501 Places

St Albans Abbey

We have moved house more times than most. In fact, in a little over 20 years together we’ve lived in or close to six big UK cities (Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol and most recently London) as well as a spell in New York. We were, until 2006, proud to say we had not lived within 100 miles of London and its pollution, noise, rudeness and crime. Yet here we are, in our fourth year living in one of London’s most prosperous satellite cities, and in no urgent hurry to pack up sticks and head northwards.

St Albans became the latest stop on our tour of UK places to live when I finished my latest studies in Manchester and took a job based just outside of the city. We both moved south with some reluctance, and braced ourselves for a difficult adjustment.

We chose St Albans as I had worked here on a project some years before and remembered it as a leafy, attractive small city (a bit like Chester but smaller, or Durham but without the castle and the dramatic riverside setting).

Verulamium Park, St Albans

I left my job over a year ago, yet we are still here and that is a compliment to our adopted home city. I’m sure we will move north again at some point: even a few days in north Yorkshire earlier this summer reminded us of the beauty and solitude of the northern countryside and the relative emptiness of the roads once you leave the towns and cities (down here there seems to be traffic everywhere).

St Albans has much to like about it. There is its rich Roman heritage: you can find an ampthitheatre, a Roman mosaic and a section of original 2000 year old wall in the city. Then there is the no.1 draw in the city, St Albans Abbey. It is a hotchpotch of architectural styles of various centuries that somehow comes together to make a very impressive building.

St Albans Abbey

And perhaps the biggest surprise for us are the many areas of parkland that St Albans boasts. I had a preconception that the south east of England is so densely populated that I would struggle to find any green space. So it’s a relief to know that the city is home to swathes of open spaces where people can enjoy their walks or bring their summer picnics. The largest park is Verulamium Park, home to much of the Roman heritage of the city and a place we wander around on our regular evening strolls in the summer.

Modern sculptures in the Abbey - recognise the figures?

View of the park from the roof of St Albans Abbey

It’s also very convenient for access to London (20 minutes on the train) and more importantly to its airports. When we do eventually make a move back to the north, we will miss having a 30 minute drive to Heathrow or a 70 minute direct train to Gatwick (10 minutes to Luton). Being near a major airport and not just a hub makes an outbound journey much easier, but its real benefit is when you’re coming home and know that as soon as you get off the plane you are nearly home.

View of the city from the roof of St Albans Abbey

And as for London? Well we have even become fond of the capital. Having once had to battle through the traffic to drive into the centre, or endure a long and uncomfortable journey by train to get there, we can now take a trip into the city on a whim, even going in for an evening meal if we feel like it. It has become a treat to explore its neighbourhoods and hidden attractions thanks to our proximity to the city.

Fishpool Street, St Albans

So I have gradually become comfortable in singing the praises of St Albans. It is a pleasant place to live, and the best compliment I can give is that if you have no choice but to live in the south then St Albans is one of the best places to make your home.

The ruins at Gorhambury, St Albans

St Albans Abbey in winter

St Albans Abbey at sunset

Sunset over St Albans

La Vieille Bourse, Lille

Planning a day trip from London? 90 minutes from the capital by train can take you to some interesting cities: Bristol, Southampton, Winchester, Canterbury, Stratford are just a few options. Until recently however, you would not have considered a French destination.

All this changed with the introduction of the high speed line that takes the Eurostar from London St Pancras to a long black hole under the Channel in less than 40 minutes. Lille is now perfectly accessible as the first major French city on the Brussels line, and is reached around 30 minutes after emerging on French soil.

La Grand Place, Lille

Lille is the centre of an industrial region and does not rank highly among the French tourist hotspots. While it may lack the surrounding beauty and interest of southern France, the city of Lille itself has enough to keep a visitor entertained for a day and probably a weekend. It’s a laid back city, and having been three times and arrived each time in mid-morning, it seems to me that the city doesn’t really wake up until somewhere approaching lunchtime.

Notre Dame de la Treille Cathedral in Lille

The city itself is filled with beautiful architecture that shows off Lille’s past as a major trading centre. The Vieille Bourse and the main square are worthy of lengthy exploration, and the Cathedral is a mix of the old and the modern, with a unique translucent front facade, offering a surprising appearance when viewed from within.

