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  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 16

    Last day in London

    June 1, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After yet another epic 12 hour sleep I headed out for a little London smog air.
    Not far from my hotel I stumbled across Westminster Cathedral. The whole building, is in the neo-Byzantine style and It adorned with over 14 million pieces of magnificent mosaics made of marble, stone, terracotta and glass.... some still a work in progress.
    I also managed another quick visit to Buckingham Palace, tourists crammed the gates and gardens with selfie sticks, macro lenses and the like for that elusive magical photo of the palace... shame there was no queen in site😩
    It was great to catch up with Jenny and beautiful little Polly, an inspirational teacher and her daughter from my school at Ashbury who now live in Oxford.
    The laughter and the ray of sunshine they both brought to my last afternoon in the big city was just what I needed. I’m sure we will both remember the memorable meal at the Four Seasons Hotel.....even though we thought we were eating at the recommended best Italian restaurant at The Intercontinental.❤️❤️❤️ Good one Jen😂    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 15

    Lunch at the hidden gem Neal's Yard.

    May 31, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After an epic 12 hour sleep I stepped out of the Grosvenor Hotel and headed to Covenant Gardens via London’s Big Red buses.

    Covenant Gardens Apple Market didn’t disappoint as it was filled with beautiful handmade jewellery, prints, watercolours and a assortment of crafts and collectables.......wish I could bring some..... if not all home.

    After a meander around the market I met up with my niece Rose and her beau Chris. Chris had lunch venues sorted and so we clicked our heels and headed down a tiny side street in Seven Dials to Neal’s Yard. This area is known to be be one of London’s prettiest streets and it didn’t disappoint.

    We enjoyed a quick bite... all be it very small....at a gorgeous little wine bar called Compagnie Des Vins Surnaturels before Rose headed to work and Chris the lucky bugger headed home.

    Riding the double decker red buses and soaking in the surrounding London fast paced atmosphere was really keeping me on my toes so i headed back to the safely of my hotel room for another nana nap🤪    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 14

    Stonehenge to London

    May 30, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Day 9
    Well, the last early departure for this trip... we left Cornwall and have been driving for 3 1/2 hours before arriving at Stonehenge.
    Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, two miles west of Amesbury. It consists of a ring of standing stones, with each standing stone around 13 feet high, seven feet wide and weighing around 25 tons.
    The centre has been modernised since I was here in 2012. There is no more walking around the stones everything is roped off and set out in an orderly fashion. It was nice to return ❤️
    The last 3 hours of the day will be spent driving to London and it’s all over red rover for the Insight tour.    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 13

    Cornish Coast Experience

    May 29, 2019 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Day 8
    You wake each day unsure of the weather, it was overcast, cloudy and raining intermittently all day today, not so good when your day is based around visiting seaside villages.
    Never the less we’re continued to traverse the country side, our first stop was Dartmoor, which is a moor in southern Devon, England. Protected by National Park status as Dartmoor National Park. It was pouring with rain and ended up being a very short and wet stop.
    We then headed to Plymouth which is a port city in Devon, southwest England. It’s known for its maritime heritage and historic Barbican district with narrow, cobbled streets. Sutton Harbour looked very cold and misty. The Mayflower Steps are where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World in 1620, many plaques lined the walls detailing names and dates of voyages across the seas. The usual clan gathered at the local for a pint of lager and a rather healthy serve of fish and chips.
    After leaving Plymouth we headed to a little sea side village called Looe.
    Looe is a small coastal town, fishing port and civil parish in south-east Cornwall. Looe is 20 miles west of Plymouth. We crossed the river Tamar by the Torpoint ferry, it was rather novel driving at rather large coach onto the ferry and being surrounded by tiny little cars. Whilst visiting Looe our tour director Keith treated us to what he described as the best Cornish pasties in Cromwell, I can’t say I had eaten one before but it was ok.    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 12

