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Adventure Time

September - December 2017
A 111-day adventure by NZtoWherever Read more
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  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 18

    Perusals in Old Town

    September 21, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Wandered around a bit more. Had a nice and affordable 3 course Italian lunch. Delicious.

    Then found a market on the Royal Mile (and a Warhammer shop). Market was nice. Almost bought wool slippers, but instead went for 3 nice prints.

    Then more wanderings - past a cool sword shop and past the cafe where JK Rowling wrote most of her first book (it was packed, no surprises there). Followed by a coffee and macarons at a cute French cafe.

    Now to get ourselves sorted for tomorrow!    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 19

    Bye for noo Edinburgh!

    September 22, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Left the apartment and went walking. Left luggage at bus station (cheap ish) and looked at shops. Radi bought a green cardigan. Found Rose street which was cool. Had cheap lunch at a cosy cafe. Haggis and cheese baked spud and a morning roll with potato scone and haggis. Was good. Wish I'd eaten more morning rolls.

    Went to Coro the Chocolate Cafe and had waffles and thick hot chocolate (very thick and rich). Soooo good, would definitely recommend.

    Then more wanderings and saw the National Museum of Scotland. Interesting exhibits on people of the world, machines, animals and space.

    Then had a drink at a place that looked cool. Thistle Cross cider was good. Ran back to bus station to get bags as we'd enjoyed the drinks a bit too much and were running a little late. But got them fine (well, nearly lost Radi with her 'wonderful' sense of direction) and made it with a few minutes to spare. Then the train to North Berwick to see our family friends the Z's in East Lothian.

    Met with Joe in a local pub, had a go at some pool, then onwards to their place. Had a lovely home cooked meal and chatted until midnight.    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 20

    The Howe

    September 23, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Woke up late. Breakfast using the Aga to toast (freshly baked) bread. There's definitely an art to it.

    Then went on to the Howe, the Z's getaway place in the countryside. Spotted many pheasants and grouse on the way (as well as plenty of sheep).

    As we had a tour around the place, saw a beautiful white owl that had taken up residence in the barn (it actually flew right past us to get out). Surreal. The barn is from 1823, so almost 200 years old. Unsure of how old the house itself is. Joe made a fire, so we relaxed and chatted in front of it with a nice cuppa. Note: there's no electricity so it's like stepping back in time. Very peaceful!

    Walked up to Cairnview with our stone contribution. Great views. Cassidy (the dog) got a run around. Lovely time and then home for dinner and chatting. Great way to pass a Saturday.    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 21

    Seaside Strolls and Seafood

    September 24, 2017 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Went for a walk along Cove, had a nice harbour. Had cliffs which recently had rocks fall away to reveal caves. The scenery kind of reminded us of tunnel beach! Climbed some rocks, was fun, if made somewhat tricky with slippery moss on the rocks. Lottie (the dog) had a blast running around the beach, introducing herself to everyone there.

    Then to St Abbs for lunch, so delicious. Radi had crab baguette (best crab meal we've had) and I had Cullen skink. Bit thin but still very very good. Followed by delicious tray bakes (e.g. slices).

    Also headed to Dunbar, checked out a great harbour with beautiful views, and saw an old castle (from a distance). Would've loved to spend more time in Dunbar. Bought a lot of cheese and ate far too much of it after another one of Deb’s delicious home cooked meals. So many cheese varieties here!

    Joe then gave us a small whisky tasting session. Aberlour a'bunadh was our favourite. It was cask strength (60%) and verryyy nice. Lots of different flavour stages.

    Next - off to the Shropshire Hills by train.    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 22

    Culminating in Culmington

    September 25, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Had the first of our longer train journeys. Train from Dunbar to Shrewsbury (with a quick change in Birmingham). Managed to figure it out and even managed to arrive a few minutes early. Enjoyed the scenery and snapshots of the towns that we passed.

    Chris and Alma kindly met us on the platform, and took us onward to their lovely village - Culmington. Unfortunately, the low lying mists impeded our views of the Shropshire Hills, but we appreciated the countryside and the cool weather nonetheless.

    Alma made us a great home cooked meal (locally sourced), and we had a lovely time chatting into the evening.    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 23

    Lovely Ludlow and Castle Ruins

    September 26, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌫 14 °C

    After a nice breakfast, our gracious hosts showed us the town of Ludlow and its castle. A lovely little town (almost on the border with Wales) with picturesque streets and cute wee shops. A lot of history there.

