Flying high in Oxfordshire

Saturday 9 September 2017

Larry was amused as Jenny leapt out of bed this morning and he thought we must have slept in but then realised it was just so she could watch a couple of early morning horse riders trotting past our window.  Made a pleasant change from the constant procession of Mercs - this is a very affluent part of the world!

Breakfast in the bar again and then on the road early so that we could get through before they started closing roads as the Tour of Britain comes through the Cotswolds today.  A bright sunny day after the storms of yesterday but they are promising more rain this afternoon and even by the time we reached Woodstock it was starting to cloud over.

We bit the bullet and paid the exorbitant entry fee to Blenheim Palace and it really is rather splendid. We were there right on opening time but the officous ladies at the front door weren't satisfied that all our watches said 10.30, they had to wait til a special buzzer went off.  I nearly made it in anyway as they thought I was a worker there to help set up a rather magnificent wedding reception.

We were eventually let in but managed to go the wrong way as they hadn't set up their guiding ropeways properly so we got in trouble for going through the Winston Churchill exhibit backwards. We were getting a bit grumpy at being told off by this stage but eventually got to the State rooms in a quiet moment between the bus loads of Chinese tourists and had a nice chat to one of the room attendants who has a daughter living in Mundaring and our good humour was restored.

Made our way into the gardens and it was about then we realised Blenheim has its own wifi spot and we could get updates on the Eagles game via Kate and the AFL app.  Was a little hard to concentrate on both the stunning grounds and the footy but we did!  Was disappointed to see them setting up for horse trials here next week - everywhere we go we are a week out!  Still, suppose it will be even more of a mad house so perhaps just as well.  Had a cup of tea and watched the footy til half time and Eagles maintainjng a small lead.

Back to the car and drove into Oxford and managed to get a parking spot in a multi storey in the centre of town.  Went off on a walking tour with no set plan and stopped for lunch at a cafe.  Sat there and Larry managed to get great reception so watched the final quarter of the Eagles game.  I didn't want to spoil my yummy baguette with the stressful game so told Larry not to tell me what was happening til the end.  Poor L was nearly jumping out of his skin and had to get up and go round a corner so he could shout at his screen! He then came back and told me the game had finished and it was a draw and so they had to keep playing!!  So I still didn't know a result and was still stressed!  They played on and thinking we had lost I went off to the toilet only to come back to Larry leaping around the courtyard and fist pumping the air with all the locals staring at him strangely.  Luke Shuey had kicked a match saving last minute goal!!!  It reminded us of sitting in a Paris pub 6 years ago and learning West Coast had scraped through to win an elimination final against Carlton.  Think that cost us a big Telstra big that time too!  Still, if we need to cheer the Eagles on from a European city in an elimination final in the future I'm happy to do that! 😊

We then continued on our walking tour of Oxford with a spring in our step and grins on our faces before retrieving the car from the carpark and making our way south to Abingdon and the Kingfisher Barn Holiday Cottages.  Checked in and rewatched the last couple of minutes of the Eagles game a few times whilst completely repacking our suitcases to fit in all the extra bags of souvenirs we had accumulated in the car over the weeks.

Drove back into the centre of Abingdon and had dinner at a very popular but characterless pub.  We then went on a post dinner stroll to watch the sun set over the Thames and on our lovely 3 week holiday.

Home tomorrow.

The Cotswolds Are Done

Friday 8 September 2017

Casual start to the day this morning and wandered down to brekky at around 8am. Sorted the hunger pangs and jumped into the trusty Vauxhall for a short drive to Moreton In Marsh to do a spot of laundry.  Must say the laundrette was the cleanest and tidiest we have ever been in. Forty five minutes later two placky bags of clean clothes were put in the boot and off we went on the day’s journey.

First stop was the Chedworth Roman Ruins which were very interesting. They were discovered by a lord’s game keeper in the 1850’s. His boss assembled some ‘willing’ helpers and they cleared the forest and found more ruins. By this stage the lord thought righto I had better preserve this for the future but I really want a hunting lodge. Well the hunting lodge obviously had priority over some old rocks so that was built but it doesn’t interfere too much with Roman rocks. He or his descendents eventually handed it over to the National Trust and they went about investigating the site. They knew there must have been some good stuff here but they couldn’t afford to really explore it. Some of it was unearthed and crikey did they find some good stuff. A heap of mosaic tiles laid in some very interesting pictures and an assortment of artefacts like jewellery, tools, pots etc was unearthed.

Well just as we entered the shooting lodge that the lord built and has been turned into a small museum it started to rain. It bucketed down and we had to make a run for the visitors centre before huge puddles appeared that we couldn’t jump across. Eventually we made it back and Larry trudged off down to the car in driving rain and brought it up to the front door so Lady Jenny could leave the visitors as elegantly as possible with only a few drops of water finding her coiffured hair.

Off we went down the very water logged country lanes that really could not cope with that much rain in a short period of time to the village of Bibury where Jenny reminisced about a lunch she partook in 20 years ago. We found the pub, the Catherine Wheel, and got out of the rain and an enjoyable lunch of soup and a sandwich was disposed of.

Next port of call was the other side of Bibury where the Arlington row of houses is located. Very busy but we found a park and the houses were in a row and looking fine.  We even spotted a trout in the stream which is the other thing Bibury is famous for.

Into the car again and off to Bourton-on-the-Water to check out the miniature town and other stuff. The town was small but there were a lot of interesting shops with a lot of humorous items. Picked up a couple of souvenirs and enjoyed the pretty little town. Very touristy so into the silver flash and off to the Slaughters for a look see.  We do like a spot of back road driving and we happened across some fabulous villages, houses and manor homes.  

