2 J's World of Adventure

Getting ready for a road trip around Scotland

Published on April 29, 2026 by 2jsworldofadventure1 Comment

THE PLANNING STAGE

We are shortly off on another road tip around Scotland. The itinerary and planning document is below…. It is all for 2 double rooms, because we are lucky enough to be joined by my father .. so if its just one or two of you its half the price…. most of the bookings are with Booking.com although one apartment is with Airbnb. With most hotels you have the option of adding breakfast at the booking stage…. we normally don’t because Dad likes a double bed but doesn’t want 2 breakfasts!! so we pay at the hotel for the breakfasts as and when we want them.

The airb&b is a ground floor apartment in Inverness. We usually stay at The Royal Highlander, which is next to the station. But when planning this trip they were fully booked and even if I’d changed our dates around I wasn’t keen to pay their hugely increased prices.

In Carlisle we are staying in an apartment because I really cant face once again staying in the Carlisle Station Hotel, Sure Hotel Collection by BW…. The last time was just a step too far for me. It has always been quirky but last time was more surreal than usual……We’ve had over the years:- crashing down or stuck open sash windows, toilets which fill up and flood, toilets which don’t flush, a step in the middle of a bathroom floor etc….but last time the shower wouldn’t turn off, so I left it running got dressed and waited until John came back from fetching bacon butties for breakfast. John gave it a tug and the knob came off in his hand as it covered us both and the bathroom in spurting out water in all directions. John managed to reconnect the knob which sent the water thundering back into the bath-tub direction but we still couldn’t get it to stop…….we were of course fully dressed and looking like drowned rats…. The manager did apologies profusely for it and assured us ‘the next time we visit our room will be half price’….ummmmm no thank you…eventually we came to an agreement that he would discount our room so we ended only paying for one night instead of two……which was acceptable to us….but the thought of going through the usual drama in the only decent hotel within walking distance to the station was too much for me on this trip so it is a lovely sounding apartment instead.

*DAY*	*PLACE*	*COST*
1	Leonardo Hotel Scotswood Road, Newcastle NE1 4AD 2 nights x 2 Superior King double room Booking.com	£286.74
3	Premier Lodge Westmains Road Grangemouth Falkirk FK3 8YE 4 nights x 2 Double Rooms Booking.com	£540
7	4 nights Airbnb 2 Crown Circus Braevellie Apartment No 1 Highland Council, Inverness IV2 3NQ… contact Claire for check in details.	£920
11	Muthu Queens Hotel Corran Esplanade Oban PA34 5AG 2 nights x 2 Standard Double rooms Booking.com	£357
13	Western House Hotel at Ayre Racecourse 66 Craigie Road Ayr KA8 0HA 1 night x 2 Double in Courtyard Buildings. Booking.com	£187.12
14	Carlisle City Centre The Foreman’s Residence 9 Earl Street The Foreman’s Residence Carlisle CA1 1DP 2 night x 2 double ensuite bedroomed apartment. Booking.com	£232.20
16	Steeton Hall Hotel & Restaurant Station Road, Steeton BD20 6RY 2 nights x 2 Deluxe King Double breakfast included. Booking.com	£277.20
18	Home
	*TOTAL COST*	£2800.26

A quick weekend trip to Spain – Day 4.. time to go home.

Published on March 17, 2026March 17, 2026 by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

Today was the first day we decided to have breakfast in the hotel. We had deliberately not booked with breakfast because we thought at €15.50 each it was a bit too much for a continental, buffet breakfast. However, we made an exception because we felt it was going to be a long day. It was a nice enough breakfast. John had cold meats and cheese with toast, fruit and yogurt. I had a slice of toast with half an avocado, smoked salmon and the yolk of a cold fried egg and some yogurt…it was scrummy and if I am honest it is my perfect breakfast….maybe I’ll start having it at home but without the egg.

After breakfast we went back to the room, showered and packed. Jak rang and gave me the instructions as to how to get to his..left, right, left and hey presto we were there.

We said goodbye to the boys and then Jak and Nichola drove in front of us to Alicante. It was a scenic route through orange, lemon and lime groves with mountainous backdrops.

We parked my hire car in a big free carpark outside a gym Jak sometimes trains in. Then we all went to the promenade in Jaks car. He seemed to know his way around and parked very centrally in an underground carpark. We walked along past the fabulous marina….some of the yatchs were palatial…..even a euro lottery win wouldn’t have purchased them….

