TRAVEL

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Self-drive & coach inclusive breaks

GREAT VALUE 5 DAY HALF BOARD BREAKS

£229from per person

When it comes to inviting, relaxing breaks, we have the ideal holiday for you...

Whether you’re looking for a romantic break for two, a family holiday or getting away with friends, Robinsons’s Holidays offers 12 hotels in 10 of the most popular UK destinations. Our fleet of 26 luxury Mercedes coaches provide return travel in comfort and style from your pick up point and will take you directly to your hotel, aiming to arrive between 3 – 5pm. If you’d like to get out and about to explore the local area on your holiday, then all of our breaks can also be booked on a self-drive basis so you’ve got the freedom of having your own car.

Request your brochure now!

Every break includes:

Return coach travel (self-drive option available) Comfy en suite accommodation Breakfast & 3-course evening meal Live nightly entertainment*

Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice

We are proud to announce that six of our group – Barrowfield, Daish’s, Devonshire, Bournemouth Sands, Claremont, Hotel Prince Regent – have been awarded the coveted TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice award for 2020.

DATE

Local pick up points from make it easy to get away.

Price includes return coach travel from: G2 Pick-up: Rochdale, Royton, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyme, Hyde, Stockport, Cheadle, Lymm Services.

All offers are subject to availability and standard terms and conditions (see brochure or website for T&C’s).

HOTEL DAYS PRICE DATE HOTEL DAYS PRICE

JULY AUGUST

01 Somerset Hotel – Llandudno 5 £274

03 Daish’s Blackpool Hotel - Blackpool 5 £239

07 Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight 5 £234

14 Sands Hotel – Bournemouth 5 £229

17 Hotel Prince Regent – Weymouth 5 £289

26 Devonshire Hotel – Torquay 5 £254

27 Daish’s Blackpool Hotel - Blackpool 5 £264

29 Somerset Hotel – Llandudno 5 £289

AUGUST

03 Imperial Hotel – Eastbourne 5 £294

05 County Hotel – Lake District 5 £339 13 Russell Hotel – Weymouth 5 £264

14 Abbey Lawn Hotel – Torquay 5 £289

19 Imperial Hotel – Eastbourne 5 £274

SEPTEMBER

02 Esplanade Hotel – Scarborough 5 £279

16 Sands Hotel – Bournemouth 5 £254

19 Daish’s Hotel – Isle of Wight 7 £429

21 Hotel Prince Regent – Weymouth 5 £279

28 Devonshire Hotel – Torquay 5 £244

OCTOBER

30 Abbey Lawn Hotel – Torquay 5 £254

facebook.com/robinsonsholidays1 @RobinsonsHolida

Prices shown are per person based on two people sharing a Standard Room. Supplements apply on twin/double rooms with sole occupancy. Optional local excursions can be booked at the hotel. Many more coach or self-drive holiday dates available in 2021. If you would prefer to self-drive, deduct £20 per person from prices shown. Call - 0800 083 9900 Quote - 50PlusRG2 or visit robinsons-holidays.co.uk

10 fabulous locations, 12 great hotels.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth Sands Llandudno

Somerset Hotel Newquay

Barrowfield Hotel Weymouth

Hotel Prince Regent Weymouth

Russell Hotel Eastbourne

Imperial Hotel

Isle of Wight Scarborough Torquay Torquay Blackpool Lake District

TWITTERING ON

BY ANGELA KELLY

LOCKDOWN HUMOUR – TRADEMARK OF STOIC BRITS

IT may be a particularly British trait but when it comes to ongoing disaster and major concern we tend to turn to humour.

I’m sure it was the same in wartime and in other countries. When something enduringly scary threatens, we discover the funny side of it and use it as a form of defence against the awfulness.

That has certainly been true of the pandemic. While it’s too difficult and too raw to actually laugh at Covid-19 itself, we have been turning instead to the sideeffects and restriction of lockdown to cheer ourselves up.

In fact, I think we are at our most inventive here.

Humour surfaced early in the first lockdown and mainly online. One of the first things that made me laugh – a surprise, really, given the seriousness and overwhelming worry of the threat then – was a short video of a good-looking shirtless man in a hat dancing. The before lockdown and after lockdown footage showed the tight torso changing to a wobbly belly. We laughed at the change, soon learning the irony as many of us munched our way through the months ahead. We’ve laughed at the possible results of lockdown. One of my favourite Facebook postings was: “Do you ever get up in the morning, look in the mirror and think ‘that can’t be accurate!’”

