There is nothing more magical than stumbling across spring's holy grail: a carpet of bluebells in one of Britain's ancient woodlands. These are some of the pics I took last weekend on the glorious Ashridge Estate in the Chiltern Hills (just half an hour by rail from London to nearby station Trill).
And I have bloggy mate Char in the City to thank for the tip-off. A fellow Antipodean living in London, Char posted some photos of another glorious bluebell dell when she was out walking in a wood near Christmas Common. When I realised that it was too difficult to access without a car, Char passed on an excellent link to the National Trust's top bluebell walks. That's how we found the Ashridge Estate walk - and immediately made plans - and a picnic lunch - for Sunday. With the bluebell season almost heading to an end this weekend may be your last chance to see them. Check out the list to find one closest to you.
In part two of My Secret London with Neal from Present & Correct, we find out exactly where he shops for stationery, children's toys, skincare ... and stacks more. Dig in, birdies.
Best for stationery? Present & Correct of course! I always check out Magma, Muji and Shelf too to see what they are stocking on their shelves. Most of all I think that there are some brilliant old-school stationers dotted around. Belsize Stationers in Hampstead is a good example. Lots of binders, school notebooks and an eraser for any mistake. Holloway Arts, on Holloway Road is another good one. They have an old Letraset sign that I have been coveting for around 8 years.
Some of the design and stationery goodies from Neal's online shop, Present & Correct.
Best for kids? Caramel has a great selection of things. The museum shops too, especially The Natural History Museum. And Couverture. Anywhere that sells traditional wooden toys makes me happy.
Above: wooden toys at Couverture.
Best for skincare? I always buy Aesop products for myself and as gifts, I love the old-style apothecary packaging. The store itself is original and fun. You can’t beat Boots though. A good long walk in any London park will work wonders, too.
Neal out for a stroll on Hampstead Heath.
Best London shopping secret? My friend Emma introduced me to Sunbury antiques market in Kempton. Get there early and be prepared to dig through lots of nonsense to find a great gem.
Above: Treasure to be found at Sunbury Antiques Market.
Best London souvenir? A bag of Brick Lane bagels and something to put on them from Fortnum & Mason.
Best place to eat? There are a few, because I love to eat lots and try new places. For breakfast The Modern Pantry on Clerkenwell Road is brill, as well as Bob Bob Ricard in Soho which is an OTT diner/brasserie where the staff have gold and pink uniforms and the menu features Farley’s Rusk milkshake!
Above: the fabulous interior of Bob Bob Ricard.
Ottolenghi is always good for lunch, as is Leilah's at Arnold Circus near Brick Lane. Market on Parkway in Camden is great and not dissimilar to the brilliant Quality Chop House in Farringdon - hearty British dinners.
Café Paolina on Kings Cross Road is a wonderful, cheap Thai café. Wood panelling, fake flowers, melamine chairs. An old greasy spoon now run by a super-friendly Thai family. Monmouth is always great for coffee, at Borough Market or in Covent Garden. I plan to go to Petersham Nurseries this year as I have been wanting to go for ages.
I like eating on the sofa at mine, too. It’s BYO at P&C headquarters.
Neal Whittington, 29, runs the rather splendid online design and stationery store, Present & Correct. With a solid professional background as a graphic designer and illustrator, Neal spends much of his time these days scouring the globe for weird and wonderful paper-y delights. Here he opens up his little black book of favourite London haunts.
Best for a bargain? Any of the city car boot sales: Wimbledon, Kilburn, Battersea, Chiswick. Borough Market late in the day for cheap veg.
Above: Bric-a-brac a-plenty at Battersea car boot sale.
Best for vintage? There are several great shops at the Highbury end of Holloway Road which all sell a mixture of mid-century furniture and accessories. Due to its location you will find these places are much cheaper than if they were located in a trendier part of town.
I love vintage places that just sell one thing too, like Get Stuffed (for taxidermy) or EW Moore (for amazing retro wallpaper), as well as DA Binder (for old shop fittings).
Best for fashion? I love Paul & Joe, and I always look in Liberty. Smaller independents like Sefton and Diverse stock some good labels. Second-hand shops like Rokit, Beyond Retro and charity shops come up with the goods, too.
Best for interiors and gifts? SCP and Skandium are lovely shops and there are some great little gifty places along Columbia Road – like Ryan Town and Treacle. Labour & Wait is unique and so attractive and I cannot leave Muji empty handed. Ever!
Above: Skandi-heaven at Skandium.
In part 2 tomorrow, Neal reveals his secret London destinations for stationery, kids' stuff, skincare, souvenirs, and places to eat.
1. The castle truly is the jewel in Conwy’s crown, commanding the same sense of grandeur and respect as it did back in King Edward’s reign during the 13th century. Climb the towers for an amazing view that offers something completely different from every angle: lush bucolic scenery and the old town wall to the south-east and the most breathtaking coastal scenery to the west.
2. Just a short walk from the castle, Plas Mawr (above) is said to be the finest surviving Elizabethan town house in Britain. Owner Rober Wynn clearly had a predilection for entertaining, showing off and mythological Greek ladies clutching their naked bosoms. His sizable ego is also reflected in the numerous appearances of RW, his initials, on the plasterwork and wood work.
3. Located across the road from Plas Mawr, the bottleshop on High Street stocks a range of well-priced wines as well as an extensive collection of European beer. I like the hand-written tags describing each wine’s attributes.
