c4countdown

This subject started as a spin-off to the "Apterous on Tour" thread and I thought it merited a thread in its own right.

I started out this year with a week in Las Vegas in late January. Just me and the wife went (we left the kids at home with a friend). We stayed at THEHotel at Mandalay Bay. It was a fantastic hotel with a great view over the pyramid at Luxor and down the Strip. Mandalay Bay had some really good places to eat, including the House of Blues (live music while you ate). Saw the Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. Went on a trip to the Grand Canyon, including a walk out on the glass Skywalk (that was amazing). On the Friday night, we went to see Tom Jones live at the MGM (had waitress service in a booth on the 2nd row). Tom still had the ability to have the (mainly female) audience eating out of his hand. My jaw dropped when several gorgeous twenty somethings walked past me to queue up to throw their knickers at Tom. Fantastic weather circa 70F.

Last week, we went to Warwickshire with the 2 youngest (9 & 11). Stayed at the Ardencote Manor country house hotel at Claverdon for 5 nights. This was great value through Late Rooms.com (Reduced from £205 pn to £100 inc full English breakfast). We were even given a double room and a twin room (with interconnecting door) as a "family room" in a new wing. Lots of facilities at the hotel - golf course, gym, indoor and outdoor swimming pool, tennis. It was great - I would definitely recommend this hotel and also the Durham Ox at Shrewley for somewhere to eat on a night. Went to Warwick and the Castle on Monday (p.s. the kids got free tickets and adults were discounted via the hotel package for this and other attractions); Alton Towers on Tues; Stratford on Avon on Weds; Oxford on Thurs and then Cadbury World on the way home on Friday. Had a good time despite it raining on and off (particularly on Weds).

Would anybody else like to share their travels?

I went to Israel and Palestine in January, the flights were super cheap because Israel were at war at the time.

Also been camping loads. Was in the New Forest a few weeks ago. Having families of wild horses mooching around outside your tent is pretty cool.

Gonna be non-stop travelling with mates next year for as long as possible, making sure I go on Countdown before then though .

Started off the year with a week skiing in French Alps.
Then five days in Paris.
Easter on Isle of Wight.
Week in Cornwall/Devon.
Fortnight in Austrian Alps.

Still to come:
Fortnight sunning it in France.
Week in Costa del Sol.

A few long weekends thrown in here and there.

Isn't life hard after retirement.

I suppose to answer the question literally, then I holidayed this year in Redcar. I've not been on a foreign holiday since 1984; I'm just not really that interested in going anywhere exotic and exciting. Pretty much everyone I know finds this a bit weird, and I suppose it is.

I had a night in a hotel in Leeds in April - does that count?

I'm off to Athenry tomorrow to see how the spuds are doing.

Ian Volante wrote:I'm off to Athenry tomorrow to see how the spuds are doing.

You have an allotment?

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:I'm off to Athenry tomorrow to see how the spuds are doing.

You have an allotment?

Aye but the English bastards keep stealing all the food and selling it

JimBentley wrote:I suppose to answer the question literally, then I holidayed this year in Redcar. I've not been on a foreign holiday since 1984; I'm just not really that interested in going anywhere exotic and exciting. Pretty much everyone I know finds this a bit weird, and I suppose it is.

I do a thing with a holiday company who organise holidays for blind and partially sighted people - they need a sighted helper
for every 'visually impaired' I've been to Iceland and Ireland. There are destination all over the world. It's great fun, lots of banter - I recommend it. You might find you feel as good about yourself as Jon Corby is allowed to!

Ian Volante wrote:I'm off to Athenry tomorrow to see how the spuds are doing.

You'll be lonely! Not much of a view either from what I hear.

Had a nice week in Portugal at the end of June/beginning of July.

Off to Whitby tomorrow for a few days, but will be back to see the Mighty Terriers give Stockport a good stuffing in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.

My holiday this year consisted of one drunken night in Middlesbrough. Hmmm

James Robinson wrote:will be back to see the Mighty Terriers give Stockport a good stuffing in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.

Hi James - I see you only live a couple of miles away from me.

I've been a Bradford City season ticket holder for about 30 years. I've missed the derbies with Huddersfield over the last couple of years. At least we'll have one thing in common - we'll both hate Leeds!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that City give Sven a stuffing in the opening game of the season tomorrow.

Waitrose, Finchley Road.

Philip Jarvis wrote:I've been a Bradford City season ticket holder for about 30 years. I've missed the derbies with Huddersfield over the last couple of years. At least we'll have one thing in common - we'll both hate Leeds!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that City give Sven a stuffing in the opening game of the season tomorrow.

You've definitely got that right, Philip. WE HATE LEEDS

And since we've given your team 2 of our players, best of luck to Bradford.

Hopefully, this season, Town will go up, City will go up and Leeds will go down, making them the worst team in West Yorkshire

Philip Jarvis wrote:I've been a Bradford City season ticket holder for about 30 years.

The actress Mary Tamm, best known as Romana in the 1978-79 series of Doctor Who, was born and brought up in Bradford.

I only point this out as an excuse to mention that I'm currently editing her autobiography.

Yup
Me and a couple of mates took bikes out and visited Soo.

