I decided to pay this old house and grounds a visit, it’s free to visit. However, I felt disappointed with the house. I did enjoy my walk around the grounds know.
There are two old houses there, the main house museum which you can visit inside and the other appeared to be going through a renovation? The main one, the museum, I’d have to say has been, from my perspective, has been botched! You walk in and they have added the reception area/shop which in my view should be moved out into a separate building from the main house.
You walk through into a few other rooms, you see a hallway with modern displays and a room off of it also setup in a modern way which doesn’t suit the history of the house what so ever.
There are then the three main rooms facing the gardens which have this lost grandeur and look ever so tired. Floor, ceiling and walls. That’s it! Lovely looking ceilings know! These were receiving a lot of natural light and on a preservation note, maybe not the best approach.
Then you find yourself down a corridor and meet the butler, this video, does he explain the house? Nope! This focus is more about the Upstairs Downstairs social narrative.
I proceeded upstairs to the next floor and other than seeing the round banister I couldn’t really see much more. As all the doors to the other rooms were close! Up again, past this big elevator that took up a lot of room! The top floor was dedicated to an exhibit which really didn’t have any bearing on the surrounding area or grounds. Just fashion from modern people. That isn’t history!
After escaping this poorly curated mess of a house at least I got to see the grounds. The grounds themselves are nicely kept, mostly. However, they do need a lot of work on them in some areas. The interesting grotto bathhouse was closed off to the public as it hasn’t been maintained or kept well. Also, outside is a small orangey building, which also feels like it’s lacking love from the local community.
The Orangery
There are some fake ruins in the garden near to an area where once they had a stables. There are a few ponds one, constructed after the London clay had been removed for brick building which was part of the old industry of the area. So in essence, it’s worth coming just to explore the grounds.
Fake ruins
I feel what needs to be done with the house is that they need to work to bring it to a standard along the lines of Kenwood House in Highgate. Which at the top in Hampstead, now that’s a nice place to visit. Restore the furniture to the rooms, paintings. See if they can bring it in life with the past lifetime when the Rothschilds had the home.
At least you can get some nice walks here, far better to be outside anyway.
Gunnersbury Park, Popes Lane, London, W5 4NH Can be reached from Acton Town tube station on the Piccadilly Line
On right now in the British Museum is the Hawaiʻi exhibit A Kingdom Crossing Oceans, which is available until 25 May 2026.
I enjoyed the exhibit and found it easy to navigate, although for me there wasn’t enough art on display. But what was there was of fantastic quality. The quality and craftsmanship really do stand out, from the headdresses and cloaks to everyday objects.
You have a story starting with showing off the crafts and wares of the island, then straight to a letter sent to the then king of England (George III) to confirm that the English crown would help protect the island nation. The king was presented with a rather large cloak, finely crafted.
Cloak sent to George III of England
This then swiftly flows into the voyage of King Liholiho and Queen Kamāmalu across the seas, visiting many places on the way, reaching all the way to England. They managed to explore some of England and experience London, but behinds the scenes they were sadly mocked which can only be described as racism. Sadly, it didn’t end well for the pair, as they died from measles in their 20s and never got their engagement with the King of England at the time. They were left in their hotel with many of the objects they brought with them, and when the king found out what had happened, he organised a ship to return them home.
However, it is clear from the exhibit that England never did truly protect Hawaii, as America eventually conquered the island, dispelling the last of the royal family in what sounds like an imperialistic fashion, and in the last century the island became the 50th state of America.
My own little thought at the end: I pondered, should they get their independence back?
4 out of 5
Creepy fella, almost looks like it might have children’s milk teeth!Quality of craftsmanship A healing bowl imbedded with human teeth from past chiefs
I picked a company called Exodus which has its premium holiday to Morocco. And I picked October as the time to go thinking it wouldn’t be too hot. It was pretty hot later on my holiday.
Apparently, I was supposed to be staying in a five-star hotel! Certainly didn’t feel like that. Room was okay know, breakfast! Somewhat a joke if you ask me!