    Cardiff to Bath and Cornwall

    May 28, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Day 7
    Well as usual we set of early from Cardiff for our drive to Bath. It’s about 320km
    Bath is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, it is well known for its Roman-built baths. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles west of London and 11 miles south-east of Bristol. The weather was kind today with only intermittent showers. Bath has expanded immensely since I was here in 2012. I throughly enjoyed some free time from our group as we had 2 1/2 hours free time to roam around. The Georgian architecture is stunning. It was lovely to walk around 15th century Abbey Church to soak in some history.
    After leaving Bath we headed to Glastonbury. Glastonbury is a town in southwest England. It's known for its ancient and medieval sites, many rich in myth. Glastonbury Tor is a tower-topped hill linked to Arthurian legend, overlooking the marshy Somerset Levels. Once said to be King Arthur’s burial place, Glastonbury Abbey is a ruined monastery dating to the 7th century.
    Glastonbury has few chain stores; instead there are many independent shops with colourful fronts giving the impression that little has changed since yesteryear, until you look closer at the displays – healing crystals, wands and cauldrons, incense, tarot cards, and accessories “for the discerning witch”. It’s is quiet the alternative town.
    After leaving Bath we arrived at destination for the next two days, Cornwall. We are staying at the St Mellion International Golf Resort. It’s a peaceful change from city hotels overlooking the lovely green golf course dotted with little bunnies.
    We are off to Cornwall tonight to a quintessential English country pub dinner.. yummy.    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 11

    Lakes District to Cardiff, Wales

    May 27, 2019 in Wales ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Day 6
    Today was an epic 416km drive from Windermere to Cardiff, Wales.
    Our first stop was ancient Ludlow, said to be one of England’s most attractive towns.
    Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England, 28 miles south of Shrewsbury and 23 miles north of Hereford. Ludlow is the largest town in South Shropshire.
    The town of Ludlow is surrounded by around 500 listed buildings or heritage buildings all contributing to Ludlow’s unique character.
    We visited a local market which took place at Castle Square. There was a mix of brick brac and farmers market selling exquisite local produce.
    Lunch, a ham baguette and a pint of ale was had at the local Rose and crown before we were back on the bus heading south for Wales.
    We arrived in southern Wales around 4pm and headed to Cardiff for our tour of Cardiff Castle.
    The castle was started by the Romans some 2000 years ago, a refurbishment was done in the 1800s and it can only be described as outrageous to opulent, bogus to possibly brilliant. Architect William Burgess was said to have smoked his opium pipe too much and that is truly obvious as you walked through. The building has influences that include Arab and Islamic art, Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales and even Aesop’s fables. It was certainly the most colourful castle I have ever been too!
    The Main Street outside the castle was closed as The Spice Girls are in town.... pleasure to thousands of screaming teens. I don’t think we have been to a town yet that hasn’t diverted our coach for a host of reasons. So...we all enjoyed the short walk from the castle to our Hotel, The Clayton.
    Tonight we are heading out to a Welsh dinner at the Millennium Centre. Were entertainment will be Welsh singers, enchanting music and Welsh stories.    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 10

    Glasgow to the Glorious Lake District

    May 26, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Today is day 5 of the trip and our first stop was Gretna Green. Gretna Green is a parish in the southern county of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, and is situated on the Scottish side of the borders of Scotland and England. This small Scottish village has become synonymous with romance and runaway lovers. The short visit was masked by grey skies and light showers.
    Our next stop was to visit the grave of William Wordsworth in the picturesque stone built village of Grasmere.
    Grasmere is a beautiful village in the centre of the English Lake District. The village takes its name from the adjacent lake and has had associations with the Lake Poets, one of whom, William Wordsworth, lived in Grasmere for 14 years and called it as "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found." It truly was very beautiful.
    The usual 4 suspects, Betty, Vicky, Tracy and myself enjoyed a hearty bowl of soup for lunch at a local eatery before spending some time doing what all women love to do.... shop!!!
    Our last stop for the day and our overnight destination was still within the Lakes District at Windermere. Our optional tour this afternoon was a relaxing cruise on Lake Windermere, the lake offered magnificent views of secluded bays wooded islands and amazing homes. Once we had reached the southern end of the lake we disembarked for nostalgic ride in a steam train along the banks of the river Leven to Haverthwaite Station.
    The group enjoyed dinner and drinks at MacDonald Old England Hotel before all turning in for another night.    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 9

