29th July – Inside Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews & The Tower of London

We made it to the palace queue around 9:30am as we all needed a bit of a sleep in. It was pretty good timing actually, as people had obviously been queuing for some time, but we got there just as the lines started to head in. About half an hour later, we walked in through the gates into the main entrance of the state rooms and a (you guessed it) huge staircase. Buckingham is even more impressive than Windsor Castle, and it was pretty mind blowing walking around it. Photos do it no justice, and where I would have thought that elaborate guilded carvings on walls, and around doorways and windows would look gaudy, this really didn’t. I think the enormous ceilings made it all just look impressive and powerful – what you would expect of a Palace. Some of the rooms must have been almost three stories tall, with beautiful flocked and rich wallpapers, heavy drapery and the most wonderful ornaments and porcelain I have seen yet.  The first rooms held displays of weaponry, based on medieval ideals that the first thing visitors should see would be how well armed and protected the monarchy was/is. There were swords crisscrossed up the wall – at least a hundred of them in all.

There was a display all about Prince Philip’s as it is his 90^th birthday. There was all sorts of things about him, collected by him, and artwork and photos taken by him. There was even a library card for Cambridge University, looking just like any normal library card, photo, signature, all that sort of stuff. There was a fabulous photo that he took in the Galapagos Islands, of two large iguanas that had climbed onto a rock together. It was taken at the perfect time, as it appeared that one iguana had put his arm around the other one.

There was a Faberge display – intricate Faberge eggs and little ornaments everywhere. The detail was amazing, and we agreed that the present day royals had better taste in their Faberge collection than their predecessors.

We entered the throne room to see the display of Kate’s (headless) dress. It really is a gorgeous gown, very slight and small – and the embroidery on it is stunning. There was a video running on large screens about how the dress was made and how all the lace was individually cut from old lace and resewn onto the gown itself. Her shoes (also covered in lace), a replica bouquet, and her earrings (a wedding gift from her parents) were also on display. It was a bit of a thrill to be standing in the throne room actually – I wouldn’t consider myself a royalist by any means, but there was definitely something about being there. Lush and lavish, regal to the utmost (of course) and very appealing to this Fairy Queen!

Onto another magnificent music room, where all the royal family is baptized as well, and another ‘receiving’ room which was all white. It was just room after room of fabulousness and they have all become a bit of a blur to be honest. We were dazzled by all of it, and would thoroughly recommend as many royal palace tours as you could fit in!

By this time, having walked around 1000 miles in the past two weeks, I decided that my fabulously well worn-in ‘walking’ shoes were not really walking shoes at all. So now I have new walking shoes courtesy of the camping shop opposite the palace. This may not seem exciting enough to actually include in a blog entry, but if you were in my shoes, you would be pretty ecstatic about new shoes too. I love them, and I have told Mark how much I love them at least 10 times every day since.

We found this excellent Lebanese restaurant to have some lunch after our morning at the Palace. Seriously, how good is Lebanese food!!! Jamie decided to head back to the motel after that to try to catch up on some sleep before her trip to Germany and Austria, and so we walked on down to the Royal Mews. You’d think that the mews was more important than the palace with how long it took to get into between the ticket office and the security check. Once inside, we did a quick walk around of all the carriages. We saw the Australian coach, the Irish coach, the Scottish coach, the Canadian coach… We slo saw one of the Rolls Royce Ghosts with its perfectly clear windows and high buff polish. We oohed over the Coronation coach – it really was spectacular, all gold and symbolic statues. We also saw the coach that Kate and William left Westminster in, although the top was up on it and so it looked a little different. Off into the stables, and we saw ‘Dennis’ the horse – he was beautiful, and I think he was named after Margaret Thatcher’s hubby.

Our next stop was the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. The Tower was interesting, but to me, it seemed badly set up for tourism. There were odd displays indifferent towers, but I think I learnt more about the Towers from Uni than what I did at the site. It’s hard to explain, but it seemed like it was all put together in a hodge podge way, with displays saying things, just because they needed to say something, not because it was interesting or informative. So after about 40 minutes, we decided to head into the Crown Jewels. Oh my God. Are there any other words to describe the crown jewels? We saw crowns and scepters and orbs – all covered in gems of amazing proportions, and lots of purple velvet. We saw Elizabeth II’s coronation crown, along with the scepter which held the star of Africa which is over 500 carats. We saw George VI’s crown which held the Star of Africa II – it was just a little smaller at around 300 carats. I loved Queen Victoria’s little diamond crown, the one you see in all the old pictures of her, the tiny one that sits above a little veil. There was also a large amount of gold serving ware, including another fabulous punch bowl which held over 400 bottles of champagne. They shuffle you past the jewels via a little moving walkway, we went back and forth three times just gazing at all the fabulous things on display.

