2018-02-07 16:46
Chillin in BelizeHello to everyone who has been reading my blog Eccentric England here on blogger over the past six years. I have loved writing this blog and have had many memorable advent… Read More
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Eccentric England - Nominated Best Cosmopolitan Travel Blog
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Quirky English observations on life within the UK and on travels abroad
2018-02-01 21:24
The Newcastle International Film Festival - get your tickets now!First there was Cannes Film Festival, which began in 1946 showing films from sixteen countries - it went on to become th… Read More
2018-01-04 22:24
Hazell's HallMy New Year was spent with friends in the servant's quarters of Hazell's Hall in Sandy, Bedfordshire. What were the servants quarters of Hazells Hall, have now been converted in… Read More
2017-12-23 21:11
Geordie Comfort FoodHinnies is my go to restaurant, at my favourite seaside haunt of Whitley Bay on our North East coast. The restaurant serves delicious, hearty, quality food at reason… Read More
2017-12-19 10:40
The Christmas day barbie!Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have Christmas in Australia? Would it be too weird if it was hot and not cold (or in England's case chilly and damp)… Read More
2017-12-18 18:14
Marmalade sandwiches!Paddington 2 is a heartwarming cinematic success and evokes the pleasing certainty that true blue British values and politeness will conquer all evil and right all terri… Read More
2017-12-06 12:08
Supernatural sunflowersGateshead Enchanted Parks opens its gates again for six nights this December, to showcase its annual magical mystery event. Commissioned artists and their wonder… Read More
2017-12-03 11:32
Baby it's cold out thereThe super talented Arthur Pita has created an exquisite and original delight of dance and music and song, in his version of Hans Christian Anderson's, The Little M… Read More
2017-12-01 11:16
Clara Darcy as the Cheshire CatNorthern Stage's version of Alice in Wonderland, bursts into the auditorium in a riot of colour and frantic activity, which rarely lets up for minute. Cha… Read More
2017-11-30 08:47
Seamill HydroSeamill Hydro hotel in West Kilbride, Ayrshire, has been a family concern for the last thirty five years. Owned by the Sweeney family it has been welcoming back locals for… Read More
2017-11-28 13:27
Côte Brasserie in NewcastleCôte Brasserie has arrived in Newcastle. This French bistro chain likes to move into quite historical buildings and here in Newcastle they have picked… Read More
2017-11-27 09:19
Serge and Cathy outside the Lamlash Bay HotelLamlash Bay is a few miles South of the port of Brodick on the Scottish Island of Arran. It's a very picturesque village with a stunning view out… Read More
2017-11-26 16:20
Lime Street StudiosI love the annual Ouseburn Open Studios event in the bustling creative quarter of Newcastle, here at home. Every year on this weekend in late November, the painters and po… Read More
2017-11-24 17:43
Welcome to AuchrannieThe Auchrannie resort lies about a couple of miles along from the port of Brodick and commands a wonderful view out across the Arran countryside and towards the hig… Read More
2017-11-21 15:11
The Douglas HotelLand on the Isle of Arran from the Scottish mainland and you will find yourself at the ferry port of Brodick, the hub of local activity. It's only fifty minutes away from Ar… Read More
2017-11-09 19:26
Come on in!LostAndFound is a quirky new eatery in the up and coming suburb of Heaton, in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Situated in beautifully restored premises which was once Prestwell's grocer… Read More
2017-11-07 08:14
The 5th Avenue TeamXscape Yorkshire is a huge entertainment destination, where you can Play, Eat & Shop all under one roof. It has the country’s biggest real snow slope… Read More
2017-11-06 10:17
Fantastic fizzA sparkling line up of eclectic wines premiered at the inaugural Yorkshire Fizz Festival and Awards on 4th November 2017.The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate was the host venue… Read More
2017-11-03 08:41
Welcome to BoilerhouseBoilerhouse hair and beauty on Acorn road has its home in a fashionable Newcastle suburb, and has a first class reputation. Keeping the residents in the hear… Read More
2017-11-02 16:49
