The Grand Finale of our 3013 trip

London, Fri.11^th Oct.  We’re killing time now before our flight leaves for home.  As it’s raining, we chose to while away some time in the hotel sitting room, watching the passers by pass by.  Spending a couple of hours in the local cinema helped pass the time and we saw ‘le Weekend’ starring Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan and Jeff Goldblum…not the film we thought we were going to see, the program changed today so we missed out on ‘Blue Jasmine’ with Cate Blanchett. 

On Monday 7^th  we drove to Blue Anchor with Marion and Mike and enjoyed an excellent lunch at the Smuggled Retreat Hotel.  The retreat is one of many throughout England housing returned/injured soldiers and assisting them to readjust to civilian life. 

Rather than completing our meals with dessert at the hotel, we drove back a little way to Watchett, bought yummy ‘Styles’ ice creams and devoured them whilst admiring the harbour view. 

A most enjoyable day out and as none of us was hungry enough for an evening meal, we indulged in a snack of a few superb local cheeses from the farm shop at Nether Stowey, breads and biscuits.

Tuesday 8^th saw our departure from Taunton, sad farewells to good friends Marion and Mike and a relaxing, smooth and comfortable train journey through lovely countryside to London.

For the last three days we have enjoyed an easy visit to our favourite big city and in that time have visited Covent Garden, the War Cabinet Rooms, Apsley House (home of the Dukes of Wellington), Wellington Arch…climbing 62 steps to the top as the lift was not working, the Australian War Memorial, Emirates Air Line Cable Car 

followed by a river trip back into the city, the theatre twice, for a repeat performance of “We Will Rock You” which we saw on our last trip and a comedy “Barking in Essex” starring Sheila Hancock and Lee Evans.  As we’ve been staying in Notting Hill, we’re close to Portobello Road so have wandered through the markets there a couple of times and are a little sad that the journey is almost over.

BUT…we’ll be back!!

Last Days in Somerset

Monday : 7^th Sept.  Our last day in Somerset…tomorrow we will ‘train’ from Taunton to London for the final four days of our ‘big trip’.

On Thursday 3^rd, Mike M drove us the 13 miles through the misty though still gorgeous Quantock Hills to Taunton where we collected a hire car.  We then went into the city for a wander, but it was a very wet wander as the rain which started as a mere drizzle, became heavier and heavier and we got a bit damp before ducking into a shop to buy a couple of umbrellas…we’d neglected to take our rain jackets with us which wasn’t very bright!  As it really wasn’t a great deal of fun walking about in the rain, we cancelled our little jaunt and headed back ‘home’ through the hills again.

Friday 4^th saw the two Mikes take up the offer from a friend of Mike M’s to take part in a cider press, an offer which they felt they couldn’t possibly refuse, so accepted and participated with great enthusiasm.

For the last few days here we have enjoyed glorious blue skies, sunshine and warm temperatures and we took advantage of the excellent weather on Sat.5^th to go for a drive through this lovely county…or at least part of it.  Our first stop was at Cleeve Abbey in nearby Washford, a Cistercian abbey boasting the most impressively complete set of monastic cloister buildings in England as well as the floor of a refectory decked from end to end with 13^th century heraldic tiles. 

Then it was on to Minehead, though we didn’t stop there as the population had grown to an enormous level (all taking advantage of the wonderful weather) and we don’t ‘do’ crowds so it was back then through Dunster to Luxborough, where we stopped at the Royal Oak Inn for a light lunch.  We’d been there before on a couple of occasions but were a little disappointed on this visit to find that the inn is now a bit run-down.  Still, the soup and sandwich were enjoyable, the sunshine was welcome and it was a lovely drive. 

A stop for a stroll around Watchett harbour completed our day out.

I must mention here that Mike and Marion are both excellent cooks and we’ve been treated to some lovely, lovely meals in the last week.  Mike’s fish pie, beef stew with dumplings, moussaka, spicy chicken/pasta dish and salmon with dill sauce were all winners and Marion’s Sunday roast yesterday, eaten outdoors in the sunshine, was delicious. 

I have a lot to live up to when we return home!  We are taking them out to lunch today, to a place we haven’t been before so all will be revealed in a few hours’ time.  As they say in the ‘classics’…you never, never know if you never, never go!