We were just so incredibly exhausted, it had been a few very big days to say the least, and so we took a quick look at London Bridge (which is painted bright blue and I reckon it would glow at night) and headed on back to the motel. We had one final dinner with Jamie before she headed off on her Germany/Austria adventure, and just collapsed into bed.

Our piccies for this one are here!

Wednesday, 27th July – London

We left our (travesty of a) hotel nice and early to get a good start on all the things we wanted to see in London. Mind you, we were never going to fit in anywhere near as much as what we wanted to see in only three days. Decision made: we need at least another two weeks in London, particularly to see all the fabulous museums, each of which you could spend an entire day in.

Anyway, we went to the local (15 minute walk away) Kings Cross tube station, but couldn’t get in as there was no ticket booth open. So we figured out which bus to catch into town. That was just a small sentence saying that, but believe me, it was a 30 minute adventure before we actually found the right bus stop, got the right change, and got on the bus! Our first trip on a double decker (although, showing my age, I have a vague recollection of them from when I was a kid in Sydney) and we got that el-primo front seat up the top. I was very excited... until the bus pulled up behind another double decker, which freaked me out a little as it got so bloody close. Anyway, a long, slow and jerky trip into town ensued. We jumped off at Trafalgar Square, which sadly, was covered in scaffolding and hessian bags. Getting all spruced up for the Olympics no doubt. Speaking of which, there were lots of road works and building works happening all over London in that regard.

From Trafalgar Square we wandered the streets, looking for the place we needed to pick up our London Passes. We found it, mainly due to the large number of people cramming into the building, but also due to Mark’s fabulous skills with a map (!). We saw Nelson’s Column too – once or twice, in different directions – in other words, we saw at least two columns, and at least one of them was Nelson’s. London Passes in hand, we headed off to Wellington Arch, our first real London landmark, well, that we could see the whole of anyway. It had a fabulous gate – we’ve become rather impressed with ironwork and woodcarving, particularly with gates. We went up into the arch, and got a nice little view of London, particularly the road leading down to Buckingham Palace. While standing there on top of the arch with the statue of the horses above us – I swear one of the horses was looking down at us (me in particular). I took a photo of it, but you can’t quite see the glare in its eye.

We walked from there down to Buckingham Palace and found a spot on a little ... thingy ... (Mark is telling me ledge) that you could stand on to take photos and admire the view. We took a few hundred photos from there, and then sat for a while looking out over St James Park. A fox ran through the multitude of people, poor thing, obviously confused and being swooped by birds at the same time. It later appeared on the grounds of the palace, running past the royal guards, who didn’t blink an eye at it. The police did though, and one shooed it off the grounds. So now I have seen most of the wildlife I wanted to see.

The palace is huge (obviously) and has really big gates. The gates are all topped with gold (paint I am pretty sure) and have the royal crest up on them, which is really huge too! It would appear that everything to do with royalty and palaces, has to be really, really huge. We took lots more photos, and then found out that the Palace was open to visitors – I was very excited by this as I thought we missed out by a week as it normally opens to the public on August 1^st. So we wandered around to see if we could get tickets. They were sold out for the day so we decided to go back the next morning instead.

From there, we walked down to Westminster Abbey. (Sidenote here, I am typing this as we are on the train to Paris, and we just popped out of the tunnel and we are now in France – YAY!) (Oh, another side note, Mark tried to start another round of Castle, cow, sheep looking out the window of the train as we rode through England, but he only got the first two – he just tried again as he saw a French cow, but I have had to inform him “new country, new game” sheesh!). OK, Westminster – well, that’s huge too. As was the line to get in. We waited for a while, and then Mark went for a walk, and then I went for a walk to take some photos, and then Jamie and I laid down on the grass for a little snooze, and then we got in about an hour later. (Le castle/church, le moo and la baabaa has begun! May the best spotter win!). Westminster was well worth the wait. I didn’t realise there were so many tombs in there! We wandered around looking at them all, and came across the room Elizabeth I was buried in. She had a lovely crypt, and the effigy on top was said to be the closest likeness of her as it was cast from her death mask. In the same position, on the other side of the abbey, was Mary Queen of Scot’s tomb – opposite sides of the church, but equal positions – remind me again, is Westminster CofE or Catholic... so I was surprised to see Mary buried there. We made our way through the crowds back to the altar and choir sections, and stood about three feet from where William and Kate sat during their wedding. I looked back down the aisle, and yes, it too is huge, and very, very long....