We said “no thank you” to the person taking and printing pictures along the promenade, but he gave it to Jak any way

We then headed for the castle…

Jak and Nichola had walked up before but today we were going to take the lift. We walked up a few hundred steps (or at least it felt like it) looking for the lift. This took us through some quaint and quirky little streets. It soon became obvious the lift wasn’t about to appear and Jak and Nichola ascertained it went from the beach…..so we walked back down a different way …again very pretty.

We eventually found the lift on the beach road, down a long tunnel….

Because we are old we didn’t have to pay and it was a couple of €’s each for the youngsters. The lift took us to the top…

It was well worth the effort as the views were tremendous.

John, Jak and Nichola climbed up a little higher for even more views…but my little legs were tired and I knew we still had a lot of walking at the airports to do, so I sat in the shade and enjoyed the view from where I was.

After taking the lift back down we meandered along the promenade. The beach was busy with sunbathers and the “ looky-looky men were out in force.

We stopped at a restaurant on the promenade and all had chicken and salad. The day seemed to fly past and before we knew it Jak was taking us back to pick up our car. He very kindly drove in front of us to a petrol station near the airport. We struggled to open the filler cap ….lets face it the car was a wreck…but eventually put €38 of petrol in….obviously it hadn’t been completely full when we collected it as we had only driven from the airport to the hotel and back again! Jak and Nichola escorted us to the turning where we had to go to return the car…..our very grateful thanks to both of them for taking the stress out of finding where to go.

We returned the car in minutes, and quickly went through the departures protocol and procedures.

I do wonder why people pay for priority boarding…with Ryan Airways this consists of being the first through to get on the bus which takes you to the plane…but these means you’re the last off the bus and consequently the last on the plane…certainly not priority “boarding”….note to self – never pay for priority boarding🤣

The plane was full and the rather fat, grumpy man who sat next to me had a nasty cough, so let’s hope he kept it too himself….note to self- remember to take neck pillow with you as a germ barrier🤣and for greater comfort on budget airlines.

Arriving in Luton airport we made our way to immigration. The queues were unreal…it was totally jammed. I held on to a railing for support as I was pretty tired. A security guard asked if I was exhausted which I nodded to…he then very kindly escorted John and me through the ‘assisted’ lane and within 2 minutes we had cleared immigration….what a very kind man. …..I now know I am officially old, my legs were a bit wobbly and when I asked John if I looked awful he said ‘yes’🤣🤣…just a bit pale from tiredness. We soon bought tickets for the dart and train to Bedford. On reaching Bedford even John didn’t object to me spending £10 on a taxi from the station to home- a 5 minute walk!!! We finally made it into bed at 1.20 am…..exhausted but very, very happy.

A very big thank you to Jak and Nichola for a superb weekend, for all the lovely food, for their massive effort, for sharing their new life with us and most of all for their love.🥰

A quick weekend trip to Spain – Day 3 Mothers Day.

Published on March 16, 2026 by 2jsworldofadventureLeave a comment

We had a lazy start to the day. By the time I had blogged day 2 and we’d caught up with our messages it was midday. We went down to reception and asked where we could get food/ breakfast….the hotel doesn’t serve anything except coffee from 10 am until 2 pm…ummm…they couldn’t recommend anywhere as everywhere was shut….its a Sunday ..oppps we should have got up earlier…walking to the car with the intention of going in search of food we found the sports bar and casino below the hotel sold croissants and mini burgers….great. I had 2 croissants and John had two mini burgers both with some very good coffee…all for €7 …job done breakfast over.

We returned to the hotel and watched the world go by from the roof terrace.

Another couple of coffees later and we felt human again.

Jak and Nichola picked us up at around 3 pm and we headed off to listen to some live music on the beach at La Zenia. It was really great. The Spanish have no inhibitions, they were dancing, drinking sangria, clapping, sun bathing etc….we joined in the fun..

What a ‘cool’, relaxing way to spend a Sunday .

After a drink we returned to the car, catching sight of some parakeets in the palm trees and some orange trees on our walk back.

From here we went a short distance to another larger Seaside resort where Jak knew there was a St Patrick’s day parade. We parked some distance away and as we walked across the footbridge over the main road we could see the tail end of the parade. Jak soon had us circumnavigating the huge crowds and we managed to get to the finish of the parade in time to see the carnival exhibitors……wow they really were very colourful with lots of dancing, singing and fantastic costumes…

It really was a huge festival. Walking back to the car there were thousands of people…many dressed in St Patrick’s outfits, hats, shirts, garlands…many had over indulged in alcoholic beverages🤣 We had to laugh as one middle aged man took a swing at another, missed, turned around and went back to his drink🤣🤣🤣St Patrick’s Day celebrations seem to be the same across the world🤣🤣🤣 People were staggering all over the place, laughter and fun were definitely taking place…. We eventually escaped the crowds and headed back to the car. Jak took pity on my poor little legs and him and Nichola went on ahead and brought the car to the footbridge..bless them.

