The No 1 Ladies Opera House, Botswana

Baobab in Botswana
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
The Ravenous Rambler is a fan of the No 1 Ladies Detective series and is delighted to hear about the new Opera house that has been set up in Botswana by Alexander McCall Smith, the author of the series.
I taught in the bush of Botswana for a couple of years [...]

Cedar House Rules – a review of the Cedar Cafe in Marlow

11 November
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips

Marlow is a delightful old town in Buckinghamshire on the Thames. There is a great regetta here to rival the more famous Henley Regetta just up river. There are some delightful shops but the question is, where to go for coffee. There is a Costa coffee and Starbucks but in my [...]

Hay fever

Heath Spotted Orchid
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
As a long term hay fever sufferer, the summer means only one thing to me – sneezing and runny eyes. I usually stay in for the month of June. Yes, all thoughts of rambling takes a back seat as I sit in a darkened room and turn into a chess [...]

Tea is the new coffee

Tea at the Apothecary
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
Have you ever sat in Costas or one of the new coffee chains and decided that actually the coffee you are drinking is ..well…awful. I certainly have although I like coffee when I make it and in spite of all their publicity it really is not very good. OK, [...]

Elderflower Cordial

Elderflower Cordial
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
This is my favourite drink from elderflowers. It makes a wonderful summer drink diluted to taste with water.
Ingredients
20 heads of elderflowers
2 pints (1.2L) of water
3 lbs (1.3kg) of sugar
1 sliced lemon
3 oz ( 75g) citric acid
Bring the water to the boil and add the sugar and lemon. remove from the heat [...]

London to Brighton Cycle Ride

London to Brighton Cycle Ride
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
The Ravenous Rambler is feeling tired and stiff. On Sunday 15th June he cycled all the way from London to Brighton for Heart Foundation.
It was an early start to get to Clapham for 6am. There were crowds of people there. People queuing for the loo, last minute [...]

Breakfast – Start the day the Rambler Way!

There is nothing like waking up late on a summer’s Sunday afternoon, doing a few chores and then settling down with a good breakfast and the papers

Berwick upon Tweed

The last town before hitting Scotland although it was not always so. It once belonged to the English and was the last outpost to be defended against the Scots

Holy Island Walk

Holy Island
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
A perfect walk around Lindisfarne
This surely has to be one of the best walks in the country. A round of Holy Island. Check the tide tables before you go because you have to navigate a causeway that gets flooded at high tide. Otherwise its a beautiful drive across the sands to [...]

Seahouses, Northumberland

Seahouses
Originally uploaded by Mr_Chips
A Review
A mixture of old harbour with new tourists. On the one side, fishing boats, lobster traps and ropes. On the other hand fish and chips, bucket and spades and the worst of British tourism. Our cottage for the week is on the older side of the town so it is a [...]