While we were wandering around inside the Abbey, we came across a young man wearing red tartan pants, a dark blue trakkie top, and a patterned fedora hat. It was an interesting look. We kept bumping into him all day then, outside the Abbey, looking at Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Jumping ahead a little, we ended up seeing him again when we were walking from the tube station to our hotel. He was a little like John Farnham– he kept coming back.

Totally exhausted, we needed lunch, and I had read about High Tea at the Banqueting House. The Banqueting House is the last surviving part of the original Whitehall Palace of the 16^th century. It has a ceiling painted by Rubens and we ate (a very disappointing) High Tea under it. The food was pretty bad, to be perfectly honest, and it didn’t come out on one of those fabulous tiered plates either – aren’t those tiered plates what high tea is all about? Lucky the roof was so bloody good.

We walked back towards the tube as Jamie was heading to ‘The Laurie Arms’ Hotel to meet up with her old London friends for the night. We went past Downing Street, but couldn’t really see too much. I took a photo of the street sign though.

Mark and I headed down towards Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. As fabulous as Buckingham Palace is, this is surely the place that the iconic images of London come from. Needless to say, I took hundreds of photos. We looked up at Big Ben, videoed it as it struck 5:00pm, and took photos every few metres across the Westminster Bridge, looking back at it all. What a totally impressive set of buildings! Imposing and intricate, they loom larger than anything we have seen yet. We walked down one side of the road, all the way across the bridge, then under the bridge and back along the other side. A huge lion statue (yes, everything we saw on this day was H U G E) sat at the end of the bridge, and we discovered how completely detailed the sculptor was when we crossed the road and saw the … other side of the lion (see photos). We looked down the southbank towards the London Eye, and just saw crowds like we have not really seen before – so glad Australia is not as heavily populated! It was like the crowds coming out of a big day out concert, all at once, although nothing more was on than the London skyline.

We hit the tube and made our way to Hammersmith to meet up with Jamie and her friends for a drink. It was a cute little pub to say the least, with a guy at the bar that had a whole conversation with me, even though I didn’t understand a word that he said. I am pretty certain it had something to do with me asking for a bag of potato chips though. Jamie’s friends were lovely and obviously pleased to see her again – it was nice to put names to faces, and voices to names! We didn’t stay too long, we were buggered and decided to let them party on into the night (she got back to the hotel at 2am).

Back to Russell Square – the two tube stations were equally FAR from the hotel – and we found a happening little plaza thingy with a few restaurants in it. We ate at the ‘Giraffe’ which had “world food – world music”. World staff as well, so it would seem. Good food, good day, and time for a good night’s sleep!

Check out our Buckingham Palace and Westminster photos here.

Tuesday 26th July: Windsor Castle & London

Windsor Castle was overwhelming. The buildings and grounds were enormous and beautifully maintained, even the old moat had been converted into a beautiful rose garden. The chambers within were simply amazing. Completely lavish, yet not overstated – they were truly spaces fit for royalty. The white walls and ceiling of the Queen’s reception chamber were lined with gold filigree designs and you could easily imagine the Queen’s visitors being put in their “you-can’t-beat-being-the-Queen” place by this remarkable room.

There were rooms with painted murals on the ceilings and wall to wall, historical and meaningful, weapons. A bedroom had a bed cover in blue and green and was used when Napoleon visited as these were his state colors. Another room contained a lovely statue of Queen Victoria (and her dog) and countless spoils from the expansion of the Empire during her reign. Such as a pure gold tiger head from India, a Thai crown, and an Incan crown that was excavated during her reign. We walked through rooms filled with the Royal porcelain china collection, and cabinets filled with gold leaf plates, dishes and goblets. You could see Charles II influence, particularly after seeing the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. We saw the rooms which had been rebuilt after the fire of 1992 and the room where the Knighting (Order of the Garter) ceremonies took place. We couldn’t take photos, but you will see some of the State rooms on this website:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/WindsorCastle/WindsorCastle.aspx

St George’s Chapel on the grounds held the graves of ten British monarchs: Edward IV, Henry VI, Henry VIII, Charles I, George III, George IV, William IV, Edward VII, George V and George VI. Some royal wives were buried there as well such as the Queen Mother and Lady Jane Seymour. Henry VIII, Charles I and George IV were all entombed under a plaque within the choir area.  I was “this close” to Henry!

When we were leaving, we grabbed a photo with one of the guards – they must be taught strategies to stop themselves from laughing as some of the little kids having their photos taken were so funny, edging up to the big scary guards. A simply amazing place, I would have to visit Windsor a few more times before I could remember everything I had seen there!

