Day 27 – Wales here we come

Today is the worst start to a day I have had so far the rain is bucketing down, it was only a matter of time before I had real English weather. Today finds me making my way to Wales, but as per usual it will be a windy path to get there, first stop is Blackpool, the illuminations were switched on about a month ago so i was expecting to se some lights, I didn’t think they would be lights for 2 klm along the beach front. It is an amazing sight and would be wonderful to see at night, but i can imagine the queue of families cruising the beach road showing the light to the kids. 

Next it was off to Manchester for a look, the rain has eased enough for me to grab a park and take a walk around the city centre. there is a lot people out as it is lunchtime and the centre has a lot of interesting things to see.

Chester is my next stop another walled city with a lot of interesting ruins to see, more time is needed here than today allows me.

Night finds me at the foot hills of Snowdonia at Betws-y-coed which is welsh for “Sanctuary in the Forest” , tomorrow is showing promise of a better day which would be good to see some sun for driving through the mountains.  

Day 26 – The Lake District

It is a drizzly day today which is unfortunate as I am heading out into the Lakes District or the Fells as they like to call the mountains here in Cumbria. It is not long after leaving that I am into the mountains and lakes, the clouds are hanging at about 700 feet and this is clouding the tops of the mountains. Even with the overcast day I can see the sense of tranquillity and beauty that draws people here in droves in the summer.

There are lots of very tiny roads and the trees form square tunnels which are kept meticulously manicured by the flow of tourist buses. The foliage is so thick that moss covers the stone walls which line the road.    

After leaving the Lake District I head to Kendal, this is a larger town than i was expecting, built on the banks of a fast flowing stream and has a lovely medieval church. 

Next it is off to try and find somewhere to sleep and I find myself on the outskirts of Lancaster at Morecambre, this is a beach side town with hotels lining the coast road and would be a wash with beach goers in the summer.

Day 25 – Stirling Castle

Today in cold and overcast and it is snowing in the highlands I am told, it looks like winter may have arrived. After a hearty breakfast I head out into the cold bound for the castle. My short walk turns into a long climb and it is 9 pounds to enter, fortunately there is a guided tour every half hour and I arrive just in time for the start of one. It is a fascinating tour around the castle and the mist and gloomy cold weather creates a wonderful atmosphere for the tales of conquer and conquest.

I decide that I will take a bit of a drive in the afternoon and head towards the lake district. As I cross from Scotland back into England the stone fenced paddock give way to hedge lined ones full of dairy cows and corn, wind farms seem to be everywhere. The evening finds me in a small hotel in a town with a some what unfortunate name Cockermouth, well placed on a river at the Northern end of the start to the lake distinct. The hotel “The Manor House” is a small Manson that has been converted to a 15 room hotel, the ornate plaster work and layer cake walls give it a feel of wealthy charm.

Day 24 – Road to Stirling

After a leisurely breakfast I drive down to the docks in preparation of leaving Islay, the ferry has not arrived so I park the car by the jetty with its fishing boats and listen to the waves lap against the key, the sun is out but the wind is cold but reclining in the car it is nice and toasty.

The ferry journey takes 2 1/4 hours it leaves Port Ellen and turns and sails past the 3 distilleries of Laphroig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg before making its way up the sound past the bottom of Jura to Kennacraig. It is a smooth crossing and i am soon on the road to Stirling.

The road winds over the Highlands and then down past lochs it is 3 hours before the Stirling castle comes into view. This is also the first time I haven't pre booked a room so the next task is to find an expectable hotel, after a lot of trouble not being able to find a true hotel district I am put onto a great hotel, the golden lion, by some locals. It is a short walk to the castle and this will be my firsts port of call in the morning. 

Day 23 – Islay 3

Today sees me off to the Kilchovan distillery in the morning, it is a farm distillery and the newest on the island at only 5 years old, they are doing things slightly different from the traditional distillery and the whisky is already showing promise, they are doing everything the same as farmers on Islay would have done 100 years ago and it is interesting to see it all done in miniature compared to the major distillers.