4. Around the corner from Plas Mawr on Castle Street, Aberconwy House is supposed to be the oldest surviving residential home in Wales, dating back to the 14th century.
5. If you’re in Conwy during Spring, take a walk along the public footpath (in reality, the meadow behind the castle car park) and take in the lambs-a-leapin’ (this curious little fellow was quite happy to pose for us).
6. Next door to Aberconwy House on Castle Street, Penny Farthing Sweet Shop is stacked with old-fashioned sweeties and a rather splendid window display.
7. And the bakery next door to Penny Farthing Sweet Shop has the best Welsh cakes and disgustingly-good cream buns. Oh boy.
8. Stroll down to the quay for a look at Britain’s smallest house (complete with tourist-pleasing lady in traditional Welsh costume). Not sure if it was worth the £2 entry fee, but interesting nonetheless.
9. Its close proximity to some other lovely places in North Wales, including Bangor (yes, we did have “a loverly time”, and I highly recommend ordering the famous scones at the end of the pier), Snowdonia national park, miles of sandy beaches, and lots more castles (specifically Caenarfon and Beaumaris castles). It’s also a short drive to Anglesey, where you can stop by the train station at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, one of the longest place names in the world (it translates to "St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave").
10. Quay Hotel, natch. (If you’re interested in visiting between April and June 2009, they’ve got rooms from £52.50 per person per night. Contact the hotel for further details on 01492 564 100 or info@quayhotel.com.)
It’s been mini-breaks au-go-go here at the Wee Birdy nest. The past eight weeks has seen me travelling to Bulgaria, the New Forest, Paris and North Wales. Next weekend? I’m off to Copenhagen. All over the shop, eh?
One of the things I usually enjoy about travelling in the UK is staying at B&Bs (this is NOT a piece about B&Bs, but bear with me, OK?). Apart from the fact they’re usually cheaper than staying at a hotel, I really enjoy the personal and quirky nature of staying in the likes of a 400-year old country farmhouse, not to mention the usually-fabulous full-English breakfast in the morning. That was, until, I stayed at Voldemort’s very own B&B in the New Forest. I shan’t linger on the hideous facts, apart to say that I really don’t enjoy nasty proprietresses (aka Voldemort) bitching at me at 10 in the morning ON MY EASTER HOLIDAY for lingering in my room too long after breakfast, ESPECIALLY after they just served me bacon complete with cat hair and bread from a chopping board that until 10 minutes ago served as the cat’s litter tray. (Pregnant women toxoplasmosis alert!) Anyway…
Let’s just say that I was in an excellent frame of mind for a change of scenery, like say, a luxury-hotel-perched-on-the-Irish-Sea frame of mind. Ohhh yes. This is exactly what was served up at the Quay Hotel & Spa, located in the charming seaside town of Deganwy in North Wales. It was hotel luxury all the way, complete with in-house spa that would not look out of place in Mayfair, trillion-count Egyptian cotton sheets and super-sized towels (OK, a slight exaggeration but such a welcome departure from scratchy, mean little towels), and 24-hour room service (why, yes, we would love to sip Champagne and watch the sun set over the water from the comfort of our own balcony).
I took this pic on Saturday night from our balcony.
The excellent full Welsh breakfast in the morning was served in the hotel’s Vue restaurant, which indeed afforded an excellent view of the sparkling Conwy river and the Unesco World Heritage Site of Conwy Castle (one of the best-preserved 700-year-old castles in the UK). An extensive buffet breakfast was also included (but funnily enough, no cat hair).
Full Welsh + View = Best way to start the morning.
After tucking into homemade bircher muesli, local Welsh sausages and poached eggs, I ventured to the hotel’s Espa on Saturday morning for an Aromatherapy Associates full body massage. But first – the “chill-out room”, which was designed for lounging around in one’s robe, sipping herbal tea, reading the latest fashion mags and gazing out from time to time at the yachts moored in the tiny harbour beyond the window. Then I was led through a hushed labyrinth of sexy dark-panelled wood, scented candles and Buddha statues to my treatment room for a customised body massage. Customised, because I was asked about my state of mind (sleepy!), my plans for the day (plundering castles!) and how I wanted to feel at the end of the massage (relaxed but awake!). Which quite happily, is exactly what happened after an hour of blissful pummelling whilst inhaling a bespoke mix of essential oils.
Conwy Castle ... just like a Lego castle, only better.
Back at the hotel for wine, chips and the papers.
More local produce was on display at dinner, where we dined on delicious Conwy mussels and Welsh lamb (Coes Cig Oen wedi’i Brwysio gyda Garlleg Rhost a Thatws Mâl â Basil, to be exact) whilst admiring another award-winning Conwy sunset. Hotel life in Wales just doesn’t get any better than this.
The Quay Hotel & Spa Deganwy Quay, Deganwy, Conwy North Wales LL31 9DQ Tel: 01492 564 100 Wee Birdy was a guest of The Quay Hotel & Spa (and should point out that she rarely dips her toe into PR-sponsored activities unless they're genuinely bloody good).
Tomorrow: My top picks from Conwy, including the best cream buns in town.
Just what every design-conscious boudoir needs: a birdy condom dispenser! Cucoon Condom Dispenser, by Danish designer Susanne Hanggaard. (via Swiss Miss.)
I spotted this incredible bow-encrusted Jigsaw store on Westbourne Grove a couple of weeks ago. The store was literally in full Spring bloom. Cool, huh?