We dropped into the “Crooked Little Teahouse” for some scones and tea before we left – and yes, it is very crooked indeed. Bloody good scones though. We jumped into the car for our last trip – into London for the next four days. This of course means no more games of “Castle, Cow, Sheep” and so I declare myself the undefeated champion. Mark was forever trying to introduce “Cabbage” but clearly, cabbage is not part of the game. Jamie spotted a blimp once and tried to add that, but that was just Mark’s bad influence rubbing off.

Windsor Castle piccies here!

Monday 25th July: Oxford & Oakley Court Hotel, Windsor

As expected, the university town Oxford, was full of very old and private facilities. This is probably good for the students, but meant we either had to pay to enter each university of just look from the outside in. We wandered through the main street/mall, which was full of students, expensive shopping and various fast food outlets. It was an odd combination. I was all excited about going to the Ashmolean (the University Museum) as there was an exhibition on about Alexander the Great – but the museum is closed on Mondays! Who closes a museum on a Monday!!!!

We decided on Christ Church College as this contains the eating hall used in the Harry Potter films. It’s also one of the oldest colleges at Oxford, re-founded by Henry VIII even though Cardinal Wolsey planned its design originally as Cardinal College. The entrance driveway was lined with lavender, probably a good thing for the students. Inside the ‘gate’ was a giant quadrangle, lined with old sandstone buildings – to me, it was everything UQ would want to be when it grows up! We went into the college cathedral before hitting the eating hall. As with all British Cathedrals, there was some phenomenal stained glass windows which were huge and intricate. The tomb of Lady Montacute (who owned the priory land in 1350s) was there as well and as we were unable to visit her manor house, I felt that I should at least take a photo of her tomb. The vaulted ceilings were dated from around the 15^th century, with the priory itself being established somewhere in the 12^th century. The choir section was intricately carved wood with seats covered in dark red velvet. We moved onto the eating hall – it was much smaller than it appeared in the Potter films, but I just loved walls lined with huge portraiture, with eyes that follow you around the room. At the head of the room was Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Cardinal Wolesely, Prime Ministers educated at the college and other important people.

With the morning spent at Oxford, it was time to head off to Windsor, where the hotel we were staying at (The Oakley Court Hotel) was used as the Rocky Horror Picture Show castle. The hotel itself was beautiful – between the green grounds that overlooked the Thames River, to the old main building, to the simply divine dinner. Mark tells me the trout was the best he had ever eaten, and the beef just melted in my mouth. The entrance, the stairwell in the main foyer, and the drawing room were all used in Rocky Horror. I could picture Riff Raff opening the door (the doorbell was right there, just like in the movie), and we touched the stairway banister that Magenta slid down. Yes, we did wash our hands. This hotel had it all, including loud Americans, and was great to stay at.

Check out our Oxford piccies here!

24th July – Kenilworth Castle & Sudeley Castle

We started the day at Kenilworth Castle, built in the 12^th century as an Augustinian monastery. Most of the castle is pretty much in ruins, mainly due to Henry VIII’s Dissolution of Monasteries Act, but there are some later additions which have been well maintained. Elizabeth I granted the castle to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was said to be Elizabeth’s greatest love. She could never marry him though as his family had been imprisoned over a plot to overthrow Mary Queen of Scots. Dudley was married as well, which kind of complicated things, particularly once his wife was found dead at the bottom of a staircase one day! Murder, mystery, intrigue – I just love Tudor England!

We wandered through the ruins, trying to imagine how it would have all looked in its heyday. The Great Hall was built in the late 14^th century had magnificent gothic windows, with stone seats set underneath them. There was a cellar below them, for food and wine, and lots of very narrow and well worn spiral staircases used by servants. The main part of the castle was three stories high, servants and cellars on the bottom, entertainment areas in the middle, and state apartments on the top. We stood in what was the kitchen and could see the remnants of three big hearths used as giant ovens.

In July 1575, Elizabeth I visited and stayed at Kenilworth Castle for two weeks. So we were there at the same time in July, exactly 436 years later! Dudley had built a privy Queens garden for her visit, which they have recreated today. It is overlooked by a long terrace, and has an aviary at the back of the garden. The flowers on display were new to England in the 16^th century, so while to us they just looked like normal marigolds and chrysanthemums, they would have been considered exotic by Elizabeth and her court. Seemingly marigolds were strongly perfumed back then as well – and as this was an area that did not have an open sewer running through it, they say the smell of the flowers would have been overwhelmingly beautiful.

Leicester’s Gatehouse was built around the time of Elizabeth’s visit, and has been well maintained. It displays period furnishing and on its top floor, an exhibition entitled ‘Queen and Castle’ which explores the relationship between Dudley and Elizabeth. It was a great exhibition actually, and was very informative. It displayed paintings of both Dudley and Elizabeth, which he had commissioned for her visit. They say he hung them side by side, which was pretty presumptuous and daring on his part, to make known the closeness of his relationship with her. There are many accounts of how Elizabeth had him at her side always, by her order, and how he would not have spent much time at Kenilworth as she demanded he remain in London with her, and on procession when she travelled. He was also a part of her coronation, riding the horse immediately behind the royal carriage.