Casablanca
The first site on the itinerary was a trip to the Hassan II Mosque, now that’s a huge mosque! Commissioned by the King of Morocco, created by how many craftsmen I don’t know, but lots of different people worked on the project and an amazing job they did. The tiling, amazing open space, flooring and the Murano chandeliers. Trying to imagine the 200,000 worshipers in that space alone would be, well something else. After seeing the main hall, we entered one area were what could be said was an entrance with two doors both with what could only be described as portcullis doors. Here the wind flew through and you could see the fog on the wind. When we had arrived it wasn’t that foggy, by the time we left. Well, the fog had rolled right in and it was truly mystical in many regards. We didn’t get to experience much else of Casablanca it was just the mosque.
The portcullis doors.
Moulay Idriss & Volubilis
Back on the bus and onward, our next stop was Moulay Idriss. I wasn’t sure what I experienced about the place, walking around and, well it just felt like any other town. Except I didn’t understand why people were dumping their rubbish in buildings and down the drains. That’s not cleaning up! That’s just pollution! And there was a bit of a dodgy smell about the place. There was obviously importance about the place due to the fact that Moulay Idriss was buried there, but you can’t see or feel that when they say only Muslims are allowed into certain areas. It didn’t quite work for me.
Onward to Volubilis, which is a hugely impressive Roman site. Given a tour and a talk, we followed as a group. Pottery, building debris scatter all over the place. Of the areas which have been unearthed, amazing mosaics, lots of them, the building layouts and the city scape all there to see, and maybe more under the soil. There is so much archaeology just sitting there on the top. The land around the site is fertile and that’s probably why this ancient Roman city was built here. I also felt the tour guide for this area got some pieces of information wrong, he was talking about one place was a private villa, right next to one of the towns entry gates. However, the five frontal pillars of the building say otherwise! But who am I to know!
Back on the bus and we carried onto Fez. We checked into a riad and being unlucky again I got the room where there was brown paint all over the floor, uncleaned looking like droplets of blood. The white cement not cleaned up either, the floor looked terrible and unclean in this room and I had to stay in there for two nights. I never slept at all in this room; there was one pathetic little window which allowed all the sound from downstairs, were people ate talked and passed through. Constant irritation on my part.
Volubilis
Fez
The next day we did a tour of Fez, an amazing warren of very tightly constructed buildings leaving very little room to move around in some areas. As we walked through, we came to one shop which had a decapitated camel head on the stand advertising camel meat. Ugh, this made me feel so dam ill! I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture of it. Others did know. We were then given some snacks, I had a few olives to eat. But honestly, after seeing the camel head and feeling somewhat dirty around there. I couldn’t bring myself to eat really.
We carried on through the crowds until we came to a leather shop. All the way up to a viewing area and the smell as we walked through, then on this balcony overlooking we saw all the mud pits full of all the different dyes, with people working away in them. I remember this place from TV. Remembering James Bond running through them.
All the dyes
Back inside the main shop I honestly had no interest in buying here, I had a look around a little bit. But nothing really interested me at all. Afterwards we carried on and we had a look inside some mosques hidden away. As always, we are not allowed in, as we are not Muslims!
Lunch time came and we all sat together in a restaurant, everyone’s meals looked huge for lunch and when my mixed grill and rice came. I was really happy, looked a lot less food and easy to manage which it was.
Walking through more tightly thin streets we made our way to another place this time dealing in metal works, it felt odd somehow, there was one guy working away, but in all honesty. This felt more like a gimmick to me. I couldn’t explain it. The gentleman said in his big shop that it had been in his family for decades and they had worked all the objects in there. But again, it didn’t feel right. Felt like some kind of fabricated lie to me. I couldn’t explain it, just that strange feeling.
After the tour of old Fez, we stopped at a viewing point to take some pictures then we went and had a look at a pottery crafting place. This felt real this time. Some of the group seemed at odds with it, but I didn’t. Interesting seeing the amazing craftsmanship here. I could have brought something, but didn’t.
