Category: Travel

We had been looking forward to our Scotland adventure. We picked up the rental car Thursday night then got up early Good Friday to head North hoping to avoid any Easter holiday traffic. The only time we managed to get caught up was in Glasgow where I managed to take an unscheduled detour (in other words I didn’t listen to the GPS and sent us off down a merry path to mayhem!).

The roads are fantastic between England and Scotland, providing a smooth and easy drive. The countryside didn’t really change a lot in regards to scenary until we got to the lowlands outside of Glasgow. However we did get our first hint of a snowy weekend when we stopped to look at a church on the roadside. As we were looking around it started to hail/sleet/snow. One thing I have taken away from this trip is that snow falls in many forms and directions!

As we got into the lowlands and then the highlands the remoteness of the area is what inspired us most. It is obviously unlike Australia where you could drive for hours and see no one, however this did have the remoteness of the high hills and deep valleys even though there were other cars around. You could park on the side of the road and just walk off into the hills and be alone. We didn’t do this of course as being unprepared in this climate could well mean you don’t come out again. Unlike Australia I did felt comfortable with the remoteness here for some reason.

The first night we stayed in a little town on the edge of Loch Lomond. Tourism in Scotland truly does survive on B&B’s. We went to a medieval themed restaurant for dinner which was situated in an old church. With Clannad (OK so their Irish) playing in the background, iron cast chandaliers, antlers plastering the walls, chunky wooden tables and grand chairs you really could think for a moment you were in the past.

On Saturday we took off to Kinlochleven to get there in time for Steve’s ice climbing session. The climbing centre here was rather cool with bouldering areas, kids gym, rock and ice climbing and a cafe and bar to boot. You could spend all day here. We were staying at the pub across the road which was pretty good value being so centrally located. Steve enjoyed the ice climbing and managed to even create an injury to himself from falling ice that dislodged while he was climbing. I didn’t realise the face bled so much!

Sunday we looked for a church to attend but to no avail so we headed out for a tour of the area. We ended up driving through Fort William, up to Loch Ness then out to the Isle of Skye where we got a car ferry at Armadale back to the mainland via Mallaig. We were priviledged to see some wild stags, a wide range of colourful birds, squirrels, majestic mountains and a Scotsmen in a kilt playing his bagpipes over the highland mountains.

Some highlights of this day trip would include the Eilean Donan Castle which featured in the Highlander movie, driving through all types of snow, beautiful loch after loch of water, tall trees, colourful mossy woodlands, taking the cable car up to the ski fields outside of Fort William and remote homes located in magical locations.

Monday it was time to start heading back to Bristol and although we were going to go halfway then stop overnight we decided to push through all the way so we could have a good nights rest at home. On the way back we drove through Stirling and into Falkirk. Now this town was on my list of places to get to at some point due to the Falkirk Wheel. It is a magnificent piece of engineering. The working of it is not so complex but the design is beautiful. What is the Falkirk Wheel? A very large canal boat mover (in short). It lifts the canal boat from one waterway up to the other waterway via a wheel system. The design is architectually sleek and in my opinion very beautiful.

In all, we loved our time in Scotland and are keen to head back again at some point for a look at the puffin colonies and even more remote areas of the country.

Depending on the outcome of the weather forecast this was going to determine the weekend destination. As I believed my weather forecasting abilities were better than the Met Office we ended up at Lyme Regis for a day of fossil hunting. Of course, this turned out to be in the pouring rain. Obviously I will not be changing my day job any time soon.

Located just under 2 hours away from Bristol, Lyme Regis is located in the South where the county of Dorset meets the English Channel. It is a charming fishing village known for among many things, its fossils. During this trip I learnt about a woman named Mary Anning who is said to have put fossils on the map in this region. Her father was a keen collector and their family sold the fossils to try to make ends meet. She has a very interesting life story should you have the chance to read more about her. A little side note is that Mary is the lady we speak about in the tongue twister “she sells sea shells by the sea shore…”

I figured our fossil collecting expedition would be as fruitful as our gold panning trips in Australia. Read here – a few grains of gold were found at Sofala and Hill End. We were very surprised though how quickly we found the fossils. I have attached a few pics to show you. The very first bit of clay that Steve picked up actually had a shell fossil inside. There were many other stunning examples in the large boulders such as the outline of the ammonite on the rock. The fossils in this area are from the Cretaceous and Jurrasic periods.

Before I went down to Lyme Regis I did wonder how they stopped the area from being stripped of such amazing history. However after having seen it for myself, there are so many of them everywhere that you tend to go “oh theres another one” and walk on by. This doesn’t detract though from the sight of them. The cliff face that they fall down from is a dark gray in colour and very slimy to pick up however the fossils come in all sorts of stone and clay. Most amazingly are the array of colours of the stone, many transulent whites, pinks, greys, purples.

Also this area features quite a bit in Jane Austen’s books. The Cobb has been in a couple of the BBC adaptations of her books. It was originally built to provide a manmade port for ships and has since been rebuilt in Portland stone (1900’s) and was joined up to the land at some earlier point. There is quite a drop either side and a rather big slant on top so you have to be pretty careful walking on it. In a “safety conscience” Britain I am so glad to see they haven’t yet banned people from walking on this!

We really enjoyed our day down here even after having been drenched through to the skin.

The plan was to drive west and get to the seaside. However, as our plans generally seem to be quite fluid when we travel this never eventuated. We did see a lot of the countryside heading out towards the sea but that was about it.

I have put in a few pics of that tour which included a lovely walk around a tiny village off the main road called Lower Quantock. We couldn’t believe it when we rounded a corner on the narrow, winding country road to find a little village of thatch roofed houses. There was a little village church as well to look at which was deserted but open for people to browse through.

Next we headed towards Minehead but got as far as Dunster before we realised that it was getting too late in the day and we needed to start heading home. Before we did though we stopped off on the side of the road for a cappucino (very civilised aren’t we) and some toasted bread that we had left over from our trip to Wells the day before. Shaz we took this pic especially for you so you can see that the toaster you gave us is being put to good use!

Bit of a lazy entry this week as we didn’t do any traveling in the weekend just past. Our big trip to Scotland is coming up soon so we need to focus on planning that one especially as we are hearing stories of snow storms and the like up there. Brrrrrrrrrr.

As we were heading back into Bristol the sun was setting as we got a lovely view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. This is an amazing design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel who won a design competition in the 1830’s and we now have this bridge as a result of that. He also designed the Temple Meads Railway Station, the bridge crossing the Wye in Chepstow, the rail line from London to Bristol and so much more.

This weekend it was a trip to see the birth town of Shakespeare – Stratford Upon Avon. Located approximately just over an hours drive away from Bristol. I had always imagined Stratford to be a tiny village with nothing but thatch roof housing and cobbled streets. This was not the case. It is a quaint town (in key areas) but other than that it is a thriving, working tourist hub. The constant ways to milk a tourist can get a bit annoying with high priced goods, food and drink. Also, anything and everything slapped with a picture of Shakespeare on it is game for tourist selling i.e. Shakespeare headed cuff links? What the???? We visited his wifes house (Anne Hathaway) which was very nice however it would look spectacular in summer when the gardens are in full bloom. It was actually reasonably priced at 6 pound each entry.

The winner for the weekend though was Warwick Castle. If coming to England and putting together a must do list, this is it. At a very costly 17.95 each it is worth it. It was bought from the Earl of Warwick by the Tussard Corporation. Inside they have set up the rooms with lifelike figures of past inhabitants of the castle posed as though they have been frozen in time. The displays are spectacular and the other attractions are just as fasinating. Is summer they have jousting and falconary. We watched the archery demonstration and another demo on what pottage was made of – truly disgusting! The area was first used by Ethelfreda (daughter of Alfred the Great) in 914AD when she ordered the building of the “burh” which is a fortified mound to protect the hill top settlement from the invading Danes. Over the centuries this mound has been added to and fortified as was the fashion or need at the time until we have the castle as it is today. During Victorian times up to modern day it has been used as a home to the Earl of Warwicks (of which there have been many spanning the centuries).

The gardens are stunning especially the Peacock Garden although it can be a bit smelly here. 🙂

Anyway, enough talk, here are the pictures. In short though, I would highly recommend a visit to Warwick!

This week we bought a car. It is a ’99 Rover 400 which we immediately named Roger. So, with a stunning weekend of weather on the charts we headed for Wookey Hole just outside of Wells. Home to yet more underground caves we wanted to get a feel for this area next. Having yet again stopped off at Wells to stock up on breakfast and coffee we headed to Wookey.

Upon arrival it was quite apparant to us that although it is a lovely village the Wookey Hole attractions were very much geared towards kids with witches, wizards, clowns (which I REALLY don’t like), bad special effects and music, it wasn’t going to be something we were interesting in paying 14 quid each for.

Therefore we went for a wander around the area where we eventually bumped into some other walkers. They recommended to us a walk to Ebbor Gorge so we headed off to find the public footpath. Now when I say footpath they are very rarely paved walkways. Public Rights of Way are common in England and Wales with quite often clearly marked walking signs. We found the entry point we were after and headed off to find the gorge. By the time we found it our boots were covered in mud but we had fun spotting all the local wildlife. Thankfully Steve had thought to bring the binoculars so that made it easier to look at the birdlife close up without disturbing them.

The gorge itself was quite small but a great walk which lead you right up to the top. We found some interesting holes in the ground which we think were badger holes and another one where a rabbit had dug out their little home but had done so in amongst a midden. Old pottery including a ceramic waterbottle and a clear glass medicine bottle had been partially uncovered. We took some photos but left the items there as they are a dime a dozen over here. They might be of interest to the next person who comes along.

Although the day was very sunny with clear blue skies the temperature remained low. Frost was still lying on the ground at 1pm today. What do you do after a long walk and cold weather. You head to the pub. We drove to a little town called Priddy and had lunch in the local pub complete with crackling wood fire.

All in all, a fantastic day.

After having been sick yet again for the last two weeks we were looking forward to travelling again. This time we headed for Cheddar, about 40 minutes car drive or 1.5 hours bus ride from Bristol. As we are carless it was the bus for us. So we rocked up to the Bristol Bus Station for our 9.20am number 376 bus to Wells where we would then change to the 126 to Cheddar (Weston Super Mare is the end destination that you are after).

When we finally arrived at Wells the weekend market was on so we stopped for a coffee and sausage in a bun for breakfast. I also bought some extremely stinky cheese from the French Cheesemaker. This cheese looks fantastic but even wrapped in a plastic bag the stench is incredible! Note to self: not a great idea when travelling on buses and in confined spaces like the caves.

It was then on to Cheddar, the home of Cheddar cheese making and the gorge carved out by glacial ice flows in the last ice age.

When you get off the bus in Cheddar, get off on the second stop at Tweentown. This is the closet point to the gorge and the tourist area. We decided to take the Tour Bus option for 14 quid per head. This is a great option as the open top bus gives you stunning views as you head up the gorge. It also includes entry to the key main attractions, two caves, the prehistoric museum, Jacob’s ladder and of course the bus ride. If you find you don’t have time to visit all the attractions then your ticket is valid for 10 years so you can come back and continue at a later time. This is a great choice if you are staying in the area for a while.

The open top bus tour was very crisp up top but the views were fantastic and well worth the money. There were a large number of rock climbers out in the gorge and Steve is rather keen to return to do some climbs. The first cave we visited was Gough’s cave, the main one in the region and for my money, the best one. My favourite aspect was St Pauls Cathedral (as it is named) which has a “waterfall” of frozen calcite. With a small pond underneath as well it provided an incredible reflection of the staligtites and staligmites. Cheddar Man was found here in 1903. A fully intact skeleton of a past paleolithic inhabitant of the cave.

Next it was on to the prehistoric museum which was quite interesting and then Cox’s cave with the Crystal Quest. To be honest, this is incredibly lame and quite tacky with almost a disco feel to it. However, they do have the entrance to Jacob’s ladder which consists of two hundred and something odd steps up to a spectacular viewing area of the gorge and surrounding area. You can continue along the edge of the gorge on a 3 mile (5 kilometre walk) but we just didn’t have the time. We did climb the tower though for the best views of the area.

As we were starting to get a bit hungry by this time we headed back down into the main street and wandered through the numerous tourist shops. These were great fun with the cider shops, sweet makers and of course the Cheddar Cheese company. We bought some Cheddar Cave matured cheese which was stored in Gough’s cave to mature (as they have been doing since the late 1800’s). Of course we had to have some nice hot mulled cider to accompany the cheese. Let me tell you now, Cheddar cheese that we have grown up on in NZ holds nothing to the real thing. It is so much more rich and creamier, making your mouth almost tingle from the taste. Delicious!

We had a huge day and our legs were actually quite sore from all the walking given that we have been sick for 2 weeks. The weather was perfect and we greatly enjoyed Cheddar. This is another spot on our list of places to return to for either rock climbing or at the very least a picnic and walk along the top of the gorge.

I took the opportunity to visit Ledbury on Thursday. Situated about 1.5 hours north of Bristol it is a small town in Herefordshire. I have since discovered that the area was home to Elizabeth Barrett Browning (“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…”) poetess.

Although a rainy day I could instantly see that there was lots to see. However, nothing would open until 9.30am and I was in great need of a coffee. During my brief stay there I investigated the All Angels church which has a magnificent timber roof inside. The town is full of Elizabethan and Georgian architecture. I have decided I quite like Georgian for its definate lines and uniformity. Steve prefers the Elizabethan (Tudor style) with the black beams and “leaning” effect.

Although there isn’t much here that is a “has to be seen” item it is a nice enough, friendly town with a good days worth of sites and walks.

We decided this past weekend to make a trip to Oxford. So it was off to our local main railway station, Temple Meads, and off to Oxford. For 16 pound each this provides an all day ticket there and back. First stop was Didcot Parkway for a change to Oxford and in under 1.5 hours we were there. The weather has been overcast for a while now but this didn’t stop the town from appearing quite charming. I hadn’t realised that there are 39 Colleges here as well as the main Oxford University campus so it was all rather confusing at first. We didn’t take any literature with us at all and just managed to bumble our way through the place. It really just was for a general overview at this stage to see whether we wanted to come back at a later stage or not. Loads of historical buildings, fabulous shopping (if you have the time or money to do so) and very costly in everything else.

We really did not give the town the time it needed to give it a really good look. Also we did not get to see the libraries and museums on offer so I am sure we will have to go back again soon.

Last weekend we took a trip into Wales. The aim was to get to Hay-on-Wye (bordering Wales and England) which is the booklovers place to go with a riduculous number of secondhand bookstores in one location. Sounded like the place to be for a weekend of reading, browsing and generally lapping up that delicious smell of books.

Of course we decided to take in a few other sites on the way so we headed out early on Saturday morning. First stop, Chepstow. Our first lesson in roadtrips is that everything is a heck of a lot closer than we think. We arrived in Chepstow (Wales) within 15 minutes. Hmmmm, a bit early for anything actually to be open! Our main goal was the Chepstow Castle so we did a walk around the base of the castle then into the village to find the all important early morning coffee.

When Chepstow Castle finally opened we headed in. Being the only ones there at that hour of the morning really added to the magic of the place. This place is a close 1st place winner in regards to my favourite castle so far. Perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the river this is a magnificent piece of history. Here and there the castle has ornate additions which provide a grandeur to the functionality. Of course having a foggy, peaceful morning overlooking the river just added to the romantic setting of this location.

After Chepstow we headed to Tintern Abbey. To be honest, after having seen Glastonbury Abbey this was a bit of let down. I must preface this with the fact we didn’t actually even pay to go in because you can get an idea of what is in there as the wall surrounding the abbey is not that high. I probably would go back another time but at this stage I wasn’t really willing to pay another 8 quid with Glastonbury still fresh in my mind.

Meandering through the countryside we found a little organic food shop and stopped for lunch. The bread we found here was incredible along with a cool bottle of apple juice (even though it was still rather cold by this time).

Another great find was a town called Tretower. Here we investigated the local Tretower Court and Castle which were free to enter. We love free! Fantastic location with staff walking around in costume, a great fire blazing in the main hall, bright red apples overloading the trees outside and a castle tower in the backyard to wander through.

We finally made it to Hay-on-Wye around 4pm (a lot later than we had orginally planned), found some accommodation for the night and spent the rest of the day browsing the book shops. This is a quaint village which truly is focused totally on books. You could spend days here and still not see everything. Our B&B for the night was located right in the centre of town and as far as we could tell we were very fortunate to get accommodation at such short notice. One gentleman in the pub we ate dinner at was saying he had called 20 places before he finally found a bed for the night.

The next morning we decided to get going after another wander through the bookshops as we wanted to have a look at the Brecon Beacons. Traditionally this is an extremely popular area for walking (tramping). I must say as we drove through the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons region they really weren’t what we were expecting. It is still all basically farmland, quite wild and windy on the ridges I would imagine but at the end of the day they are a lot smaller than we imagined. I suppose I was thinking of the Tongariro National Park with large peaks and rocky terrain. I would still be interested in walking in the region but possibly thought it might be a bit more challenging. I think more research into this area is probably needed.

My second impressions of Wales at this stage? Love it! The country is open and uncrowded. I could quite happily spend a weekend here often. The castles in this area have been the best so far (not that I’ve seen too many to date). We got back into Bristol by 3pm, that’s how close everything was. In all I think we only did about 200 miles.

Looking forward to more adventures in Wales that’s for sure.

To be re-entered