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Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 1 (Wizz Air : Gatwick Airport South to Istanbul)

I had just enough time to pop into My Lounge at Gatwick Airport before the flight. It was busy when I entered but they were happily letting Priority Pass customers in without a queue, although it took me a little time to find a power point to ensure I was fully charged for the journey ahead.

There was some fruit for those who like that sort of thing.

And some reliably dreadful tasting Cruzcampo beer, but that’s fine as it’s meant to taste like that and wasn’t a serving error (although it is self-pour).

Our 13:05 flight was delayed by 80 minutes which was a little sub-optimal, but not critical to our travel arrangements.

I don’t entirely trust My Lounge food, but this looked safe enough as a little snack.

Boarding at the gate was, once again, efficient and well ordered. There were some passengers pushing their baggage limits somewhat, but they came unstuck as they were checking some bags. It’s an expensive extra cost for those who thought that they’d get away with it.

Boarding the aircraft which was registration G-WUKS, an aircraft that I don’t think that I’ve been on before. There was another ten minute delay whilst an engineer came on board to tape up a tray table was broken, but then we were good to go.

Jonathan and I had been randomly allocated middle seats which I had been slightly dreading as it was a four hour flight. Fortunately, when I boarded the row of three a couple of rows in front was evidently empty so I made a run (well, brisk walk) towards it. Another passenger mentioned to me that she was also moving there with her husband, but she suggested that I had the aisle seat, which is the one that I wanted anyway.

Jonathan had equally good news in being able to move to an aisle seat. The flight was actually three and a half hours, not four hours, but it’s a lot more comfortable when not wedged into a middle seat. The aircraft was clean throughout and as usual, the cabin crew were friendly, engaging and efficient.

And safely into Istanbul Airport which had no working wifi (I mentioned this a few times to Jonathan), but it’s a grand looking airport and the largest privately owned one in the world. It opened in 2019, replacing Ataturk Airport, and seems to be rather a long way from Istanbul. Anyway, on the positive side, the border control process only took fifteen minutes and we could then plan on getting to the hotel. Design wise, it looks an impressive airport and I’m sure that I’ll be back here again at some point in the future.

Although by this time we were around an hour behind schedule, the whole arrangement from Wizz Air surprised and delighted me, especially since I wasn’t trapped in the middle seat. Coping without wifi for another two hours wasn’t what I expected after landing though, but that’s not the fault of Wizz Air.

January 21, 2026
Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 1 (Hove to Gatwick Airport)

After safely switching platforms during the three minute connection time, I was safely at Hove railway station. To be fair, this isn’t going to be the most complex piece of transportation during this trip, but I was pleased that there were no delays here.

The original Hove railway station opened in 1840, but this was closed in 1880 and the railway station at this site opened in 1865 and was originally known as Cliftonville. It was renamed West Brighton in 1879, then renamed to Hove & West Brighton in 1894 before taking its current name of Hove in 1895.

Here the Southern Railways Thunderbolt rolling into the platform. It was a relatively busy train and an announcement was made that it was stopping additionally at Three Bridges to assist passengers having difficulty with the cancelled services between Brighton and London Gatwick.

We arrived on time into Gatwick Airport railway station which was rebuilt in 1958 from the former Gatwick Racecourse station. As an aside there was also a railway station at Tinsley Green, renamed Gatwick Airport in 1936 (one of the first airport railway stations), but this was later demolished (to make way for the 1958 station) and this was a little further along the line towards Three Bridges.

As an update, Jonathan had already arrived at Gatwick about 45 minutes before, so this meant that we were now both safely at the airport ready for the flight. It was good to arrive on time given we didn’t have a lot of time to spare and it was then promptly announced that our flight was delayed.

And with that, the trip began…..

January 21, 2026
Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 1 (Brighton to Hove)

The morning of our first day started with my walking from the bargain priced Travelodge Brighton Seafront to Jonathan’s more decadent hotel.

A free breakfast courtesy of Jonathan’s accommodation arrangement. Jonathan was going to Gatwick via Flixbus on a bargain priced service which goes from the centre of Brighton. The journey was absolutely perfect in many ways other than they cancelled it, part of the reason that I didn’t book it in the first place.

Jonathan decided to get the train, although his options were somewhat reduced at that point. I had got a £4 rail ticket as part of the national rail sale, but that went from Brighton station to Hove station before connecting to another service. This station opened in 1840 and is mostly still there, but it’s hard to see the original building because of later extensions.

