We were lucky enough to be invited to our friends Wedding reception at this 'unusual' venue…read more A reception in the middle of a zoo. On arrival at the reception drinks were offered. The weather was brilliant so sitting in the sun, outside, with the noises of animals around was different. The reception area was beautifully laid out with the colours that the bride and groom had chosen. The food was exceptional. Nothing like the usual wedding reception fayre, it would have scored highly in the restaurants of London section. The service, by quite young waitresses, was second to none. Friendly yet totally professional. After the speeches they was quiet music in the background that didn't make conversation difficult. One of the problems at receptions is the gap between the afternoon reception and the evening guests arriving. Normally there is the clearing of tables and the setting out for the evening. This didn't happen as a special treat had been arranged by our hosts. The trip on the steam driven railway around the grounds to see some of the animals in the zoo. It was really pleasant being shown around the grounds. On a few occasions the train had to slow down as animals, wallabies etc were in the way and at one point the train had to stop to allow an animal to cross. For my international readers, in Britain we have pedestrian crossings across the road called Zebra crossings. This is the very first time I have seen a Camel crossing LOL. Arriving back at the banqueting suite everything had changed for the evening. Tables had been cleared and extra seating laid out. Fantastic service. The evening buffet food was wonderful and there was plenty of it. Surprinsingly the bar prices were very reasonable for a venue such as this. A wonderful day, with wonderful people and fantastic service from The Zoological Society of London team

St. Albans was once the city of Verulamiam. This Roman town was destroyed in AD61 and later…read morerebuilt to its former glory. After nearly 400 years as a major settlement, the town slowly declined when the Romans left in AD410. The Verulamiam Museum tells the story of this Roman town. Mosaics, video presentations, excavated artifacts and recreation of Roman rooms fill this little musuem. Wandering around the rooms I learned how the ancient town was built, how jewelry was made, how the inhabitants of the city made a living and also how their dead were buried. The museum boasts four skeletons, which really impressed me and my morbid love of skulls and bones. There is a small fee of £3.50 for entry to the museum. The rooms are small, but they are full of interesting facts. It's easy to become completely engrossed in another time for an hour or two. The museum is on the edge of a lovely park that is home to the Roman Theatre of Verulamium and also a Roman mosaic. There are ponds, a small church and a cute little cafe. If you find yourself in St. Albans, this is a must-see!

St Alban's is one of England's oldest towns. There has been a settlement here since the 1st Century…read moreBC, and in AD 43 the Romans chose the site for their city of Verulamium, which became the Capital of the Roman province of Brittania. This history is portayed in the Verulamium museum, located next to an attractive park ten minutes' walk from the Abbey. The museum itself is housed in a distinctive red-brick building, built in the Roman style. Inside, the history of the Romans in Britain is portrayed in a very accessible series of exhibits. Children are well-catered for, with video and touch screen installations, and hands-on discovery areas. More traditional finds include fine mosaics and frescoes - some of the best outside the Mediterranean - as well as rare armour, glassware, jewellery and more everyday items.

What a great experiential aircraft visit in a historically significant place. The displays span the…read morecentury including spitfires, P-51's, B-52's, A-10's, SR-71, U2, and commercial aircraft like the SST. Two major display building with several hangars of planes WW2 operational planes or in process of being restored. For you yanks, this on the quality of the Smithsonian Aircraft exhibit in DC, with out all the outer space stuff.

It had been years since my last visit to Duxford. A Christmas present of tickets and an In the…read moreCockpit Spitfire Experience made a return visit a 'must do'. On arrival, and wandering around, I immediately noticed so many changes. More outlets throughout the grounds for refreshments. Prices are more than reasonable and the food very fresh having been made on site. My last visit there was only one restaurant. Also, it may sound silly, but many more toilet facilities. All a very big plus to this wonderful museum. We decided to start our visit in the Land Based War area at the very furthest point on the runway. Although there is a bus service we decided to slowly stroll the 15 minutes. This idea worked out perfectly as we finished our visit in the main hangar near the exit, tired, but having visited every area on our way back. The whole experience was an education and extremely enjoyable. The aircraft are an impressive display and the planning in setting out these huge vehicles in such small spaces incredible. This, especially, in the American hangar. Seeing the old passenger planes on the runway brought back memories of DanAir, BEA, BOAC, Monarch......all planes and companies I have flown with. Finally, my Spitfire experience was outstanding. An informative talk for 20 minutes before climbing into the cockpit of N3200. Still wonder how those pilots in flight jackets, boots and parachute managed to even move. Shown all the controls in a hands on way. It was so interesting, A fabulous day out and a would definitely advise a visit of a few hours.

