Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • Norwich – FupBurger @ the Dog House

    Norwich – FupBurger @ the Dog House

    Having been away from Norwich for a while, I’ve started to get a little behind with visiting some of the more popular places that have opened up in recent months. This is FupBurger who are located the Dog House pub in Norwich, although they seem to now be so dominant here that they might as well just change the name of the pub. We arrived at 17:30, but the venue was full by 18:00 and they were turning customers, all of whom were looking for food, away.

    The drinks menu where the prices are towards the higher end of the scale. The beer options are credible, but broadly not particularly interesting to me.

    The concept is primarily that of burgers, but there are a range of other options there as well such as nachos and loaded fries. The meat is locally sourced and provided by Clarkes Butchers in Hevingham and is is positive to know the origins of the food. FupBurger also have another set-up similar to this, at the Harbour Inn in Lowestoft.

    The staff in the pub were all friendly, with a welcoming greeting and engaging table service offered. There’s quite a fast turnover of tables here, but we were never rushed during our time here, even when they were turning customers away because they were so busy.

    The Mangolicious from the Laine Brew Co in Brighton, which was a fruity beer which tasted of mango, although it wasn’t particularly rich or decadent.

    And the main event, I ordered the double burger with a side of fries. The fries were heavily salted, even for my quite liberal needs (can salt tastes be liberal?) but tasted fine. The burger was meaty and this was quite decadent, rich and tasting of a good quality. The cheese was ideal for me, just processed slices of American cheese rather than some overpowering cheese sauce which wrecked the whole thing. There was plenty of burger sauce, something I also liked, although their recipe for that is secret but it’s mayonnaise based. The bacon was crispy rather than fatty and the brioche roll was fresh, with the whole arrangement being the sort of burger that I like.

    The pricing isn’t cheap, especially with the 10% service charge automatically added, but the surroundings are clean, the staff are friendly, it’s all on-trend and the food was of a very good quality. The burgers are also very Instagrammable, especially for those who order the Quad burger, and some of the popularity of the restaurant has been driven by their social media engagement. I don’t know if they’ll be able to keep the novelty factor up, but that the quality is high, they’ve got a good chance of remaining relevant and popular. Given all that, I was glad to visit this restaurant and I can see why it has become so busy over recent months.

  • Norwich – White Lion

    Norwich – White Lion

    I used to visit the White Lion on Oak Street in Norwich regularly and indeed had my 40th birthday get together there as well. However, in recent years, the bright lights of the Artichoke, Plasterers, Leopard and King’s Head have shone brighter, and they’re also much nearer to where I live, so I haven’t visited much.

    And here’s one of my favourite photos, Andrew and Susan enjoying themselves, with an eight year old looking Nathan serving behind the bar. Hopefully he won’t read this before we go to the pub tonight…..

    Anyway, I went back at the weekend as it was the Legstretchers Christmas party. This is the very exciting long-distance walking group of Norfolk Ramblers that I brought back to life in 2016, but I retired a couple of months ago and Maria and Stephen have now taken it over. Maria had a marvellous idea to host the Christmas party at the White Lion, so I felt the need to go along.

    The food and drinks menu….

    Back in the day, the White Lion was a cider pub and probably the best in Norwich, an award it frequently won from CAMRA. I had the Black Prince Porter from Bexley Brewery and the Kaiser from Welbeck Abbey Brewery, which were both well-kept, but they weren’t the most exciting and there was a limited depth of flavour from either. The keg selection of beers at the White Lion is quite weak, but at least they’ve got a number of real ales available.

    The burger, which was sufficiently meaty and tasted of a decent quality, with the wedges being cooked perfectly. I didn’t quite work out what the slightly hard lumps on the burger were, but the coleslaw was very moreish. A number of our group was eating and everyone seemed happy with their food, with the portion of nachos looking very generous.