We’ve become happy to laugh at ourselves. We smiled at jokes about over-zealous hand-washing, mask-wearing and taking precautions.

“Pretty wild how we used to eat cake after someone had blown on it. Good times ….” went one popular post. And so many were crazily accurate. “Set in retrospect, in 2015, not a single person got the answer right to ‘Where do you see yourself five years from now?’”

We even found our own occasional desperation worth a smile. “Where is far far away and how do I get there?” was a post offering a bitter tinge. Then there was: “I’m looking for a moisturiser that hides the fact that I’ve been tired since 2010” which hit home.

Then there were the clever ones: “I told my suitcases that there will be no vacation this year. Now I’m dealing with emotional baggage.” Add those to the many cartoons, videos, memes and observational humour and you discover a funny underside to what is plainly an international disaster that could scarcely have been predicted.

Personally, I feel it says something fine and stoic about our individual make-up that allows us to react to very dark times by sometimes laughing out loud. Little has been innately funny about this global pandemic and its terrible effects on people. But, our ability to find the humour in it, to share that with others and to laugh together has proved to be a brilliant way

FANCY A PAIR OF OUR BET’S BEST EARRINGS?

WHEN actress Julie Goodyear became an unusual sort of national icon as Coronation Street’s brassy landlady Bet Lynch her wardrobe was not the envy of women everywhere.

The too-short skirts, too-tight tops, heavy make-up and upfront behaviour behind the bar of the Rovers Return brought out the prude in most of us.

Tutting at Bet became a national habit – when we weren’t laughing at her antics and lines, that is.

Fast forward from 1966 to 2003 when she was in The Street to last year and Julie Goodyear MBE impressing the nation in a different way. The Manchester actress donated a large amount of Bet’s jewellery and her own to help local hospice Willow Wood.

“When I heard that they had been forced to cancel almost all of their fundraising events in this their 21st year, I wanted to do something to help,” compassionate Julie explained. The jewellery was sold in an online auction as part of Coronation Street’s 60th birthday in December, resulting no doubt on a major donation for Willow Wood and some delighted purchasers. Who today, though, would really wear Bet’s finest horrors? Well, me for one. Bring on those earrings like a birdcage – they’re great!

COP SHOWS THAT BECOME PART OF OUR LIVES

IF there’s one thing the past year or so has taught us to appreciate it’s the TV. Pre-lockdown, we might have been a bit reticent to list telly-watching among our hobbies but now we’re happy to admit its importance in our lives.

It’s also been interesting to see how our habits have changed. More of us have come to appreciate Netflix and iPlayer and become binge-watchers of series. One thing we’ve also perhaps noticed is how some types of programmes have altered. If you’ve watched daily doses of old police programmes The Bill and then back-to-backs of Line of Duty or Unforgotten you can see how far cop series have come. New series of either of the latter are eagerly awaited – that’s not to take away anything from The Bill, its plot lines and acting. But with Line of Duty and Unforgotten, we’re actually hungry to see it – we can’t wait. Writer Jed Mercurio certainly knows how to tell a riveting tale in LoD. You’re frightened to miss a second as you might skip a vital clue or move towards identifying who “H” might be or whether the OCG (Organised Crime Group) has more police in its pocket.

Yes, they’re big on acronyms in Line of Duty. The three main characters – played by Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar - have their own little nuances so that everything feels familiar. Yet, things are happening all the time that take us into new territory.

Unforgotten is a marvellous showcase for the talents of writer Chris Lang and the acting of Sanjeev Bhaskar and Nicola Walker. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an actress with such talent for showing emotions in her face. The whole plotline is there sometimes.

How lucky we are in this country to have such fine writers and performers. And, oddly, lockdown gave us the time to appreciate them anew.

If you’ve not tried coach holidays before why not let Ellen Smith’s take you on your first coach experience. We’ve been established for over 120 years – so we know a bit about coaching holidays!

We do things a bit differently than our rivals

All our tours include our ‘Door to Door’ service. That means that you are picked up by a taxi or small minibus right from your front door. No feeders, no interchanges, no changing coaches, no changing drivers and definitely no hassle!

How does it work?

On the morning of travel we pick you up at a prearranged time and take you to our waiting coach at Birch Services.

We’re off on holiday then!

The same happens on the way back too, taxi back to your front door!

Within 30 minutes

We normally have everyone on board and we’re on our way. We often have a second pickup at Stockport, but again this is timed for minimal delay.