We then decided to head to Hidcote Manor to look at the gardens hoping that we had seen the worst of the weather.  Obligingly it stayed sunny where we were but there were black thunder clouds all around.  Hidcote had also been well watered and you had to watch where you stepped in terms of puddles but it is quite remarkable what Larry the gardener (Lawrence Johnston) achieved, he obviously had a vision and a plan and he pretty much carried it out. Larry the tourist is no gardener but even he can appreciate what was achieved, the gardens are a sight to see. All this walking made us a bit hungry so we had a cuppa and some cake and our health was restored.

After a full day, time to steer the Insignia back to Chipping-Campden and rest up for an hour before wandering down the road to a pub for dinner.   Well, Larry lay on the bed but Jenny did a quick planning tour of the residential areas of Chipping Campden – maybe we can now claim the trip as a tax deduction!

Dinner was a Cotswold game casserole for Jenny and crumbed salmon for Larry washed down with a pint of Carlsberg and a red wine at the Noel Arms.

Back Roads of Britain

Thursday 7 September 2017

We had planned to have a cooked breakfast down at Tilly’s tea rooms and we had checked that they were open at 9am the evening prior.  Packed up our room/s and headed down there about quarter past and it looked pretty closed to us and no movement inside so nothing for it but to get in the car and head for the hills.  Literally.  We took the road north-west out of Castleton which goes straight up a narrow pass.  We then wandered along the back roads of the Peaks District on either B roads or no grade at all roads through some very pretty countryside.  Although not blazing sunshine this morning it was reasonably bright and not raining so a very pleasant drive.

We arrived in Buxton about quarter to ten and I knew from my research that the Pavillion Gardens had a tea room so we headed there for a late breakfast.  Unfortunately that didn’t open til 10am but there was a farmer’s market in a marquee nearby so we investigated that.  Lots of cheese tastings (a very interesting Cheshire cheese with gin and lemon), chocolates, breads and sausages and at the furtherest end a man selling all sorts of interesting sounding scones.  He was selling them in little takeaway bags with a small pottle of clotted cream and jar of strawberry jam with plastic knife and napkin.  He was also selling a variety of interesting sounding carbonated juices (mine was orange and grapefruit with lemongrass) – job done – instant breakfast!   We found a nearby bench in the park and tucked in whilst watching squirrels and ducks and were soon joined by some little black birds (let’s just say they were blackbirds) who were very interested in our crumbs.

Feeling very smug that we had happened across such a great breakfast (although probably not the healthiest one!) we hopped back in the car and took off south on back roads again.  We were planning on heading towards Dovedale and doing a walk near Ilam but Larry’s hip and my knee have been playing up a bit and although the weather was fine(ish) we felt that we weren’t properly equipped or motivated for a hike so decided to continue on to Ashbourne instead.  This was a very cute little town with lots of gay bunting festooned around.  We parked up and headed down to the famous Ashbourne Gingerbread shop but they didn’t do take away coffees and the array of gingerbread goods was extremely disappointing so we ended up grabbing up a coffee from a nearby cafe and heading on.

After subjecting Larry to castles and stately homes it was time for Larry to choose where to go and he had spotted a Daimler/Rover museum down near Coventry so we decided to head there.  The only problem being that the museum on my 2005 AA road maps is no longer there and we eventually worked out that the whole thing had been incorporated into the Transport Museum in the centre of Coventry in 2012.  Never mind, we were nearly there, so headed into Coventry.  Well that was easier said than done.  Coventry is surrounded by a giant ring road which was filled with construction and cordoned off lanes and broken down cars.  When we did finally find the right exit we didn’t find the entry into the car park so ended up back on the ring road again.  Had to loop and circuit and head back and this time we found the carpark entry and, thankfully, a space in it.  I think we both just sat in the car and let out a huge sigh of relief after that ordeal!

For all that effort, it must be said that the Coventry Transport Museum is well worth a visit.  Not only is it free, but it has a very good layout and it runs you through the history of road transport from penny farthings to bicycles to early cars and motorcycles and then on to commercial vehicles including army vehicles, buses, caravans and then finishes with a couple of the ‘cars’ that have set the land speed record and one that has broken the sound barrier when it set the current land speed record.  You can even see where the jet engines have burnt the paintwork off the sides.

Most of the cars on display were constructed in factories in and around Coventry.  I never realised that this was such a centre for car construction in the 20^th century (not so much now of course).  Hillmans, Daimlers, Jaguars, Austins, Triumphs and so on.  Lunch at the cafe there and then time to head further south.

We had time for an hour or so at Kenilworth Castle which was owned by Robert Dudley at one stage.  He built a whole extra wing for when Elizabeth I came to visit on her summer progress and she must have liked it (or him) as she stayed for a record 19 days.  I feel sorry for the actors who came all the way from Coventry to do a play for her but she was too busy dancing to bother looking out the window to watch so they were sent away for a couple of days until she felt like watching them.  Unfortunately all the demonstrations of wealth and affection didn’t do Robert any good in terms of winning Elizabeth’s hand and apparently he never really used the castle again after that.  In the 1600’s the castle was pretty much pulled apart during one civil war or another and has been a ruin ever since.  Still, I much prefer this type of castle where you can wander around where you please and stand in empty rooms and try to imagine what it would have been like all those hundreds of years ago.  And there is a certain intrigue in being there all on your own and thinking that you are standing exactly where a queen might have been standing, looking out the same window and seeing the same (well, almost) view.

