Reset search
This Has to Stop.
  • Mark Britt
Aug – Sep 2018

This Has to Stop.

The is absolutely, positively, most likely the last time we do this. Read more
FollowInsightsCalendarShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Trip start
    August 1, 2018
    Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Who is buying what!!

    August 1, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    One of the unanswered question of our time is “What were the two nuns buying in the Rolex Store” at Sydney Airport?

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Day 1 - Off Again

    August 1, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    A rush of blood to the brain and fiscal irresponsibility sees us headed to Europe in 2018.

    There's a heatwave on the Continent, its high tourist season, English school holidays are on for the entire month we are there and Donald Trump is President.

    What could possibly go?

    It is always a pleasure to have you along with us but we understand that it’s a rather long journey so we won’t send you a post notification each time.

    If you are absolutely masochist and need a notification for each post you will need to join up to Finding Penguins.

    Our old blog site has closed down and this one is a little different so there will be more posts as the day progresses.

    Off we go.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    Tivoli GardensRosenberg Castle 1606.

    Day 2 Copenhagen

    August 2, 2018 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Very good flight with Scandinavian Airlines at a very good price.
    That is why we are going to England via Copenhagen. Only thing Is that the whole flight was with SingaporeAir. The only thing SAS did was collect the money. Quite happy with that as have always had a great experience with Singapore. Although they don’t offer you dried reindeer jerky at 4am as we experienced with SAS.

    Before you know it we are in Copenhagen at 6:20 when not even the drunks were up. Although that’s not true as at 7:45 we did see a well dress bar worker having his first Tuborg of the day, or maybe it was his last.

    The rest of the city opens at about 1000 so we had a little walk around and around and around. Marks fitbit reckons it was about 8.2 Km although it was a little confused as Wednesday had been restarted three times.

    Bernadette had a plan to go to an art gallery some 45mins outside of Copenhagen.
    Two complicating factors, it didn’t open until 1100 and the railway is being updated so it’s a train, a bus and a kilometre walk. What could possibly go wrong.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Day 2 - Copenhagen

    August 2, 2018 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The Plan.
    Things went well after a slight debacle finding the correct train. We did get to meet a charming, multilingual French lady who joined us in our confusion but with a better map.

    Louisiana opened in 1958 as a private museum for modern art. It’s based on an old country house that’s grown and grown.
    It looks across the water at Sweden and the location is stunning.

    Why Louisiana? The noble bloke who originally owned the property married three women all called Louise. Must have made everyone’s life easier.

    Great place but at 28 degrees and more than a little jet lagged it’s a bit of a blur.

    Back to Copenhagen in a Togbus (rail bus for the non Danish speakers) successfully found our hotel which is way to cool for people of our ilk and an early night of interrupted sleep.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Day 3 Copenhagen

    August 3, 2018 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    A word on where we are staying.
    Think Central Station trendy.

    Has all the features; noisy location, loud locals, early morning prostitutes (she didn’t appear to disappointed when Mark said “No thank you”, vomit in the morning and a siren during the night that we though was a Ragnarok warning.
    And because it is so hot and air conditioning is a fable the Danes don’t really get, all the triple insulated windows remain open.
    The hotel for some reason has a Balinese bed theme, very pleasant courtyard, a bathroom the size of a second thought, a cowhide lined lift and an honour system for payment of the breakfast buffet.
    It is either destined for greatness or insolvency.

    We are by far the oldest, least hip people in the place but at least no one has offered to carry our bags.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    Lift in libraryRoyal Library GardenFamous Y2K tapestry

    Day 3 Copenhagen - Christianborg Palace

    August 3, 2018 in Denmark ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    So the day could start.

    Walked to see the Winter Garden at the Glytptotek museum, the museum was closed and we planned to come back in the afternoon.
    Well that was another story.

    Lovely little garden at the back of the museum with the biggest bees north of the Pennines.

    On to the Christianborg Palace which is a combination formal Royal Residence, Parliament building, Prime Minister's Office and Supreme Court.
    It’s a big place. Has 4 four museums and a lovely garden. Cleanest, best kept building like this we have ever seen.
    Helps when politicians have skin in the game.
    There has been a structure on the site since the 12th century and is the founding location of Copenhagen. The palace has burnt down twice and was only rebuilt in 1927. When it was last burnt in 1884, one of the problems with putting oot the fire was that the firemen were refused entry to the main hall of the place because the floor had just been waxed. Talk about house proud!
    Excellent way to spend the morning.
    We do not think this area has a drunk problem.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    Not the museum but really cool.