I feel my problem is that I have been filling up my own with stuff from my mum’s house who is downsizing and well. I seem to be accumulating more junk here! I really need to sell more on eBay!
So, after the tour here I sat down on the table with the two guides watching them trying to stack empty water bottles on top of each other like some game. I then said, you really need to be light with your fingers for that. They looked at me, and told me to try, what they had been struggling with I did on my first go!
Not much else happened this day other than picking up some food for dinner from a super market and being disappointed. I was confused about the evening, and being where my bedroom was. I again didn’t get any sleep.
Bus ride to hell and the great escape!
Off we went in the morning, a long ride on the crappy bus, doing my lower back in. Stopping off for lunch and I had a turkey taco! Or was it, what ever happened after that I just went downhill later.
I remember getting to the next place where we are staying. Diarrhoea started and didn’t stop. Burning pain, mixed with a dodgy tummy. Ugh my Tummy. I was struggling and the slight heat at 32C wasn’t helping. Least the room I was in had air-con. The next day I was out of it, pain in my back as well as my front, knocked out. I felt so bad, it wasn’t right. My tummy had given out; it didn’t like what went into it. I was poisoned. Death felt like it wanted to call me. I spent all day in this place in the middle of the desert. Imodium didn’t seem to work! That and a combination of rehydration salts. And I was getting to the point where I had too much and I had, had enough. I wanted to go home. Later that day I moved onto the next camp with the group, riding through the desert in a 4×4 and the next morning. I had organised my escape from Morocco. I was hardly eating, too scared to eat. I did have little bits, not a lot really. Just a little bit of bread. I didn’t want to give any food to my body as I felt it would well, you know!
Nine hours in a taxi through the desert into the Atlas Mountains, stopping off on the way for a little bit of chicken and rice. I also had to stop off to use the cash machines. I couldn’t work it out at first. Then it turned out I could only take out 2,000 MAD or less at a time out of the machines. And I had a little bit, not much at all, still charged as if I had a three course meal from their menu. 140 Moroccan dirham (about £11) Another stop to have a wee in a filthy toilet on the way!
As we are driving, I didn’t understand why Moroccans litter their deserts with so much rubbish! All that plastic out there floating around really did sadden me.
Continuing on I noticed this diamond sparkle, as we drove along the road, it was bright. Then the taxi driver told me it was a special solar power plant. I worked out it’s called Noor Ouarzazate Solar Power Station. Even know I was feeling ill, it was still an impressive sight. Like a lighthouse in the desert.
Finally I got into Marrakech, placed in a 3-star hotel which was bearable and I actually had a few hours’ sleep that night. The most sleep I had in a whole week of being in Morocco. Over £200 paid for a taxi across the Moroccan desert and mountains, £17 a night in a crappy hotel! And a £190 flight back home.
I made it home, however Sunday night into Monday morning I got worse, ended up in Barnet hospital. Drip in my arm, pills in me and 13 hours later discharged with some strong tablets to help my back and others to sort out my guts!
Honestly, I didn’t understand how I went downhill so quickly, my problems carried on for a few more days. I was just glad to be at home in my own bed. Still got back pain as I am writing this. Hopefully it won’t be too much longer now. But just over a whole week with diarrhoea was nothing short but pain and with my epic escape from Morocco has to be classed as stuff of legend.
The tour started with a bit of history and started to feel like many other hidden London tube tours, the descent down. But there are some interesting elements, accessways, old tunnels, covered in good old thick dust everywhere! We explored an area which was partially used during World War 2 and saw a huge wind turbine which they didn’t have on. We’d be blown away if it was on it was so big!
That’s one big turbine!
Making our way back ascending back up the stairs towards the main concourse then back to the multi-platform area. Here is special part when you descend down the furthest platform then down onto the track, not so deep down, but very much under London. Walking alongside the old track felt amazing, another case of “I am amazed I am allowed here”!