Mind and Body massageMandy Whelan of Mind and Body is based at Pine Tree fitness on the Cradlewell road in Jesmond, just next to the coast road in Newcastle. An experienced and talented ther… Read More
2017-10-26 20:24
Dancing for joyThe third instalment of balletLORENTs' Grimm's Fairytale trilogy, sparkled into life with its premiere at Northern Stage this week. After Rapunzel and Snow White, comes t… Read More
2017-10-23 17:43
Illuminated AbbeyEvery Saturday night in October, the National Trust open the fabulous site of the ruins of Fountains Abbey and floodlight the dramatic stone walls, pillars and majestic arch… Read More
2017-10-17 22:13
It's a man's worldAfter a five star Guardian review, expectations were high for this performance, and I am delighted to report that we were not disappointed in the least. Maggie Bain's, deli… Read More
2017-10-09 11:45
Welcome to Montra!Health and Beauty is big business, and here in the delightful suburbs of Heaton and Jesmond in Newcastle we have a great selection of options for every kind of treatment to… Read More
2017-10-08 16:36
Meeting by moonlightA light , frothy and charming version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, with accomplished, engaging dancers and a grand classical score by Mendelssohn comes to Newcastle's D… Read More
2017-09-22 12:29
Cheese pleaseCats rule the worldApple alcoholViolet garlicNormandy countrysideLet's veg outSeptember is alovely time to visit Normandy, the sun still sparkles in between the rian showe… Read More
2017-09-20 16:32
Magnificent Mont St MichelLong before CGI created the island fortress of Dragonstone in Game of Thrones, there was the towering precarious fairytale abbey of the magnificent Mont Saint Miche… Read More
2017-09-17 19:16
Bonjour!I'm back in Normandy with the Bell family who came here from the UK in 2008 with their two children, to live the rural French life . The lush emerald countryside is being p… Read More
2017-09-13 12:03
Undeniably unique - UzbekistanWe pulled into the station back at the capital Tashkent, and emerged from the overnight soviet train somewhat sleep deprived and having been baked at 28 degrees… Read More
2017-09-08 12:10
Popping into the palaceWe had one more day and night in beautiful Bukhara and so more shopping and a trip out to the Emir's Summer Palace was next. For our last night we stayed in the very c… Read More
2017-09-06 14:15
Beautiful BukharaAll aboard the SHARQ train from Samarkand to our next stop on the Silk Road - Bukhara.The SHARQ train is a bit like a big living room on wheels. It has a carpet, tables, T… Read More
2017-09-03 06:20
The majestic Registan squareThe city of Samarkand, - an exotic faraway place I knew only through reading the 1913 James Elroy Flecker poem as a child - and now here I was!And how beguile you… Read More
2017-08-28 04:09
The Topchan teapotThe Silk Road, exotic and colourful in the imagination, was an ancient network of trade routes that ran from Asia to Europe connecting the East to the West, transporting go… Read More
2017-08-20 08:41
You too, with a Ewe! I was off on my annual visit to Wales again to see the country dwelling Budd family of Trem Hafren. We did some riding in the woods on my friend Jackie's equines… Read More
2017-08-18 10:16
The Isle of the Dead - St Mary's LighthouseMy second visit to the Whitley Bay Film Festival took me across the St Mary's Lighthouse causeway to the 'Isle of the Dead.' St Mary's Island… Read More
2017-08-17 16:02
Seaside screeningThe Whitley Bay Film Festival is here again! In a town without a cinema, a plucky band of film lovers set up the festival in 2010, with a mission to stage something ex… Read More
2017-08-15 07:59
Banffy Castle - fit for a Count!Transylvania means literally, 'the land beyond the forest,' but for most of us, Transylvania is inextricably linked to Bram Stokers' fictional character… Read More
2017-08-10 15:37
Colourful blanketsThe next day took us even higher into the Transylvanian mountains, off surfaced roads and into the alpine interior, where we met Triain, a local craftsman, and his Mum and… Read More
2017-08-08 13:27
A Transylvanian churchyardRomania has quite a good reputation when it comes to wine, although I don't remember seeing any for sale in the UK. We had already tried some white with our meal… Read More
2017-08-07 20:44
