Read this blog: The one where Matilda enjoys getting her face wet Monday 23rd to Wednesday 25th February 2026 On Monday morning after a rather fitful night’s sleep, Robert was awake early enough to see the sunrise from our beach. As previously mentioned, the tide was too far out for us to be able to swim within the designated area: Robert only managed to get in to his knees. Instead, we walked along the beach and out to the pontoon which gives access to rooms over the water. From the raised walkway, we saw plenty of wildlife swimming amongst the coral including yellow tailed clown fish and shoals of needle fish. However, the highlight was undoubtedly the young sharks swimming languidly in the shallows [see also Video of the day], sometimes with their fins visible above the water. As a woman who doesn’t like to get her face wet whether swimming in a pool or simply washing with soap and water, Matilda was a little anxious about undertaking going snorkelling. But as she has frequently read that it is beneficial to challenge yourself and leave your comfort zone – and we both like to get our money’s worth – Matilda […]
Monthly Archives: February 2026
Read this blog: The one where low tide is un-swimmable Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd February 2026 The first stage of our Sri Lankan adventure is a short stopover in the Maldives. Our early evening flight from Heathrow meant that we could watch the Six Nations‘ England vs Ireland rugby match in the airport Wetherspoons. By half-time, Robert was wishing we hadn’t bothered. The flight, combined with the five hour time difference meant that we saw the sunrise from the stratosphere. Meanwhile, the couple behind us were having an extended argument and we couldn’t help but feel that their holiday/honeymoon was not going to go well. Such a shame when they were going to this incredible bucket-list destination. We arrived at Terminal One [international flights] and discovered that we had to walk to Terminal Two to find our transport to the Villa Nautica resort which is located on Lankanfinolhu Island on the North Malé Atoll. There will be more about the geography of this region in future blogs. Villa Nautica is just a 20-minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport in the capital city of Malé. When they describe the transport as a speedboat rather than a water taxi, they are […]
Read this blog: The one where our helicopter ride is cancelled Monday 8th to Tuesday 16th September 2025 From Taunton we drove on to Penzance, where we had booked to stay overnight in The Longboat Inn before catching the first helicopter over to Tresco in the morning. Robert first attempted to buy lifetime membership of the National Trust for Matilda when we visited St Michael’s Mount in 2021 but although a man had been installed under a gazebo to encourage people to join, he found he could not take the payment. We subsequently visited Godolphin House where the membership was successfully purchased and Matilda got her first property stamp. Consequently, although we have visited St Michael’s Mount relatively recently, Matilda wanted to go back just to get her NT passport stamp. Crossing to the island depends on the tide. Last time we visited the tide was high and we made the journey by boat. This time we coincided with low tide and so could enjoy the walk across the causeway. Robert prefers this option as it is free. This year we had invited Ruth and Matt to join us for our annual trip to Tresco. The plan had been that […]
Read this blog: The one where Robert tries his hand at milling Sunday 7th September 2025 We set off for another day of cultural visits to make the most of Matilda’s life time membership of the National Trust. First on Matilda’s route was Knightshayes – a house built in the 19th century gothic revival style for Sir John Heathcoat Amory. The grand stable block was built in 1871. It now houses a café and shops and people who know Matilda will understand that the café is always an important part of the experience. We arrived before we could enter the house and so took a stroll around the kitchen garden. Walled kitchen gardens were designed to create warm micro-climates and thereby extend the growing season so that the owners/residents could enjoy fresh produce beyond the usual natural season for crops. From the late 1880s until the 1970s the vast kitchen garden was used to grow crops of vegetables, fruit and herbs, but subsequently fell into disrepair. In the 1970s the gates were locked and the garden was neglected and used for sheep grazing until the National Trust started restorations. Now, following an extensive garden restoration after the National Trust took over […]
Read this blog: The one where Robert imposes a culture limit Saturday 6th September 2025 We had decided to make the most of Matilda’s life membership of the National Trust by visiting a few properties on our way down to Penzance for our annual visit to Tresco and the Isles of Scilly. We booked to stay in Taunton for two nights to break the journey and Matilda identified several places within easy driving distance. Our first stop was Lytes Carey Manor which is well-known for its Arts and Crafts inspired garden. It was originally built and extended by the Lytes family over a period spanning five centuries before financial difficulties forced them to give up their home in the 18th century. After a period of neglect, Sir Walter and Lady Flora Jenner acquired the property in 1907 and started to restore the manor and grounds aiming for “grandeur on an intimate scale”. We felt they had been quite successful in their endeavours. Our next stop was Montacute House, just a twenty minute drive away, which the National Trust describes as a “masterpiece of Elizabethan Renaissance architecture and design”. An imposing three-storey building, Montacute House has tall windows; is topped by […]
Read this blog: The one where we came in from the cold Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st August 2025 To fulfil his contract as a Product Manager, Robert aims to spend three days a month in the Great Rail Journeys’ office in York whenever his travel commitments allow. He had identified that the weekend before his August dates coincided with some of the Women’s Rugby Union World Cup matches being played at York Community Stadium. Tickets cost just £25. Of course we wanted to go and were lucky enough to be able to book tickets and extended his hotel booking. As we waited to board our train at King’s Cross we had a swift cappuccino. The architecture here reminded Robert of the Vortex waterfall at Singapore Changi Airport. Robert’s first port of call when we arrived was the York Tap at the railway station where he always aims to enjoy a raspberry beer if time allows. There is no shortage of fine hostelries in York but Matilda had read an article mentioning the garden of The Fat Badger and demanded that this be included in the route for the evening. Unfortunately as it was raining, it was not really the right […]