Little girl wonders through Lille street

Around the cathedral the narrow lanes offer a view of Lille from another time, and as with so many cities these lanes are now home to boutiques, craft shops and speciality restaurants. We had an excellent lunch at L’Assiette du Marché, and then treated ourselves to an oversized ice-cream by the main square. This region of France is well known for its waffle making skills, although by the time we were done with the ice-creams we were not in a position to take on a waffle. Always the way: too much food, not enough capacity…

Porte de Paris

There are a couple of museums worthy of note in Lille. The Museé des Beaux Arts is recognised as holding the finest collection of art in France outside of the Louvre, and it is well worth a visit. We arrived there at 4.45 and the lady at the ticket desk kindly gave us the €5 reduced tickets as they shut at 6pm. For someone who knows their art, you could easily pass half a day in here. The impressive building itself is well worth a look.

Place de la Republique, Lille

Another museum/art gallery that is worth seeing is the Musée de La Piscine de Roubaix. It’s a 20 minute metro ride out of the city, but it offers the chance to see a sizeable art collection in an old municipal swimming baths; not something you’ll get to do every day.

Musée de La Piscine de Roubaix

Finally, don’t miss the zoo – it’s an easy walk out of the city centre and situated near to the Citadel. Admission is free and they have a reasonable selection of animals, including a rhino and a couple of red pandas. Once you’re finished with the zoo there’s a pleasant walk to be had on the circular path around the Citadel itself.

Carving by the entrance to the Lille Zoological gardens

Lille is a poor cousin in terms of France’s efforts at promoting its tourism destinations, and perhaps the national tourist board should make more of an effort at the London day trip market. We left London at 8.30am and returned before 8pm, having spent over 8 hours wandering this historic and attractive city. It can be done for £49, which compares well with fares for similar distances in the UK.

Musee des Beaux Arts, Lille

Camambert in filo pastry

The perfect sunset paddle; Blouberg Beach, Cape Town

I asked my wife the other day: what makes a particular place a romantic one?  She immediately replied that it was about the person you’re with, rather than where you are. So I asked her if it would make any difference if I took her for a romantic weekend to Paris or to Cleethorpes (for those who have never experienced the delights of Cleethorpes, or have never even heard of it, do a search and see what you’ve been missing). Needless to say I got a strange and unimpressed stare from Sam, betraying a very clear preference for the French capital.

So do we take it that there is something about the location that makes it romantic? (it’s not looking good Cleethorpes; sorry) But wait: the label romantic can be applied to such a diverse range of places. Think of a deserted long white sandy beach on a Seychellois outpost, then think of the canals of Venice; both considered romantic, yet couldn’t be less alike. A hotel in one town can offer a romantic break while another property on the same road would never get away with trying. And now many cities promote themselves as perfect places for romantic breaks while at the same time offer cheap booze to attract stag and hen parties. Is there a way to reason beyond these contradictions? Is there is still hope for Cleethorpes?

Perhaps romantic isn’t about a particular type of place – after all, it could be a beach, it could be a city or it could be a hide-away hotel. Romantic certainly should involve doing things together; but those activities could be as diverse as fine dining, learning to paint or rock-climbing. It’s the togetherness that makes the romance, rather than the glamour (a night dressed up to the nines in a glamorous casino or a walk hand-in-hand along a deserted path in rough and ready outdoor gear? You get the picture).

Is it even about being together alone? Certainly the good folk who market Venice, Paris or Prague can’t sell the exclusive aspect of being alone in their romantic dreams. In their eyes tens of thousands can come to their cities and jostle each other for space while being romantic together.

So if it’s just being together that defines romantic then what does indeed separate a walk along the beach in Cleethorpes from a stroll along the Seine (smells of fish and sewerage, some would say)? Is ‘romantic’ just a label attached to a marketing campaign to attract high spending couples, who will shell out more money as a result of the romantic label than they otherwise would? Is real romance something that does exist between two people, and therefore totally independent of location and surroundings?

Others are coming round to this way of thinking. Look at this video from the guys who set out to promote Blackpool (yes, Blackpool!) as a romantic hot-spot.

Perhaps I’ll have another look at Cleethorpes after all. I hear the smell of fish isn’t so bad these days.

Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo, Ireland

The Ardiluan Suite, Ashford Castle

Ireland is famous for many things. Castles, in my previously narrow knowledge of the island, was not one of those claims to fame. So I was intrigued, if not full of expectation, at the prospect of visiting Ashford Castle in County Mayo; a place I had known little about, despite the fact that all my Irish or part Irish friends spoke of it as if it were a world famous attraction.

We had left our hotel in Galway to travel west to the shores of Loch Corrib for a final stop on our Irish weekend before returning to Knock airport for our trip home. We would have the chance to walk the grounds and look around the castle before grabbing a spot of lunch nearby.