Mine was the 10:13 service and I was pleased that it was operating as usual as a number of services had been cancelled due to over-running engineering works. Jonathan had already departed on the first service he could, better to be safe than sorry when getting to an airport.

They announce the platforms around ten minutes before the train departs with this one departing from platform two. There are eight platforms at the station and some very careful gate line staff who were carefully checking all the tickets, something which took a few minutes as the barriers were rejecting a fair number of tickets, including mine.

My Southern Railways train sweeping in. I had cut this whole arrangement quite tight (well, tight for me), arriving just a couple of hours before my flight departed, due to wanting to get the £4 fare.

I got settled in for the four minute rail journey. There were power outlets and I must have charged my device by around 2% during the extensive journey. The train was relatively clean and organised, with plenty of free seats.

And safely into Hove railway station, where I had a connecting train to Gatwick Airport which departed just three minutes after my train from Brighton got in. A few others were doing the same connection and it feels too tight to me for those who aren’t easily able to navigate the subway between the platforms.

Anyway, that was the first part of the journey done….

January 21, 2026
Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0 (Brighton – Mad Dog Brewery Taproom)

So many bars in Brighton that I haven’t been to, but unfortunately, so little time. Mad Dog is a brewery based in Cardiff, although they have taprooms in not only Cardiff and Brighton, but also Tunbridge Wells and Cheltenham. This venue has been open for around one year, so it’s a relatively new arrival to Brighton.

The beer list, although unfortunately the McStout Face wasn’t available. I opted for the three 1/3 pint beer flight that they offer, all beers from the brewery themselves. The welcome was friendly and so that gave a positive first impression.

The bar is located on the ground floor and that has nearly no seating, but there are seating areas on the first and second floors. It’s a slightly odd set-up, which makes accessibility nearly impossible, but it’s otherwise a clean and tidy arrangement.

They had Cards Against Humanity which brought me some amusement as I’m easily pleased. My first beer was the Marmalade IPA from Mad Dog, this had a gentle orange flavour and was crisp and clean.

Next was the Apollo Galaxy from Mad Dog, a punchy 5.5% (although the board gives a higher ABV) beer which had a taste of citrus from the hops and a bit of sweetness.

And finally the Now in a Minute from Mad Dog, this had a malty edge and a pleasant taste, but it was a bit thin.

The venue wasn’t overly busy when I was there, but the atmosphere was comfortable, informal and inviting. All really rather lovely and it was good to try three different beers from the brewery and I’ll likely visit their Cardiff taproom if I’m back in sunny Wales.

January 20, 2026
Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0 (Travelodge Brighton)

After a quick visit to the Rook Taproom, I popped to Brighton Travelodge Seafront to check-in and I was already pre-pleased with the arrangement as the room cost £22 per night which surprised and delighted me. There was a friendly welcome at reception and the receptionist mentioned that the bar was 24 hours, which is certainly handy.

For the money, I was very impressed with the value as the room was clean, tidy and well presented. The hotel looked a bit knocked about in places, but it’s obviously heavily used. There was a heater in the room and the window actually opened, so the whole range of options as far as I’m concerned.

I had a look at the online reviews and they’re not particularly good, but they’re not a disaster.

“DO NOT GO HERE -Needs redecorating and NOT value for money paid over the top for a scummy room and toilet .Not enough coffee and milk for two people complained to reception . I don’t normally give feed back but do not use Third party websites as you will be over charged and not willing to help.Travel Lodge think before you sell your booking slots…”

There’s a heap of tea and coffee at reception, as much as you could ever want. Definitely don’t buy a Travelodge room via a third party site though….

“I booked a night on the quieter floor but the music from the Pub across the street was unbearable, even with the window closed.”

I can imagine a lot of people don’t like the noise, but it’s probably best not to book a hotel in the centre of Brighton….

“Worst hotel ever! Stains all over the floor, bedding and walls. Kept awake all night by club across the road and the hotels response is well it’s not our hotel is it!”

It’s an honest answer to be fair…

“Yes this hotel is not too expensive and in a great location.
However room was infested with bed bugs causing over 40 bites on the body and then when moved room woke up with more. Was told they can’t offer refunds or compensation as the bites weren’t evidence enough so pest control have to confirm it. Rang 28 times and no one has answered to give a follow up and check If they have even rang pest control to avoid happening to other people.”