Tranquil in TransylvaniaTransylvania is a surprising destination. A very discrete province of Romania surrounded by a horeshoe of mountains, it has the ambiance of the swiss alps but retains… Read More
2017-08-03 11:19
Meet you at the Village HotelEncountering new things on my own doorstep here in the North East is always fun to do and the Village Hotel in my hometown of Newcastle was a very pleasant… Read More
2017-07-21 12:04
Welcome to Battlesteads HotelBattlesteads Hotel in the picturesque village of Wark is officially Northumberland's 'greenest' hotel. It has a raft of Eco friendly credentials, a fantastic res… Read More
2017-07-16 08:48
Washington Old HallGeorge Washington, the first President of America has his ancestral roots back here in England and the small North East town of Washington, which gave him his surname, and… Read More
2017-07-08 15:55
You gotta have friends!'Money can't buy you love,' goes the old adage, and this is the moral of the story of Joe Spud and his Dad Len, who made his fortune selling Bumfresh toilet rolls and… Read More
2017-07-03 11:06
Come on in to No 10!Preston in the North West of England, may seem an unlikely place for a tourist visit, but things are looking up in this neck of the woods. The No 10 luxury apart hotel in… Read More
2017-07-02 10:20
Katherine is a bit of a bookwormNorthanger Abbey is a less well known story than some of Jane Austen's other books - most famously Pride and Prejudice. However, given the Heartbreak Pro… Read More
2017-06-30 12:01
Murder most foul!Heartbreak Production's rip roaring murder mystery, Murder on the Terrace returned to Jesmond Dene in Newcastle, this week. The plucky cast braved rain, howling wind, and te… Read More
2017-06-22 08:01
Tosson Tower Farm - a rural retreatThe county of Northumberland is often referred to as "England's last wilderness," as it offers miles and miles of beautiful unspoiled countryside, magnific… Read More
2017-06-19 17:21
The Wensleydale HeiferThe magnificent Yorkshire Dales are located in the North of England, in the beautiful county of Yorkshire - 'God's Own Country' - and they are one of my favo… Read More
2017-06-04 17:45
It says it all!Northumberland has about 70 castles, more than any other county in England. The iconic Bamburgh Castle, perched on high, looking over one of the most spectacular beaches on th… Read More
2017-05-31 18:36
Blairquhan CastleBlairquhan castle is a grand regency castle near Maybole in South Ayrshire in Scotland, available to hire for exclusive use. It is a listed building, and the stunning ground… Read More
2017-05-21 16:34
Gorgeous Granada from the AlhambraThe Alhambra is a palace, fortress and garden complex in Granada, high in the mountains of Southern Spain. High on a hilltop it is surrounded by the s… Read More
2017-05-15 11:33
Reach for the skySunfoodyoga is a very special experience for those looking to recharge themselves both physically and mentally in beautiful, natural surroundings. Nestled in the breath… Read More
2017-05-14 17:23
Rapunzel faces the chopArthur Pita and HeadSpaceDance make us wrestle with our deepest darkest demons, in their two part piece exploring the menacing possibilities of the stepmother/ste… Read More
2017-04-21 12:18
Nice wallpaperEast is East is a sharp funny and frank look at the conflicts and characters of a first generation of mixed race immigrants in Salford in the North West of England. Set in the… Read More
2017-04-07 12:44
Collioure - the artists's choiceSituated right on the tip of the South east coast of France, the Hotel du Golfe is close to the seaside towns of Argelès-sur-Mer and Collieure in… Read More
2017-04-07 08:32
Called to the BarreBalletBoyz , the all male contemporary dance company, return to the stage with a two part performance of their UK tour of 'Life', which I saw at Northern Stage in Newcastl… Read More
2017-03-20 14:42
Springtime at Warkworth castleThere can't be many bed and breakfast establishments with a direct view out onto a real English castle but Roxbro House in the charming town of Warkwo… Read More
2017-03-19 11:43
Animal adventures Newcastle's Dance City is a bit of a hidden gem. With the largest Dance programme outside London you can see the best work from the most innovative companies for a quarte… Read More
2017-03-13 11:06
Lifeguard's hangout - Cottesloe BeachFremantle in Western Australia is fast making a name for itself as a very cool destination with lots going on, and an up and coming restaurant and arts… Read More