This afternoon I headed to Laphroig for the afternoon tour only to find I had mixed up the times, the last tour had left 1/2 hour before. To ease my disappointment I was offered a dram of the 18 year old, which I had not tasted before, after a short while the tour came back and one of the girls asked if they could taste the 30 year old, at 500 pounds a bottle the girl behind the bar said that she could not give out tastings of this one as it is a limited edition to 1500 bottles only. She then went on to say that if some one was to buy a bottle she would give everyone in the bar a taste, she was not expecting what the beared Canadian man was to say next, I’ll buy one. Needless to say the girl was a bit shocked but true to her word after selling him the bottle she opened another and 10 drams were poured. It was a delicious dram, 16 years in sherry cask and finished for 14 in Oak cask.  

Also I went off to see the place when the Lord of the Isles ruled from Islay, this is also the ancestral place of the MacDonald's, It was an interesting place which went back to 800 AD and Vikings, lots of interesting stone carved tablets as well.

Day 22 – Islay 2

Well today I visited the two most different distilleries on the island, Bunnahabain, which has the least peaty whisky at 3ppm and Bruichladdich distillery which has just blow Ardbeg’s 53ppm whisky to the weeds with there new Octomore whisky which is 153ppm peat, I must say it doesn’t smell all that smoky but I am told it packs a huge smoky peaty punch when you drink it.

Bruichladdich have been making Gin as well which was interesting to see. They have also bought and are about to re open the Port Charlotte distillery which will take the number of distilleries to 9 on the island.

The day has been find and sunny and only the wind has been cool. Finally got to get a photo of a Highland Cow, I think I will call her Bessie.

Day 21 – Onwards to Islay

Another cool rainy morning and I am on the road from Oban to Kennacraig to catch the ferry for Islay. The road twists it’s way through the highlands and down the coast, it is a pretty drive, lots of sheep, and I finally got to see some highland cattle, well 4, in a paddock, large paddock.

Upon arriving at Kennacraig I realise why my effort the night before could not find any accommodation, it is only a ferry terminal, they do however have free wifi so I am able to book some accommodation in Port Ellen before buying my ticket for the ferry (96 pounds return 5 day ticket). The rain eases briefly as we load onto the ferry and leave the terminal, it is a 2 1/2 hour trip which is smooth until we get into the larger channel and the wind gets up.

It is 4pm when I arrive, my hotel is at the other end of the island so it is a half hour drive, through peat cut fields to get to Port Ellen. Unfortunately all of the distillery tours are finished but it does give me a chance to see the Kildalton High Cross which is said to be the second oldest cross in Scotland, to get to it you have to travel down a 1 lane road for what seems forever but it was worth it as the cross is very impressive. 

I have booked in for 3 nights and this should allow me to visit quite a few of the 8 distilleries on the island, the weather is forecast for finer weather, hopefully this will prove true.

Day 20 - Oban

Today is the first day of heavy rain, it continues to pour as i head down the coast towards Oban.

I arrive at Fort William and Ben Nevis is covered in cloud and can’t be seen, the wet roads are slippery and it is evident that the Hyundai does not like twisty water soaked roads.

Fortunately the rain eases shortly before arriving at Oban and after checking into the hotel it is out for a bit of exploring. The main things in town are the Oban Distillery, the tour lasts for about an hour and is very interesting, they are one of the smallest distillery in Scotland and only have 2 stills, having said that they still are able to produce 1 million bottles of 14 year old whiskey a year. After the tour it is of to McCaigs Tower to get a panoramic view of the town it is a steep climb to the top but the view is worth it.

Day 19 – Road to Fort Augustus

Today mark a turning point in my travel, I am no longer heading  North but South and West, tonight I will be sleeping in the town of Fort Augustus, nestled at the end of Loch Ness, but today's journey will be via a big detour west to the Isle of Skye.

