Hello from Kent

Today is Sunday and we have driven from the cute little town of Street which is about a mile from Glastonbury in Somerset, to Sevenoaks in Kent via Avebury in Wiltshire.
To bring you up to date, we spent our last day in Cornwall (Thursday) heading down to Lands End which now boasts an amusement park which has a Shaun the sheep experience, a King Arthur experience and other kids 'experiences' plus souvenir shops. Could not believe it, but you can bypass the amusements and take a walk along the cliffs which we did. The bird life is extensive and the flora quite stunning, but looking out over the sea is spectacular.
When we left Lands End we planned to look at the minack theatre, but there was an afternoon performance of the Merry Wives of Windsor  so we couldn't walk around. The theatre is an open air amphitheatre with an incredible garden.
Seeing as we couldn't do the minack Warren suggested we walk through the Trewidden Garden which is part of the Bolitho family estate. The gardens are stunning even though they are billed as a spring garden and the rhododendrons and camellias had finished flowering.  After walking through the gardens for an hour or so we headed back to the hotel to pack.
On Friday we headed to Street for 2 nights so we could visit Glastonbury.  When we arrived we found a laundromat and did the washing - yes even on holiday I can't get away from washing and ironong!!!!  Street is a nice little town, the people were really friendly and the Bear Inn served great food and had the only chook wallpaper I have ever seen.
On Saturday we headed out early for Glastonbury which is about a mile from Street. Our plan was to take the 4 mile walk from the town through the fields and up to Glastonbury Tor which is 500+ feet above the plain. The trail is really steep but we made it and walked around St Michaels Tower at the top of the tor.  We were lucky that a local archeologist was giving a talk on the tor and the whole Glastonbury area, he spoke about ley lines and the pagan history as well as the christian history of the area, it was really informative and thought provoking.
When we left the tor we walked down and spent some time at the chalice well, which is one of the oldest saints wells in England. Then walked back into Glastonbury and had afternoon tea.  We decided not to go through Glastonbury Abbey, having paid £7 to park, they then wanted to charge us £7.60 each to walk through the abbey ruins.  Lots of people were complaining about the cost of touring national trust properties.
Today, Sunday, we left Street and headed into Wiltshire to visit Avebury.  Once again £7 to park, but at least there was no charge to walk around the stone circle.  Avebury is incredible, walking around the area you are transported back to neolithic times.  We finished with coffee at the Red Lion Pub which is the only pub within a stone circle in the world.
Then headed to Sevenoaks where we are staying for our last week in the UK. We passed through the counties of Wiltshire and Surrey - Glenn you would feel at home in Wiltshire, lots of cropping, I've got some photos I took from the car.

We are catching up with my cousins on Tuesday and Wednesday so I will blog again later in the week.
Take care all.

Cornwall continued

So we had a quiet day today, decided to visit the cyder farm, https://thecornishcyderfarm.co.uk
Incredible place, they not only make cider but cider brandy, cider wine and a 7 year old single malt whiskey which sells for £185 yes that's right approx $320, I think I'll stick to Glenfiddich!!!!
It was a really interesting tour as our guide Rosie went through cider making since the 16th century. The farm has a museum with equipment dating back to the 1600's which brings everything to life. She also explained about the 7 year apprenticeship for coopers and why its a dieing art.  We then went through to the 21st century with the new equipment they use, absolutely fascinating the number of kg's of apples they can grate and press in an hour is huge. The apple juice is fermented for 3 weeks in huge steel fermenters, its even x-rayed before bottling to ensure there is nothing in it that shouldn't be there.
One bit of trivia, the origin of the term 'horse apples' for horse poo, apparently in the 1600's when apples were ground in a stone grinder driven by a donkey apples tended to fall over the edge, so they employed a 6 or 7 year old  boy, gave him a wooden shovel and got him to scoop the fallen apples back into the grinder - naturally as they paid this poor kid in cider - not just apples were put back into the pot, hense the term horse apple!!!!!
Thats it for today, hope you like the photos.

Cornwall

Hello from sunny Cornwall, and yes I do mean sunny, the weather today has been sunny with a top of 29 degrees. I am wearing short legs and sleeves (no comments about my short legs please!!)

To bring you up to date, we went to Stratford-upon-Avon on Sunday, Sue had organised a behind the scenes tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre which was wonderful, the lady heading the tour was named  Lesley so obviously she was extremely knowledgeable and very personable!!

We walked around the town, checked out Shakespeare's birthplace and Anne Hathaways Cottage before heading back to Painswick for home made soup.

We left Mick and Sue yesterday, it was hard because we had both had such a great time with them, family is a wonderful thing where you can not see each other for years, but just fit together again like a pair of bedroom slippers.  Yes I am getting sentimental!  The good news however is they will be in Oz in October so we can catch up again.
Driving down to Cornwall we planned to stop in Glastonbury, WRONG, there were so many people it was impossible to get a park, so with Lesley saying "don't worry, just drive on" yes, through gritted teeth, we headed back on the road to Truro.
The Premier Inn is nice, the staff are supurb, nothing is too much trouble.  Had a nice dinner in the attached restaurant and a good nights sleep.

Today we headed out early to see Tintagel. Gosh I had forgotten how large an area it covers, it is absolutely spectacular we spent about 3 hours walking through the ruins, took many photos, including one of Arthur on the North End of the castle,

and then mooched around the village.  When we left Tintagel we headed to Port Issac which is the Port Wyn of Doc Martin fame, and yes it is as steep as it looks on TV.  A great day was had. Tomorrow  we plan to visit the cider farm.