2017-03-12 10:53
Head down to the Local Hotel!One of Lonely Planet's top ten cities in the world 2016, Fremantle in Western Australia, about 30 minutes from the capital Perth. 'Freo' as its known is a laid b… Read More
2017-03-02 07:57
Love me, love my quokka!It doesn't sound like a particularly scenic destination - called "Rotte nest" (meaning "rat nest") because in the 17th century a Dutch sea captain mistook the quokkas… Read More
2017-02-27 04:06
Beautiful BrookleighI set off for to Brookleigh Health and Spa, up in the beautiful Swan Valley on a glorious Australian summer day with its huge blue endless skies and sparkling sunshi… Read More
2017-02-21 13:48
Platinum Healing - relax, refresh, recharge If you are serious about trying the benefits of a juice detox and learning more about nutrition, yoga and different types of holistic health… Read More
2017-02-16 15:30
The Snoozecube!My connecting flight to Perth in Western Australia from Dubai was not for another 10 hours - what to do with that time? Long haul flights are pretty tiring anyway, and the tho… Read More
2017-02-12 17:22
The making of a monster - Dr FrankensteinThe year is 1831 and Victoria (as opposed to Victor) Frankenstein, unable to study in England to be a doctor, travels to Ingolstadt, where women ar… Read More
2017-01-24 16:48
Cats are good at HyggeWhat is all this hype about Hygge? (pronouned Hoo - gah) It purports to be a new trendy concept about 'cosiness' being used to improve our quality of life in a Scandi… Read More
2016-12-14 18:52
Jesmond Dene HouseJesmond Dene House is a luxury small hotel, within a stone's throw of the vibrant city of Newcastle Upon Tyne. It became Newcastle's first privately owned boutique hot… Read More
2016-12-11 15:00
Canine combat - the Wolf and PeterThe Wolf and Peter, created by Irish company Coisceim Dance Theatre, is as exquisite and perfectly formed as a handmade Christmas snow globe. It is just les… Read More
2016-12-05 20:13
A peach of a home for JamesAs eager repeat visitors to Northern Stage theatre in my hometown of Newcastle Upon Tyne, my friend and I settled into our seats along with a large auditorium of… Read More
2016-11-28 09:08
London IlluminationsBridges are at the heart of many a great city. They connect and they transport and they define an urban landscape, in a way that few other physical structures can.The bri… Read More
2016-11-15 11:52
Frida's faceThey say you eat with your eyes, and at no other restaurant I've ever been to is that statement more true, than at the Frida Kahlo Gastromapping restaurant in Playa Del Carmen, o… Read More
2016-11-14 15:27
Your place by the poolThe Acanto Hotel, is in a perfect central location, in the buzzing Mayan Riviera resort of Playa Del Carmen. Just a few yards away from the main street Avenida Quinta… Read More
2016-11-09 13:03
Playa Del Carmen street artWe arrived back in Playa Del Carmen after another marathon bus journey back across the border from Belize into Mexico. Luckily, our next stop was the small and fri… Read More
2016-11-08 18:13
Talking of Toucans Moving on jungle fun at Lower Dover Lodge, the next part of our adventure took us to Parrot Nest Lodge, via Belize Zoo - back on the crazy bus again! Just being on the bu… Read More
2016-11-05 13:38
A fish's tale..Moby Dick, Leviathan, is choreographer James Wilton's latest powerful piece of creative contemporary dance. Dark, intense and with more angst than a teenage Goth's diary… Read More
2016-11-04 11:25
Best friends Bollywood BoundFast, funny fun and just a little bit heartbreaking, How to Make a Killing in Bollywood is a new play which is about (among other things) the frustration of… Read More
2016-11-03 09:19
No sign of the rat race here!Continuing our Belizean Odyssey, from the beautiful Belizean coast we headed West by local bus into the jungle interior. We travelled via the bus station at the… Read More
2016-10-31 15:44
Ize Belize!Hamanasi Eco resort in exotic Belize is in a prime location on the picture perfect sandy beach of the Hopkins village area, half way down the country's coastline.Th… Read More
2016-10-25 14:33
I can't Belize I'm here!Beautiful Belize in Central America is one of the youngest countries in the world. Formerly British Honduras, it gained its independence in 1981 and is making its mar… Read More