It is not long out of Inverness that I am at the start of Loch Ness, the still flat water rolls on in a wide band as far as I can see, boats are taking tourists on pleasure cruises and there is no sign of Nessy yet. All of the little towns along the Loch are all in Nessy mode encouraging the tourists to stop with all sorts of gimmicky things.

Towards the end of the loch is my road west and it is not long before the tree lined roads give way to wind swept mountains that loom menacingly over me as I drive down the small winding road. The weather is very changeable as the clouds roll in over the mountains and steams and waterfalls run thick and fast down the mountain sides and along the valley floor.  

Eilean Donan greets me as I round a bend, the car park is full of tourists all wanting to have a look at the castle, it is said that this is the most photographed castle in Scotland. It is 1.30pm when I arrive so after I have taken my photos I venture into the cafe for a baked potato and a coffee.

It is only another 30 minutes to get to the bridge that crosses to the Isle of Skye, it is a very steep bridge and the view from the top is amazing as you can see out over the islands that line the inner sound passage.

Day 18 - Inverness

Rising from my bed I look out of the window to see the river Ness flowing fast, that the clouds have closed in over the mountains and the rain is softly falling, the weather forecast has predicted that this afternoon the rain might break so this calls for some indoor activities. Sounds like a road trip coming up.

So after a hearty breakfast I head north to visit the men of Tain i.e. Glenmorangie Distillery. Driving along the motor way I turn a corner and am met by a sting of oil rigs sitting in the middle of the firth, it is a shame to spoil such a lovely view but the search for north sea oil goes on.

Arriving at Tain it is only just out of town that the Glenmorangie Distillery is situated on the banks of the Dornoch Firth. the tour costs 2.50 but a tasting is had at the end. The tour is very interesting, the distillery, along with its sister distillery Ardbeg, are now owned by the French and an upgrading is going on to increase the production of whiskey from 4000 litres to 6000 litres per year. The distillery is currently using 300 tons of malted barley a week.

Arriving back in Inverness, the weather has improved so it is out for a walk around town, up to the castle to have a look and take some photos. Inverness in its self is a quiet place with most people using it as a base for touring the surrounding area. Conveniently located across from the castle is the castle hotel, this is an excellent place for an ale or as I found out they have a whiskey menu with 26 different drams on offer, needless to say it turned into a long night.

Day 17 – Road to Inverness

The soft steady patter of rain greets me as I pack the car in preparation for my drive through the Speyside countryside to Inverness.

The road out of Aberdeen winds it’s way through fields filled with sheep and cattle, stone fences are common and trees line the road, in some places forming long tunnels as the foliage come together. Winding my way up into the mountains I am greeted by wind farms full of windmills there blades appearing and disappearing into the mist, descending into the valleys find fast flowing rivers topping there banks with icy water.

It is not long before the signs that I am on the whiskey trail appear with distilleries appearing at regular intervals, every town now seems to have a distillery. Being Sunday many are closed, damn it, but I do manage to fine some that are bucking this trend.

Heading into the town of Dufftown, and wondering if the creators of the Simpsons have ever been here, I find the Glenfiddich Distillery beckoning me to visit. The tour is fantastic, consisting of a film followed by a guided tour of the facilities, this all concludes with a sampling of there 3 main whiskeys the 12, 15 and 18 year old. Since I am driving 3 drams will put me over the limit here, which I find out is .035, so I regrettable can only taste the 12 and 15 but savour the 18 year old, which is a lovely dram.    

Next it is on the Glenfarclas Distillery which I was hoping to tour but it is closed on Sunday, so it is back on the road again winding my may through more fields and pine plantations. Just out of Inverness I find a lovely constructed train bridge, the mountains here have now lost there trees and there sides are covered by mores whose water form waterfalls that spill down the steep sides of the road cuttings.

