored at a cost of £50K. However, no one knows how much was paid for the original purchase. You could spend hours and hours around this property and gardens and its yet another one that we will come back to.

Ed had not visited Stonehenge before and that was to be part of our itinerary. However, the traffic was an issue and we decided to give it a miss. We managed to get a good look at it on the way though as its right next to the A303. I visited the site a few years ago and must say that I bit a bit disappointed-the road next to it certainly kills any other worldly aura the site may have had.

Another important stop for me was to be Waddesdon Manor which is home to the Rothschild collection. However, by the time we got there, the tickets to the house had all sold out. Its an unusual property where you need to book a time ticket and there are only a limited number of visitors allowed in to the house during a day. I was gutted but as its not a long way away from where we live, we will be back one weekend. The grounds and gardens were one of the biggest and most impressive one of I've site. The architecture of the house reminds me of a Disney castle. According to Nation Trust 'This renaissance-style château was built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to display his outstanding collection of art treasures and to entertain the fashionable world. The 45 rooms on view combine the highest quality French furniture and decorative arts from the 18th century with superb English portraits and Dutch Old Masters.' The grounds also house an aviary which gave my sister-the wildlife lover an awful lot of joy.We'll be back for more. Ann x