Left at closing time and down some further back roads (surprisingly the GPS took on us on these rather than the dual carriageways she normally prefers) and before we knew it we were amongst the golden stoned buildings of the Cotswolds and then driving down the gorgeous main street of Chipping Campden.  Found the Red Lion and a car parking space at the rear and checked in.  The Red Lion is a Grade II listed building and we can imagine that we are probably in a room that someone would have stayed in when it was a coaching inn (although pretty sure the ensuite is newer!).  Rested up for a while and then went to explore the high street of Chipping Campden.  There are some beautiful old houses and some are all saggy with age but they are all still inhabited and well cared for and, judging by the cost of them in the real estate window (most are around 700,000 pounds) they are probably pretty well furnished inside also.

Headed back to the Red Lion for dinner.  I had my first curry of the holiday which came with yummy naan bread and Larry had lamb shanks all washed down with Larry’s favourite Carlings beer and a yummy somerset cider for Jenny.

The Pay For Everything Tour of The UK

Wednesday 6 September 2017

We could have a leisurely start to the day and Haddock Hideway doesn’t include breakfast so didn’t need to be up for a set breakfast time.  These two factors of not having to wake up early guaranteed that we did!  Lay in bed though and eventually Larry was gently encouraged to walk down the street to the general store to buy coffee and croissants which were then also consumed in bed.

Eventually got up and ready and headed off down the road to explore the Peaks District.  Although the weather forecast suggest an overcast but mostly dry it tended to drizzle/rain for most of the morning so our plans of going for walks were somewhat curtailed.  We ended up heading for Eyam and after visiting their very good little museum became more knowledgable on their part in the history of the plague.  Basically a box containing cloth came from London in 1665. When the box was opened the cloth was found to be damp and was hung in front of the fire to dry out.  Out jumped the plague carrying fleas and within a year 80% of the village was dead.  Once the village people realised the plague had reached their town, they eventually decided to quarantine their village so that it did not spread to other areas.  There is still a stone up on a hill called the boundary stone which has little holes in it where the village would go to collect food from nearby villages and leave their coin in the little holes which were filled with vinegar.

We walked up a nearby hill where Elizabeth Hancock buried five of her children plus her husband who all died of plague.  Even though their farm was a fair distance from the village the plague still reached them and poor Elizabeth would wrap her children/husband in a sheet and drag them up the hill to bury them.  It was a fair hike up and I breathlessly told Larry he would have had to make do with a grave at the bottom!!  Elizabeth and one son survived the plague and eventually moved to Sheffield once the plague had passed a couple of years later.  I wouldn’t have wanted to stay either.  What a terrible tragedy.

By this time it was around midday so we drove on down the pretty country roads of the area and eventually reached Bakewell.  Parked in yet another pay and display carpark and walked into the town centre which was very chocolate box touristy and filled with tea shops selling bakewell pudding and/or fudge.  We went to the original bakewell pudding shop and had sausage rolls and milk shakes but also a small bakewell tart just because.

 

Back to the car and we tossed up whether to go to Chatsworth or Haddon Hall but really, for me, it had to be Chatsworth.  It’s a much bigger estate than I realised so after passing the Chatsworth farm and farmshop and the Chatsworth village and the Chatsworth church etc we eventually turned into the long driveway up to the house itself.  Well it certainly is palatial but unfortunately clad in a lot of scaffolding etc at the moment which kind of reduces its splendour a bit.  In addition, they are setting up for a ‘Sculptures by the Castle’ kind of event so there were a lot of bits of ‘art’ plonked around which also kind of reduced the impact of the Capability Brown vistas.

We bit the bullet and paid to enter the house and gardens (they certainly see you and your wallet coming by making you also pay to park your car and leave your bag etc) and then wandered around the gardens while the weather was fine.  The most amazing part is where the maze now sits and you can see a big wall around the perimeter of it which used to be the foundations of a giant glasshouse.  It fell into disrepair during the first world war as all the gardeners etc were off fighting and was dismantled but by the size of the foundations is must have been a fabulous sight

.

We eventually went into the house but, once again, an exhibition of clothes and costumes worn by various generations of Cavendishes and relations had taken over so that all the rooms were in darkness with curtains drawn so you could look at the displays.   Although it was all very interesting (even now one of the granddaughters models for Dior etc) I prefer to walk through these grand houses pretending I am a guest there and deciding which bedroom I would be given or else pretending I am the Duchess herself and looking out the windows at my domain and none of that was possible.  The most enjoyable bit was the oak staircase and chatting to the guide who explained that one Christmas they had done a Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime and even had a giant beanstalk reaching from the ground floor all the way up to the third and up to the skylight (which has only in the last 30 years been renovated to its former glory after a previous Duchess had covered it up with a false ceiling).

By this time it was mid afternoon so we decided to head back to Castleton.  On the way, we stopped off at Thornhill Dairy which we had seen on the way and advertised farm fresh icecreams.  We bumped up a windy farm track and parked up basically right next to the milking shed where the milking was in full swing.  There were a few pens of very young calves nearby mooing in consternation and soon a young man came out of the shed with a big vat of fresh milk and poured it into a set of feeding teats and they soon set to with tails wagging away.  We then noticed two pigs in a nearby pen also going mental and they got fresh milk too although the bloke pretty much had to pour it on their heads as they had both popped into the trough ready for their tucker.  Talk about eating like pigs!  Larry and I were much more gentile as we ate our raspberry and clotted cream icecreams with little spoons as we watched.