Arriving at Inverness it takes a bit of a find to arrive at my hotel, this is forgotten quickly when I see that I have a river view which is very picturesque, the rain of today is predicted to stay tomorrow so i good night sleep should be had. 

Day 16 - Aberdeen

It has been a cold and some what sleety day that greets me for my walk around Aberdeen, the Granite city. All of the buildings are built of black granite, which when the sun is out sparkles. Unfortunately I have had limited sunshine today which has not shown off the city to it’s best.

First on the list of things to see was the maritime museum, this was a very well laid out display of Aberdeen’s fishing past and petro chemical present. I have not see a better display of model ships anywhere, apparently a lot of them where made by apprentices of the ship trade as a way of learning the ships before starting on the real thing.

Next stop was the Provost Skenes House, a 15 century building that has been restored to show life in the period, it also has a interesting collection of Edwardian dresses, most containing elaborate lace work.

Marischal College is undergoing a refurbishment at the moment I am told this is the second largest granite building in the world, the largest being in Spain. It is an impressive building and it’s detail is quite impressive considering the hardness of the granite.

Day 15 – Road to Aberdeen

After a cold night it is time to head further north to Aberdeen, after my sat nav decided to give me the scenic tour out of Edinburgh I finally get on track to head out over the Firth Bridge, the bridge does not disappoint, you get a really good view of it from the new road bridge, which in itself is very impressive. Unfortunately there is not a viewing point to get a photo.

After a short drive up the freeway I take a detour into the town of Perth, it is a very pretty place which the black deep cold waters of the Tay river, flowing quickly through the town.

Back on the freeway and after another small drive I arrive in Dundee, there is not much to see here the freeway paces through the outskirts and it is not long before I am on the road to Aberdeen.

The farmers are all busy moving there hay and getting in the last harvests, a lot of crops being grown in Polly tunnels, you have to watch out for the farmers driving there tractors and harvesters on the motorway.

After 3 1/2 hours of driving through the rolling countryside, whose tree lined fields look very similar to the Australian country side, I arrive at my hotel in Aberdeen. Tomorrow beckons a days exploring the Granite City. 

Day 14 - Edinburgh

Today finds me in Edinburgh, the day is fine and sunny but a cold wind is keeping the temperature to about 15 deg. The big news item of the day is the Pope is in town,and there is a big parade down Princess street, sounds like a chance to see some top pipe bands so off to the parade I go. A crowd of about 120,000 people line the street, in most places 4 and 5 deep, the pipe bands are all decked out in there finery and are sounding great.

After the parade I head of to Calton Hill for a great view over the city, it is a steep climb up to the top but it is an excellent view.

Next it is off up the Royal Mile towards the Castle, I decide to take the Whiskey Experience tour, and find myself in the bar after the tour with 350 whiskeys at my want to taste, It is a really good afternoon of tasting whiskeys that are not sent to Australia or in some cases not being made anymore.

Day 13 – Scotland here I come

The wind is blowing the showers quickly across the town as I prepare to head off for Scotland, after a little more looking I have managed to get accommodation, it turned out my problems have been the end of the comedy festival and the Pope is in town tomorrow. Anyway I have managed to get a room for a couple of nights so off along the coast road I go. After getting off the A1 it was not long before the twisting hedge rowed roads wind there way down to the coast, I decide to stop off at Bamburgh for lunch, it has a huge castle that sits high on a hill overlooking the see and the town.

After lunch I am cruising up the A1 when I notice a magnificent bridge heading over the tweed river, I decide that this is worth a detour and so into Berwick Upon Tweed, another walled city, the bridge and the town are amazing, I thought that the bridge was not being used but as I was taking photos a train started crossing the bridge.

Another 10 minutes and I was at the Scottish Border, it is amazing to see the winding stone fence that designates the border winding its way up the hillside.

After another half hour of driving I arrive at Edinburgh, there are a lot of security and police out in preparation for the popes visit tomorrow, hopefully this will not interfere with my site seeing.         