As soon as we turned into the sweeping long driveway it was clear that this place was somewhere very exclusive. Our first sight of the many turrets and the dramatic setting merely confirmed the setting as perfect for any self-respecting celebrity wedding.

The Prince of Wales cocktail bar, Ashford Castle

We were shown around the castle itself by TJ, the hotel’s cheerful Deputy General Manager, who told us of the many celebrities who had graced the castle with their presence. The most recent star studded wedding was that of Piers Brosnan, while visitors have included American presidents, leaders of countless European nations and more movie stars than you could shake an Oscar at.

The house boasts spectacular staircases, grand dining rooms and beautiful suites. The resident chef is considered Ireland’s finest (although he is actually German). The Ardiluan Suite was particularly impressive with its ornate decoration and unusual brightness.

The enchanting gardens of Ashford Castle

Surrounding the castle itself are 300 acres of carefully maintained grounds. Even if you can’t break the bank to stay at Ashford Castle you will be welcome to walk along the surrounding paths, through the sunken garden and up to the shores of Loch Corrib. The views from the Loch back towards the castle could easily be stolen from a sugary rom-com starring Sandra Bullock or Meg Ryan, such is the perfection of the setting. I was there alone on a press trip, so could only admire and walk on. Alas…

Fishing in the Cong river

There’s even the option of taking a couple of falcons out for a walk. A family in front of me had a couple of birds who would sit with them and then fly off into the trees at regular intervals, only to be called back by the handler. I stopped and watched in silence as the birds appeared, gliding out of the trees and coming to rest on the gloved arm of one of the children.

The castle sits on the shores of the Cong river, and from the rapt attention of the fishermen along its shore, they were clearly confident of securing a good catch (and I suspect their licences will not come cheap in this prestigious spot).

Is Ashford worth a visit? Absolutely. It’s less than an hour from Galway, and if you’re in the west of Ireland it will doubtless impress. One word of warning though: if you’re taking a partner, it’s best to be married already. You wouldn’t want them to be getting funny ideas. Unless you’re a movie star you might be paying for that wedding for a very long time!

I was in Galway and at Ashford as a guest of bmibaby and Tourism Ireland on an organised press trip.

St Stephen Walbrook

After the Great Fire of London in 1666, Christopher Wren was instructed to design and rebuild 51 churches in the city. He was later knighted and would become the architect who, more than any other, left his mark on the city in a way that has survived more than three centuries.

Wren’s most celebrated work of course is St Paul’s Cathedral, but even within a half mile of this world famous building you can discover many of Wren’s masterpieces. You won’t find 51 churches anymore, as some were demolished when the population of the city declined in the 19th century, while many were damaged or destroyed during the Blitz.

St Stephen Walbrook

The church of St Stephen Walbrook claims to be ‘the most perfectly proportioned interior in the world’ and it’s easy to see why. It’s hard not to be impressed and feel a sense of peace as soon as you step into St Stephen’s.

The crypt of the church was also home to the first branch of the Samaritans, and a picture of the organisation’s founder Chad Varah can be seen next to the telephone on which he took those early calls.

The Samaritans' first phone, and their founder Chad Varah. St Stephen Walbrook

St Lawrence Jewry is so named as it originally stood on the eastern side of the city, which was home to the Jewish community in medieval London.

The church was badly damaged on the night of 29th December 1940, when the Germans attempted to create a firestorm in the city. It has been restored to faithfully match the original Wren design.

St Lawrence Jewry

St Martin within Ludgate

A church has stood on the site of St Martin within Ludgate since 1174, although it has been rebuilt several times. Destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, the church was rebuilt in the early 18th century and thankfully received very little damage in the Blitz.

Now remarkably accessible, we were free to wander around and climb the stairs to the organ loft. There were even instructions left out to potential organists, although I’m sure it’s not intended for strangers to come in and play.

St Brides Church, Fleet Street

St Brides Church, Fleet Street

St Bride’s Church is perhaps the oldest church in London, with links back to the 7th century. A walk through the crypt reveals the old Saxon walls. This crypt was in fact only revealed after the church took a direct hit on that fateful night of 29th December 1940 and was severely damaged.

It has long had a link with the journalists of Fleet Street, and is indeed often referred to as the Journalists’ Church. So much so that the repair and restoration after the Blitz was paid for by the neighbouring newspaper proprietors. Now you’ll even find the editor’s designated seats in the choir stalls: seeing these seats filled would be a most unlikely sight!

St Brides Church, Fleet Street

All the above churches are free to enter and open during weekdays. with varied opening times at weekends. All rely on donations, so please do drop a pound or two into the box on your way out. St Brides also offers a guided tour once a day.