I like the reviewer’s precision of 40 bites and 28 calls.

“We paid over £200 for a 1-night stay. They don’t tell you that the hotel is right next to a nightclub that is open until 3am”

I think I would have considered paying £200 for a room as a bit sub-optimal, so they have my sympathy. Anyway, I digress.

And leaving the hotel the following morning. There was a lot of external noise during the night of crashing glasses and shouting people, but I like that kind of constant disruption and I slept through pretty much all of it. Overall, I was very pleased with the whole arrangement and if a room is under £25, then definitely go for it….

January 19, 2026
Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0 (Rook Taproom in Brighton)

As I was in Brighton for the evening, I thought I’d tick off a couple of craft beer bars that I hadn’t visited before. This is the Rook Taproom, formerly the Prince Arthur pub which was reopened in 2023.

The beer list, all rather extensive and there were numerous options that I would have liked to try, but I limited myself to two half pints.

The bar looked modern and on-trend with the service being friendly and engaging. It had a nice inviting feel atmosphere and was relatively busy when I was there, with a main bar and a separate room at the rear.

Some of the extensive cans list.

The Even Rooks Need Beer from Moon Brewery, a smooth, hazy, hoppy and quirky beer with a decent mouthfeel.

The Respectable Mystery from Howling Hops, a slight taste of marmalade and hops, certainly not unpleasant.

It’d be unlikely that a customer couldn’t find something that they liked as there are 22 craft beer taps and over 150 cans, which should surprise and delight a fair number of people. The online reviews are very positive and they’ve actually yet to pick a review of fewer than four stars, so that’s some impressive work.

I imagine that this can get quite busy at times, but it’s certainly worth a visit. The prices were middle of the road, the service was friendly and the surroundings were comfortable. It’s only a short walk from the central area of Brighton and it was clean internally, so definitely recommended.

January 19, 2026
Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0 (Corby to Brighton)

My journey started at Corby railway station when Richard dropped me off before he went onto something quite specialist. This is definitely rail progress for the town, there was a station built here in 1879, but that was closed in 1966. This was clearly a ludicrous decision and it left Corby without a rail link (one of the biggest towns in the country with no railway station), until wiser heads prevailed and this station was opened in 2009, bringing the railways back to the town.

Although not the most decadent of railway stations, and there’s only one platform, the train I needed to get me into St. Pancras arrived on time.

The East Midlands Railways train isn’t the most exciting, there are no power points and they’ve shoved five seats across which really doesn’t work. The guard made an announcement that due to train cancellations this service would be very busy towards London, but, fortunately, it wasn’t too bad at all.

We arrived into St. Pancras on time, although it was all a bit chaotic on the platform as they had passengers waiting for two trains and it took over five minutes to get to the ticket barrier.

One quick underground journey on the Victoria Line between King’s Cross St Pancras and Victoria. Fortunately, this service was operating as usual, although the Piccadilly Line was closed.

This is the Southern Railways train to Gatwick Airport, which despite being 12 coaches long was packed by the time we left London. There are some bus replacement services on the other line into Gatwick, so sensible passengers switched to this route. As a positive point, there were at least power points on this train.

There was an incident on the train when a passenger pressed an emergency alarm in the toilet and the driver made three announcements calling for the guard before announcing he would stop the train if the situation wasn’t resolved. It was unclear to me what the guard was doing, but the train was split into separate units so if the guard was in the bit at the back, it might have been rather more challenging to resolve the situation.

After a quick change at Gatwick Airport, I boarded another service to Brighton. The efficiency of the services meant, to my slight disappointment, that there was no Delay Repay…..

Into Brighton railway station and it’s all happening now….

January 19, 2026
Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0

I’m now off on a trip to Turkey (and hopefully Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) with my friend Jonathan, so my two loyal blog readers will have to wait to hear about the few days in Leeds, Morley, Burton and Corby. I am aware a lot of people are keen to hear the Richard gossip and I will attempt to fulfil that after the Turkey trip……

Anyway, I’ll try and keep the blog up-to-date, but the lack of Internet will be a problem. This journey starts with the departure from Corby railway station, where Richard kindly dropped me off, more on which in the next few posts.

How exciting.