Back to Castleton and a little wander around the shops and I splashed out and bought a Blue John ring.  Back to our little home for a while to put the feet up and eventually we wandered back down to the main road for dinner at the Castle pub.  Not the best meal we’ve had but not the worst either - let’s just say I don’t think rump steak in Britain is the same cut as you get in Australia.  Home to watch some telly before bed.

A Red Day

Tuesday 5 September 2017

We had to shut the windows because of the noise of people and rattling trams and were a bit worried the room would be hot and stuffy but Larry found a small fan in a cupboard and we ended up actually having one of the best sleeps of the holiday surprisingly.  We then went down to breakfast and found the best array of breakfast supplies of the holiday.  A whole shelf filled with at least 20 different breakfast cereals in small packets, muesli bars, fruit, yoghurts, danishes, croissants, five or six different fruit juices and so on.  Also some different choices on the breakfast menu so we had eggs Benedict.

 

Even feeling as though we hadn’t rushed this morning we were still on the road before 9.30am so unfortunately didn’t miss all of the peak hour traffic towards Manchester.  The drive was pretty diabolical as if we had thought it had rained before, THIS was proper rain.  Hurtling along a motorway (before we got to the peak hour congestion) with windscreen wipers at full speed and hundreds of lorries throwing up huge sheets of water was not that much fun and Jenny was very glad Larry was driving and she just had to keep an eye on the road signs and make sure the GPS wasn’t taking us a weird way (which it sometimes does).  We eventually hit congestion which was partly caused by peak hour but mostly caused by road works and then crawled our way into the southern part of Manchester and then eventually could see Old Trafford.  There was construction work all the way round one half of the stadium so we worked our way to the other side and breathed a sigh of relief when we could see a main entrance and a couple of big carparks.  The carpark attendant, however, sent us back around to the other side again as apparently the big empty carparks right next to the MU shop are for staff only.  Tch!  Renegotiated the roads and fenced off bits and found the ‘customer carpark’ which is actually closer to the museum/cafe etc so I guess I can see their logic.  Into the store and it really is a Megastore.  It was fairly quiet whilst we were in there but there are massive queue lines for the checkouts so it must get really busy in there, probably on game days, and we were happy to be able to walk straight to a check out with gifts for the MU fanatics back home.  As we left a coach worth of tourists was just heading in so timed it well after all.

Made our way around to the Red cafe for a cuppa and use of the toilets (nothing particularly MU about womens but the mens had red walls and benches) but didn’t go into the museum or do a tour as neither Larry nor Jenny are as fanatical as some others in the family.  They can do their own tour one day.

The GPS led us uneventfully out of Manchester and we headed east and thought we would stop in Glossop for lunch and to find an ATM before we go into the wilds again.  We must have come in to Glossop the back way as it was pretty uninspiring and probably made grimmer by the weather.  Eventually we found the high street and that was a bit nicer and although lunch at the Glossop Cafeteria sounds pretty average they actually did a very nice line in toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and hot dogs and we were more than happy to have a meal for under ten pounds for a change.

Back in the car and there were big purple clouds in one direction and lighter skies in the other and thankfully we headed towards the lighter sky section and up, up, up the High Peak into the Peaks District National Park.  Ah, so nice to have green hills and trees and countryside around us again!   We crossed the Penine Way at this point and I must say that looks like an arduous trek and there certainly didn’t seem to be anyone hiking on it today.  The road then started going down and down again and eventually we turned down roads that became quieter and narrower until we reached our destination of Castleton.   Too early to check in, so we continued through the village and made our way to one of the many old mining caverns in the area.  The one we chose was Speedwell Cavern as it is flooded and only accessible by boat which sounded interesting.  Well it certainly was.  107 steps down and then we and about 5 other people piled into a little boat and went bumping off down a narrow little tunnel which was all cut out by hand by the miners over a hundred years ago searching for lead. You have to wear hard hats as the tunnel is quite low in places and the boat bangs its way along also so a must to keep your hands inside the boat!  The tour guide, who has done this trip hundreds of time (and told us he’s just about over it) doesn’t need a helmet as he knows exactly where to duck by now.  It’s quite a spooky place and our guide says there’s definitely days it feels eerier than others – over 1000 men lost their lives down here when it was a mine so you can’t help wondering if that has something to do with it.

I thought these mines were here because of the Blue John semi-precious stone which is found in this area but apparently you don’t need to dig this hard to find it and even the Romans discovered it on their travels.  The people of Derbyshire presented quite a large stick of it to the Queen in the 1950’s – apparently it would be worth about 4.5 million pounds in today’s money.

When we finally surfaced it had got a bit rainy again so we headed into town and found our B&B up a back street in the shadow of Peveril Castle.   It’s in an old coach house and we have most of the bottom floor and it’s utterly delightful to finally have a bit of space.  It’s almost three rooms – a bedroom, kitchen area, huge lounge area and a separate room which we are using as a dressing room but which can be set up with a sofa bed for kids.  We just sat on a giant lounge each and had a cuppa and chilled for a while as well as catching up on the blog.

 

About 6.30pm we looked out the window and there were patches of blue sky so we walked down into town and tried to go to the Old Nag’s Head for dinner as it was recommended by our host but no available tables without a booking so tried the Bull’s Head instead which was across the road.  No regrets there as we had a scrumptious  slow-cooked lamb shepherd’s pie and a very nice G&T – not local but from Dorset but recommended by a gentleman at the bar and very nice.  They had just sold the last slice of ferrer rocher cheesecake when we were thinking about dessert so we were saved from ourselves and instead walked back up the hill to our B&B (where we are now having a cuppa and chocolate buttons instead!)

