Thanks to my good friend Jay Mountney for this meme, which I’ve cheerfully stolen from her blog. Thankfully, the lockdown blues are just starting to ease as we’re all allowed to travel that little bit further afield, but there are still restrictions and it’s still easier to dream than it is to actually travel. So here are my answers – feel free to pinch this and have a go yourselves!
1) What’s the furthest place you’ve travelled to in the last 12 months?
Thanks to those pesky lockdowns, it’s only Birmingham. We usually go there to see family and friends but have only managed the friends recently. Hoping to put that right very soon.
2) What’s the most interesting small town within driving distance?
This would have to be Kendal. It has Roman origins (the remains of a fort, and odd traces of road) and a lot of Medieval history including a ‘new’ castle dating from the twelfth century, and one of the widest parish churches in the country (pictured above). There’s also a lovely river, the Kent, which flows through the town under a series of bridges (and, um, tends to flood all too regularly) and lots of quaint old buildings and steep, sometimes cobbled, streets.
3) What’s the coolest tourist attraction in your city?
Probably the Beatrix Potter Experience! Full of life-size or even larger figures of the characters from the books including (of course) Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and Squirrel Nutkin. If that doesn’t float your boat, the cruisers on Windermere might, with frequent round-the-lake trips in gorgeous scenery.
4) What was your favourite road trip you took as a kid?
Probably the trip from our home near Liverpool to the coastal town of Grange-over-Sands, where we had many happy holidays. I still remember the excitement of setting off, and counting off the landmarks along the way – and the lump in my throat when we set off for home again. Close second was the trip to Derby to see my grandparents.
5) How often do you feel like you’ve got to get away?
I like to get out of the house every day if I possibly can, even if it’s only a stroll to the local shops or the lake shore, or one of the walks that wind up the hills at the back of town. I also need to get further afield at least once a week – including trips to museums, interesting towns, or nice scenery. I can take or leave longer trips away but we usually have a holiday at least once a year. We missed out on that last year, but are hoping to get to Bath later this year. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
FIONA GLASS 