From here we headed off along the costal waterway road towards Alicante. Jak stopped several times for John to take pictures of the flamingos. He then turned the car around and found an ideal pull- in and we waited for the sun to go down….it was a super sunset…with much laughter over my not so straight photos etc..

What a lovely day we had, had….but it wasn’t over yet ..back at Jak and Nicholas apartment we had cuddles with the boys…both comically over excited to see us. We watched a bit of TV. Then Jak cooked a magnificent paella, with Nichola acting as the sous-chef……wow was it tasty…

We returned to the hotel just before midnight and fell into bed with full tummies and happy hearts. A very big Thanks to Nichola and Jak for a fantastic Mothers Day…the best ever…thank you my boy🥰🥰❤️

A quick weekend trip to Spain – Day 2 part 2

Published on March 15, 2026 by 2jsworldofadventure2 Comments

We started the afternoon with a lovely rest…we both enjoy relaxation time with our feet up, sorting our social media out, that’s what I call it although John says I add a few snores into the mix!!! We certainly can’t keep up with the active days and late nights we used to have….i guess it’s the gentle slide ( I don’t say decline) into retired life ( I don’t say old age)!!!

Jak and Nichola picked us up at 6.45 pm which had given us plenty of time to wash and scrub up…we were off to their “special place” restaurant in Torrevieja.

Situated on a narrow street a block back from the promenade you find ‘El Meson de La Costa Restaurant’. An unassuming place from the exterior.

Jak dropped us outside and drove off to find a parking place. We followed Nichola in and “wow”, “wow”, “wow”…….this was going to be an experience… Our first view..

We were escorted to our table by a smart uniformed waiter. The ceilings were covered by literally hundreds of whole legs of ham hanging down, along with dried chillies and what looked like dried dates/prunes…amazing.

The hams and chillies hanging from the ceiling.

Jak soon joined us, we ordered drinks and the waiter explained the specials before we perused the menus which were presented to us in a smart ostrich leather binder. A large bread with a chorizo paste arrived at the table.

It didn’t take long for us to decide what we wanted…I went for melon and ham, a favourite of mine, which due to the high natural sugar levels I never have any more….but tonight was a gastronomic experience, so I was going to enjoy it to the fullest…..

John, Jak and Nichola each chose a dish, mussels, squid and octopus …they decided to share. John dived straight in, fearing that he might not get a chance as both Jak and Nichola pack their food away….heaven knows where Nichola puts it because she has a wonderfully slim figure. Its obvious where Jak puts it, muscles on muscles !!!!

Jak drinking the tasty liquid from a mussel shell…he really is his Grandmothers grandson..although he did say she would have picked the bowl up and drank directly from it🤣🤣🤣

For a main course Jak and Nichola selected ribeye steaks and John and I had sirloin it all came with lyonnaise potatoes and grilled asparagus we added 10 large prawns to share with it. The waiter came with the stand for the cooking plate and then the raw meat arrived.

Soon the cooking plate arrived and we got to work…cooking our own meat how we wanted it…a little at a time so it didn’t get cold.. they replenished the cooking plate twice and brought extra lyonnaise potatoes…..it was all absolutely divine….so flavoursome…

The ambience in the whole place was unique. It was buzzing, the waiters worked hard serving the totally full restaurant, but they also regularly checked on our progress and were extremely attentive…..one wanted to use Johns camera to take a photo but it was too technical for him so he used my iPad…..

We were not hurried at all and after our leisurely main course we had desserts. I had a creme brûlée and the other 3 had baked cheesecake.

The meal was an experience we will never forget….We’ll brush over the bill, we will just say that a meal for 2 in Rules Covent Garden ( our favourite – the oldest restaurant in London) and a pair of good tickets to a West End show would have been about the same price…..so it was OK for our very special night out with 2 very special people❤️

Before we left, Jak showed us around the rest of the place- the bar area is also their above ground cellar….its certainly an amazing place.

John went upstairs to where the champagne is kept….Wow…

On leaving the restaurant I noticed even more cooking going on….

There was even a tank of live lobsters and a cook prepping some fish.