Bright Lights Small City

Monday 4 September 2017

Another leisurely start to the day as the weather was overcast and drizzling rain.  Whilst yesterday evening our host could point out Hawkhead to us from our bedroom window, this morning there was nothing but cloud.   At breakfast we listened to a couple of English girls prattle on about who is a good hairdresser and so on, big noting themselves about paying $800 for haircuts and so on and the bloke with him constantly putting his hoodie up and down. Same gherkins that arrived in a tiny Fiat. $800 haircuts my a^&^, bloody twats, Larry had great difficulty in keeping his mouth shut so he kept it full of food. Pancakes this morning, which was a welcome change from eggs in various permutations.

We couldn’t really see much of the lakes district scenery but we ventured to Coniston Water where we couldn’t really see much of the lake or the surrounding hills, seems there is a recurring theme, but at least the ducks were having a wow of a time.

 Headed back past Hawkshead and onto Hill Top to check out Beatrix Potter’s house. It was very dark inside but it made it feel as it would have been in her time, complete with a real wood fire burning in the grate.  The house full of wonderful illustrations and anecdotes from the great B’s life. Went into Peter Rabbit’s garden and whilst no carrots, there was the largest zucchini we have ever seen growing. It would have fed half of Perth easily as it would take so long to find anybody that would willingly eat zucchini (although ironically there was zucchini fries on the menu tonight).

Constant drizzly rain saw us arrive at Lake Windermere for another ferry crossing. Not as grand as the last crossing as it was only half a dozen cars and we only crossed a deep puddle so we were soon tootling along to the next old digs which was Sizergh Castle, home of the Strickland family. The castle was closed for a spot of carpet cleaning so we walked around the gardens which was very pleasant, especially for Jenny as she was accompanied by Larry.  By this time it had stopped raining and was just overcast so we could wander at leisure.

Back into the trusty Insignia and on the motorway again until Larry had a brain wave and we called into Burger King for lunch at one of the service centres. Yep, enough said, on the motorway again and eventually into Blackpool. Found our way to a little hotel called Kings Hotel. It was in a long line of old fashioned hotels straight out of the 1950’s but it had good Trip Advisor comments and whilst small and unusual it was a very comfortable room with a friendly host.  You just had to get over the fact that he looked like a dodgy used car salesman.  He has a sister that lives in Secret Harbour but will never visit her as he can’t face the long flight.  He’s not the first person to tell us that either.  

We wanted to check out the sights of Blackpool so went for a walk along the boardwalk. As it was overcast and light rain showers were intermittently arriving we resisted the temptation to go for a swim even though we spotted the necessary red and yellow flags. 

Due to the threat of rain and occasional droplets we crossed onto the shops side of the promenade to continue our stroll and it was like walking through a never ending Perth Royal Show side show alley. We kept checking the date to make sure we had not teleported back into the 70’s. I thought caberet shows with impersonators had died a natural death years ago and were restricted to the odd appearance at Las Vegas but no, in Blackpool every second advertising board has them displayed and on every night.  There’s also lots of clairvoyants, palm readers, Blackpool Rock shops, penny arcades, casinos, shops, cafes and fairy floss/icecream/donut parlours galore.  Basically a never ending array of places willing to take your money off you.

After what seemed like an eternity and growing increasingly tired and sore footed we decided enough was enough and caught the tram back to a stop opposite our hotel to rest up for a couple of hours.  As the weather was rubbish we decided to eat at the closest bistro we could find and had a nice dinner of sirloin steak and beef strogonoff followed by deserts of a berry crème brulee and a raspberry bakewell tart.

Feeling rather full and sleepy we only went for a relatively short stroll to look at the illuminations and then back to the Kings and bed.  

Yep, Blackpool done and dusted for another 100 years but certainly worth a visit if only to experience the seaside holiday of yesteryear

Non Stop Wind Turbines and Bangars

Sunday 3 September 2017

When we went to bed last night there was a band playing in the pub downstairs and both of thought we wouldn’t be able to sleep but both of us were before we had even finished that thought.  Woke up this morning when everyone else started stirring as the trouble with old coaching inns is that they generally have very squeaky floorboards.  Probably just as well though, as a check of the clock showed that it was about quarter to eight.  Made our way down to breakfast and sat overlooking the loch which looked a bit different this morning with much more overcast weather shrouding the peaks in cloud and a stiff breeze turning the water into white caps.  We needed the windscreen wipers on properly through Glen Croe (not to be confused with Glen Coe) but once we were back on the edge of Loch Lomond the peaks did their job and kept the rain to the west so, although it was overcast, there was no rain for the next few hours.

We pulled into Luss thinking to have a little look around but the sight of at least ten tour buses parked in the car park quickly made us rethink that idea and, apart from a quick stop for a photo of a couple of strategically placed Highland Cattle, we drove on towards Glasgow.  Stopped at a BP with a Marks and Spencers attached so refuelled the car with petrol and ourselves with a sandwich, snack, drink deal for later.  The GPS obligingly took us on a motorway loop around the south of Glasgow and we were soon heading south down the motorway towards Carlisle listening to non stop music which the radio host kept calling the latest songs bangars. Also there were literally hundreds of wind turbines on the hills.