There was even a little headless horse statue down there. But for the life if me, I can’t remember if the girl said why it was there. We then went round into another access area, which had this incredible graffiti that no one will ever see, this felt very much like some sacred underground church with the high ceilings. However, they said we were not allowed to take photos of that area, as they seem fearful other people will get in to tag the place. I am still amazed that people can get into the area to spray. They must have to walk a long way to find this obscure, way off the beat part of the hidden underworld of London to even get here.
As always, I tend to labour behind the group so I can soak up as much as possible. I was hearing the sound of rushing water and look down into a grate. I asked is that a hidden river? Because we do have a lot of those in London surprisingly. However, the tour guide explained that this was part of the sewage system. That really must be quite big, because that was a lot of water running under my feet.
We started our ascent back and I didn’t realise how deep we wondered into the tunnels, must have been a four to five-minute walk back to the front of the platforms. There we got to hear about the special metropolitan Moorgate roundel and then that was the end of the tour. I did rather enjoy this one. Especially walking alongside the old track. This one I recommend.
Often I’ve been to Kew Gardens, which seems to be turning into a yearly ritual, I will walk all the way around. There is a spot I like to sit at and the view has interested me for a while. Right across from this view point is a little-known place called Syon House.
I finally got there and little it is not. It feels hidden away but as you walk down and through the entrance you are greeted with a long driveway up to a house that looks like a castle, that is palatial inside. Owned by the Duke of Northumberland this estate sits in the leafy green Brentford part of London.
The house sits on a former church site and the catacombs still exist under the house. The main entrance of the house The Great Hall is kind of a love story to ancient Rome. You follow through into an Ante Room of a completely different colour scheme, made up of composite marble, like the film studios use today when making film sets. There is a sense of grandeur through-out the house with that ancient Roman Greek design by the famous James Adam who after his grand tour of Italy brought a number of styles back with him.
The Anti Room follows through into the Dining Room. This room is far more subtle in colour with white walls and gold leaf designs and the traditional solid oak stained floor. The next room is the Red Drawing Room, far more opulent with an intricately decorated celling. There is a lot softer feel to the room as the walls are lined with material instead of paint. And a large Axminster rug to disguise the hard wood floor.
By now you would have made it through to the Long Gallery serving as a library with many books. The fades of time are very much felt here, the colours are very faded. Was it once a pearl sky blue?
Don’t forget to inspect all the painting on your way around, painted by the famous artists of the day. Plenty of Van Dyke’s around!
I had viewed many more rooms and then I exited to wonder round to have a look at the Great Conservatory which is on par in design as Kew Gardens, but not as jam packed with plants. Entering this area I was greeted with perfectly maintained grounds, a sea of ferns on one side and a perfect bed of meadow flowers on the other. There are areas of the grounds that need work on, but what a relaxing day out. Although I was worn out by the end.
The reason I call this a hidden gem, well there can’t have been more than 20 people around wondering around. I don’t believe Syon House is advertised and for such a beautiful estate. I guess everyone is at Kew.
I see the mountain (La Concha translates to The Shell) from the apartment every year I go to Spain, rising high in the background with a superimposed look, but it’s very real.
I was driven over to a place which is also a national park meeting a friend of my brothers called Alex.
Straight out of the car park we began our walk down the road to an olive grove, through a woodland and up through a few rocks to our first sign-post. I was already feeling it then! I am clearly not as fit as I should be.
At the same time I was running the Nike fitness app on my phone so I could record my stats going up. This was annoying for me because she kept saying “workout paused!” And “resuming workout!”.
Up we went and I was making sure I had careful footing as there seemed to be a lot of loose rock. I hear Alex up ahead, “Come on this is easy” my reply was “maybe to you but this is alien terrain to me!”.
We stopped for a break half way up.
We carried on to the top, passing three points which were a bit more challenging hence they added chains to the mountain side to assist you. At the top I turned off my Nike app recording 6.5KM it said I had climbed an elevation of 546 metres and had only burned 368 calories. I don’t know how accurate the app was but I turned it off at that point. Knowing I had to walk back the way we came meant that’s doubling the stats!! A fair bit easier but it was still hard work.
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