    Day 3 Copenhagen - Danish Design Museum

    August 3, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    It was only 28 degrees so we decided to walk the short distance to the Danish Design Museum. Mark had lied and it was closer to 2 kilometres. But it was a nice day.
    Observed the Danish art of riding a bicycle holding two large bunches of flowers while smoking. True talent.

    Great place originally built as the first hospital in 1774.

    Now has a great collection of Danish design icons, the everyday item and the completely useless.

    Has a Chair Hall with a fantastic collection of iconic chairs from the world’s best designers and probably now worth a zillion dollars. Tried our first smorgasbord sandwich for lunch and although unusual was very tasty. Thinking the sign on the table was something important we tried Google Translate to discover it said “Don’t move the Bench”. Bit if an anticlimax really.

    Terrific place with far to much to see.

    Back to the hotel for dinner down the road at an Asian restaurant and a kiwi waitress originally from Argentina who spoke no Danish. You couldn’t make it up.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    Harewood tunnels
    Some local game, unsure of rules

    Day 4 Copenhagen to Harewood

    August 4, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It was a travel day, Copenhagen to Harewood. Usual things to expect; train, plane , bus, car, queue, questions, wait. Repeat.

    Thanks to all our neighbours we were up with plenty of time to make the plane.

    Thinking the airport might be air conditioned we were at the station by 6:40 (the flight was 10:10 with a 13 minute train trip so it was never going to be close run thing). As it turned out it may have been but it wasn’t as we know it.

    Past the morning meeting of the Copenhagen Collective of Ladies of the Street Corner and a number of hopefully hangover suffering locals and an easy ride Copenhagen Lufthavn.

    When you travel with cheap airlines you expect to walk to the opposite end of the terminal to check in, the other end to go through security, back to the other end to board. We had almost walked to Manchester.
    Most entertaining was the three elderly Americans grappling with self checkin and baggage drop. They were eventually handheld through the process, although the lady whose hand luggage looked like it had exploded and whose booked luggage was already overweight is probably still trying to make the gate.

    Car pickup at Manchester where the line was as long as the one trying to get on the plane. The Hertz agent told me he was going to get a coffee but realised he’d be lynched if he left the counter. Wise call.

    Easy drive to Harewood to the fine residence of Kate, David and Charlie and a delightful walk in the local woods and a chicken curry in the backyard to round off the day.

    Charlie was at first a little reluctant to talk to Mark (a view held by many young children) but relented when she realised that he didn’t colour in between the lines as well as she did and need some instruction.

    Early sort of night and an most enjoyable day. Always is when your transport gets you where you hope.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    1
    1

    Harlow Carr

    August 5, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Off to Harlow Carr, a Royal Horticultural Society garden just up the road from Harewood.

    Beside being a fantastic garden the place also has a local Bettys. (No apostrophe) Bettys is a local icon based in Harrogate. It was founded by a lost Swiss pastry chef in the 1919. He accidentally got on the train to Yorkshire and the rest is a hundred years of clogging arteries.

    It’s a great place with disgraceful pastries and cakes. I will admit that a lot of people appeared to have been taken there by their children as a day out from the Home. Hope Kate didn’t feel like a carer.

    All of this before we got inside.

    The gardens are very impressive even in 27 degree heat. Every sort of plant you could imagine. Also had a somewhat aged men’s choir serenading the crowd, a giant fly and columns. The great English custom of lets bring a chair and sit about until something happens was much in evidence. What else could you ask.

    Charlie bore it all well. (Being pushed around in a pram when she got weary helped a lot).

    And this was only the morning.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Day 6 - Belsay Hall and Castle

    August 6, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    This is a very unusual English Heritage property as it has a whole building. Had nothing inside I’ll admit but is more than the usual ruin. Having said that there is a ruined castle on the site.

    The house was built between 1810 and 1817 for Sir Charles Monck to his own design in the the Greek Doric style.

    It measures 100 feet (30 m) square!

    The stone was quarried on the estate and the quarry was turned into a fantastic walk linking the old medieval castle where family used to live. As is the case he also built a new village as the old one spoiled the view.