Decided Gretna Green would make an interesting lunch stop and a final opportunity to purchase anything with a Scottish flavour to it.  Larry was a bit unsure about paying to enter the old blacksmith shop as it was super touristy but Jenny convinced him that going in and touching the anvil to bring good luck and prosperity to our marriage couldn’t hurt so we went in and it was actually very interesting reading all the various tales of deceit and intrigue from couples eloping to being conned into going to Gretna Green for a quickie marriage.  Was also an interesting room full of carriages and coaches including a large passenger coach which I assume would be similar to the one my great grandfather drove around NSW.

Sat in the picnic area opposite the new “Courtship Maze” (apparently shaped like two interlocking wedding rings) and ate our sandwiches and then back in the car and headed further south.  Finally off the motorways near Penrith and back on the windy roads along the edge of Ullswater.  Arrived at Aira Force and a little annoyed that although the carpark is free for English NT members who can scan their cards which have a QR code the NT lady wouldn’t let us display our Australian NT card instead and insisted we pay the 5 pound car park fee.  5 pounds!  Only slightly mollified when we learnt later that the money goes towards feeding the endangered red squirrels but we didn’t see any and Larry thinks that’s because they’re all too fat to actually get out of their trees with all the nuts the NT can afford to feed them.

In any case it was a lovely walk through a wooded valley that looks like something out of Robin Hood and up to the very pretty waterfall.  Lots of people (and dogs!) enjoying a Sunday afternoon out and doing the same.  There must have been some sort of MG outing day as there was a steady stream of vintage MGs driving along as he headed further south towards Windermere.  About now is when the rain set in but even so we were very brave and took the steep winding road which led from the high pass at Kirkstone Pass Inn directly down into Ambleside.  Very narrow, wall lined road so always a worry what would come flying around the corner at you.  Only one point where we had to squeeze past another car with our wing mirrors almost touching.  

Arrived in Ambleside which was full of people dashing around in macs and umbrellas so decided to keep going and try to find our B&B which is a couple of miles out of town in an area known as Outgate.  Very narrow windy roads to find it – was a little like the road we had to negotiate to get to the Foresters Arms a week or so ago – but eventually recognised the little white house on the hillside “High Grassings” and checked in.  It was very soggy outside and warm and cosy inside so we sat in the guest lounge and David made us a cup of tea and chatted to us for about half an hour until he was called away to deal with other guests.  Apparently the new crew from Top Gear stayed here for a few days earlier in the year when they were filming the latest Jaguar as there is a road near here where they wanted to get a shot of the car heading up the hill with the sun just right and it took a few days to get the perfect shot.  Also apparently just behind the house here is a beautiful walk around two tarns which apparently Beatrix Potter is responsible for setting up.  Maybe that can be our after breakfast constitutional tomorrow morning if the weather is better.

A quick five minute drive down narrow winding lanes got us to Hawkshead which was very picturesque and quite lovely as all the tourists had gone home and the numerous Beatrix Potter shops were shut. 

Hawkshead boasts FOUR inns so we wandered around town and checked out the various menus.  Finally decided on the Queen’s Head which was the oldest and quaintest of the pubs with very low beams and inglenook fireplaces but for some reason all the yummiest things on the menu weren’t actually available so we ended up just having a drink there and then went on to the next pub being the Kings Arms.  This was jam packed and slightly off putting with a drunken youth vomiting into the flower beds outside and they couldn’t offer us a table until 7.30pm so we headed on to the Red Lion.  At this point we were thinking it lucky that there were four inns in town after all.  The Red Lion ended up being able to fulfil all of our requisites being:  1.  A table for tea.  2.  A drink.  3.  A menu with numerous things you could actually order that were actually on the menu and 4.  A Sunday lamb roast special.  Only a shame that we couldn’t be bothered hanging around til 8.30pm as they were also having a musical quiz night which would have been fun.  However, we had narrow windy roads to negotiate and a blog to update so headed back to the B&B instead.

An Unexpected Journey

Saturday 2 September 2017

Owing partly to Jenny not being super organised and booking the ferry from Skye weeks ago (thinking she needed the details of the car to do so) and partly due to the inefficiencies of Direct Ferries (not direct and take forever to confirm if you are booked on a ferry or not) we ended up not being able to get on the 10.40am ferry from Armadale and, booking directly via the CalMac website (ie DON’T book through Direct Ferries as they told us this boat was also unavailable) got ourselves booked on the one at 12.15pm.  This gave us a more leisurely start to the day than anticipated which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as we had time to traverse the west coast of Skye via Dunvegan with a traditional post breakfast hike up a hill side to see the stunning views over Loch Bracadale from the Broch Dun Beag, a well preserved broch (tower) which probably dates from a few hundred years BC but it’s suggested it was reoccupied in mediaeval times.  Once again, nothing to stop you walking and climbing over it and amazing that you can walk down a flight of steps that someone hundreds and hundreds of years ago also walked down.

Back in the car and now drove directly down to Armadale as with traffic and winding roads we had no clear idea how long it would take and certainly couldn’t afford to miss the ferry.  Ended up getting there pretty much right on schedule and time to grab a coffee and enjoy the sunshine before driving onto the ferry.  Only slightly annoying that although we were one of the first 10 cars to arrive we were probably one of the last 10 cars to board the ferry so not sure how they organise that. Seems unfair that the people who roll up at the last minute get to be first on the boat and first off whilst the people who get there earlier are last on and last off.  Still, these guys do this day in and day out and I’m sure there’s a reason.  Just not sure what it is.