    We saw the magnificent parish church of St Laurence. Absolutely beautiful building and a delight to wander through. Amazing stained glass windows - more recent than the full, old history but they were stunning.

    Alma ascended the numerous steps to the top with us - quite a height and a quite narrow staircase! A glimpse at the bells inside and then 360° views of the town and countryside. Fantastic time.

    Then it was off to morning tea at the Ludlow Castle tearooms. Radi had delicious coffee while Wade tried the dandelion and burdock juice (kind of like cola but more aniseed-ey). Not bad.

    Refreshed and vitalised, we marched on to Ludlow Castle. Wow. Just wow.

    Imagine an old, semi-ruined ("they should have the roof mended") castle, nestled in the rolling hills, the horizon shrouded in mist. Or just look at a photo below. Anyway, really great to wander through in the steps of so many people who would have been there centuries ago.

    Apparently they used to do outdoor Shakespeare plays in the castle. Would have been an amazing backdrop and setting! Oh and they still do have jousting tournaments and battle renenactments! (Not when we were there sadly).

    The castle has a lot of history. King Arthur (the king before his younger brother Henry VIII) spent time there and also subsequently died there, and it was also where those two princes were taken from to The Tower of London. Chris and Alma were of course fantastic guides and explained so much more (including pointing out the where guns were arrayed during a siege).

    Loved the castle and would highly recommend. Next stop, Crofts Castle (a different type of castle).    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 23

    Croft Castle and Culmington Cuisine

    September 26, 2017 in England ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Had lunch at Croft Castle - one of many historic homes maintained by the National Trust. Some of the Croft family still live there. A large manor house that kinda looks like a castle, with a small church and stables. A lot like Olveston, but with no guided tour, just information and things.

    A very interesting mix of old and new (new meaning 19th or 20th century or so). Interesting fact - they built a wall by the servants' quarters so the servants couldn't look down on the family through the inner courtyard. Lots of history of the family members, including a room on the wars and their involvement. Also a square piano and a creepy clock. And cool exhibits to show the effects of touching on gilt wood and fabric.

    Lots of interesting things and a great time. Also bought second hand books. There's an old Roman hill fort up the hill but didn't walk up there this time.

    Followed our trip to Croft Castle with a quick call into a local supermarket in Ludlow (very nice). Also popped into the only church in Britain with a metal spire.

    Had a lovely dinner at The Clive, followed by some much missed QI!    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 24

    So about that accomodation in London...

    September 27, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Lovely breakfast and goodbyes to Chris and Alma (sad face). Then train to London. Arrived 3ish and figured out the tube to get to our Airbnb and pick up the key at 4pm...

    Slight problem.

    Massive water leak that morning and apartment uninhabitable. But our host was nice enough to let us stay in another place. Unfortunately the other place was next to a train line, noisy, small and generally not what we were after (or paid for).

    So it was on to airbnb to find somewhere else. We managed to find what looked like a great place, then did some sorting out with airbnb to get most of a refund (we decided to spend one night in the train side place). Airbnb was quite helpful in this regard (although having a phone with credit was also useful)!

    Wandered around Earls Court that evening to look for some dinner and finally settled on Korean. The kimchi pancake was delicious! The place also had karaoke which we briefly considered doing. Instead we decided to eat Snickers ice creams and watch Power Rangers. One of those things was great.    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 25

    Homely Hampstead and Lion King

    September 28, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Caught the tube to Belsize Park (Hampstead) to our new Air Bnb place. As we arrived early, went to a cute place for what turned out to be a yum breakfast and great coffee. Then onto our new flat.

    The new Air BnB host was so lovely and helpful and let us check in early. Chatting to him we found out that he'd only listed the place the morning that we booked it (explains how we managed to get such a great place on short notice and for our dates). Very lucky.

    Then tube into Leicester Square to pick up show tickets. Also bought some for Matilda for tomorrow night.

    Wandered. Went to Lion King. Amazing.

    Had ice cream and macarons. Home. Sleep.    Read more

  • NZtoWhereverAdventure Time
    Day 26

    Marvellous Matilda

    September 29, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Wandered around West End for a bit before we headed to Matilda today. The show was amazing. So so good. Incredibly talented kids who did a lot of singing and high paced dancing. The girl playing Matilda was unwell at half time so the other one stepped in. Both were amazing.

    Really really good production and so glad we went (thanks for the recommendation Trent and Renee!). Hopefully the Auckland one is good for those who go?

    Followed the show with some late night strolls. Came across a band performing rock covers - they were awesome!    Read more

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