Footnote :  Boris entered his winter home in a storage facility on a farm/caravan park on Friday afternoon, a sad occasion as he treated us well for 21 weeks of travel through Europe, England and Scotland.  We did tell him we will be back in 2014 so he now feels a little better.


Somerset

Wednesday, 2^nd Oct.  On the way to Wiltshire on Saturday, we called in to see the remains of the large and luxurious Great Witcombe Roman Villa in Gloucestershire, built circa AD 250, with a bathhouse complex and with magnificent views of the valley below.

Our arrival at our friends’ home in Wiltshire was greeted with great enthusiasm by 10 year old Alfie, anxious to investigate every nook and cranny of Boris’, giving the drop down bed a try out and quickly discovering how everything worked.  Following a lovely meal cooked by Jo, we were escorted by Si and the tall and willowy teenaged Alice to the nearby village hall where we enjoyed a lively musical version of The Three Musketeers, performed by 4 talented and professional members of Barbershopera, an a cappella group which has toured the U.K. since 2007 and has a YouTube hit ‘I Could Have Married Kate’ among its credits. 

It was to be our last night sleeping in Boris the motorhome for this trip, as after breakfast and a drive round the village for Alice and Alfie, we set off for Somerset.  It was a pleasant, sunny drive and another warm welcome was awaiting us.  We are now enjoying the company of our friends Marion and Mike while preparing Boris for his winter hibernation…he has served us well and deserves a rest…Friday is the day he’ll go into his temporary home and Friday week is the day we’ll head for home.

Through the Midlands to the South

Tuesday, 24^th Sept. :  The heavy mist which rolled in over the hills last night lingered on this morning and was still hanging around when we left Hawes at midday to head east towards York, a slow journey because of the narrow, winding roads along the way, causing several stops to pull off to the side to enable oncoming traffic to pass.  The caravan park almost in the centre of York, where we had hoped to stay, was full but the lady at reception gave us details of 3 others in the area, we chose one about 5 miles south and booked in.  After choosing our site we took a bus ride into the city where we visited Clifford’s Tower, the York Minster, The Shambles and walked along the River Ouse, stopping at a pub for that elusive beer, the one that Mike can’t drink! (He hasn’t found it yet!) Because we missed the last bus back to camp, we took a taxi ride costing 10 pounds, not much more than bus fares for two people!

Another slow morning on Wednesday 25^th, not getting out of bed until 9am!  We’re beginning to wind down now as our travels with Boris are nearing an end for 2013.  After showers and breakfast we strolled down to the river, just behind the caravan park to have a look at the lock.  There is a boat cruise which goes into York from the lock but unfortunately it only operates on weekends.  Still, we’d had a pleasant visit the previous afternoon/evening so weren’t too disappointed in missing out on the cruise. 

Leaving at about 11.30am we headed south to visit the magnificent Brodsworth Hall & Gardens in South Yorkshire.  Built in the 1860s by the fabulously wealthy Charles Thellusson and occupied by his family for over 120 years, the house was left to English Heritage who took the bold decision to conserve the interiors as they were found, rather than restoring them.  It was requisitioned by the army during WWII, the lady of the house was a volunteer nurse in both world wars as was her daughter in the second world war and there are many similarities between the lives of the household and those at ‘Downton Abbey’.  I wonder if the creator of ‘Downton’ was inspired by Brodsworth and/or similar stately homes? 

As has been the case at other attractions, photos are actively discouraged but we compensated by taking zillions of snaps of the glorious gardens.  Definitely a highlight!

After a two hour visit which could easily have taken a lot longer, we hopped on to the motorway for the journey to Hulme End, near Buxton in the Peak National Park.  A heavy haze enveloped us for most of the way which was a pity as once we left the motorway, we drove through stunning scenery which was almost obscured by the haze.  We stayed the night on a farm which caters for campers so apart from the occasional baaa from the resident sheep and moooo from the cattle, it was a very peaceful night.

Thursday, 26^th dawned bright and clear, no sign of haze or mist and the sun shone.  We set off reasonably early to drive through the Peak National Park and stopped at Blaze Farm, a sheep and dairy farm overlooking Wildboarclough Valley, where we had morning tea and sampled their home made yummy, creamy icecream.

