The Morgan Motor Company is a venerable factory in Worcestershire that has been making cars on the same premises since 1914. They have three models of cars, all built by hand at their workshops in the Malvern Hills. While we were in the area, we booked a 'Morgan Experience' tour so we could see how their craftsmen build 15 cars a week, each one unique and built-to-order. The tour is genuinely excellent; you get an up-close look at cars being built in busy workshops. The boys were fascinated to see the work-in-progress, and even as non-petrol-heads, it was really interesting

We were only staying in Ironbridge and Much Wenlock for a few days, waiting to take our canal boat from Worcester. Nevertheless, between the industrial revolution heritage of Ironbridge (the first ever iron-only bridge), Much Wenlock's medieval ruined priory and guildhall, and the rolling Shropshire hills, we had a pretty productive few days in this charming part of the world. As a birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Ironbridge was always on our to-do list. The fact that it was another World Heritage Site ticked off the list was just icing on the cake. Unfortunately, the main Museum of the Gorge is

The main thing that brought us to York was the National Railway Museum. Since he was about four years old, our eldest had a bit of a train obsession, and specifically wanted to go to this museum to see the Mallard. We were a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to expectations — if his interest in trains hasn't fully waned, it's certainly been divided across many other topics. ("Dad, can we discuss the sacking of Troy?"). But we needn't have worried. He was beyond happy to be in a giant room full of locomotives, seeing them up close,

Until a few weeks ago, we'd never really heard much about Fountains Abbey. But the guidebook avows it to be one of Yorkshire's can't-miss stops, and we've made it a bit of a point to collect UNESCO world heritage sites on the trip, so the countryside beckoned. It's an enormous place and must have been breathtaking in its heyday. After the dissolution of the. monasteries by Henry VIII, it fell to wrack and ruin, but enough remains to give you an idea of the incredible scale of the place. (Both of us are reading the Wolf Hall trilogy right now,

While we're in Northumberland, we're staying in the village of Warkworth. It's a cute little place on the River Coquet, with a proper castle and just a 20-minute walk from the beach. We are, alas, spending a bit more time in Warkworth than we imagined, as different members of the family deal with some ailments. But if we have to stay close to home, at least we've got a lovely setting for it. The inner courtyard of Warkworth Castle. Admiring the view out of Warkworth The River Coquet winds its way through Warkworth. Watching the waves roll in on Warkworth Beach. The waves roll