    After we had listened to Richard sneezing, this was my attempt to teach everyone the rules of bar billiards after the meal……

    On the service, well, that was excellent. The member of staff behind the bar was engaging, friendly and personable, so the welcome felt authentic and genuine. Indeed, all of the staff members were warm and hospitable, there’s a really good team working here and they were a great credit to the pub. This feels like a really well-run pub and I suspect that someone new to the area who wanted to meet new friends would have some success here, a key measure of a venue in my eyes.

    If I’m being honest, the beer selection isn’t quite decadent enough to tempt me away from my usual haunts. However, what they had was well-kept and the pub is offering one of the best welcomes that I’ve had this year, so that’s all really positive. I’m sure that I shall visit again, perhaps on a more regular basis to recent months. I’ve never had the Sunday lunch here, either because I’ve been walking or out of the country, but it’s well reviewed and I will get the chance to try it one day…..

  • Heathrow Airport – ExpressTest PCR Testing at T5

    Heathrow Airport – ExpressTest PCR Testing at T5

    I can’t say that I was particularly looking forwards to this, the PCR test that I had pre-booked with ExpressTest to be completed at Heathrow T5 following my arrival back from Poland. There’s been a lot of confusion about Day 2 tests and I note that British Airways have put out advertising today to remind customers that these tests can be taken any time after landing, they don’t need to wait until Day 2. But, I wanted to get this whole thing out of the way as it was already stressing me. The information in the e-mail was clear and I was easily able to find the testing centre which is at the far end of the Heathrow T5 arrivals hall (at the other end to the Underground).

    I had pre-booked a time that allowed for lots of delays with the flight and border control, which didn’t ultimately happen. However, the cheerful staff member at the front of the queue checking documents said that it didn’t matter, it was just to try and manage the number of people and I could just join the queue. That was helpful, as I didn’t fancy sitting near to the testing area worrying and sulking for an hour. I had already annoyed several friends by telling them how brave I was being, even though that’s usually a slight hint that I’m not entirely happy.

    Anyway, after being entertained by a man who said that he had booked a test at Heathrow T4 and the terminal was shut and wanted his test here instead (they obliged, although he was very rude) I was welcomed by a staff member after a few minutes in the queue. I was walked to a little area with a seat and I carefully surveyed the area to see where I might need to faint safely (I didn’t want to hit my head on any metal or sharp corners) if it all became too much. Anyway, the medical professional (I don’t know how trained they are, but I told myself they were a very experienced and senior consultant even though they were clearly aged about 22) was very tolerant of my comments of how frightening this was.

    After I had mentioned my bravery six times, the patient and tolerant lady explained that actually some people did faint and a lot were very scared. That helped no end, so I prepared myself for the surgery (apparently this isn’t actually technically classed as surgery, but I’d prepared for that sort of thing in my mind). I was so brave that the whole thing was over in thirty seconds and I didn’t gag or sneeze, so I was slightly disappointed as I felt that it was now easy for friends to say I had over-worried about the arrangement. The medical professional agreed that I deserved some sweets, which was handy as I had procured some chocolates earlier in the day.

    I thought that the whole process was professionally managed and the staff there were all helpful. I can’t say that I was thrilled to spend £60 on this, as that’s three months of unlimited Pret coffee, but there we are. It’s a little bit cheaper for BA customers who quote the BA code which is on the web-site. Just have to hope the test doesn’t come back positive now.

  • British Airways (Warsaw to London Heathrow T5)

    British Airways (Warsaw to London Heathrow T5)

    After a few weeks in Poland, it was unfortunately time to come back with a feeling of uncertainty of how the PCR test thing was going to work out in Heathrow. I left the Mercure Airport hotel at 08:45 to catch my flight at 12:45, expecting to get to the lounge at 10:00 sort of time (which is for me cutting it very fine). Everything went right with the train to the airport, there was no wait at the security area (indeed, there were no other passengers which felt really odd) and the customs check didn’t take long, so I was at the Bolero Lounge by 09:30. But more about that bit of today in another post.

    There it is, the BA847 service from Warsaw to London Heathrow T5 which was departing a little late due to being held up on the outbound flight to Poland.

