Being down in Bracknell this weekend we decided on Saturday afternoon, after watching the mens 100m Olympic final to go for a wander around the local park.  The local park being Lily Hill.

Bracknell having the real name of Bracknell Forest there are forests everywhere in and around the town.  Just to the rear of were we stayed there was a lovely local park, full of trees and allsorts of wildlfe and vegetation.  During our gentle stroll round the park I took some photographs of the various trees etc.

A rather lovely place to spend an hour on a Saturday afternoon

So out last day in and around the city of York and the final place that we decided to visit was the Yorkshire Air Museum which is a memorial to the allied air forces over the years.

Again another attraction at really good value for money at just £5 per adult we really enjoyed the different exhibitions that are on offer.  There are lots of plans to look at and it really does give you an excellent sense of what it was like to fly these magnificant machines over the years.  There is even an game were you can test your skills at being an airplane gunner, with some (computerised) target practice.  I managed to achieve the status of Second Class Gunner, which I thought was rather good.

So that is that, our short break in and around the historical city of York over with.  It has been a great 3 days and a city that is well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.  I thought I would end these York posts with a gallery of all the photographs that I took over the 3 days.

Today we decided that we would hit York city centre and see some of the typical tourist attractions that people go to York for.  First on the list was the Jorvik viking centre followed by the Castle and the museum.

We managed to arrived at around 1000 and there was already a queue at the Viking centre, which was expected however it was quickly moving and we were in the centre before we knew it.  Now some of these things are very expensive however we were thoroughly impressed as this was only £8.50 for an adult.  The tour starts with a time journey through time in the time capsule, which takes you back to the year 866AD when the Vikings claimed York.  This ‘Time Capsule’ wobbles and moves so you feel like you are moving (perhaps not through time but still it feels like your moving).  Then there is a monorail trip through the city of Jorvik (York) in the year 866AD.  This is really good and there is commentary in whatever language you want (within reason).  This part is very well done with 6 people to each coach around the mono-rail.  Then after that the centre is yours to wander around and see all the exhibitions which range from the life of the vikings and what they ate and drink to what they found when the dig took places in the 80s in York, excavating the remains of the Vikings in York.  Well worth a viist.

We then wandered to the other side of the city and found Cliffords tower.  The  picture is me at the top of the tower, which you can see top right of the photo.  When you get to the top you can see all of York and you appreciate what a good vantage point that must have been for the residents of the castle, waiting for their invaders to come over the lands nearby.

Opposite Cliffords Tower is the castle Museum which gives you a glimpse of life through the years in York.  There are some really interesting displays of houses and life through the 20th century and you find yourself thing “I remember those from” and “such and body used to have them in their front room”.  Very amusing and it makes you appreciate just how far technology and quality of life has come in the last 60 years or so.  Also seeing behind the desk in the old school made a change from the day job.

After this is was rest and relaxation back at the hotel before heading out for a meal at Pizza Hit in York.  Again very nice and a nice end to a lovely day.  Tomorrow it will be the air museum and then off home.

Today we made the journey to York which was getting on for 100 miles. We decided to take a city tour for our holiday this year. With baby on the way we didn’t want to go further a field. Apart from parking in the city the journey as been well worth it.

We decided to take the more scenic route to the city taking the A59 route through Skipton and Harrogate. Well we though that we would be going through Harrogate but as we approached the road was closed and we ended up going through Ilkley and Otley were we hit traffic. It seems everywhere we go we get hit with traffic.

Anyway we arrived at the hotel at around 1530, and after a quick refresh we drove into York, Now York is a popular tourist attraction with lots of things to see and do. You would have thought (well we would have thought to) that there would be later night parking. We wanted to go into the centre and park and then perhaps have a look round, do a little shopping and then go for something to eat. Therefore we knew that we needed to be able to park until around 1930. However ever car park that we found closed at 1830 or 1900 which was not good. We eventually settled at parking on a retail park and took a risk with the 3 hour limit. The risk paid off.

So finally we are in York and we headed for the York Dungeons. We really enjoyed it. You walk through the dungeons and at regular intervals there are actors that are acting out what would have happened. You go round in small groups of around 7 - 8 people and the actors really do feel that they there just for you. They are very good and really make the scenario feel good. It is not just what you see and hear and the sounds and surprises it is also the smell that somehow they have managed to recreate. All in all a good experience and worth the £25 for 2 adults.

We then had some tea and found a Franky and Benny’s near the car. Me, I had a nice thick steak with fries, onion rings, tomatoes and mushrooms, while Helen opted for a rather nice looking Lasagne.

So tomorrow I think it is going to be looking around the centre at the site and sounds and visiting the Jorvik Viking centre and the air museum. We may even squeeze in a visit to the National Railway Museum too. Only time with tell.

