Strolling around Crook O' Lune at Caton, Lancaster

We departed from the Lancaster University. Drove into the city centre to have our lunch.  Lancaster City is famous and well known as historical town. Strolling to the high street shops and finally we came across a cafe which offers morning breakfast, cornish pasties and jacket potatoes with chicken curry. Beautiful buildings dotted around this city.

Finished with our lunch, take a short break to walk around the town centre. We have nothing to get so we decided to go sight-seeing the beautiful little town in Caton, which are situated within the Forest of Bowland are known for outstanding natural beauty. Caton with Littledale is near River Lune. Caton is about 3 miles away from the city centre. As we only had limited times to spare, so we stop at the car park at Crook O' Lune. The majestic River Lune winds it way through the Lune valley.

The weather was quite lousy with strong wind and grey sky.  The Rive Lune was overflow and raised above the grasslands. To walk along this River Lune will take us about 2 or 3 hours. We spent the times around Crook O' Lune. Directly in front of the car park - there is gate that leaded Lune Valley. Opposite the car park are the two bridges in quick succession carried Lancaster to Wennington line over the horseshoe bend in the river between Halton and Caton.

CrookO' Lune is a attractive spot, where River Lune meanders in a big curve  through tree-lined banks. The river passes under Penny bridge. The view from here is beautiful.

We were running late, as we still have a long drive to drive back home. So after about an hour spent taking beautiful photographs of this place. We proceeded our journey to next destination.

Campus Tour on Lancaster University - Open Day

My daughter pre booked a visit to Lancaster University for the campus tour on Wednesday. The journey from my home  to Lancaster about 2 hours  and 10 minutes. We set out  early at 8.30 a.m. so that we will have  plenty of times for the appointment at 1.00 p.m. We stopped for a break at the motorway but it took us 3 hours to reach the university due to there was an accident in the M6.

Lancaster University is make up of 7 different universities combined together and with all the students accommodations, shopping and entertainment facilities all in one campus. Arrived  at the guest car park and we had been wrongly directed to the students accommodations.  Surprising, we were allowed to walk around the campus without any visitors passes. Beautiful surroundings with all the students. Some of them were busy rushing to attend their courses and some for their breaks and others like us wandering around the campus.

Finally, we been directed to the correct place which was the Alexandra Square where someone will take us to the campus tours. Unfortunately, today was also a post graduate open day. When we make enquiry about this campus tours  the staff there have no ideas what was going on. We have been requested to wait for 20 minutes as the someone will come to let the students know what will be going on for the day and what they have to do.

The guests are provided with coffee and tea. It almost 20 minutes and we were still waiting for the campus guided tours. After waiting for more than half an hour, my daughter decided enough and not waiting around anymore. She had seem most of the campus surroundings so ready to leave here and go and enjoy our sight seeing this historical town.

With beautiful parklands and greens surrounding the universities and it make this place just like a small town with all the facilities in one place. This is a good place to stay for a few years to complete a degree. We walked back to where our car parked and enjoyed the scenic views of this parklands with ponds surrounding it. Even though without the guided campus tours we were quite happy with it.

Strolling along the Canary Wharf - London

It took us about 2 and half hours drive to Uxbridge to park our car. From here we took a tube to have our lunch and rush back to the New Cross Station to visit the Goldsmiths College. About 6.00 p.m. we left the College and decided to visit the Canary Wharf. It about 2 stations from New Cross Station. To save monies so we parked our car outside London. It cost £8.50 per person for a day ticket and this ticket is good value for money.

To our surprise, once we reached Canary Wharf our first impression was this station brought us back to Singapore where the underground station look similar to Singapore MRT.   The station is links to the  shopping malls.

Canary Wharf is a major business district in London. Canary Wharf is located on the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs. It used to be one of the busiest docks in the world. The port industry began to decline which lead to the docks closing in 1980. Now, Canary Wharf contains UK's tallest buildings.

We need something different to cheer us up after the visit of the university.  This amazing places brought the smiles  back to our faces. At least, our journey was not a total waste. We spent times walking along the wharf and enjoying ourselves with this different views of the areas.

My girl is holding a birthday greetings to Anni from Austria -"this is a Birthday present from your boyfriend Thonis." We walked for 2 hours at this place and went back to take a tube to Leicester Square, to the China Town to have our dinner before we head back to Uxbridge to collect our car. At the China Town, there was a stall in front of shop selling Hong Kong Pancakes.  We have missed this for years and lot of shops offerings goodies which we love and could not resist to visit every one of them.

Had our dinner at one of the restaurant. About 10.00 p.m. we head back to Uxbridge to get our car. Amazing the parking cost us only £7.50 instead of £16.00.  Overall we were pleased and happy with our this trip. Even we had to change about 20 different tubes to get to the places where we wanted to go.  I don't mind to go down to London again any times soon as I do enjoy this trip and it is a 5 stars for this Canary Wharf.

A day at Goldsmiths College Open Day

My daughter booked the appointment to view the university at London. The Goldsmith College  at New Cross Station. It took us about 3 hours drive to London and then we took about 2 hours on changing trams to reach there. Had our lunch in Chinatown and rushed to the university.

Reached the university, signed up as a visitors and gathered at the hall. My daughter went for the speeches and look around the campus.

The hall of the College look amazing and can see how much monies and times spent on here. The campus where the classrooms and halls look tired and old and need lot TLC on the. Walking to the classrooms to the toilets, one section of the walls painted in bright fire-engine red.

Half an hour later, my girl came back and disappointed with the whole presentation.  The presentation speeches were too passive without any motivation why student must choose this college for their further studies. Nothing on the subject of fine arts been touch or mentioned where she intended to take her course there.  Left the College within an hour and feeling quite sad and wasted of times. We went back to take the tram back to Central London. Unfortunately, when we take another different  route to the tram station. To our surprise that rows of houses were empty and run down with lot of rubbish at the front of the houses. The student lodge rental is £200.00 and above per week. From her 1st choice now it become her last choice of university.