Oliver Garner wrote:Yup
Me and a couple of mates took bikes out and visited Soo.

Ah, but did you have your photo taken pointing at the sign?

Hope you had a good holiday - when did you go?

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Oliver Garner wrote:Yup
Me and a couple of mates took bikes out and visited Soo.

Ah, but did you have your photo taken pointing at the sign?

Hope you had a good holiday - when did you go?

No I didn't have a photo
Went 2 weeks ago, back yesterday

Woolacombe North Devon in a penthouse apartment overlooking the sea, just gorgeous.

Andrew Herbertson wrote:Woolacombe North Devon in a penthouse apartment overlooking the sea, just gorgeous.

Nearby - spent a week in Croyde as a mate got married there. Lovely. Not least because we left the kids behind...

Holidays without the kids are like double the enjoyment. Last holiday with our daughter this year son stopped coming a few years ago freedom at last.

Andrew Herbertson wrote:Holidays without the kids are like double the enjoyment.

That's just what our children tell us when we take our grandchildren off on holiday without them. And I can certainly see what they're getting at.

January - 2 nights in Belfast
February - 2 nights in Leeds
April - 1 night in Stirling
July - 2 weeks in Gran Canaria
Who knows the rest of the year but it pissed down for the 2 weeks I was away and has never stopped so a wee sunny break might happen later on.

Davy Affleck wrote:July - 2 weeks in Gran Canaria

Shame it wasn't La Palma, you could have helped put out the fire.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Davy Affleck wrote:July - 2 weeks in Gran Canaria

Shame it wasn't La Palma, you could have helped put out the fire.

The only thing that is flammable on Gran Canaria is the local spirits.

2 weeks in a North Wales holiday park in June with my kids, apart from my eldest, who is 24 and thinks he's too cool for family holidays anymore.

2 tyres on the car exploded on the drive up there, going over a large stone at the side of the road. Despite choosing to have a Motability car http://motability.co.uk/main.cfm because one of my sons is disabled, so supposedly 'hassle-free motoring': hah! , I wasted about 5 days of the holiday (spread between start and end) fuming on the phone and sorting out replacement car and our one to be fixed and returned. You'd have thought North Wales was the middle of nowhere, the number of hours it took the RAC to rescue us. Lots of other hassle I won't bore you with.
I should get around to writing complaints letters to RAC, Motability and Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance, now that I've recovered my composure, but rather busy with the kids.

Still, other than that, holiday not too bad, weather was good, Haven holiday park apartment http://www.haven.com/parks/north_wales_ ... index.aspx was OK (IIRC, it was the one where they filmed Hi De Hi!! LOL), cheap (booked in Jan/Feb to get half price - just over £600 for 5 people for 2 weeks incl half board!), break from cooking for a fortnight.
Weather was pretty good, though, it was during that June heatwave we had, but a few rainy days. Main trips out (once we'd recovered from the journey!) were to Portmeirion, Centre of Alternative Technology, Electric Mountain, and Blaunau Ffestiniogg Railway. Stunning scenery in Snowdonia while driving to places, one of the reasons it was our third visit. Other than that, chilling out on campsite, swimming or playing mini golf, nature walks, beach walks, etc.

Back at home, we're having quite a good summer. On top of our usual National Trust, English Heritage daytrips, etc., and theme park visits, we joined a local health club end of March (yes, really, don't laugh those who've met me - well not so hard you fall off your chair! ), which, amongst other things, has an outdoor swimming pool, which is great for the kids in this warm weather.

I went to Italy with my family (probably my last family holiday) for two weeks: a week in Rome, then a week in Venice. It was stupidly hot, but I surprisingly enjoyed the Holiday. And my Mum didn't get into an absolute rage for no reason at all like she usually does (it's really quite scary). Although I must say I found the pizza and ice cream quite underwhelming.

I found the large number of beggars really really depressing and scary as hell, though.

And I decided that playing the cello on the streets of central Rome is probably the greatest thing ever and it's something I want to do before I die.

Jimmy Gough wrote:I went to Italy with my family (probably my last family holiday) for two weeks: a week in Rome, then a week in Venice. It was stupidly hot, but I surprisingly enjoyed the Holiday. And my Mum didn't get into an absolute rage for no reason at all like she usually does (it's really quite scary).

I'm glad you enjoyed your holiday, Jimmy!

Just empathising with your Mum there, though. It's quite difficult sometimes to be the responsible adult in charge of a family holiday, especially in a foreign country, with lots of stuff to organise and cope with. And a very stressful situation means that sometimes you can reach the end of your tether when something seemingly minor happens.
Personally, I try not to shout when I get angry, both because it upsets my autistic son, and my other kids remember when their father lived with us, that Ken's shouting used to often lead to violence.

However, at the end of a catalogue of disasters, 'grinning and bearing it', and 'making the best of things', can lead to explosions of temper in even the best of us!

Davy Affleck wrote:January - 2 nights in Belfast
February - 2 nights in Leeds
April - 1 night in Stirling
July - 2 weeks in Gran Canaria
Who knows the rest of the year but it pissed down for the 2 weeks I was away and has never stopped so a wee sunny break might happen later on.

I just booked me & my wife for 3 nights in Paris in September for her birthday. I'd better start saving.