Day 12 - Alnwick

After a frustrating night of not being able to get a room in Edinburgh I have decided to visit the medieval city of Alnwick, pronounced Annick. This turns out to be a wonderful surprise as it is a wonderful town, it has a fantastic castle, which if you are thinking I have seen this somewhere before well then you probably are a Harry Potter fan as this is the Hogwarts castle from the early films. the town is full of rambling streets and gates that are the reminisces of the wall that use to surround the town. I stayed in the white swan hotel which when I went to breakfast I was amazed at the wood panelled ballroom, it turn out that this is the ballroom from the Olympic Cruise liner, sister ship to the Titanic, the owner of the hotel bought the ballroom, staircase and rotating door when the ship was decommissioned and added them to the hotel.

The drive from York was very interesting there was a horse carved into the hill just outside York, lots of windmills, and power stations. At Gateshead I called in the have a look at the Angel of the North, It was much bigger that i was expecting and the wind was blowing a gale. Apart from the wind it was a nice drive.       

Day 11 – Walled city of York

Overcast, threatening and cool is the way to describe today, this is the first bad weather day of my trip and going by the weather forecast the further I head north the more rain I will be seeing. anyway the morning is tipped to be the best of the day so off into the walled city I go. My hotel is only a 5 min walk from the tower street entrance and so it is not long that I am inside the old city walls and making my way to the other end of the city to see the Cathedral. I make my way though windy small streets full of shops and tourists, I pass many churches in my travels, I am surprised that so many are needed with such a large cathedral. After a 25 min stroll I find myself at the main entrance of this imposing gothic cathedral, it is in very good condition for a building from the 13th century, there is restoration being conducted at the moment and after accosting a stone mason I learn that all of the stone comes from the Doncaster area and would most likely have been floated up the Ouse river initially. I also find out that it cost 10,000 pounds a day to run the Cathedral.

Some stats about the Cathedral, Length 158m, Breadth Transepts 76m, Breadth Nave 42m, Height Central Tower 60m, Height Western Towers 53m. Built in 3 stages between 1220- 1472.

One of the things that you can do is pay 5 pounds and tackle the climb to the top of the main tower, seeing as I am here I thought, in the immortal words of Jeremy Clarkson, how hard can it be? I was feeling pretty confident after climbing the Ely Cathedral tower at 100m high and this one is only 60m, well the difference is quite marked the Ely tower climb is done over 3 stages and at leisurely conducted pace, here it is a total of 275 steps, 100 steps to the top of the north transept, a walk across the roof to the tower entrance and then about 175 steps straight up, the first thing you see when you squeeze through the door way, or as i like to call it a small hole in the wall, is a bench seat, it was put to good use. The views over the town were very impressive with the rain holding off for my visit, although windy you walk around the top of the tower in a fully enclosed cage. Now only 275 steps to go to get down.

Once down I needed a coffee and a piece of cake so it was off to starbucks for a drink, luckily there is one insight of the main entrance and 3 in total in the town. After finishing my drink I head outside to find the rain falling, luckily I have my green umbrella with me so it is off to spend the rest of my day strolling the winding streets in the gentle falling rain, window shopping.

Day 10 – Off to York

A crisp bright sunny day greats me on my last morning in Ely, it gives me a great opportunity to take a last walk around the town and past the Cathedral, taking some last happy snaps as I go.  Today I set out on my big push to “The North” with about 300km to drive to get me to my destination of York for 2 nights. So it is off up the A14 to the A1 for a blast up the motorway. About and hour into my journey it is time for a detour and to get a spot of lunch in the food bowl of the midlands, yes that right Melton Mowbray is calling. So off the motorway and a drive on the B roads, through the rolling hills of Leicester. Melton Mowbray turns out to be a lovely village with a grand church and several taverns, which because it is Sunday, all have roast lunches on, fortunately I manager to find one that has a lovely spinach and ricotta cannelloni. After a lovely lunch washed down with a half of the local ale it is back to the A1, past industrial Britain, with all of it’s coal fired power stations onto the medieval walled city of York.   