    Loch Lomond to Glasgow

    May 25, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    We headed off from Edinburgh at 8.30am, this seems to be the usual departure time from all our hotels so far which is good as you get a little sleep in and plenty of time to enjoy breakfast.

    We travelled via Bannockburn with a leisurely visit to the tourist centre which provides folks a history lesson on the 1314 Battle of Bannockburn.

    The surrounding grounds of the visitor centre were green and lush and to my happiness, filled with people walking the dogs. We stopped for a photo shot of Stirling Castle and enjoyed the scenery of the Trossachs.

    One of our optional experiences today was a visit to the Medieval Doune Castle. The castle overlooked the beautiful village of Doune and was famous for its association with Monty Python. The castle was also a film location for Game of Thrones and the show Outlander.

    We stopped for a quick bite to eat in the little town of Callender at the local Crown Hotel before traveling along the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond. The weather unfortunately was wet and overcast today so not much time was spent walking. We arrived at Glasgow late in the afternoon, we are staying in central Glasgow at the Radisson Blu hotel.    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 8

    Edinburgh

    May 24, 2019 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Edinburgh
    From organic medieval and planned Georgian, to neo-classical masterpieces and the über-modern, Edinburgh’s varied architecture creates a ginormous juxtaposing palette of styles.

    In the 12th century (c.1130), King David I, established the town of Edinburgh as one of Scotland's earliest royal burghs, protected by his royal fortress, on the slope below the castle rock.

    And there the day begins!
    We viewed the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of Her Majesty, the Queen at the end of the Royal Mile. We were then joined by Alan our Scottish guide for the morning who guided us to and through Edinburgh Castle. We were very appreciative to have seen the inspection and changing of the guards on the forecourt of the castle.
    From the castle esplanade you could see a school that was said to inspire J.K Rowling’s.....The Hogwarts.
    After a leisurely lunch with my new found friends we headed for a tour of the Royal Britannia. The ship is berthed in Leith a buzzing port district in Edinburgh. The interior of the vessel was very modest and filled gorgeous photographs of the Royal family, it gave the impression of years of happy memories.    Read more

  • TravelerMarcelle Carbon
    Day 7

    York to Edinburgh

    May 23, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Today’s first leg was 211 km further north from beautiful York to Hadrians Wall. Hadrians Wall once spanned 80 miles from coast to coast, marking the northern frontier to the mighty Roman Empire. Our guide or tour director as he describes himself is named Keith. Keith continued to provide us with dates, figures, names of kings and queens, poetry, poets, conquerors, stories about anything and everything English, Scottish or otherwise... the sad thing is.....it’s all too much to remember ❤️ Shortly after leaving the Wall we stopped to be fed and watered at a quaint English pub titled The Robin Hood. We were indulged with fresh vegetable soup and sandwich’s.. followed by scones and cream.
    From Hadrian’s Wall we travelled a further 102 km to Jedburgh Abbey which is perched high on a hill and absolutely stunning. The Abbey, is a ruined Augustinian abbey which was founded in the 12th century, and is situated in the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders. At the Scottish Boarder where we were greeted by a Scottish bagpiper........what a beautiful sound. A further 72 km north brought us to the beautiful Scottish capital, Edinburgh where we will spend the next two nights. Our hotel Macdonald Holyrood is centrally located to the Royal Mile a beautiful strip of ancient historic buildings.    Read more

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