Bank Holiday Monday and so I decided to go off and visit somewhere today, and the place of choice was Cleveley’s near Blackpool. It was chosen as there is currently a shipwreck there and so we thought that it would be something to go and take a look at.

The journey started off perfectly OK heading down the M55 towards Blackpool. Once we turned off at Kirkham however the very reason why I never want to go anywhere on a bank holiday kicked in. The traffic. We were then queued practically all the way to Cleveley’s which was very frustrating. With the weather set fair and surprisingly warm it was then time to find a parking space. Eventually we decided on parking a little out of the centre for a less stressful time and parked on Lidol car park.

We then had a short stroll to the front where upon we we greeted with the site of the wrecked, beached boat called the Riverdance. It had been on the news a lot and therefore we thought that it would be worth seeing for ourselves. It really doesn’t look out of place at all there. They are talking about breaking it up into pieces in order to get rid of it but I think that they should just leave it there. It isn’t doing anyone any harm and it had become a great tourist attraction. After all we went there today to see it!.

We then took a nice stroll up the rather nice promenade that Cleveley’s now has. On the walk we noticed out in the sea a beautiful site. No it was not some rare wildlife but rather lots and lots of wind turbines, blowing around and creating lots of green electricity. Good to see.

The drive home was somewhat easier than going and we had a thoroughly lovely afternoon out. Well worth a visit if you are thinking about it.

Having spent a large majority of the last two days stuck in traffic jams on British roads, mainly on the M6, I thought that it was about time that we took a look at the other options that are available to us when travelling, rather than using the car and what strategies can be employed to reduce the congestion.

I have done many journeys this year, travelling here and there to different places, including Warwick, Bracknell and Devon.  On each of these occasions I have managed to find myself stuck in a traffic jam.  I don’t mean a 10 minute wait while you crawl along at 30 mph instead of 70mph, I mean sat on the motorway moving slowly or not at all for a period of hours not minutes.  I am probably writing this post now because of the horrendous journey down to Devon that I suffered on Thursday afternoon.

The cause of most of these delays is simply due to accidents taking place which then shuts the motorway or reduces the number of lanes that are open.  This then causes traffic congestion on the roads which delays people.  I  think that there are probably accidents taking place more often because of the sheer volume of traffic on the roads.  This in itself means that the traffic slows to a stand still at time even though there may not be an accident.  In fact the Science Blog suggests that if there are more than 15 vehicles per kilometre then events such as a lorry pulling out and slowing traffic can have a knock on effect of causing traffic to become a stand still.  Even someone breaking heavily because they are slow to react to a situation on the road can cause a traffic jam several miles back due to the knock on effect of people braking.

What is needed is new radical thinking about how to ease these pressures on our roads.  The first thing to think about is people taking other forms of transport instead of using their cars and filling up the motorways.  Great idea, but in practice this is harder than you think.  Take my journey down to Devon these past two days.  If I had gone on the train it would have cost me £38 and I would have had to have changed trains 5 times.  I couldn’t have travelled by coach between the two destinations and therefore would have been left with using a coach to somewhere nearby and then perhaps a cab, which would have been rather difficult.  Taking a plane was not an option as would have been to expensive and taken a long time with checking in and out etc.  Therefore these options are poor.  Travelling by car cost me £34 and also you have added benefit of door to door travel.

So what are the other possible solutions?  Congestion charges have been used in London for a while now, but do we really want to get to the point were we are charging people to use the motorways in the hope that some would decide not to, which would then ease the congestion?  Maybe, maybe not, we all have our own opinions on that one.  But what else is there on offer to solve the problems?  Around Birmingham on the M40 and M42 the hard shoulder is used to ease congestion.  This seems to work well as it gives an extra lane to ease the traffic congestion.  Whether you are allowed to use the hard shoulder at the time is controlled by the matrix system of lights and notices.  With today’s delay where there was an accident that caused tremendous jams, so why couldn’t the hard shoulder be used to clear the extra traffic that had backed up on the motorway?  Opening this extra lane for 30 minutes would have greatly assisted in clearing the extra traffic once the accident had been cleared.  Obviously when emergency vehicles are needed to hard shoulder needs to be opened but once cleared this lane is no longer needed for this purpose.

The other thing is the traffic announcements that we receive over the radio etc.  How many times have you hit a traffic jam only to hear on the radio 10 minutes later about it with them telling you to avoid the area?  More time that I can count.  What there needs is warning before you hit the area.  Not only warnings but alternative routes suggested.  This would work by taking people away from the black spots, but it would have to be selective and not allow everyone the alternative route or else the jam would just occur elsewhere.  How about linking traffic updates with TomTom SatNav’s and therefore the Sat Nav would just automatically change your route when the traffic builds up?  What about a dedicated traffic radio station for the entire UK?