I now get my first chance to put petrol into my little red chariot, the first problem is working out how to get the petrol latch open. The next is wondering how much i will be paying with unleaded at 114.9 if only this was Australian money and not pounds, thankfully it only needed 30 litres to top it up from 1/4 of a tank left so the wallet was only lighter 36 pound not to bad for the distance travelled, about 36 mpg by the trip computer.

quick price comparison
Big Mac 3.99, 1/2 pint 1.20-1.40, pack 25 of cigarettes 5.00, fish and chips in pub 7.95, in shop 3.65.

Day 9 - Cowlinge

Well after a short drive in the country side i find myself in Cowlinge. The town is located along a single street with a pub at one end and the church at the other, i would say that there would be no more than about 100 – 150 people residing.

I decided to stop in for a pint at the local pub and ended up spending over an hour talking to the publican and a couple of patrons. I learned that this pub was the last of five that use to be in the town, and that the majority of the houses are owned by people in London that only come on weekends.

I then went and had a good look at the local church which was built in the 11th century, it is a wonderful building and has been modified over the years.

Apart from there being a record of a W.Ely on the first world war memorial there now seems to be no trace of any other Ely’s in the area.   

Day 9 - Wickhambrook

Well today finds me a little sore from many days of walking and climbing so it is with much pleasure that i get to have a drive in the country and see were it all started for the Ely’s. So in the first of day 9 trips it was off to Wickhambrook to have a look at the town and see if i could find the church where my great grand parents were married, and i a happy to say that not only is it still standing but there was a wedding due to be carried out there today. 

The town sits in the middle of the fens and the main area of all the towns around are made up of farms. It is the end of the harvest here at the moment and all of the fields are being ploughed. The main crops seem to be wheat, Barley and corn.

Next stop Cowlinge.

Day 8 - Ely

Well i have booked myself in for 3 nights and have already taken a walk over to the cathedral, as it is only 200 meters from my hotel. At 141 meters high it towers over the city and can be seen from all part.

I signed up for the octagonal tower tour which gave me the opportunity to climb the 100 odd steps up into the lantern before climbing out onto the roof for a spectacular view over the town and surrounding fens. The climb was very steep and very cramped but it was definitely worth the effort.

The Victorian’s in the 1900 decided that the cathedral, which was started in 1081, needed some fixing up, so they set about upgrading the plain medieval glass windows to stain glass ones, today sees the cathedral with the best display of stained glass windows in the country.

Day 7 - Cambridge

Well today sees my last day in London so after a hearty breakfast it was off to pick up my hire car and head to Ely.

I was fortunate to get a size upgrade into a Hyundai I20 this fits my needs well as there is plenty of room for my bags and comfortably handles the motor way speeds.

On the way however i got to drop in on Cambridge and had a walk around, once i got to Cambridge i learnt  the meaning of a car unfriendly city, the place is full of one way street that have had popup bollards put in so that only busses or taxis can pass, at least i got to practice my 5 point turns. The city is very impressive with all of the colleges along the cannel with people punting and enjoying the sunshine.

As per usual click the picture to see more pictures on Cambridge.

Day 6 – Paddington Station

Well today brings an easy day and my last day in London as tomorrow i am picking up my hire car and heading north. So I decided to take a walk back through Hyde Park and take a look at the wonderful architecture that is the terminal station for Brunel’s great western railway, and as far as sheds go it is a beauty, or more correctly 3 beauties all linked together and long enough to hold a train of at least 10 carriages.

After spending some time looking around the station I headed back to the park and had lunch at the Italian fountains before walking on to see the Princess of Wales memorial fountain, this was interesting as it is a ring fountain laid into the land and has different areas in it where the water babbles through a range of course changes.  All in all a nice relaxing way to spend my last full day in London.