It was a long drive then through a couple of counties to Kenilworth in Warwickshire, and a visit to Kenilworth Castle,

whose buildings span more than five centuries and was gifted to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester by Queen Elizabeth 1.  Dudley created a fabulous garden especially for his Queen’s 1575 visit which has been recreated after extensive excavations, research and development.  We stayed there until almost closing time, then went looking for an overnight stopping spot which we have found in Hockley Heath, at a pub in the rear of their very large car park.  As there is no charge to stay here, we thought it only fair that we should take advantage of their two for one meal deal!

Friday, 28^th :  A lot of travel today and a 3 hour visit to the Heritage Motor Centre in

Gaydon, Warwickshire which houses a priceless exhibition of motor cars and provides an insight into the history of Britain’s motor industry.  Mike partook of the Land Rover Experience Demo Ride and was absolutely overawed by it. 

On to the motorway again to Gloucestershire for a visit to Hailes Abbey, a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1246 by Richard Earl of Cornwall, King Henry 111’s brother and Dissolved on Christmas Eve, 1539.

After a wander through the ruins, it was back on the motorway for part of the way to Cheltenham and our overnight camping stop at a top caravan park.  Arriving about 2 seconds after us was a Hampshire couple who’d just taken delivery of their new secondhand motorhome, so we were able to give them lots of friendly advice which they actuall seemed to appreciate! 

It’s Saturday morning now, the 29^th and we’ve just heard the

the very sad news that our AFL football team, the Fremantle Dockers, have lost the Grand Final to Hawthorn …disappointing!!!  Shortly we’ll be heading into Wiltshire to visit friends, staying overnight and tomorrow we will take

Boris to Somerset, where by the end of the week he will go to his winter home to have

A long rest before he does it all again next year.  We’ll be staying with our good friends M & M and after all these months, looking forward to seeing them again.

More to come…..

Lakes District and Yorkshire Dales

Leaving Dumfries on Thurs.19^th in the pouring rain, we drove 8 miles south to New Abbey to pay a visit to the impressive ruins of Sweetheart Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1275 by Dervorguilla of Galloway in memory of her husband John de Balliol, whose embalmed heart was buried beside her when she died – the monks at the Abbey then renamed the Abbey in her honour.

Down the road a little, we detoured off the main road a couple of times, down skinny little lanes to the coast on the Solway Firth, visiting a couple of coastal towns and then headed back to Dumfries with another detour on the way to see the Drumcoltran Tower which has been in the Maxwell Family for hundreds of years. 

After going through Dumfries, our next destination was Caerlaverock Castle, a triangular castle with a real moat! 

A brief stop at Gretna Green Blacksmith'e shop

before leaving Scotland for this green and pleasant land – England!  Down the motorway to Penrith and then into the Lakes District, where we spent the next  four days.  The first night we spent in Pooley Bridge at the northern tip of Ullswater, then we ambled down to Ambleside through the Kirkstone Pass

Stopping at the pub at the top for lunch.

We stayed at Ambleside for the next three nights.

The camp was on the edge of the town where during our stay we went to the cinema, tried out a couple of pubs, patronised the launderette, shopped at Tesco’s, checked out a rock concert on the green, explored the village which was very, very busy all weekend, caught buses to Grasmere, Windermere and Bowness on a 7pound Day Ticket, and took a boat cruise to Bowness on Windermere and wandered through the very, very busy streets before returning to Ambleside with a stop at Brockhole, an adventure playground.  

The boat day, Saturday 21^st, was overcast and misty which gave the lake an ethereal feel, we kept looking for a hand emerging from the water holding a sword but were disappointed…no Lady of the Lake!! 

The bus day, Sunday 22^nd,

was gloriously warm and sunny, with the temperature reaching 21 degrees…we actually sat outside in the afternoon.  It was a lovely, lovely little holiday which we thoroughly enjoyed…Mike and Boris particularly enjoyed the no driving part.

This morning, Mon.23^rd, we left Ambleside and drove to Coniston, stopping for coffee and scones with jam and cream and a walk down to the boat jetty,

then along Coniston Water, stopping when and where we could to take in the scenery and to take photos.  Any one who has visited the Lake District will know how stunningly beautiful it is and how difficult it is to describe that beauty.  Some photos may help…..

Now we are in Yorkshire, in the Dales this time in the town of Hawes.  Quite different from the Lakes, but also beautiful countryside. 

On our arrival here, we strolled down the hill to town for a beer at one of the four pubs…Mike still hasn’t found a beer he can’t drink…but no doubt will continue the search!