    Arriving at the gate shortly before boarding commenting, I heard the gate staff call Groups 1 to 3 and I was the second person to board. Well, I should have been the second to board, but the staff member refused me boarding saying that my mask wasn’t sufficient for British Airways. To cut a long story short, this led to a rush to find a member of the airport staff to help me find a shop selling them, as the member of gate staff was absolutely hopeless in offering assistance.

    What actually happened here, which became apparent after I spoke to a member of LOT Polish airlines at the airport is that the staff member had got the rules wrong, as British Airways and LOT Polish (who have their hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport) have different mask policies. However, if I had gone to discuss that point I was in serious danger of missing the flight and likely being off-loaded for being unhelpful. I have no intention of being uncooperative at an airport, there are too many downsides…. Fortunately, the airport staff member and a member of shop staff managed to sell me the required mask. I was able to board, but only just and it wasn’t an ideal situation.

    After boarding, the crew member confirmed that my mask met the requirements of British Airways, but they handed out masks anyway on boarding to anyone who didn’t have one. I’ve spoken to British Airways  who have apologised for the gate staff. It doesn’t much matter now as these are challenging times for all staff at airports, but I would have been quite annoyed if I had missed the flight. I assume if I had returned to the gate without the mask that some other airlines I wasn’t flying with required then someone might have spoken to the crew to check the situation, but it’s not really worth risking that.

    I shall drink one extra beer in the British Airways lounge next time I’m in it to compensate for the situation as I’m petty like that. But it wasn’t British Airways staff who were unhelpful here, so they’re still my favourite airline. And LOT Polish Airlines, who I suspect the gate staff are usually working for, are part of Star Alliance anyway and I’ve only got eyes for Oneworld airlines.

    This was the British Airways aircraft I was struggling to board and its livery is certainly distinctive. It’s aircraft G-TTNA, A320neo which was delivered to BA in April 2018. It was repainted a couple of months ago as it was used in the COP26 talks in Scotland, showing the contribution of the airline industry to tackle the climate crisis.

    An Airbus spokesperson said at the time:

    “We’re delighted to be partnering with BA on this journey and feel proud BA has chosen one of our A320neos to highlight the importance of sustainability for the future of the industry.

    The aircraft has 20% less fuel burn & CO2 emissions compared to A320ceo and 50% less noise so it’s a great choice and I am looking forward to seeing the new livery in the sky. BA is committed to a sustainable future and contributing positively to climate change mitigation and adaptation. We will achieve the ambition of a net zero carbon emissions industry by 2050 through cooperation and collaboration and this initiative is a clear example of that.”

    It’s a nice concept, although it’s very hard to identify it as a British Airways aircraft at a distance and it puzzled me for a little while (not that that really takes much).

    I deliberately moved out of my exit row seat the day before the flight, as I find it more faff trying to fit my bag into the overhead lockers above those seats. That would have been especially true on this flight due to boardinggate, so I was pleased that I had put myself in an aisle seat near to the rear of the aircraft. I had forgotten how little leg room there is, but it’s fine for a short distance flight and there was no-one in the middle seat. Everything was I expected, other than the USB power at my seat wasn’t working, although I could have used one on a different seat if I had needed to.

    The free snack and water (I took the photo later, I didn’t have a pillow on board) which was offered. The crew were engaging, efficient and pro-active, another near perfect service from British Airways staff. The pilot, a bastion of professionalism (as they nearly always are) made appropriate and useful announcements, including telling us that we were arriving in Heathrow having made up most of the lost time. The aircraft was clean and the crew were handing out disinfectant wipes from a basket on boarding (the same basket that the masks were in).

    Anyway, another excellent flight from British Airways only impacted by the airport’s gate staff, but maybe that’s what Star Alliance customers are used to flying from the airport so that’s fair enough.

    Incidentally, I know some people have experienced long delays at the border at Heathrow T5, but I was through in under one minute, just ready to go and take a PCR test. After I managed to board, the flight and arrivals process was effortless, so all rather lovely.