Day 5 – British Museum

Well today is the first grey rainy day of my trip, and there is a tube strike on so it is definitely a day for inside activity. Luckily the museum is only about a 30 min walk from my hotel, so after another hearty breakfast I donned my coat and headed off, taking the gamble that the rain would be arriving at 4pm as predicted by the weather channel, you would think that I should have learned not to trust the weather forecast by now for as I got 1 block from my hotel the rain came down. After dodging down pours in doorways I managed to find a place selling umbrellas, and as is always the case after buying my umbrella and using it for 10 minutes the rain ceased for the rest of the day.

I arrived at the Museum after my brisk walk and was greeted by its roman inspired facade, walking into the main lobby area it was easy to find a guide brochure outlining the 80+ rooms over 2 floors which easily take a full day to walk around, there really are to many amazing things to see in one visit. One of the really great things that the museum does is it has hands on areas in the different rooms, where a museum guide allows you to handle some of the objects in the museum and explains the item as you look at them. I got to handle many great items some of them were a flint prehistoric axe head and knife, Islamic tile and roman bronze figure. I have loaded some photos from my visit many.

After the museum I took a walk home, in the sunshine, via Piccadilly circus,  through the Chinese section of town. Lots of  people sitting around on the statue in the sun. It is interesting how different areas of London change in ethnicity from one section to the next it seems to be more pronounced then Melbourne.  

Today was also the 70th anniversary of the bombing of London and there was a service at St Pauls, they some how managed to get a spitfire into the court yard and had a Lancaster Bomber and Spitfire fly over the parade, it would have been a sight to behold but as the tube was closed I could not get there easily.

Trip Day 4 - London Eye

Well today sees another nice start to the day although rain is forecast for this afternoon, and the underground is about to be closed down with a drivers strike for 24 hours. So it is out early to take a spin on the London Eye and then on to the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery.

After paying my 17.50 for a ticket it was into a 4d theatre experience before lining up for my ride. The views are really amazing, i was lucky to get a pretty clear day so had a good view of the whole of London. The ride is slow enough so as you don’t have a feeling of falling and standing and walking around the gondola is very comfortable.

After finishing my ride i walked back over the waterloo bridge and up Whitehall road to Trafalgar square to see the National Gallery. Before getting there though it was lunch time so i called into one of the many pubs for a plate of fish and chips and a pint of ale, hard work all this sight seeing. The pubs are very easy to find as it seems most of them all have flower boxes that are all in full bloom with petunias which make a very colourful display.

The National Gallery is a huge collection of paintings, there are about 66 rooms of paintings to explore ranging from the 12th to 19th centuries it was amazing to me just how vivid some of the colours were on paintings that are hundreds of years old. I think my favourite of the day was Renoirs the umbrellas. The national portrait gallery, which is just around the corner, has 10,000 portraits to look at , starting at the Tudors and progressing up, there are also a large collection of marble and bronze busts of famous people.

click the picture to see more photos from the day.

Trip Day 3

Well today is Sunday, and with a lovely start to the day it seems a great day to check out St Pauls Cathedral, so since my feet are feeling a bit sore it is off to the tube I go. It is only 5 stops to St Pauls from Marble Arch so the journey is a quick one.

I thought after seeing Westminster Abby I had a scope for what size to expect of St Pauls, but I was wrong, it is huge, 111m to the top of the dome, very imposing. Being a Sunday the tours were not on and service was being held, a general welcome to go in to hear service was given to all so in I went, even though no cameras were allowed for the service I think this was a better way to see the church as the choir and the organ were part of the service and the sound of these were very moving.

From the cathedral it is a short walk across the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern, apart from Picassos three women painting and Rodin's lovers sculpture the works were mostly lost on me.

From here it was a nice walk, past Shakespeare's Globe Theatre to Tower Bridge, after crossing the bridge, which is a very impressive bridge, it was on to the Tower of London, this is definitely a place which I would not have wanted to be taken to, once inside you definitely would not be coming out.