Take care all, will blog again in a couple of days.

Hello from Painswick

We arrived safely at Mick and Sue's - so wonderful to see them both, we sat up until 3:30am talking, laughing and crying.
Mick and Sue's place is wonderful, the birdlife is incredible, the badgers come down in the evening to be fed, the grey squirrels are everywhere, the mill pond at the bottom of the hill has a swan and goose that the village care for, in fact its quite idyllic.
On Friday we all went into Bath to walk around the Roman baths and marvel at the beautiful Georgian architecture, unfortunately we did have some rain in the morning, but the afternoon was fine and sunny.  We finished the day with dinnner at a local restaurant owned by a Romanian couple, the food was superb and the atmosphere friendly and relaxed.
Today we decided to have a quiet day, we slept late, had brunch and then I did some washing. In the afternoon Mick took us out for a drive around the Cotswolds to enjoy the marvelous Cotswold cottages and scenery.  All the open commons have cattle grazing on them, (take note our govt. They are not damaging the environment!!!) We finished with local ice cream and then headed home.
Tomorrow we are all heading to Stratford-upon-Avon to see Shakespeare's birthplace and take a tour of the theatre that is the local home of the Royal Shakespeare Company.  On Monday we are heading down to Cornwall via Glastonbury and Avebury.
Take care all,enjuoy the photos.

En route to Mick and Sues

Just stopped in Thirsk where James Alfred Wight aka James Herriot lived and practiced.  There is a James Herriot exhibition in the original Skeldale House. The house is just as it was when the family lived there and the vet practice was part of the home.
Its a great piece of veterinary and life history.

Yorkshire

Hello from the Yorkshire Dales
Well the last blog was from Skye before we headed to Edinburgh, I didn’t get a chance to blog from Edinburgh as there was no wifi connection in our hotel room, had to sit in the bar and you all know that’s something neither Wazzy or I could do!!
So, the trip from Skye to Edinburgh was about 5 hours with a side trip to the Dalwhinnie distillery for a tour and taste. Apparently the distillery is geographically the highest in Scotland, it sits in the Cairngorm National Park just off General Wade’s military road.  The distillery is not owned by Dalwhinnie’s now but part of the Diageo spirits conglomerate.  Tour was interesting, but they don’t even malt their own grain anymore, its bought in pre-malted.  The whisky was okay, but nothing I would rush out and buy, I’m still a Glenfiddich girl!!
Anyway we left Dalwhinnie and drove on to Edinburgh, or I should say I drove, Warren, in his infinite wisdom decided he would rather yell at me for going the wrong way once we hit the city, than have me yell at him..... well we made it to the Britannia Hotel without bloodshed thanks to superior driving on my part and competent navigation on Warrens part.  The hotel was definitely not the best we have stayed in but seeing as  both the tattòo and the fringe festival were on we were lucky to get any accommodation. Edinburgh was packed, the population has more than doubled and there are so many languages being spoken its hard to make conversation with each other.
As the weather had improved and the sun was out we decided we would walk into the city and do a hop on hop off bus tour, we were about a 30 minute walk from Waverley Bridge where the tour busses are located and the walk gave us a chance to see the beautiful architecture up close.
The tour took us to all the usual places, Hollyrood palace, the castle, the kirk of the Canongate, Greyfriars etc.  We walked some of the Royal Mile and had a late lunch in the Worlds End Pub which sits on part of the old wall which was built around Edinburgh after the battle of Flodden Fields.  We then hopped back onto the bus and headed to Greyfriars kirkyard, checked out the statue and grave of Greyfriars Bobbie as well as the grave of Tom Riddle – for those non Harry Potter fans Tom Riddle is the arch enemy Voldermort.  We decided not to tour Hollyrood palace or the castle as there were 2 hour long queues to get in.  Edinburgh is a feast of architecture, from the early buildings of the 1600’s to the buildings of New Town built from the 1800’s everywhere you look there is a carved sandstone facade.
On Tuesday morning – again with me driving (see previous comment) we headed down towards Yorkshire, the weather once again fine and sunny and about 21 degrees. We took the A68 so we could cross into England over the Carter Bar and see the border piper. Got some great photos and had a nice chat with him, then back in the car and over the border to England.
As  we didn’t have to be in Hawes until 4pm we left the main road and took the Hadrian’s Wall Drive, we also stopped at one of the Roman Fort sites and walked through the ruins.  Once again got some good photos.  A great drive, but it did mean we had to take some 3rd class roads across the open Dales to get back on to the main road to Hawes. Dad you will know what they are like, but at least now they are sealed!!! One good part was we came past the ruins of Pendragon Castle which dates from the 12th century, the castle is on private land, but all they ask is that you shut the gate to keep the sheep in, and don’t climb on the stones.
When we reached Hawes it was market day, there was no parking and people everywhere, the streets are so narrow that 2 cars couldn’t pass, so Warren went into the pub where we were staying while I drove around, and around and around. We finally got into the hotel car park – space for 5 cars after driving down an alley  between the buildings, so narrow our side mirrors had to be turned in  so they didn’t hit the walls on either side, glad Wazzy is driving out tomorrow!!
Today is another sunny day and we have spent it walking around Hawes, which is a typical Dales market town, its at the top of Wensleydale and is home to the Wensleydale cheese centre. For those of you who remember James Herriots all creatures great and small there is a gallery in the town called Herriots and about 4 miles away is the town that doubled for Darrowby in
Tomorrow we head off to Gloucestershire to spend a couple of days with Mick and Sue so I will blog again once I have more news.