We are fully Financially Bonded

And use some excellent privately-owned hotels. All visits and excursions are included in the price. We use modern coaches and mature friendly drivers.

We never discount

We charge the correct price in the first place – therefore everybody on board pays the same price.

Finally

If you can find the same or similar holiday for sale cheaper in the UK we’ll refund the difference to the whole coach!

‘Door to Door’ Coach Tours 2021 Brochure OUT NOW, telephone us on: 01706 648126 for your free copy.

Once you’ve gone the Ellen Smith way you’ll never go back!

DO O R TO DO O R C OAC H TOUR S 2 02 1www.ellensmith.co.uk MAY 2021 - MARCH 2022 DOOR TO DOOR COACH TOURS & DAY EXCURSIONS

www.ellensmith.co.uk www.ellensmith.co.uk

DISCOVERING WILTSHIRE Best Western Plus Angel Hotel

Overview: Wiltshire with its rolling green downs, ancient woodlands and bustling market towns is a beautiful county in the south west of England. Tour Highlights: ‘Steam’ – Great Western Railway Museum, Swindon, Devizes and Caen Hill ‘Staircase Locks’, Historic Village of Lacock, Bradford-uponAvon and Chippenham, McArthur Glen Outlet, Swindon, Cathedral City of Salisbury.

THE BEAUTIFUL ISLE OF MAN

The Chesterhouse Hotel

Overview: This beautiful island, 32 miles long and 14 miles wide, lies in the Irish sea, approximately equidistant from Britain and Ireland. Tour Highlights: Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway, Isle of Man Steam, Train, Douglas to Port Erin, Cregneash Folk Village.

01 July | 5 Days | £439 09 July | 6 Days | £559

CASTLE & CRUISE IN CARDIGAN BAY Cliff Hotel & Spa

Overview: The largest bay in the British Isles, stretching at approximately 50 miles, Cardigan Bay is one to remember. Tour Highlights: 1-Hour New Quay Boat Trip, 50-Minute Guided Tour of Picton Castle, Free Time to Explore Picton Castle Gardens, Light Lunch of Soup & Sandwiches at Picton Castle, Seaside Village of Aberystwyth.

12 July | 5 Days | £429

DUBLIN & WICKLOW ‘RIVER AND RAIL’ The Royal Hotel

Overview: A themed tour for 2021 staying in Bray, Co. Wicklow which brings you an exciting look at Ireland’s seaside, city & countryside. Tour Highlights: A guided coastal railway journey and a scenic river cruise are also included, a lovely way to see this part of Ireland.

CLASSIC STEAM BREAK The Winnock Hotel

Tour Highlights: In-House Entertainment on 2 Nights, Cruise on the Clyde on the Vintage Paddle Steamer – The Waverley, Hop on-board the Jacobite Steam Train from Ft. William to Mallaig (return journey) Marvel at The Falkirk Wheel, Enjoy a relaxing cruise on the SS Sir Walter Scott as she meanders along Loch Katrine.

CROMER, NORFOLK COAST & COUNTRY RETREATS Dukes Head Hotel

Overview: Explore the much-loved Norfolk country retreat of Her Majesty The Queen along with one of the Treasure Houses of England. Tour Highlights: We also enjoy a nostalgic steam train journey to the heart of the Norfolk Broads to discover this magical waterland on a memorable scenic river cruise.

18 July | 5 Days | £499 22 July | 5 Days | £499

PICTURESQUE PEMBROKESHIRE & BEAUTIFUL GOWER Ivy Bush Royal Hotel

Overview: The natural beauty of the Pembrokeshire coast and the Gower peninsula are famed all over the world. Glorious sandy beaches and seemingly endless rugged coastline give way to the Preseli Hills, historic towns and little villages. For these tours we stay in Carmarthen, ideal for visiting this delightful corner of Wales.

NORFOLK ~ SEALS, COAST & CITY Best Western Brook Hotel

Overview: For this tour we have chosen a nice mix of excursions, ranging from a delightful boat trip to see the seals; a unique paddle steamer cruise; the city of Norwich and a visit to the popular seaside resort of Great Yarmouth. Tour Highlights: Blakeney & The Seal Colonies Boat Trip, Norfolk Broads Paddle Steamer Cruise, Great Yarmouth, City of Norwich, Holt and Wells-next-theSea, Little Walsingham. 25 July | 5 Days | £459

ANGUS SECRET COASTLINE & GLAMIS CASTLE Park Hotel

Overview: A tour delving into Scotland’s past taking in some fine places including the 13th century Glamis Castle, the new Victoria and Albert Museum and a visit to see “the finest regiment in the world”. Tour Highlights: Brechin & Arbroath, The “Granite” city of Aberdeen, 5* Attraction - Gordon Highlanders Museum, Glamis Castle & Gardens, Dundee & The V&A Museum.