2016-10-11 12:56
Just swan across the estuary to Alnmouth St Valery bed and breakfast in the bijou fishing village of Alnmouth in the wildly beautiful county of Northumberland in the UK - is no ordinary B an… Read More
2016-10-09 10:03
Gisborough Hall HotelThe grand and ivy clad Gisborough Hall Hotel is still a family affair owned by the Chaloners, aka Lord Gisborough, but it is currently open to all as a hotel run by… Read More
2016-10-03 07:55
Hotel RiberachBoutique hotels are quite hard to come by in the South of France, but just 25km from Perpignan in the sleepy village of Belesta, you will find a unique place to stay at the Rib… Read More
2016-10-01 11:07
Our cast of charactersThis is no Disney version of Pinocchio with cartoon crickets singing 'When you wish upon a Star.' Much closer to original and rather dark book of the 'Adventure… Read More
2016-09-28 21:52
In search of The Season Ticket!This Northern Stage adaptation of Jonathan Tulloch's novel 'The Season Ticket', by Lee Mattison happily exceeded my expectations. Yes, it's about that Newcast… Read More
2016-09-26 08:02
September skies in the South of FranceSeptember in the South of France is still super sunny. Not quite as scorching as the baking August heat but still very pleasant indeed, if a bit breezy… Read More
2016-09-19 14:55
Linden Hall Hotel - wonderful for weddingsLinden Hall Hotel is a picturesque Georgian country house hotel and golf course nestled in its own impressive tree filled private estate. Just outsi… Read More
2016-09-07 12:21
The sun shines on Split Farthing HallSplit Farthing Hall is a special name for a very special place. Nestled in God's Own Country - Yorkshire that is - Raw Horizons is a raw food health retr… Read More
2016-08-30 20:28
Apparently you don't have to tell anyone you've been on a speed awareness course - just in case you are terribly ashamed of being caught driving along at 35m.p.h. instead of 30 m.p… Read More
2016-08-24 10:42
Friendly, flowery Ramside HallRamside Hall is a hotel that is keeping up with the Joneses. It has a lovely leafy location; surrounded by 350 acres of private grounds only minutes from the ma… Read More
2016-08-18 10:21
Pretty as a picture - Perpignan CastleForget pricey Cannes and the Cote D'Azur and keep on heading South towards the Spanish border until you reach the perfect French town of Perpignan. Nest… Read More
2016-08-16 15:34
A thrilling show of horsemanshipKynren is an outdoor spectacle of epic proportions, which bursts into the summer night sky in the unlikely location of the small County Durham town of Bi… Read More
2016-08-12 11:18
It's murder by jingo!Outdoor Theatre has a long and distinguished tradition in England. The tradition began in ancient Greece and, in England, it dates back to Shakespeare’s Globe in… Read More
2016-07-24 14:31
Wilde shoesArguably Oscar Wilde's best loved and most well known play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is at once a sharply observed social satire and at the same time, a piece of entirel… Read More
2016-07-20 14:44
It's lovely at Lumley CastleLumley castle is a real medieval castle, now a four star hotel, set next to the river Wear in the Durham countryside in the North East of England. It makes an imp… Read More
2016-07-16 20:41
Splat the rat!Ratburger is a brand new adaptation of David Walliam's children's book of the same name. Adapted by David Kerby-Kendall, the wandering players that are Heartbreak Produc… Read More
2016-07-15 11:59
Whodunnit?Murder on the Terrace came to my lovely local park, Jesmond Dene in Newcastle this week. It is a brand new spoof murder mystery written by Heartbreak Productions resident word… Read More
2016-07-06 17:26
I can read your runes!Shakespeare's final play is given the Heartbreak Productions Treatment this summer with a high energy romp through the 'Love Island' comedy with its multiple cha… Read More
2016-07-02 16:01
The 24th (Tyneside Irish) Batallion Northumberland Fusiliers in the centre of NewcastleNearly 20,000 men died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in WW1 on the 1st July 1916… Read More
2016-06-30 11:19
Rockcliffe Hall - Hotel of the Year Rockliffe Hall is hidden away in a beautiful estate just a few short miles from the thriving market town of Darlington in County Durham. If you jus… Read More
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