    Excellent start to touring,    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Dirty Bottle Hotel

    August 6, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Alnwick Is a very interesting little town of which more latter.
    Finally found our B&B after driving into a ladies yard next door. She helpfully said it was next door with the blue sign.
    They had taken the gateposts and sign down either recently or she is not very observant.
    A shortish walk down hill from the B&B where we are staying.
    The walk backup was much, much longer.
    A good selection of pubs for dinner, The White Swan, The Black Swan, The Fox, the usual set if Crowns and George’s.
    Finally decided on the Dirty Bottle which had a great story attached. Apparently a previous publican had moved some bottles from a window and dropped dead. His wife declared them cursed and they have not been moved since.
    Not sure if this was a life insurance scam. They are still there although the place has been been extensively renovated so the contractors must have had a challenge.

    Biggest burgers west of the Pennines and a serving of chips and onion rings that would kill you. Bernadette in heaven.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    That went well and Berlin in a fuge stat

    August 8, 2018 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Plan to be awake in time for first shuttle to airport at 5am.

    Awake since 1am for some reason, hotel quite, bed good, not to hot, must be thought of Manchester Airport Terminal 1.

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    1
    1

    A Seafood Restaurant ?

    August 8, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Staying at Catch Seafood a seafood restaurant and pub in basically the middle of nowhere.
    We drove past it two days ago and commented it was a strange place for seafood.
    Now we are back and it is a most upmarket place at a very mid market price. We suspect their accommodation business model is based on illicit stays. The bath in the middle of the bedroom with candle and champagne flute holder is often a give away.
    Looking forward to the fish though.

    Fish pie was fantastic.

    Bern went the low calorie route!!!!!!!    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    Monk's Cell - Study

    Mount Grace Priory and Manor House

    August 9, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    An old Carthusian Priory and a manor house built in the old guesthouse in the 1880s as a holiday stay.
    The rebuild was influenced by the Arts and Craft movement and has some very nice features including a genuine William Morris carpet.
    The Carthusians were more like hermit monks and didn’t really live the communal life. The individual cells were like little two storey terrace houses. Everyone had a bedroom, a study, a oratory and a large upstairs workroom.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Nunnington Hall

    August 9, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Another National Trust gem.
    Tucked away at the bottom of the Howardian Hills (a site of outstanding national beauty, not uncommon English accolade but in this case not misapplied) the place is terrific. Great garden with a most Bernadette garden cafe. Sculpture in the garden and pheasants awandering.Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Castle Howard Gardens

    August 10, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Because Mark is an idiot we have never been here before despite driving almost by the front gate several occasions in the past.
    What a great place.
    Ancestral home of the Howard family, it’s been through some ups and downs since building started in in 1702. Had the almost obligatory country house fire in 1944 and parts are still not renovated.

    Huge place designed by John Vanbrugh who also planned Blenheim Palace.
    Good only to work on big things. You can see the similarities between the two although the guide suggested this was a more “domestic “ set of buildings! If by domestic you mean the size of a city block.

    Has the biggest family mausoleum in Northern Europe with spaces for 67 and a restoration bill of over 17million pounds. Death is not cheap.

    Had sun, rain, wind during the day, a real Yorkshire day.

    Of course has a couple of Follies; The Temple of The Four Winds, an obelisk the size of Sydney Tower, a pyramid a little smaller than Giza and a fountain called Atlas. Unfortunately he’s not working as the water levels are low due to the lack of rain.

    Will just have to come back to see.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Castle Howard Inside

    August 10, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It’s amazing that they were able to put the place back together after the fire in 1944.

    Saint Margaret’s Girls school had been evacuated there during the war and it appears they were very enthusiastic throwing paintings and books Aon the windows to save what they could.

    The dome collapsed into the hall and was eventually replaced despite there being no architectural drawings of how wit was constructed. The mural in the interior was repainted using only old black and white photos and best guess at colour.

    Whole place is splendid.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    1Berns new sink1

    Bodsworth House

    August 10, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    The was a bit of luck.

    Slow drive with quite a few delays thanks to Friday afternoon traffic and we just made it to see the house.

    Build by the terrifically named Charles Sabine Augustus Thellusson who demolished a Georgian house 4 times the size it was a Macmansion of its day with over 30 rooms, 16 bedrooms and 17 servants. It had all the mod cons with Hugh windows and outside blind shutters that look amazingly modern. All for the quite reasonable cost of 2 million in today’s money
    It was eventually given to English Heritage after the National Trust knocked it back as it didn’t include the estate.
    Given that is after they agreed to pay 3 million pound for the furniture. That’s what makes it so unique as it’s almost a complete Victorian county house.
    For the last 18 years before the gift the last lady lived it it alone with her dogs, deteriorating surrounds and occupied only 3 rooms. It cost them another 5 million to restore it.