01 August | 5 Days | £399 02 August | 5 Days | £439 09 August | 5 Days | £399

Membership No: 10228

ELLEN SMITH 2021 BROCHURE.indd 1

LONDON & BUCKINGHAM PALACE Tower Hotel

Overview: London is a city for all seasons and full of so much life, bursting with so much to see and do. For this short break we are including a visit to Buckingham Palace – which serves as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty the Queen and is one of the few working palaces remaining in the world today. The rest of the time is for you to explore London at your own pace.

HEART OF ENGLAND

Abbey Hotel

Overview: A lovely sightseeing tour with many things of interest, based in Great Malvern with the beautiful Malvern Hills overlooking the town. We feature some of the delightful Black & White villages in Herefordshire as well as visits to Leominster & The Cotswolds. We also take time to visit the Museum of Royal Worcester.

LUDLOW & THE COUNTY OF SHROPSHIRE Buckatree Hall Hotel

Overview: Along the upper reaches of the River Severn and the borders between England & Wales, the countryside of Shropshire shelters some of the most beautiful landscapes and unspoilt towns that you can imagine.

13 August | 3 Days | £349 16 August | 5 Days | £389 23 August | 5 Days | £439

ISLE OF BUTE, LOCH FYNE & INVERARAY Gleburn Hotel

Overview: A spectacular scenic tour for summer staying on the lovely Isle of Bute and including visits to the Victorian Gothic mansion that is Mount Stuart as well as a visit to the Duke of Argyll’s home ~ Inveraray Castle.

BATH, BRISTOL & WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY

Doubletree by Hilton Bristol City Hotel

Overview: A delightful tour for the summer as we enjoy a visit to the beautiful Georgian city of Bath, relax with a steam train ride on the West Somerset Railway, explore Bristol’s harbour-side with a Harbour Cruise as well as discovering the city.

LITTLE BOATS & TRAINS OF NORFOLK Holiday Inn Hotel, Norwich

Overview: For this great little tour, we feature a journey on a miniature railway, a preserved main line railway as well as a boat trip and a visit to Royal Sandringham, something to suit all tastes.

23 August | 5 Days | £389

LLANDUDNO - 5 DAYS IN AUTUMN The Tynedale Hotel

Overview: Llandudno is Wales’s largest resort, uniquely situated between the Great and Little Ormes with two wonderful beaches. Tour Highlights: We enjoy the short journey to Conwy, a delightful small town. We also include a visit to Portmeirion, situated on a private peninsula overlooking stunning coastal scenery with its cluster of colour-washed buildings around a central piazza. 26 August | 5 Days | £539

THE ENGLISH RIVIERA ~ TORQUAY

The Derwent Hotel

Overview: Torquay, with its iconic palm trees, busy harbour, international marina, sandy beach and wonderful array of continental style cafes, restaurants and cocktail bars. Tour Highlights: Exmouth and Sidmouth. We head into Cornwall to visit the quaint towns of Looe & Polperro and also enjoy an excursion over Dartmoor National Park to the pleasant market town of Tavistock. 02 September | 5 Days | £419

CAPTIVATING CORNWALL Rosemundy House Hotel

Overview: Located in the far west of Great Britain on a peninsula tumbling into the vast Atlantic ocean, almost completely surrounded by the sea, Cornwall is loved for its dramatic coastline, captivating fishing harbours, spectacular beaches and of course its pasties and cream teas! Tour Highlights: Admission to The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Mevagissey, Polperro & Fowey, St. Ives & Marazion, Port Isaac & Padstow.

02 September | 5 Days | £409 05 September | 6 Days | £399 06 September | 6 Days | £489

50 Plus Travel sponsored by

GUIDED WALKING AT LULWORTH COVE WITH HF HOLIDAYS

By Gillian Thornton for Silver Travel Advisor

Standing respectfully back from the cliff edge beside Old Harry Rocks, I’m thrilled to get a clear view across the water to The Needles off the Isle of Wight. For someone who always loved physical geography lessons at school, it’s very special to be standing at the eastern end of one of the world’s most unique coastlines.