  • London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – Holiday Inn Express

    London – Wandsworth (Borough of) – Holiday Inn Express

    I’m posting out of order again in case anyone wonders how I’ve gone so quickly from Warsaw to Wandsworth….. This is my stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Wandsworth, London from last week which was handily paid for by rewards points.

    I arrived a little early, at around 14:30, which is well before the 16:00 check-in, but I thought I could always sit and work in the hotel’s bar if the room wasn’t ready. I mentioned to the friendly member of check-in staff that I knew I was quite early and he said that a room probably wasn’t ready, but he’d have a look. I gave him my name and he replied:

    “Mr White, you’re a Platinum member, there’s always a room ready”.

    I don’t think I’d ever dare go into a hotel and say “I’m Platinum, I want a room now” as that might lead to a DYKWIA moment (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/2002071-dykwia-2020-21-edition.html) but handy to know. I suspect that I’ve reached Platinum status with one of the lowest spends possible, other than people such as my friend Richard who just bought their status (but he’s very decadent and would very likely go into a hotel and demand a room).

    The room, all to brand standard and spotlessly clean, so all rather lovely.

    The view from my window and that’s the Thames between the buildings. The windows opened so that I could hear the comings and goings of Wandsworth…..

    The beer choice wasn’t entirely ideal and I only realised that they had Goose Island IPA too late, the staff member didn’t list that as an option. This is Peroni, which I personally think is bland and a bit pointless, but that makes me sound like a craft beer snob who sneers at lagers, but there we go…..

    I like these, indications of when breakfast will be the busiest.

    Breakfast was busy, although I was able to take this photo during a lull in proceedings. It did get quite a bit more hectic and I didn’t think that things were entirely logically laid out. By that, I mean I kept getting muddled up, so I blame the hotel rather than myself.

    The standard Holiday Inn Express breakfast options were available, which were the four hot items of baked beans, sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs, alongside pastries, yoghurt, cereals, toast and the like. Breakfast is included in the room rate of Holiday Inn Express outlets and it’s entirely serviceable.

    Given that this stay was free with rewards points, I’m not entirely sure what it usually costs, but I think it’s usually somewhere around the £70 per night mark, which is rather too decadent for me. However, it’s easy to get to by public transport and it took me just over an hour to walk to Victoria Coach Station the next morning. The staff were friendly, the hotel was clean and so all was well.

  • British Airways (London Heathrow T5 to Warsaw)

    British Airways (London Heathrow T5 to Warsaw)

    For the first time in just over a year, I’ve been able to get the chance to return to Poland, something which I’m more than pleased with. That meant a journey from London’s Heathrow T5 into Warsaw Chopin airport with the hope that I had collected together the correct documents.

    I’ve written about the BA T5 Galleries South Lounge before and so won’t repeat that, as not much has changed recently in terms of its operation. Drinks are still self-service, but food needs to be ordered via a QR code and is brought over by staff. The food delights in the morning included the breakfast option of a bacon roll with hash brown, alongside a fruit salad. The lunch-time options included Vietnamese vegetable curry, chicken jalfrezi with lime & coriander rice, beef keema with rice, mixed leaf salad, five bean salad with feta and a black rice, Quinoa & Edamame salad. I went for the jalfrezi and five bean salad, with the former being excellent and the latter being OK but a little short on feta. I’m always content with the quality of the food, but some people inevitably moan about BA’s offering.

    The lounge was though the busiest that I’ve seen it and that perhaps suggests some sort of normality is definitely returning. A couple of customers were completely rude in their dealing with the staff and although I wanted to say something, I thought that no good could possibly come from that. I was able to get one of the high seats by the power points and remained in the lounge for three hours or so, all very relaxing.

    The gate wasn’t called for ten minutes after it was meant to have been, instead it then switched to ‘please wait’. I guessed that this meant it would be departing from A10, the bus gate.

    And here we are, the bus gates. Boarding was well managed and Group 1 and then Groups 1 to 3 were allowed to board first. I’m in Group 2, as I’m not decadent enough to be in Group 1, but that was enough to get on the bus first.