We left Kenilworth and headed off to Sudeley Castle. Two castles in one day, not a bad effort! I missed the turn off and we ended up on some tiny little dirt road. We had great views across huge meadows though! We had a slight incident when another car decided it didn’t need to pull over into the provided shoulder to let cars pass each other – but we all remained unharmed. We decided we definitely needed a cuppa though. Surely castles make the best cuppas?

Sudeley Castle is just over 1000 years old and was once home to Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of Henry VIII. Henry, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth I and Charles I have all either lived at or visited the castle at some stage. There was a fantastic exhibition on while we were there, displaying original tapestries and textiles that stretched across time from Henry to Victoria. There was an incredibly intricate sheet (for lack of a better word) that was made by Anne Boleyn to be put over the baby Princess Elizabeth (I) for her christening. It was delicate and fine with both lace and embroidery. There were also diary and notebook entries, original letters, personal seals, cameo brooches, lace collars and curios. The collection was extensive and tremendously interesting. Jamie was most put out that Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, was executed simply because she could not bear a male heir. There were also recreations of royal gowns which had been used in the BBC series “Henry and his Wives”.

We went from the exhibition to the gardens surrounding the castle, starting with the Knot Garden. This was a sweet little space with dense dark green hedges shaped into the intricate knot work of Celtic designs. It was as if the hedges wound around and through each other, and there was a lovely fountain in amongst it all. Next was the Queen’s garden, with a beautiful array of flowers and colours, with a pond in the centre. Each garden was sectioned off by giant hedges and topiary. Beyond the Queen’s garden was St Mary’s church, which had its monthly service just finishing up when we were there, so we were lucky enough to get a look inside. Queen Katherine Parr is entombed in the church, you will find a photo of her tomb in our Picasa album. From there, we wandered into the ‘Pheasantry’ and found a few birds in cages, and a large male peacock high up in a tree. We saw a physics garden which had plants used in Tudor England for medicinal cures and then on to a health garden which contained herbs and plants that made life easier (St Johns Wort etc).

Photos from Kenilworth and Sudeley Castles are here.

23rd July: Kenilworth - Hidcote Manor - Kiftsgate Manor - Stratford-upon-Avon

We headed off from Liverpool towards two days in the Cotswolds. We had a vague plan of where we wanted to go, but we were pretty flexible with it all. We stopped at a petrol station and grabbed a road map, to get a bit of an idea of where everything was, and to help us decide what we would drop in on. We decided we would visit both Hidcote Manor and Kiftsgate Manor. On the way to Hidcote, we stopped at a little antique shop around Mickelton and bought a fabulous plate and fancy bowl. We’ve decided we are going to replace our cheapo every day dinner set with odds and ends china plates and bowls from all over the place.

Hidcote was very pretty – a lovely garden created in 1907, designed to turn its 10 acres into ‘outdoor rooms’. It was really big, and quite busy, and we wandered through the different gardens, sniffing (with Jamie sneezing) our way along. Like most gardens we have seen, there were enormous hydrangeas, and a variety of colourful flowers, most of which I haven’t seen before. There was a long avenue of very tall trees, with some metal artwork giraffes tucked away in it. It was incredibly peaceful there, and I could well imagine horses and carriages in days gone by, rattling their way over the lumps and bumps in the driveway. There were bumblebees everywhere, and I tried so many times to get a good photo of one, and then Jamie noticed a little hare, tucked safely under some leaves in one of the gardens. I can’t say it was a very fragrant garden though, which surprises me with it being summer and all. The smell of the lavender and camellias at Antony is still impressed on my mind, and I was hoping this garden would be a mess of lovely smells, but alas!

Across the way from Hidcote, was Kiftsgate Manor. (http://www.kiftsgate.co.uk/). Jamie decided to sit this one out as she was sneezing a lot, so Mark and I wandered in. It was only open for another hour, so we had to walk quickly. It was a small garden, but it was the most beautiful garden either one of us had seen. I think because it was smaller, every type of colourful plant and flower was crammed into every available space. There was a section entirely full of different bright colours, with a fabulous little fountain in the middle. A series of hedges on the side, opened onto a lawned area with a very modern fountain made of metal water lillies atop 12-15 foot high poles. Each lilly spilled water into a very deep, black lined rectangular pond.