In millennia gone by, the Old Harry Rocks and The Needles were part of a continuous land mass, gradually eroded by the sea to leave two groups of chalk stacks. Today Old Harry marks the east Dorset end of the UNESCO-listed Jurassic Coast which runs westward for 95 miles to Exmouth in Devon.

Any outdoor person will tell you that walking is good for both body and soul, but I’d go one further. Group walking trips should be available on the NHS, the perfect antidote to lethargy, loneliness and any fit of the blues. There’s nothing quite like following a footpath in good company to boost the mood. So a spring break with HF Holidays along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast ticked all my boxes. Spectacular coastal scenery, like-minded company and the promise of HF’s plentiful home-cooked food. My base for four nights was West Lulworth House a short walk from the iconic horseshoe bay that is Lulworth Cove. Built in 1881 and brought bang up to date with all modern facilities and stylish decor, the property is open most of the year, but if you want to stay here, you’ll need to book ahead. The 22 well-appointed rooms with views over the village to sea and hills are very popular. But you’ll find similar facilities and an equally warm welcome at all of HF’s 18 country houses.

West Lulworth House follows the company’s tried-and-tested formula - a choice of guided walks each day with qualified, knowledgeable leaders with accommodation on a full-board basis. Spring and winter walkers may find a pub lunch or afternoon tea replacing the usual al fresco picnic, a popular comfort break in case of inclement weather. In March however, just a week after the Siberian snows sent temperatures plummeting across Britain, I was blessed with blue skies and a light sea breeze. Stunning doesn’t even come close. My three days of walking involved two pub lunches – food choices selected the night before – and one of HF’s fabulous picnics. Dinners are all home-cooked and eaten companionably around large tables in the pretty dining room with panoramic windows over the village. And if you are one of the many people suffering from food intolerances, be reassured – many of their home-cooked dishes are marked Gluten Free and managers Mark and Lisa bent over backwards to accommodate my travel companion’s additional allergies. Just as menu choices are made each evening for the day ahead, so too are the walks. In spring we had a choice of two each day, Easier and Harder. Summer clients generally have a third option. Our routes were all between 4 and 8 miles, one starting direct from West Lulworth House, the other two involving a short journey by coach to the start with pick-up afterwards.

This section of the Jurassic Coast does not involve the rugged ascents of mountain landscapes, but there are some long, steady climbs. It is not however beyond the capabilities of any regular rambler, and stops for drinks, snacks or photo moments

ensured that nobody felt overstretched. Along the way, our excellent local guides Kai and Jo added to my rusty school knowledge of this unique coastline. It’s one thing to read about chalk and greensand, Purbeck Beds and Portland Stone, but quite another to see the coloured rock layers jutting out into the sea. The horseshoe shape of Lulworth Cove and the natural arch of Durdle Door still pull visitors by the thousands, but in spring, we were almost alone, and every step brought new views, both coastal and inland.

We walked across protected heathland with views of Poole harbour; headed over chalk downs to the song of skylarks; and stood on shingle beaches to the soothing sound of the sea. After three days on the trail, I’d walked around 22 miles, eaten some great food, and met some really lovely people. I felt energised but mentally relaxed and my bathroom scales proved that walking in the fresh air does a great job of burning off calories.

So what’s not to like? Honestly nothing. So if you’ve ever fancied a walking holiday but hesitated, don’t. An HF holidays short break is the perfect option with its daily choice of routes. All you have to do is turn up and put one sturdy walking boot in front of the other – everything else is done for you. And if you fancy a day off the trail, that’s fine too.

One lady who had damaged her knee since booking still came with her sister-in-law and simply drove herself to local attractions such as Corfe Castle and Swanage. Another woman let her husband do the walking one

Durdle Door

day whilst she sat in the sun at Lulworth Cove. And the company can be invigorating too. I walked with a lovely young French girl living in Oxford and a lady from Bergen in Norway, together putting Europe to rights as we tramped the undulations of Dorset. Just three days on the trail, but an immeasurable boost to both wellbeing and fitness!

For more information about HF Holidays call 0203 974 8878 or visit www.hfholidays.co.uk. HF Holidays offer a Book and Travel with Confidence policy which includes flexible booking and full financial protection for all holidays. Their country houses are Covidcompliant; they only work with handpicked partners who are ‘Covid-compliant’ ; and they only operate and travel to locations that are deemed ‘Covid safe’ by the FCDO.

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