Dumfries

Sunday 15^th was an enforced day of rest as the bad weather came in earlier than predicted…Boris rocked and rolled in the strong winds most of Saturday night, it rained heavily all night and continued through much of the day which was spent indoors reading, watching television, sleeping, eating and doing little odd jobs to pass the time.  It was still raining heavily on Monday morning though the wind had eased to very, very light, so we packed and left, had a drive through tour of Oban as we couldn’t see much point in walking around in the rain and headed for Kilmartin, recommended to us by Michelle.  On the way there we stopped to walk the ¾ mile uphill to Carnassarie Castle and we arrived at the very same time as the rain!

          

By the time we reached Kilmartin, it was pelting down so we opted for coffee and cake in the warm and dry café, hoping that it would clear up enough for us to go exploring but no…it just went on and on.  As there had been heavy rain for about 48 hours and the ground was boggy, we really didn’t fancy squishing through the mire getting soaked through so thought we’d just have a look inside the church before moving on.  However, there was a funeral in progress so it was not good timing.  We stopped at Cairnbaan to have a look at the Crinan Canal and then followed the A83 along Loch Fyne to Inverary where we parked Boris and had a wander around the town, as by this time the weather had improved enough for us to venture outdoors, albeit rugged up to keep out the cold and rainjacketed to keep out the now light showers.  As we’ve found in many towns, the Woollen Mills Shop was very busy, with coach loads of tourists flocking in to spend their cash but we managed to resist the temptation. Ther was even a piper outside. 

  On then through the beautiful Argyll Forest Park to Tarbet on the shores of Loch Lomond and about 9 miles down the road, near the village of Luss, we found our overnight free camp site in a parking bay overlooking the lake and settled down for a quiet night.

Tuesday 17^th began with the sun shining feebly and we were hopeful that it would become stronger as the day got older but alas, it was not to be.  We had decided that we would go on a boat trip on Loch Lomond whatever the weather so with that in mind, headed for Balloch, about 8 miles away on the southern tip of the lake, bought tickets for the two hour cruise on the Silver Marlin leaving at 12.30pm and went to the nearby holiday park to book in for the night, returning in time for the cruise.  We began the cruise out on deck but didn’t last long as it was bitterly cold and raining on and off.  Now and then the sun made an appearance so we rushed back outside each time…it was a lovely boat ride, the lake is enormous, 23 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest and is awesome. 

Returning to the dock, we then walked through a gorgeous park to the Lomond Shores which is a big shopping village and to make  the walk even more enjoyable, the sun came out!  A walk back to the town, beer at the pub and a drive back to the holiday park and that was our day.  Relaxing and most enjoyable.

This morning, which I believe was Wednesday 18^th, we left Balloch and headed to Dumbarton for a visit to the Scottish Maritime Museum to see the Denny Tank, the world’s first commercial ship model experimental tank which we both, but Mike in particular, found very interesting. 

Then on to a distillery in Clydebank…you can’t come to Scotland and not visit a distillery!…after which we made our way south through lovely, lovely farming land with fat, woolly sheep and contented looking cattle, green hills and valleys, little rivers, sunshine, rain, the occasional village, narrow roads and the odd major road, until we reached Dumfries and our camp by the river, in the long term carpark…another freebie!  After a walk through town and a cheap pub meal, we are about to settle down for the night. 

This bit added by Mike: Yesterday was a real winner.

Several times over the last few months the hinges have come loose on Boris’s entry door and I have been able to tighten them each time with an allan key. However they kept on coming loose again and the door threatened to fall off. I spoke to the man in the tourist info who directed me on to an “ironmonger” who turned out to be a little old fashioned hardware shop with a man in an apron greeting us at the door. When I told him I wanted three new screws he went out the back, found some with the right thread and the cut them off to the right length, then charged me the princely sum of 90 pence. I went back and fitted them and adjusted the door and it is now as good as gold. Very happy.

Remember the smashed mirror? I went to a repair shop and they directed me to a spares shop who had nothing but directed me to a “breaker”. After getting lost trying to find them from his directions, I went “online” and found their address. There I met a most helpful chap who went away for quite some time and came back with a mirror that would fit, although not exactly the same, and fitted it for me. Even though I offered he wouldn’t take any money so all in a great day in Boris’s life.