Once we had parked the car on board we headed up to top deck and spent the 20 minute ride enjoying the sunshine and stiff breeze and saying hello to numerous dogs on board  - really, I think there are nearly as many dogs on holiday as people!  Before we knew it, it was time to get back in the car and disembark at Mallaig.  We had some idea of grabbing some lunch here but the road led us straight out of town so we decided to head on the next place which ended up being Arisaig.  Here we had a very nice lunch at the Arisaig Hotel – a prawn and rose marie sauce sandwich in crusty white bread, salt and pepper calamari and possibly the best hot chips we have had so far on this trip with lots of little crispy bits.  Very nice.

We then headed down the ‘road to the isles’ and managed, either due to poor signage or overflowing car parks, to miss seeing the monument to Prince Charlie, as well as the Glenfinnan Monument and viaduct.  Continued on and also missed the turning to Neptune’s Staircase but saw them from the road and I guess that’s all you really need to see and we have seen locks elsewhere on this holiday.  Stopped in Fort William for a quick bit of souvenir shopping, toilets and pharmacy (the never ending cold just won’t quit) then a change of driver and back in the car for the next stint.

Meandered our way southwards but instead of taking the main tourist route through Glencoe we took the road alongside Loch Linnhe thinking it would be a scenic drive and less busy with cars.  Well it was less busy but not very scenic as although the road looks like it runs right on the edge of the loch there is always about 20 metres worth of thick vegetation between the road and the loch so not much to see and they always seem to put the P spots in the least scenic locations.  Oh well, at least the road took us to a lovely little peninsula called Benderloch and were able to find a sign in the tiny town to show we had reached our homeland.  We then turned east and made our way to the top of Loch Awe for the photo of the very scenic Kilchurn Castle.  The nearby town of Lochawe has a very picturesque church right on the water and there were many kilted men and well dressed ladies outside so we assumed there must be a wedding going on.

A final little drive south and all downhill to Inveraray during which Larry made the fateful comment “Wow, this will be the latest we’ve arrived at our accommodation” it being about 5pm at the time.  Pulling into Inveraray we ended up at the back of a line of cars and when we got to the front realised there was a ‘road closed’ sign on the road we needed to take to Cairndow and our accommodation that night at the Cairndow Stagecoach Inn.  The blokes from road maintenance/emergency services or wherever who were fielding questions from motorists wanting to take that road advised that there had been a serious road accident and that the road was closed to all traffic for several more hours.  Unfortunately the accident was this side of Cairndow which meant we either had to sit in Inverary for ‘several hours’ or else back track back up to Dalmally and then take the road via Crianlarich and Tarbet and then head into Cairndow from there.  So basically another one and half hours of driving on top of our very long day.  We opted for the drive and, on the bright side, we got to see some more Scottish scenery including the top half of Loch Lomond.  On the downside we got to see a hell of a lot of traffic that may have been other diverted traffic or just weekend/holiday traffic or just using the A82 which is one of the main north/south roads through this part of Scotland.

We eventually arrived at Cairndow about 7pm and after dumping our luggage in our room made our way to bar for a restorative drink.  It was pretty crowded in the hotel with people who were obviously stuck here until the road reopened so we took our drinks across the road to the beer garden which was very pleasant as it overlooked the loch and was less crowded.  Chatted to a nice couple and took some photos of them as they were our age and failing at doing selfies “Scottish arms are too short” the man complained.  They told us they would soon be going in because of the midges which, accordingly to them are blood suckers which leave giant welts on your skin.  Not sure if they were pulling a ‘drop bear’ kind of story on us – must google it.

Finally got a table for dinner about 9pm and had a very nice duck in an orange and plum sauce but really too tired to fully appreciate it.  Was interesting as we ate to see a police car driving down the other side of the loch (the part that was closed) and then about five minutes later a big long line of headlights as the road reopened and everyone could finally get to where they wanted to go.  Stumbled upstairs to our very nice bedroom (complete with princess canopy over the bed) and a hot bath in the huge spa bath (couldn’t get the jets to work unfortunately) before bed.

Where Is The Bloody Toilet

Friday 1^st September 2017

Another good night’s sleep as we were able to open the window and let in some fresh air as well as the peaceful sounds of moos and baas from our neighbours.  Down to breakfast at 8.30am and a boiled egg for a bit of variety this morning.  We decided to have a fairly relaxed day and not do too much driving today.  We headed first to Portree hoping to get a bit of washing done first but discovered the laundrette doesn’t open til 11am but then stays open til 9pm.  That’s okay, we’ll incorporate our washing into a dinner time trip to Portree.

Headed north and up the east side of the top finger of Skye and knew when we had reached the Old Man of Storr by the huge number of cars overflowing the carpark and up and down the road nearby.  Found a space and headed off up the steep climb.  Large numbers of people filing up and down the path and I gave it my best shot but the steep climb just set my sore throat and coughing tendency off nicely so I found a convenient grassy knoll about halfway up and enjoyed the view from there.  Larry continued up the cliff face but even he eventually gave up after about 40 minutes of climbing.  It’s not that warm on Skye (about 15 degree maximums) but it is dry and partly cloudy today and when the sun comes out and you are climbing a t-shirt is quite sufficient.

We both safely made it back to the car and headed on to the next overflowing carpark which was the Lealt falls.  About this time Jenny noticed (for a reason) that all these tourist spots have carparks and information boards and probably even a nice man in a little van willing to sell you a bottle of water or an icecream but NO TOILETS!!  Honestly, considering the number of tourists this seems a serious oversight.  South-west WA (think Canal Rocks or The Gap) does these things so much better!

Onwards to Kilt Rock and Mealt falls – very spectacular (but still not toilets and all that rushing water...) and the drive further north was also so incredibly scenic – a full panorama of rocky crags, little white houses on the edge of reflective lochs, heather clad hills and dramatic cliffs and little white dots of sheep – just an amazingly beautiful scene in every direction.  