Spring had sprung full of bluebells, snow drops, jonquils and a host of golden…read moredaffodils....thousands of them at Wimpole Hall gardens! A treat too good to miss, so on with the wellies and out into the cold to view carpets of yellow bobbing heads in the wind, so many different varieties - double headed, frilled and ruffled, diverse colours, small and tall - a visual feast. Once we were seeing yellow even when we blinked we moved onto the walled garden area to nab tips on how to overwinter a garden and tend to spring plants. Next was my favourite bit the working farm full of farm animals. The piggies were oinking with delight in the sunshine, tiny piglets tucked into their mum's milky tums, teen piggies squealing and tussling in the hay, absolute porkers stretched out getting some vitamin D. Working shire horses next, all enjoying a Sunday rest in their stables, majestically tall and proud. Goats watched us from their pen as we strolled over to the rabbit area where you can stroke a soft fluffy bunny :) The National Trust are doing an amazing job at Wimpole creating such a stunning environment and still a working farm. Next visit I hope to go inside Wimpole Hall to take a peek at the treasures. Interestingly the cashier at the entrance explained you can join a US based Royal Oak Foundation to gain access to National Trust properties too: https://www.royal-oak.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=16989092567&gbraid=0AAAAAojR5xkph6HhxgWwr0TrOTJFbLimN&gclid=CjwKCAjw-J3OBhBuEiwAwqZ_h8aFOrcjYZKrJ52bVVUoAmKQgEiZaZPiklQqW3F1jwx77CamTcpgaxoCIoMQAvD_BwE

Wimpole Hall Estate, now in the care of the National Trust, includes a grand stately home, a…read moreworking farm, lovely gardens and grounds (excellent for long walks), a cafe, shop and bookstall, and also includes an historic parish church. The history of the site dates back 2,000 years, though the Chicheley family who owned the estate from 1428 to 1686 began the core of the house we see today. The estate then passed through the hands of a dizzying array of nobility (the Earls of Radnor, the Duke of Newcastle, the Earl of Oxford and then the Earls of Hardwicke). Philip Yorke (1690-1764), 1st Earl of Hardwicke rebuilt the north and south fronts, but is also notorious for a judgement made while he was Attorney-General, which maintained that slaves brought to the UK remained enslaved while on British soil. The house passed to Viscount Clifden in 1894, before being bought by Captain George and Mrs Elsie Bambridge in 1942. The daughter of Rudyard Kipling, Elsie used her wealth to refurbish and furnish the hall, and is largely responsible for the condition in which we find it today. The hours for viewing the house are slightly more restricted than the rest of the grounds, but it is still well worth a visit. The former stables include a shop and bookshop, and nearby in the Old Rectory (behind the church) is a very nice café, serving usual range of light meals, cakes and teas that the National Trust is well known for. My favourite part of the site is the extensive walled garden, which from spring to autumn is a riot of colour, mostly herbaceous perennials. The church is also well worth a visit; this functions as the parish church, and was largely rebuilt in the late 18th century. However, it retains a 14th century mediaeval chapel (the Chicheley Chapel) which contains an impressive array of monuments of the nobility who have owned the Hall down the years. The estate now (2025) has a large series of car parks and a new, purpose-built visitor centre with toilets, about 250m from the house. Those with accessibility needs are advised to look at the National Trust website, which has details about access.

This is an amazing 2 story museum with all kinds of artifacts from old wedgewood to Egypt's tomb…read moreand artifacts Teapots and tea cups old coins to everything in between. 2 nd floor loads of paintings to look at. Entry is free which is always a plus.