The garden was tiered, and also on the side of a very large hill, and so it spilled downwards, and looked out onto fabulous farmland (with black faced sheep). As we walked along the tiers, heading towards the lower gardens (and their amazing swimming pool), we came across some bunches of roses that were a lovely deep red, with at least 10-12 flowers in bunches, and around 6-8 of these bunches on the (very large) bush itself. They didn’t smell though! We made it to the lower gardens, and sat back and looked out across the fields for a while. There was a fir tree forest across to the side of the fields, and as the wind moved through it, the trees made a lovely soft rustling sound. It was beautifully quiet, and fantastically relaxing, so we just sat, and looked, and absorbed it all.

Back into the car and we headed back to Kenilworth and our hotel. We made a detour via Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s town) and pulled in to take a look at the very picturesque river. I should mention here for our fellow Aussies, it is daylight in England until around 9:30pm! Early sunrise, late sunset – so it’s helped us fit in seeing everything we have wanted to see. It was a little bizarre though as I am pretty certain I didn’t see ‘night time’ until we had been here for four days! Anyway, Stratford - there were swans everywhere we looked. People were feeding them from the riverbanks, so they were big, and happy, and en masse! We decided to go for a boat ride up the river, it was one of the things recommended in a travel book – so I wanted to do it. Not sure if Mark or Jamie were particularly keen, but once we were on the boat, gliding gracefully down the river Avon, we all settled back and soaked in the atmosphere – swans, signets and all.


Take a look at our Hidcote, Kiftsgate and Stratford photos here!

21st & 22nd July – Liverpool

We spent two fabulous nights with our lovely friend Anne in Liverpool. Anne and I have been online friends for four years now and it was just excellent being able to meet in the flesh. She is every bit as generous and gracious as I knew she would be. Thank you for making us feel so totally welcome – we all love you!

We arrived in Liverpool and battled the maze of a city to drop Jamie off as she was meeting one of her second life friends as well. Mark and I then headed out to Anne’s place, where we all sat in the back garden enjoying the sunshine. Anne has gone crook on us for spending more time in the south of England, rather than the north – and after a couple of days in the north, I can tell why. It really is lovely – but it just means we have to come back and visit again! We picked Jamie up from the local railway station and headed into the pub for dinner – what a meal! I would have to say it has been the best meal we’ve had in England so far. I am sure, however, that it was nowhere near as good as the chili Anne had made for us! I am not a fan, and I think I will not live that down for a long time *wink*.

Friday was Beatles day! (YAY!). My other long-time online friend Kirsty came down to meet us for the day. Kirsty and I ran a ‘Beatles’ party in Second Life every week for three years, and so it was entirely appropriate (and much wanted) that we could all go to the museum together. I cannot describe how exciting (and a little surreal) it is to meet up with close friends, that you have never met ‘in the flesh’ before. Needless to say, I was a little teary! So, the Beatles Museum – well, I was beside myself with excitement. I can’t believe I was actually THERE! And I know I am harping on this a little, but it was just made all the more perfect to have Anne and Kirsty there as well.

We wandered through the exhibition, and I was just so thrilled to see so many parts of it. It’s really well laid out, and does indeed tell the Beatles story. At the beginning, there are a pair of white leather shoes that belonged to Elvis, not sure how they really fitted in, but they were pretty cool nevertheless. I saw John Lennon’s Mohair collarless suit, the Sgt. Pepper’s album cover cutouts, some fabulous memorabilia that I haven’t seen before (including the elusive Russian matryoska dolls), and to top it all off, John’s white baby grand. There was a section that was a recreation of the Cavern Club, and it gave both Anne and I goose bumps when we walked in. There were some excellent exhibits of the things that each of the Beatles did when they went solo as well – and Jamie and I got a photo of us having a bit of a bed-in with John and Yoko. Naturally there was a shop at the end, and I got some great nick-knacks and a very cool Apple t-shirt. Mark got himself a Yellow Submarine t-shirt.

We went for a wander after that, up to Mathew Street. It has some real atmosphere, and I could well imagine what it would have been like in the early sixties. I still couldn’t believe I was actually there! We saw where the entrance to the original Cavern Club was, and a few doors down, we got to head into the newly built and well represented Cavern Club. Heading down the stairs, I was almost beside myself. I could hear a guy on a guitar singing Beatles songs, he was bloody fantastic to say the least. Grabbed a drink, grabbed a Cavern Club t-shirt and grabbed a seat to join in a sing-a-long! His last song was “Hey Jude” – we call it the banana song – and it was a perfect ending for us. We all sang along loudly (and much better than some woman up the front) and Jamie grabbed a video which I am sure will appear on facebook soon enough. There aren’t really words to describe how perfect that moment was, and I know I will remember it for the rest of my life. This may seem melodramatic, but between Kirsty, Anne and I – it’s a very special, and very apt moment.

