Mrs Ed and I have sneaked away for a week, no family this time, for the first time since you-know-what started.
In theory I'm more "at-risk" given my stint in respiratory a couple of years ago so the idea of going abroad, most likely by plane, was off the table. Like many others I'm certain it was a no-brainer..
stay in UK.Not too far away at all, less than an hour and a half in fact, lies this paradox land where we have Scotland to the north, west and and almost south of us due to the acute angle of the Tartan Curtain - our road is a dead-end, lying in a valley with no mobile signal until you're halfway up the hillside. Internet is er, provided, but at 0.3 mbps through BT on wifi 2 metres from the router. I cannily brought an ethernet cable forseeing this, plugged it in and speedtest showed.......0.9 mbps
But none of this is too bad and actually quite relaxing, the air is still and nights are black, all hushed and peaceful. Surrounding fields full of cattle, the river Bowater meandering just below the disused railway between Wooler and Coldstream.
The new TomTom is being put through its paces finding the best, often unclassified, roads to wherever - today the 15" Heatherslaw railway to Etal, tomorrow Bamburgh. Embleton to Dunstanburgh castle is on there too.
Friendly people, tasty and reasonable food, no flight delays/queues, lost baggage, hire car or long drive to places where it's so hot you need to be prised out of the a/c!
Might do this again...