    The bus was a little over-filled I thought (I didn’t photograph that), not in terms of it being dangerous, it just wasn’t comfortable for those who boarded last.

    And time to board, the aircraft was the A320 G-EUYT, which I’ve never flown on before. And I accept that no-one is really bothered about that, but there we go…. The aircraft was brought into service in February 2014 and it has only been used by British Airways.

    I had a seat in the emergency exit row which I like because of the slight extra space, but dislike that my bag has to be in the overhead lockers. For the first time I’ve seen though, a member of cabin crew was guarding the lockers by the emergency exits so that customers could ensure that their bags were placed there and not half way down the plane. Although I boarded early and this didn’t make any difference to me, it did speed up boarding later on.

    The flight was full and I’m not sure that there were any empty seats. The customer next to me arrived towards the end of boarding and started to put his bag on the floor. I was standing up as I was in the aisle seat and let him in, thoughtfully asking him if he wanted to put that bag in the overhead locker. He replied “no” and in my very British way I added “are you sure, it might be easier?” to which he replied “no” again so I sat back down. The customer at the window seat, who seemed perfectly friendly, was more direct and said only slightly gruffly “that bag needs to go in the overhead locker”, at which point I had to stand up again as that more direct approach worked.

    The aircraft was meant to take off at 15:15 and arrive at 18:50, but we took off late due to a delay in the baggage being loaded. We eventually took off at 15:47, but time was made up en route and we arrived at 18:46 (can I add that I didn’t sit and measure that, I took that information from Flight Radar). As an aside, the crew weren’t handing out wipes for customers to clean their seat area as they’ve done over the last year, I’m not sure whether that’s by omission or whether that has been scrapped.

    The on-board catering and I’m happy with this, it annoyed me when they removed it. There’s the option to buy additional items, but I noticed only a handful of people did so. Crisps and water is sufficient for me though, it wasn’t a long flight.

    The fare cost me £30 each way, which I have to say continues to offer excellent value for money, especially given that BA funded lounge access for me before the flight. The crew were friendly, the aircraft was spotlessly clean and the pilots were professional with timely announcements. I have nothing really to fault BA on, I thought that this was a well managed service.

    For those interested, anyone going to Poland at the moment needs to fill in a locator form and have their Covid pass ready, with both being checked. The Brexit arrangements mean that British travellers are inevitably now sent to a different area which all takes longer and passports are now stamped. Some idiotic British passenger (I admit to be judgemental as she was being rude) was lucky to be allowed in as she was complaining that she was being asked where she was staying and why was only she being asked? The member of the Polish Border Guard was calm and helpful, not mentioning that it was because she hadn’t bothered to fill in a locator form. This whole process only took around five minutes though and with that, I was back in Poland. How very lovely.

  • Keighley – The Livery Rooms

    Keighley – The Livery Rooms

    I wasn’t going to write about the Wetherspoons in Keighley, hence no photo of the front of the pub. But I’m in a good mood (although I’m not sure what relevance that is to anything…..) and it’ll help me remember that I’ve been here….

    Firstly, the building itself, I’ll copy the history of the pub from JD Wetherspoon’s own web-site:

    “At the end of the 19th century, ‘first-class, sprung carriages pulled by grays or bays’ were available for hire from the livery stables which stood next to and partly on the site of this Wetherspoon pub. North Street was laid out in 1786, but was not developed until the 1880s, when it was widened and the first of the large imposing buildings was constructed. In the 1890s, this site was partly occupied by a cabman’s shelter at the front and the town hall livery stables at the rear. The stables’ offices were converted into the Regent cinema in 1920, later to become a bingo hall.”

    This is Keighley in 1900 and the Livery Rooms is located where it says ‘hall’ and there’s pretty much nothing else left today other than the free library. The public baths have gone, the Mechanics’ Institute has gone and the streets at the top left of the map have all been swept away.