All good things must come to an end, and it was time to say goodbye to the lovely Kirsty, and then the next morning, to the wonderful Anne. There is something special about friends who share time online, where our only communication is via words typed on a screen. You get to know people really well that way, and I would challenge anyone who thinks that the friendships formed are not as genuine or intimate as any formed in ‘the real world’. Kirsty and Anne are very close friends indeed, and I was thrilled to ‘meet’ them, and spend time with them. It is one part of these holidays that I will always treasure. It was so hard to say goodbye, but, really, like Anne said, it was “see you later” not goodbye.

Take a look at our "Liverpool" album here!

Wednesday 20th July – Lands End-St Michael’s Mount-Tintagel-Exeter

We headed off to Lands End today, but I don’t think we took the road we were meant to. We drove through Newlyn Village and everything from there on in was a series of one car wide roads, with greenery on either side. Windy, hilly, very foggy and at many times scary, gorgeous to drive through though. We made it to Lands End – rugged Cornish coastline. It was wonderful to look at and we arrived before the rush of tour buses that we had to make our way back through. We wandered out to the edge of the coast, braving the very fresh (read: icy cold) wind. The cliff edges were just, well, rugged is the best word to describe it all. There were patches of aqua blue in the very dark Atlantic ocean and they seemed to be shallower parts made by huge boulders falling from the cliffs.

We saw two hares, and a lot of shrew poop. It would seem that shrews like to go to the toilet on top of rocky mounds. (I just had to share that with you). So now, we have seen: 2 squirrels (which I called chipmunks), many seagulls the size of albatross, deer (lots of, and one fawn), Jamie keeps seeing lots of snails, sheep, black-faced sheep (Mark and I now count them as a different breed after our Great Ocean Road trip), lots of cows, ducks, catfish, pigeons, ravens, and a sign in a village about a deaf cat living there (as a warning to drivers). Oh, and I have seen a badger. OK, I didn’t see a live badger; it was road kill badger, so that was a little sad, but it was still a badger.

We left Lands End and took a little side trip to the Minack Theatre at Porthcurno. It is modeled on the old Roman amphitheatres, but was by no means Roman. It was built in the 1930s by a local woman, Rowena Cade, no idea why, I didn’t google that before we left. It’s an open air theatre, carved into (out of?) the rock face on the edge of a cliff. The outlook was fabulous, the first real sand beaches we have seen in England at the bottom of more cliffs. It was very prettily landscaped with no-kill bromeliads and other succulents – I took some photos in the vain hope that Sheryl will help me plant some when I get home *wink, wink, Shez*. We only stayed for about 15 minutes as they were getting organized for a production of Madame Butterfly later that morning. We would have stayed, but it was raining. I can well imagine sitting there watching something fabulous while the sun set in the background, on a summer’s day. Oh wait, it IS summer!

We came back through Penzance (on the right road this time) to get ourselves over to Saint Michael’s Mount.  Now this place is steeped in history and another fabulously free one for us due to our National Trust membership. Where to start! Well, the photo makes it a little easier to understand. It’s a ‘mount’ with a castle on it. Back in 495 AD (or CE for any long suffering UQ history students) a bunch of fisherman said that the Archangel Michael appeared to them on the mount. It may, or may not be the rum talking for them, depending on how religious you are. Anyway, not much happened until around 1070 when the mount was given to the Benedictine monks, who built a stone monastery on the top in 1135. For the next 400 odd years, the mount was taken over by land barons (eg Earls) and then given back to the church, and then taken back by the barons. Back and forth, back and forth, until Henry VIII came along and started the “Dissolution of Monasteries Act” around 1535. In 1599, Queen Elizabeth I sold the mount to Sir Robert Cecil. It got sold a few more times, saw a few wars out, and in 1659, the St Aubryn family purchased the land, and it has been in their family ever since. Like Antony House, the family still actually live in the castle. OK, history lesson over.

The monastery/castle sits atop the ‘mount’ out in the bay. We caught the ferry as the tide wasn’t out enough to walk across yet, but we did walk back along the causeway. Oh, if you are planning a visit here, be warned, the car park is at least a 20 minute walk to the mount across cobblestones and sand. We went to the café and had some lunch – a pot of tea and some scones with jam and cream – now THIS was the scones we had been waiting for. Previous scones had been flatter than pancakes and harder than Rupert Murdoch’s head, and these were just perfect!