The Fitzwilliam Museum offers a well rounded and varied collection. It is sure to please most…read moremuseum visitors regardless of interests. If you're a fan of the work of Georges-Pierre Seurat, you're sure to enjoy the 1884 Neo-Impressionism painting, "The Couple" (original title: Un dimanche après-midi sur l'île de la Grande Jatte). Does it somehow look familiar? This was a study for A Sunday on the Island of la Grande Jatte! "This work is one of many that Georges-Pierre Seurat made in preparation for a much larger painting. The woman's stiff posture is accentuated by her tightly buttoned jacket and the exaggerated bustle of her skirt, which echoes the curve of her parasol. Given that the area of Paris depicted here was known for prostitution, it has been suggested that the woman is a sex worker on the arm of a male client." Give yourself several hours if you plan to take in the entire collection. If you are fortunate enough to live nearby and can visit often, take your time and you're sure to fall in love with one of the many wonderfully curated items found within the museum walls.

We enjoyed our browse here, and thought the displays were well mounted and interesting. Loads of…read moreartifacts from digs in England as well as around the world!

The University Museum Of Archaeology & Anthropology, on Downing street, is home to a rather modest…read morecollection of artefacts. The entrance to this museum is rather historic as is most of Cambridge. Although this museum is small the items encased within it's walls are interesting and some even leave you staring for a while. This, nor any museum in Cambridge can out shine free museums in, let's say, London but we must appreciate it for what it is. If you don't allow yourself to expect too much from this museum then you shall not be too disappointed.

An interesting hour spent studying all sorts of scientific instruments from Babbage's difference…read moreengine, hand held calculators and a cool section of hands on experiments and instruments for kids.

The Epping Ongar Railway is a small heritage line which runs between the Essex town of Chipping…read moreOngar (also known as just Ongar) to the village of Coopersale just outside Epping. For much of the post-war period, the line was well known as being a curiosity - part of the London underground system, yet running through an entirely rural area! A relative newcomer to the preservation scene, it is still at a fairly early stage in its life (and at the time of writing there are no train services as extensive track repairs are under way). History The line was opened in 1865 as an extension of the Eastern Counties Railway line from London Liverpool Street to Loughton. Operated as a steam line for most of its life, in the 1940s plans were drawn up to incorporate the line into the new extension to the Central Line of London Underground. Electric underground trains reached Laughton in 1948 and Epping in 1949. The line from Epping to Ongar, with intermediate stations at North Weald and Blake's Hall was incorporated into the London Underground network, but initially run by a steam shuttle from Epping. The line was finally electrified in 1957, albeit cheaply, so that only short trains could run. The service thereafter continued to be operated as a shuttle from Epping. Declining passenger usage caused the service to be reduced to peak hours only in 1976, and Blake Hall station closed in 1981. An improved all-day service was implemented to attempt to attract custom, but this failed and the line became one of the few sections of the underground network to close completely in modern times, in 1994. The line was then purchased by a private company, in order to run a service, but this did not materialise. A volunteer group was formed to help move things forward, and in 2004 a Sunday shuttle service was operated between Ongar and North Weald. Trains can run a little further to Coopersale, but there is no station there. The line now The main headquarters is at Ongar station, where a fairly ramshackle selection of railway vehicles is located, as well as a collection of London buses. The station also has a short section of broad gauge (5ft) track and two Finnish locomotives and carriages. The station building has a small cafe and shop selling souvenirs, open on some Sundays, but since 2008 the line has been closed for some major engineering works, scheduled for completion in 2010. They nevertheless still have open days when visitors can wander around Ongar station, and the cafe and shop are staffed by friendly and enthusiastic volunteers. Plans are under way to completely refurbish the station, which at present has a garden, oddly decorated with mannequins and ephemera with a 'goth' and science fiction theme. The station has a small car parking area, and toilets.

This is quite a unique--and probably largely unknown local treasure. The trains run only on…read moreweekends and there are often special events on so it's worth checking the calendar on the website. Tickets cost 13GBP and cover all travel for the day. From Epping station an old Route Master bus picks up passengers and ferries them to North Weald station. At North Weald station there is a very cute old-fashioned dinning car serving sandwiches, teas, coffees, and cakes that is worth checking out. The real highlight is the train--part steam part diesel. It's a very unique way to explore the local area. My father and mother-in-law, whom remember when the line was running, really enjoyed the day as it was a trip down memory lane for them. There were loads of kids on the train, whom all seemed to be enjoying themselves. The train only runs from North Weald to Ongar, but there are a few things in Ongar to check-out and this can easily take up the whole day. The last train back to Epping departs at 4pm from Ongar, which is worth remembering.