January 19, 2026
Saturday Expedition Around West Norfolk Pubs

It’s always a delight to spend the day with Roy and Jen, and on this occasion we decided to tour some pubs in West Norfolk. Jen, who promised to be on her best behaviour all day, offered to drive which was very helpful to Roy, who is always on his best behaviour, and myself, again also always impeccably behaved. I won’t comment whether she was on her best behaviour, as I’m not one for gossip, but I very much appreciated the excellent driving she provided.

The reason for the pub choice is that they’ve appeared in previous Woodforde’s pub trails and Roy and Jen are merrily ticking them off. I like these completionist type challenges so I was very engaged with the whole logic of their project. I did wonder whether or not the pubs would be ones which surprised and delighted me, but I’m delighted to say that they did. It was also a bonus to visit some Good Beer Guide pubs to tick off my own list, which is entirely unachievable in its scale.

It’s fair to say that there were some great publicans behind the pubs that we visited, it’s a very difficult time for pubs at the moment and country pubs in particular are finding this challenging. All of the pubs offered a friendly welcome and some were just exceptional, such as the beer choice in the White Hart at Ashill and the warmth from the staff and customers at the Chequers Inn in Thompson. It would also be wrong for me not to mention the landlord Barry from the White Horse in Longham, he’s clearly an institution in his own right and that was another highlight.

I’d note that Roy managed a pint in each venue, which shows just how tough he is. I went for half a pint in each venue, but I had snacks at just about every pub in order to compensate slightly. He’s very rufty tufty is that Roy.

The pubs we visited were:

The Eagle, Great Hockham

Wretham, Dog & Partridge (permanently closed)

Thompson, Chequers Inn

Watton, Kings Arms

Saham Toney, Old Bell

Ashill, White Hart

Castle Acre, Ostrich Inn

Longham, White Horse

Yaxham, Rani’s Indian

The Indian is in what was the Mill pub, it was very welcoming although excuse that I’ve written a bit at length about the food as I get excited visiting new Indian restaurants and feel the need to comment. We also visited the Artichoke in Norwich for a few post-event drinks, but I frequently write about that and will do so even more in the future.

Roy and Jen were once again great company and I’m looking forwards to the next little adventure.

January 15, 2026
Yaxham – Rani’s Indian Dining (formerly Mill pub)

Our chosen food location of the day was Rani’s Indian Dining at Yaxham, located near to Dereham. This was something of a perfect combination of a former pub that Roy wanted to visit, originally the Mill, alongside an Indian restaurant which is one of my most favourite things to visit. And it was also my first time in Yaxham for a few years, this is a village that I’ve led a few walks around.

What is now the restaurant was originally the miller’s house, with the current mill dating from the middle of the nineteenth century. Its being a licensed premises is more recent, becoming a restaurant in the 1990s and it became an Indian restaurant in around 2018.

We hadn’t booked, but fortunately there was enough space for us, although it was busy when we arrived. There were a few people waiting for takeaways and combined with the positive online reviews, they’re evidently pleasing lots of people.

The poppadoms and dips, the lime pickle was my highlight here and the poppadoms were suitably crispy.

I’m not entirely sure that this was the pint advertised….

The highlight here was the lemon rice, which was light with plenty of lemon in the taste. The peshwari naan was a little heavy in texture, but had a pleasant enough taste. Without trying to be overly negative, the chicken Dupiaza was lacking in sauce and it’s not meant to be a dry curry so that did impact the whole arrangement.

The chicken was generous in quantity and it was tender, but this meant to be a medium hot curry and there was an absence of any depth of taste to the sauce and certainly no heat so that felt sub-optimal. The onion element was a little heavy and needed cooking down more, but it was really the lack of flavour that was the major limitation alongside with the lack of sauce. As a meal it was perfectly enjoyable, but it shouldn’t really be the case that there’s more heat and depth of flavour from a JD Wetherspoon curry.

The service was just a little disjointed, but it was friendly and the environment was clean and comfortable. The surroundings were inviting and it felt a warm atmosphere, with the service always being attentive and I’m always pleased to get a chocolate with the bill as a positive final touch.

Although it’s often something of a shame that a pub is lost to be a restaurant, it’s marvellous that the venue has survived. And some history has remained, the mill is still located behind the restaurant and there’s some accommodation here as well. And there’s more about the history of the mill at https://www.norfolkmills.co.uk/Windmills/yaxham-towermill.html.

January 15, 2026