It was heading on for lunchtime and, look I don’t want to harp on but no toilet since breakfast time, and the sign to the Flodigarry Hotel was too tempting to resist. Headed down a steep winding road, lined with bracken and ferns and then popped out to a hotel on the edge of a cliff with a gorgeous view (and a toilet!)  We treated ourselves to a well earned drink after all our clambering of the morning sitting outside on the terrace in the sunshine with little robins hopping around our table hoping for chip crumbs.  Just a really wonderful spot.  Decided to stay on and have lunch there and I had a yummy steak sandwich and Larry had crab claws and salad.  I think at the end of the day the crabs were almost as much work as the climb up the Storr but Larry said it was very tasty Mrs Titmus and worth the effort.

Back in the car and after a brief dispute with a motorhome who refused to use the passing bays or to put one wheel in the grass (grrr) we finished our anti-clockwise trip around the peninsula and back to our little B&B.  Spent a couple of hours relaxing, blogging, facebooking etc (probably a spot of dozing also) and then, about 4ish headed back into Portree.  Took turns minding the clothes in the Laundromat whilst the other went for a wander around the shops etc.

We then had an early dinner at The Granary and Jenny had a delicious venison dish with drambuie sauce whilst Larry went for lamb. We decided to be extra decadent and have dessert (which we usually don’t have room for) because they had crème brulee on the menu which is my favourite and it was a damn fine one at that so didn’t regret being a bit piggy.  Larry had a meringue with mixed berry compote as it is now one of European traditions to have a big crunchy meringue at some point (see previous blogs from our time in France).

Across The Sea

Thursday 31 August 2017

A good sleep last night as the minimum was 5 degrees and we left a window open so we could snuggle under the doona again.   The nice lady showed us how to turn the heater on if we got cold but that wasn’t necessary as the doona was nice and thick.  We did enjoy the decadence of the heated towel rail though!  A nice breakfast in the conservatorium which actually was quite warm as the sun was shining directly in through the windows/roof.  The American couple behind us (Larry thought she was Kate Hudson travelling incognito but I thought she probably could have afforded something a little more above our budget) even had to pull the blind down it was so warm.

A short drive north and we did a quick stop at the Clava Cairns which are an ancient burial site with round burial cairns surrounded by standing stones.  Jenny found one to try and summon Jamie Fraser but to no avail.  Sigh!  

Onwards to Culloden and the battlefield with the associated information centre. The info centre was terrific, one of the best we have seen on any holiday.  There was a step by step guide on the history of the Jacobite revolution with all information relevant to their side of the storey on one wall and on the opposite wall the corresponding information on the English government side.  A thoroughly interesting read and well worth a visit. Jenny knew quite a bit about the history of the Jacobite revolution and Larry thought he knew the basics but in the immortal words “You Know Nothing Larry Bender”. After the info centre we went outside to the actual battlefield and there are 4 flags on opposite side of the fields and they represent where the two sides were drawn up. It gave you an idea of the distances and how difficult it would have been for the Highlanders.

After this we ventured into Inverness and stopped by the famous Inverness Tesco, Larry doesn’t know why it is famous but Jenny said it was so it must be. Lunch was purchased here so we could have it on the road and off we went heading for Loch Ness. As we arrived at the Loch the rain started, a quick few photos and back in the car until we stopped at the Nessie shop. Souveniers purchased and the rain was bucketing down but it cleared up a few miles down the road and we were able to stop by the Loch and have our lunch. Stared intently at the water and we did our best Nessie calls and threw some sandwich crusts but to no avail, she didn’t appear, bugger.

Headed in a more westerly direction through the Five Sisters. The scenery was magnificent, so very much different to what we are used to. Jenny was driving so Larry was taking in the scenery and there were waterfalls everywhere as it had been raining.

Continued on and up and over the bridge to the Skye. The bridge is very tall, must be a reason for it but I doubt there are ships that are that big coming under it. Maybe Mr Google will find the answer. Not long after we crossed the bridge the heavens opened up and the rain was very heavy. Made for slow going as there is a lot of traffic but it eventually thinned out the further north we went until we reached Portree.  A little further north and as we came down the hill towards the western side of the northern most finger of Skye it was once again blue skies and sunshine.  Just past Kensaleyre and we found our B&B, Corran House, which is quite comfortable.   We chatted to our host about the weather and she told us how yesterday she took the dog for a walk about 3 miles up the road and got absolutely drenched but when she got home all the washing on the line was bone dry so obviously rain is very localised on Skye!  Our friendly host arranged a dinner booking at the Edinbane Inn which was only about 15 minutes drive away and the drive was quite scenic and us being us the back road seemed more inviting than the major road. A nice meal was had (Jenny thought the entrees sounded better than the mains so had two – Loch Eishort Mussels in a creamy garlic and white wine sauce, followed by braised cheek of Scottish beef with root vegetable dauphinoise, parsnip puree and rich jus) and we found the best tasting gin we have had in all of our travels - Mysty Isles Gin, made right here on the  Isle of Skye.  We will be purchasing a bottle tomorrow to take back home.

Back to our B&B and it was very picturesque as the sun was just setting and making pretty light and reflections in our Loch (Snizort Beag).  We got out of the car at the B&B to the sounds of bellowing and watched from our hill as a herd of cows were shifted from a paddock across the road to the field next to our bedroom.  Now Larry knows what a real grumpy cow sounds like!!