    Fantastic place looking like someone just steps out.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    2

    Bodsworth Gardens

    August 10, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    The gardens are a topiary masterpiece.
    However does the hedger is a god.

    TOMB is now taking orders.

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    To the Workhouse

    August 11, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    It was time to head South.
    So much to see, so little time.

    As soon as we saw there was a Workhouse to be see how could you miss it.

    Last night was spent in a very pleasant country pub, The Owl, in a small town country town called Hambelton.
    It was a real community centre and by the looks of some of the community they had been since youth.

    The Workhouse was built in 1832 to hold 158 paupers and I’m not going to bore you with all the details (that’s Google’s job) but I will tell you that one of the classifications was “Able Bodied Idle and Profligate “.
    Those of you who know where you fit need no further details.
    The basis of the Workhouse sounds rather like the conservatives idea of welfare.... those who were poor were so because of the own fault and any relief should be as minimal, low cost to the wealth and as nasty as possible. All things are new again.

    Was a great place though.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    Lyddington Bede House

    August 12, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Rather grey morning and a 30 mile drive but managed to find Bernadette a morning coffee in a pub that could have been a film set. Quaint with a Capital Q.

    Bede House was established in the old palace of the Bishop of Lincoln after the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII.
    It was for paupers and you got in on the word of the Earl of Exeter and you had to be “free from lunacy, leprosy or the French Pox.” So entry was rather exclusive.
    There were Bedesmen here until the ‘30s. Everyone had a little bedsit and it if not luxurious , better than dying in the hedgerows I suppose.

    Not quite your modern assisted accommodation but operated for a couple of hundred years and sure beat the workhouse.

    The stairs are most definitely for the infirm or leporas.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    1Pick the Pea Hen

    Kirby Hall

    August 12, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We’ll go to Kirby Hall.
    Looks nice, enormous Elizabethan House with Garden, what not to like.
    On the way there are these enormous stands in the middle on nowhere....Silverstone Racetrack with the redheads in full roar.
    Usual drive through country lanes, all starting to look a bit familiar.
    Why wouldn’t it we’d been here before.
    Fortunately with poor memory now being the standard we enjoyed it again.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    1

    Burghley House

    August 12, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Biggest house west of the Pennines. Why wouldn’t we go.

    House built by Robert Cecil, Chief Minister of Elizabeth I and is big enough to have its own postcode.

    Had it’s usual ups and downs and like a lot of places is now a charitable trust to avoid death duties.

    Terrific place, muralled within an inch of it’s life with over 400 paintings on the wall. Current Marquise is married to a Director of Christies so that must help with the appraisals.

    Walk, walk, walk and more to see.

    Having a Rover P6 trial on the front lawn, lots of beautifully kept cars and people sitting around hoping someone will admire them.
    Usual sort of day out.

    Pouring with rain for part of the time so held up with all the local mothers and a zillion babies in the cafe.

    For all our sakes the rain did clear it was off to the gardens.    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler
    11

    Peckover House Garden

    August 13, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    A two acre garden at the back and around Peckover House.
    A nice change after yesterday’s extravaganza of Burghley House.
    Walled garden walks, fruit trees (pears, apples, plumbs). Sun shining after a rainy drive, bees about and someone drinking peppermint tea. The morning complete.
    Even has a cat cemetery, which some would suggested is the best place for cats.
    Bernadette picking up more ideas for a major redo of the backyard. This place is a better template than the other    Read more

  • Mark BrittThis Has to Stop.Traveler

    The White Horse Hotel, Blakeney

    August 13, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Rain, sun, rain, quite a number of very narrow roads and we are on the coast of Norfolk.
    The street to the hotel is as wide as a driveway.
    Filled with tourists and children who as they sit in the gutter with their legs out block the street.
    Rather pleased to arrive.
    It appears that the GPS has managed to bring us down the most inconvenient route but certainly the mos at adrenaline filled.
    The hotel ha sits own car park.
    Why is this important because the public car park at the bottom of the hill will be under water tonight.
    We are not sure if all the gambolling English are aware of this.
    More news of submergences tomorrow.    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice