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Summit of Mt. Snowdon
Gale force winds but still happy to be there! UK Trip(8th May - 4th June, 2007)
Mum and I had a couple of days in London before taking off again for our trip around the UK and Ireland. We spent some time in Harrods and rode their Egyptian escalators valued at 20 million pounds! My nieces and nephews will be happy as mum did a bit of shopping at Hamleys (multi-level toy store on Regent Street).
We also made it to the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace where the crowds of people made viewing somewhat difficult. Kensington Palace was impressive which was once the home of Princess Diana.
Mum was happy to be seeing another musical in the West End - Billy Elliot. A very humorous musical with Billy’s demented grandmother being the funniest. She could never remember where she had hidden her pork pies and pasties. And as you can imagine when she did find them they were not safe to be consumed!
Northern England
Leaving London we headed north and took the rain with us!! In fact we couldn’t escape the rain for almost the entire trip! We didn’t make it very far on the first day having to get
our hire car towed from the university town of Cambridge to Peterborough where I worked last year. Our flat tyre couldn’t be repaired and the spare had the wrong bolts with it. Peterborough definitely wasn’t on the list of places to take mum with one of the highest crime rates in England.
With a new hire car we continued north to Nottingham (home of Robin Hood) and took a stroll around Nottingham Castle. When we reached the Peak District I decided that camping wasn’t the best option given how very wet it was. This is when I remembered that England had Camping Barns. I hadn’t stayed in one before but had seen them advertised through YHA.
Camping Barns are actually run and owned by the farm owners. We ended up spending 4 nights in 4 different barns throughout the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and the Lakes District. The barns were all very different indeed even though they all cost 6 pounds per person per night. Mum and I gave the barns star ratings from a 1 star right through to a 5 star. Our 4 and 5 star barns had electricity, showers and a cooktop and one even
had mattresses in the stables where the horses and cows once slept!! There was a friendly mouse looking for food at the barn in Abney. Our 1 star barn was in the middle of a field. We had to walk across 3 paddocks to get there and past the sign that read ‘Beware of Bull in Paddock.’ No electricity or showers and the even the poor little lambs in the field were looking for somewhere dry to sleep. We could hear the lambs banging on the door as they sat up against it seeking shelter. Mum was going to let them in if she got cold during the night!
We hit James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small) country in the town of Thirsk and it was difficult to drag mum away from his museum which was set in his veterinary surgery.
We continued our travels north and Rupesh met us in Whitby for some of the best fish and chips we’d ever tasted. We stayed in a lovely B & B in nearby Robin Hood’s Bay run by an 84 year old lady. This same lady cooked us a full English breakfast the following morning. And it
4 Start Camping Barn
Abney, Peak District got me out of cooking breakfast for mum on Mother’s Day!! We walked along the coast from Robin Hood’s Bay to Whitby and had fantastic views all the way along the coastline.
Just before leaving Northern England and crossing the border in to Scotland we walked along parts of Hadrians Wall which was built by the Romans in AD 112. Almost everything we see over here is older than Australia!
Scotland
Edinburgh was our first stop in Scotland where I took mum to a great little seafood restaurant on Rose Street called the Mussell Inn and then took in the sights the following day including a walk around the old town, Edinburgh Castle and the Queen’s ship, Britannia.
Edinburgh also has a great Baked Potato shop with loads of different choices for fillings so naturally a lunch stop was had there. I discovered Harry (fellow OT from Melbourne) was also in Edinburgh so the following day we caught up and will hopefully see each other again at the Edinburgh Tattoo and Festival in August. It was great to also catch up with Clint and Carly (fellow trekkers that we met in Nepal) and their
4 month old baby, Fin who is absolutely beautiful.
St. Andrews was our next destination which is the birthplace of golf and home of the Old Course which mum, being an avid golfer had to visit. Mum didn’t quite have the handicap or the 200 pounds to play a round on the course so she had to settle for a putt on an 18 hole putting course.
Continuing north in Scotland we reached Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park and set up camp in Glenmore. The rain came and with no shelter nearby we ended up cooking dinner on our camp stove at a table under a shelter next to a fish and chip shop which was closed. Mum was so embarrassed that she initially wouldn’t get out of the car!
From the Cairngorms we went in search of Nessie (the monster in Loch Ness). Loch Ness is the largest body of water in Britain and is up to 230 metres deep in some places. We didn’t see Nessie but we did learn a lot about the theories around whether Nessie exists based on sightings and lots of underwater scientific research.
We continued up to Ullapool
Field Camping Barn
Definitely a one star rating! which was as far north as we travelled in Scotland. Ullapool was a lovely seaside fishing village. We had a good wander around before gale force winds and torrential rain set in for the night. Mum and I had very good intentions of going to the pub for a drink and to write our diaries. We did have a drink or 2 but the diaries never came out. We had a very entertaining evening with 12 male bikies who were having a weekend away. The evening started off with discussions about Australia and then continued with one of the bikies referring to us as ‘Sheila 1 and Sheila 2.’ Mum and I then ended up on the dance floor with not only some of the male bikies but also a group of female bikies. It was a long night and when we woke up the tent roof was over my face because of the strong winds coming directly off the sea. Mum left the tent and slept in the car. I had never seen my tent in such a contorted shape!
We left Ullapool for the Isle of Skye which forms part of the Inner Hebrides. We spent a
couple of nights in a fairly remote hostel in Glenbrittle at the base of the Cullin Hills. A really beautiful spot. It was from here that we explored the area on foot and then drove across to Elgol Pier where we took a boat to the islands of Soay and Canna. Loads of wildlife including red deer, seals and puffins. Before driving back to mainland Scotland we did a loop around the northern part of the Isle of Skye which has beautiful scenery and an old highland village.
From the Isle of Skye we travelled east to the highlands through Fort William where I pointed out Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Scotland) to mum before reaching Glencoe. It was at the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe that mum had her first meal of haggis, tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnips). To mum’s surprise she actually enjoyed it.
From Glencoe we travelled south to Oban, a seaside town with almost a complete replica of the colloseum perched on a hill behind the town. Then on to Loch Lammond for lunch before reaching Stranrear.
Ireland
From the town of Stranrear in southern Scotland we caught
the ferry across to Belfast in Northern Ireland. A night in Belfast was enough as we found it to be a rather dreary city.
Leaving Belfast we drove north to the Giant’s Causeway, one of those amazing natural wonders. There are stacks of almost perfectly shaped hexagonal rocks. The story goes that the giant, Fin Mac Cool put the rocks there as stepping stones to get across the water to his girlfriend in Scotland.
Mum had her first Guinness in Fin Mac Cool’s pub in Bushmills near where we camped for the night. South of Bushmills we stopped in Derry (the walled city) and then continued on to Sleigo and saw Yeates Grave and then visited the megolithical graves of Carrowmore. From Sleigo we reached the Connemara, a beautiful area full of large lakes and rhododendrums.
We spent a few hours exploring the Cliffs of Moher by foot which is definitely a spectacular section of coastline. Further south we were going to drive around the Ring of Kerry but were convinced by some locals to head to the Dingle Peninsula over Connor Pass. A beautiful drive until it started bucketing down AGAIN!
Apparently mum and I
Traditional English B & B
Robin Hood's Bay. Mothers Day. have now gained the gift of eloquence after kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle. Mum didn’t quite realise that she was going to be held upside down over such a great height to kiss a piece of rock! We continued on to Dublin via Tipperary and surprise surprise the rain followed!
In Dublin we explored Trinity College and left there on a guided walk with an Irish history student who was very humerous and attempted to teach us some of the gaelic language. The tour of the Guinness Storehouse was impressive including the pint of Guinness you can drink at the end in the Gravity Bar overlooking the city of Dublin.
Mum and I then enjoyed a further drink at the Blazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin built in 1198.
Wales
From Dublin we caught the ferry across to Holyhead in Wales and soon reached Snowdonia National Park where we found ourselves setting up our tent in a paddock on a farm. I told mum we were going for a walk and I’m sure I said we were going to go up Mt. Snowdon but she claims that she had no idea that
5 Star Camping Barn
Richmond, Yorkshire Dales. she was going to climb a mountain. Mum did extremely well to climb the highest mountain in Wales and not get blown off the top in gale force winds!
After spending a night in the Brecon Beacons National Park we detoured back in to England and visited Bath for the day. Spent the morning on a walk around the city before visiting the Roman Baths. We had a very relaxed afternoon in the new Bath Spa, having a soak, sauna and spa. Great views over Bath from the rooftop pool.
Driving back in to Wales we reached the Wye Valley and stayed in St. Briavels Castle, an old working castle that is now a Youth Hostel. Mum and I had a bed in the State Apartments while others had to settle for a bed in the castle’s prison.
Southern England
Leaving the Wye Valley we crossed the border in to England again and visited Steve, Sarah and their dog Lucy in Hereford. Steve was the chef at the chalet I worked at in the French Alps before he broke his wrist. Steve and Sarah showed mum and I some of the local sights including
the Hereford Cathedral which houses the Mappa Mundi (oldest map of the world), the Wye River and the black and white village of Weobly.
From Hereford we spent a morning in the Cotswolds where there are lots of very quaint traditional English villages. We then visited Paddy and David Dornom in Yeoford, Devon. I met Paddy and David last year with Bern and Elizabeth and knew mum would enjoy a visit there too. Mum was breathing in when we were driving down the narrow country roads to reach their house.
In Cornwall we found a great spot to camp on the beach and spent a few hours at the Eden Project in St. Austell exploring the three biomes. While in Cornwall we had to have a homemade Cornish pasty.
We continued east along the coast of Cornwall in to Dorset and spent the night camped at Durdle Door, a huge sandstone rock arch in the ocean. It was also here that mum and I made our own Devonshire Tea with scones, jam and clotted cream.
From Durdle Door we continued east to Southampton and visited Kylie and Steve and their 2 week old daughter, Sky who
is just beautiful. We had a great afternoon together. Mum and I then camped in Brighton.The English love Brighton even though the beach is full of stones!
It was a long drive back to London with our car running out of petrol on the M25(the ring road around London)!
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