Whatever is decided it needs to thought out.  I hate using this phrase but we need to think ‘outside the box’ about how we are going to make travelling on Britain’s roads better.

Any suggestions are welcome in the comments section!

On Thursday and Friday of this week went down to Devon. It was a 274 mile (according to the AA Route Planner) journey down the southern county of Devon staying in two hotels.

The journey was going to be long, we knew that and with our track record in journeys we thought that it would take a while. We were right. Setting off at 1330 we got onto the M6. No sooner had we hit junction 27 than the queues started. A lorry had jack knifed into the central reservation and the whole motorway was shut. The only way through was to get passed on the hard shoulder. The police were waving people through but it was very slow.

Once we were passed this we had about 10 minutes of normal speed driving until we hit the next junction. Then it was stop start all the way to Birmingham, with a little rest in the middle were the traffic eased. We managed to travel 67.8 miles in 4 hours. By this time we were desperate for the toilet and so stopped at Sandbach for a toilet stop.

We were back on the road by 1715 and then we made are way down to the M5. Once we were on the M5 the conditions were good and the traffic was light. We eventually found our Travel Lodge at 2115 when we checked in. We ate our butties and watched TV for while before finally going to sleep with a very aching right foot!

The Saunton Sands Hotel was the venue for the next stop off of the journey. Arriving at the hotel we checked in and instantly realized that the hotel was ‘rather posh’, in a good way. It was a ‘propper’ hotel were you are meeted and greeted and the porter takes your bags to your room for you. Really good service and the rooms and food were great.

The journey back was less of a problem however we did get held up once again for around 45 minutes when we hit the M6. Britain’s roads really do need sorting out!. All in all it was an excellent short break and it was great to see the fantastic views of Saunton Sands from the hotel car park.

Today was a different day as I was travelling on a train. I say I am a train virgin although this is not quite true. I can only remember 3 train journey’s. Once when I was very young to Scotland, the second about 4 years ago from Hamilton to Glasgow and the thirds today.

The journey was from Leyland to Manchester. The journey to Manchester was very civilised. We managed to get a seat and it was relaxing not to be at the wheel for a change. However the journey back was a bit stressed. There was not a seat on the train and we had to stand for three quarters of the way home. This got me thinking about public transport.

People are always saying that we should all be using public transport. I have to say that I support this. However I have to say that both trains were very full and especially the one home. The return journey train was only 3 carriages long, and for a peak time train I thought that wasn’t very many. For people like me who do not travel on trains that much this puts me off a bit in that I can’t get a seat.

That said using the train is not as bad as I perhaps thought, which subconsciously is perhaps the reason why I haven’t used then all that much.

Early this week we took a day out to the lakes. We were holding on all last week for the weather, and today seemed OK and so we set out on our travels up the M6. How wrong could we have been about the weather?

We arrived in the lakes to see some relatives about 1100 and the weather was steadily getting worse, even though there was blue skies back at home. Whilst drinking our coffee and cappuccino the heavens opened and the rains came down. However as we left our first port of call the rain stopped and it became a bit brighter.

With new enthusiasm that the weather would remain fine we decided to go over Kirkstone Pass which is a hilly road through the hills to Ullswater. Getting half way up we could see the weather changing. We stopped in a layby and ate our butties whilst the clouds rolled in.

The heavens then opened again and the rain started pouring down. After a quick stop at another relatives for a coffee we decided to call it a day and headed home.

Well it has been a long year at work but finally the holidays are here. Six weeks of free time to travel, have fun and enjoy myself. Yippeeee!

People always say that us teachers have it easy with all the holidays that we get. Maybe they are right, as I have never done another, different full time job. However I will say this. Teaching is not the job that everybody thinks it is. I am fairly certain that there are not many that could do it. Only today someone mentioned that they had go through some of the training and then dropped out. It is surprising how many people couldn’t make it through. I am not having a go at them or anything as it wasn’t for them.

Teaching has changed so much even in the half a decade that I have been involved in the job. The best way that I can describe it to people is that it is 100mph and then stop, and then 100mph again and then stop, and so on. The workload that teachers are subjected to is crazy at the moment.

I am glad of the holidays however I will have to spend a lot of time over the break working. Teaching is such a dynamic profession that things change all the time. New courses, new ideas and new people all mean that new things need to planned in order to keep the school ticking over, and keeping up with the latest ideas and developments.

Anyway whether you think I have the good life or the bad life being a teacher I intend the enjoy the 6 week break and take the maximum benefit from the time that we have. As our Head said today “Teaching is not a job it is a way of life”. He is spot on and fortunately for teachers part of that way of life is plenty of holidays!