    Anyway, back to the modern day. I went for a half pint of Broomstick Bitter from Moorhouse’s Brewery, which was well kept, at the appropriate temperature (my friend Nathan always likes me to point that out) and had a perfectly pleasant taste. Service was friendly, although I was inwardly moderately annoyed as there were two of us at the bar when the barman came along and I mentioned the other customer was first, so he correctly served him. After that, he then went to serve someone who had just arrived at the bar, but I was pleased that this new potential interloper at the bar told the barman he wasn’t next, so I was served in turn.

    The pub was unclean and the staff were ignoring the issue, which I mention solely because I routinely note how clean pubs and bars are, so it seems reasonable to mention the reverse. The carpet was flooded with litter and tables weren’t routinely cleared, although the pub was arguably over-staffed. This ties in with the reviews on-line, which are a fair bit below the average I’d expect for a JD Wetherspoon pub, so there are probably some problems here. Anyway, I should have better things to write about than the relative performance of different JD Wetherspoon outlets. Although I probably don’t since I’m writing this. But, I digress.

    Although on the subject of reviews, I noted this:

    “Manger, I am appalled with your service, my daughter and her friends came for tea as they haven’t seen each other since March because of lockdown and you seem to think it’s okay to say they can’t sit in and eat a meal because they are underage.”

    I’ve heard this before when a group of kids come in and try and get served, even if it’s soft drinks, as if it’s somehow not a pub but a McDonald’s. Slightly odder when the parent goes on-line and gives a low rate because the “manger” is following licensing rules….

    I liked this review:

    “We decided to go in at 11.45 as they were closing soon. Just before midnight ovbiously last orders was shouted. I said i’m not getting another as I had about a 1/4 of a pint left. I think we’d had 3 pints whilst there. Straight after within minutes the shift manager Natalie started shouting can you drink up please as she walked past with another staff member Jake. Both looked very stressed out. I merely said ‘Don’t we get 20 minutes drinking up time?’ Which was replied with a very curt no. The next think the friend I hadn’t seen for years started shouting ‘Let’s start a revolution.’ Jake angrily said to the shift manageress ‘Barr them!!!’ I couldn’t believe this, that kid when he first started there a couple of years ago was a star and I told him you’ve ace with the customers. But that night he was a very angry young man. I told my friend to shut up and led him out quickly giving him a bollocking cos they will bar you and that’s my fav pub”

    I’m with the pub as soon as I saw “started shouting”….. But I’m like that, I can’t be dealing with raucous behaviour in pubs.

    What I can’t complain about is being charged £1 for half a pint of decent real ale, so that was very lovely. Friendly staff, but all a bit rickety at the edges and given the times in which we live, the pub should have been at least a bit cleaner.. The pub opened in 2004, but the chain spent £830,000 under two years ago to modernise the venue and that really wasn’t evident and it’s a shame the pub was in a state given that investment. As an aside, it would be remiss of me (even though it wasn’t the pub’s fault) not to mention for the sake of the historic record the horrendous event that received national attention in 2009……

  • Haworth – Mill Hey Brew House

    Haworth – Mill Hey Brew House

    I was tempted into this venue by the name, as anything called a Brew House sounds suitable exciting and worth a visit.

    I was a little disappointed at this point as there were no decent keg options although there were a couple of cask options, the Saltaire Blonde and the Chinook Blonde from Goose Eye Brewery.

    It was spotlessly clean, although I don’t think that it had been burdened by many customers earlier on during the day.

    The Chinook Blonde which is made in nearby Keighley and didn’t meet my expectations. The beer wasn’t good and I think was on the turn, but it remained just about drinkable for me not to send back. It was becoming evident why there were nearly no customers and an examination of their Untappd check-ins showed that there was rarely anything of particular note here in terms of the beer.

    I’m not really sure what customer base this venue is hoping for, but it perhaps needs to rebrand a little and it’s hard to understand their motives as their web-site has been closed. I liked the friendliness of the service, but with no food being served and no beer of note, there’s little that I could say stood out for me here. I understand that beers were brewed here by Mill Hey brewery, but it looks like they’re no longer trading, or at least there’s nothing suggesting that they are. All really a bit bland.