We wandered along the promenade to where Jak had left his car…..it was a quiet, peaceful night and it was a lovely stroll after such a magnificent meal…..I’ve decided it’s the best meal I’ve ever had.

We had been going on to listen to some live music but as it was already 10.30 pm we decided it was time for bed…..what a wonderful day we had had…thanks to Jak and Nichola for making it sooo special…..and we still get to spend more time with them tomorrow.🥰

A quick weekend trip to Spain – Day 2 part 1

Published on March 14, 2026March 14, 2026 by 2jsworldofadventure1 Comment

We had a lovely lie in, thanks to Nichola and Jak for lending us the soft pillows- the ones in the hotel were like rocks!!! A good nights sleep was had by us both….unfortunately I over ate yesterday compared to my more recently established much smaller intake…consequently I had to get up several times…I am never sure why hotel bathrooms have frosted glass doors because when you have to go in the night you wake your partner up by putting the light on- a definitely design fault!!!! However we didn’t really totally wake until 9.00 am and then we languished in bed doing emails and social media responses etc.

At 10 am we rushed out of bed to ablute…the bathroom – except the door- is too our liking…it’s a low bath so I can easily get in and out to use the over bath shower and John can bathe….having completed the getting up rituals, we got ready for the day.

It was a bit of an overcast day.

The cranes in the background are at Jak and Nicholas apartment complex. It’s due for completion by the Summer.

Jak, my son, called to say they’d be a little later than previously discussed….this was great as we were also running behind the agreed schedule…for those of you who know me you’ll be saying “what’s new“…. I am always either very early or very late but have problems actually keeping to agreed times 🤣🤣.

Jak is an online personal trainer – RESULTS WITH WINDER. He has a busy business with a lot of “body-builder” elite clients along with those who just want to get in shape….this is a busy time of year for him because the body building competition circuit is coming up and his clients are all prepping for this and with the summer just around the corner his “get in shape” customers are also hard at it…. He is also in the prelaunch stage of his new company “Peak Resilience”. This is a quality gym/sportswear company which is due to launch in May ……there’s no one better than a body builder who spends his time in the gym to design and have made top quality versatile sports gear…so we are looking forward to its launch…..I did model one of his prototype hoodies yesterday evening as it got a little chilly…but I won’t share the pictures because I am not the type of client who will benefit from his Pure Resilience range it’s for the sports minded not the short, fat old age pensioner….having said that it was very comfortable so I may need to invest when it’s launched 🤣🤣🤣

Nichola his fiancé is also about to launch a new company called “Pulling Through” This is practical equipment for big dogs. Most dog harnesses are not designed for dogs with big chests…in-fact they encourage dogs to do what they naturally do which is to pull. The other types of harnesses can rub under the front legs and cause sores. Halties are not designed for dogs with short noses like boxers, bull dogs etc they rub and cause sores. Collars are a useless design for big dogs because again they can rub and dogs pull on them. So Nichola’s new company will be making equipment which is much more comfortable for both the dog and the owner…

We wish them both good luck with their new ventures. With such busy schedules we are just grateful that they can fit quality time in with us. They picked us up from the hotel and took us to a small coffee shop…..this is no ordinary coffee shop. “Biscky” is owned by Melanie Thijssen- http://www.biscky.com @biscky.chocolate.pastry

It makes the most divine chocolates….diet out the window🤣. We each had 3 and a great coffee each…the total cost was €16 unbelievably cheap… John and I each had a coffee, ginger and honey and a passion fruit chocolate….we wandered down to the seafront and sat on the wall indulging ourselves…

Breakfast over….although for Jak and Nichola it was elevenses! We headed off to the market. It was a busy place with stalls on either side of a wide road which was closed to traffic on market day.

The left hand side had mostly fresh food, all very tempting- but we showed some restraint. The right hand side was clothing, jewellery, leather goods, crockery etc etc. We soon came across a stall with the elastic webbing belts John likes. His present one has been worn until it’s no longer elastic so we selected 2 for €9 ….they are usually twice this for 1 in the UK…we then went on to about 5 handbag stalls until I found one which I liked to replace my deceased one….its not leather but at €15 it will certainly be a good replacement.

We wandered back to the car from the market

Jak wearing one of the new prototypes and carry honey which has been collected from bees who feast on orange blossom.

After the market we went back to the supermarket we’d been to yesterday. John and I got a salmon poke bowl and a seafood one with prawns and octopus. They even supplied the cutlery to eat it with.

Jak and Nichola dropped us back at the hotel.