Then after a full day of walking it was a short walk to return to where I started at St Pauls.

More photos have been uploaded click the picture to go to the gallery.   

Trip Day 2

Well another beautiful day in London. So another day for a walk. Today i trekked from the hotel through Hyde Park , down the memorial walk to Buckingham Palace. Had a lovely lunch sitting on the steps of the Victoria Monument over looking the palace. Then walked down the Mall to Trafalgar square, then down to Parliament and Westminster Abby before strolling back through the park back past the palace to the hotel. So another full day of walking.

Being a Saturday lots of people were out , enjoying the sights and parks.  Lots of fantastic sites seen , especially impressed with the parliament building and Westminster Abby, the carving is so amazing.

Lots of photos to see below

Trip Day 01 – 03-09-2010

Well here we are feeling pretty good and off for a walk, first thing to do was to take a closer look at Marble Arch. The iron work in the main gate was very impressive, double decker tour busses are everywhere as too are black cabs and red phone boxes, after a quick walk around the streets with the rows of terrace houses with flower boxes I made my way across to the park, and to my surprise I discovered it was Hyde Park. With the warm weather the deck chairs are out 1.5 pound for 1 hour of relaxing, After having a coffee and feeling pretty good i thought once around the park, little did i realise the size of Hyde Park, it took about 4 hours to complete the lap, but it was full of amazing things to see so it was well worth it, the oak trees are so huge and the squirrels are scampering around getting fallen acorns. The Albert memorial was something else, amazing marble carvings and so much gilding, this stands in front of Albert hall which itself is an impressive building. Kensington palace is undergoing restorations, it is amazing to see the main gates still covered in flowers and photos of lady Diana.

Well i finished my day with a pint in the local around the corner from, nice quite pub, it has fosters on tap and people are even buying it.

Now a note for Newell, thanks to his book on jet lag i must say that i seem to have no ill effects so far, I was able to stay awake till 7pm and although i was awake at 3am i think i should be able to stay up later tonight and get a full night sleep.

I have uploaded my photos from day 1 please click below if you want to check them out.    

Trip Day is here

Well today is Thursday an it is time to head to the airport and start my holiday. I had no problems dropping the hire car of at the airport, and then it was off to book in to my Melbourne flight to Sydney. Because i was early i got on the earlier flight to Sydney which was a good thing as it took forever to get through security. Luckily i was able to upgrade my leg to Hong Kong to premium economy, this was great nice big seats and lots of spoiling with drinks upon boarding and brandy or baileys for after.

Flight to Hong Kong was smooth, although there was lots of lightning and storms around when we landed, seems it is typhoon season.

Quick transfer to the London plane, I had a economy seat here but I got a bulk head seat so i had more leg room than usual. Slept most of the way to London which was good, no after dinner drinks here though.

Touch down in London was on time, had to wait forever for my bag to turn up, for a moment i thought it wasn’t going to arrive but they must have just left the Sydney bags to last. Getting through customs was as simple as walking through the nothing to declare exit and off to find a train ticket.

Got my oyster card to ride the underground and after 1 1/2 hours and a line switch arrived Marble Arch Station. After a short walk in the bright sunshine, 21 deg on arrival, i located the Thistle hotel and was able to get a room straight away. Then after a quick shower and freshen up it was off for a walk.

Commodore SV6 review

In order to get home, I had to hire a car from Wagga Wagga, the car i got was a new 2010 Commodore SV6 sedan. So i thought i would give a quick review.

Good Points

• Quite a powerful responsive engine
• Very Comfortable
• Large boot space i got all of my gear from the jeep into it without a problem.
• Amazing fuel economy, i covered the 600 klm to home on 57 litres of full and still had 1/4 of a tank left.

Bad points

• Has a big blind spot in the side window frame, the car has a curtain air bag and this makes viewing to the right front difficult.
• Side Mirror needs a blind spot mirror, easy to lose a car