  • National Express : London Victoria Coach Station to Bradford

    National Express : London Victoria Coach Station to Bradford

    I’m posting out of order again (as in not in date order, I’m not being any more controversial than usual) as this was my National Express journey from London to get to the LDWA groups’ weekend being held in Haworth.

    This is the National Express coach that departed from Gate 14 at the always cramped Victoria coach station in London. I was the first to board, not least as I was keen to get to my emergency exit row seat to get about an extra 2.5 centimetres of space. There was a friendly welcome from the drivers, who were switching around at Milton Keynes or somewhere similar given the distance.

    Here we are after having boarded, with the coach being clean and comfortable. National Express seem to be one of the companies who are doing their best to keep their transport clean given the current health crisis.

    And then we sat there for a while….. The driver made an announcement at the departure time that the coach was going to wait on a delayed coach given that there were connecting passengers. He had been told by the control room that the passengers were at the coach station and would be boarding soon, but after numerous delays the driver came on about 15 minutes after departure time and said “control said that we can go without the other passengers”.

    That put us 15 minutes behind, but London was busy and the coach crawled out of the capital slowly and clearly getting behind schedule. I’m surprised that National Express make these schedules so optimistic, as there was nothing that the driver could have done and I’d have thought it’s better to err on the side of caution and expect delays rather than to expect the coach driver to storm the vehicle up the M1. The coach was meant to take just over five hours to get from London to Bradford, but it transpired to be nearer to seven hours by the time that it got there.

    The coach was quiet until Milton Keynes, when it became pretty packed. It was still comfortable enough though and the air vents and power worked as expected, so the temperature was appropriate. The driver did make regular announcements about the delay, so he did what he could and kept everyone informed.

    I was getting picked up at Bradford Interchange to get a lift to YHA Haworth, but it transpired that it was better for me to get off at Leeds and my lift picked me up from there instead. That was handy as it gave me chance to walk to a Head of Steam that I haven’t visited before, but meant I didn’t get to go on the coach all the way to Bradford, and incidentally nor did nearly anyone else and this seemed primarily a service used by customers going to Leeds.

    I would have preferred to get the train from London to Keighley, which is the nearest railway station to Haworth, but that would have cost at least £70 which was just too decadent. This coach journey cost £10 and that seems pretty decent value to me.

  • London – Islington (Borough of) – Travelodge Farringdon

    London – Islington (Borough of) – Travelodge Farringdon

    Not to be confused with the Travelodge King’s Cross Royal Scot, which is located about a two-minute walk down the road, I’ve stayed at this hotel for £24.99 per night over the last two Sundays. It’s about a ten-minute walk from London King’s Cross and a little further from Farringdon station. That situation was particularly ideal as my train into London was arriving at King’s Cross, avoiding me needing to cross London in the late evening. I like walking, but there are no shortages of buses going down the road for anyone with luggage or accessibility issues.

    The double room which was spacious as it had a separate seating area and it was clean, although the carpet in places looked like they’d picked it up out of a skip. Plenty of teas and coffees, a modern looking television (although I didn’t turn it on) and a working air conditioning unit which I think is really quite impressive for a budget chain such as Travelodge. It was easy to control the temperature and I was pleased to make the room nice and cold, with no real noise disturbances internally or externally that couldn’t be expected from a central London location.

    The view from my room, with those windows to the right being the corridor, it wasn’t possible to look into the rooms of other guests. It wasn’t herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain in terms of the view, but I’ve had worse.

    I didn’t realise at the time, but last Sunday I had booked a single room, whereas for the same price this week I had a double room. This size room was fine for me though, but I preferred the larger amount of space.

    Anyway, a perfectly decent hotel with friendly staff, a clean environment and a need for some refurbishment, although I think that this process is now underway. Really though for £24.99 in central London, it’d be hard to expect anything more (well, I suppose they could have given me a Twix, but that’s not something I expected in a Travelodge) so I was really quite pleased with the whole arrangement on both visits.