We started the walk up to the top, it was all very uneven cobblestones and quite difficult to walk up, but the views all the way along were very encouraging. Halfway up there is a stone set into the walkway shaped like a heart – they call it the “Giant’s Heart” based on some old mythology about a giant inhabiting the mount for a while. We made it to the canons…. they still move… and then up into the castle itself. Interesting rooms, full of interesting things. It was fabulous when we walked out around the turrets though, amazing views all around. The church was the best bit – a wonderful pipe organ at the back and fabulously detailed stained glass.  Take a look at our photos, as they describe what we saw quite well! Back down the very uneven and difficult to walk on cobblestone pathway and back across to the mainland, this time via the (now exposed) causeway.

We took off for Tintagel then – legend tags it as King Arthur’s birthplace. The town was incredibly busy, but we think it was entirely due to tourism. It was a little difficult to figure out where we were meant to park, and ended up driving to a motel on the edge of the coastline aptly named “Camelot”. It was raining again and we got out to have a look at where people were walking from so as to work out where to park. I could see across to where the ruins were, and sheesh, it was a long walk out there! Two old men were standing just up from me, and one was talking about how what we could see from where we were, was all there was to it.  I started talking to them, and we decided that we probably had a pretty bloody good view from there and that walking all that way (and particularly in the rain, up and down all those stairs) could be a bit of a waste of time. (Let me add here, we’re pretty buggered!). So we chatted to the men for a while, one of them asked Mark who won the Ashes and so I knew that was my time to leave. Jamie and I walked around taking some photos and we came back to collect Mark about 5 minutes later – he was still happily ribbing the men about something cricket-ish.

Back onto the highway and an hour and a bit later we found our accommodation for the night. The barman here is a very cool guy, and gave Jamie a lot of curry over dinner. He had us laughing about candle wax and heatproof cotton (long story) but right now, all I want to do is sleep! We’re off to Liverpool tomorrow to spend a few days with my friend Anne. Jamie will be catching up with another mutual friend Cindy, and the following day, Anne, Kirsty and all of us, will be heading off to the Beatles Museum – I can’t believe I am THIS CLOSE to the Beatles Museum!

Lands End, Saint Michaels Mount & Tintagel photos here!

SIDENOTES:

• I love it how every pub we pass has “the BEST beer, and the BEST food”
• We were very close to St Ives, but I did not see a man with a nine bags full of cats.

Tuesday 19th July: Bath-Antony-Penzance

Ok, so don’t stay at The Old Mill Hotel in Bath. Enough said. We had a yummy brekkie though and are on the road to Antony, the house used by Tim Burton for his movie ‘Alice in Wonderland’. It’s a three hour drive south, and we’ll have some lunch before we head in. The drive down is quite nice, all lush and green, and we’ve figured out the strange blue circle/red cross road sign. It means no parking or stopping, and speed limit varies. Thank goodness for google. Some cars just fly down the motorway here. We are generally sitting on between 70 and 80 mph, and we just had someone zoom past.

We arrived at Antony a little early and so decided to head into a nearby village to have some lunch. A cute little seaside place of Torpoint was about five minutes drive away, so we headed down there, through their narrow streets and found a car park near the marina. We went to the Kings Head pub and had a lunch of Steak and Ale pie (for Jamie and I) and Chicken and Leek pie for Mark. English pies are not like Aussie pies. Instead of being totally incased in pastry, it’s a plate of the filling, with a big rectangular piece of pastry plonked on top. They were very yummy, and very filling. The guy behind the bar was a hoot, I don’t think he gets many Aussies dropping in for lunch.

We drove back up the hill to Antony House, and walked down a lovely tree lined driveway. Visits inside the house are timed and so we wandered around the gardens a little before going in. The back of the house opens out onto the estate’s enormous gardens with a little tiered area filled with camellias and lavender. The smell of the two mixed together was amazing and there were fat bumblebees enjoying the flowers as much as we were.

We went into the house at the appointed time (how very English of us!) and into a huge entrance foyer filled with big portraits and more lush opulence. These old poms knew how to make an impression! So, an enormous staircase, loads of tapestries and paintings, a grandfather clock in every room – you get the impression. The house was built in 1711 for the Carew family, who still own it, and live in it today. The family take off to other rooms in the house while people wander around. It was a little bizarre looking at all this really old furniture, and then seeing very modern photos of the family mixed in with antiques. I’m not too sure how comfy the old lounges would be though!

Upstairs to the bedrooms, and it was very obvious how ‘lived in’ the house was. Old four poster beds with sitting chairs covered in clothes. I am pretty certain I saw a pair of crocs in one of the rooms as well! It looked to me as if the mattresses were still the original 18^th century ones as they were all lumpy and bumpy – surely a modern mattress wouldn’t have been too out of place, but maybe I am just focused on that as I am not on my own fabulous mattress! I don’t think I would like to live at Antony though, all those solemn looking portraits looking down on you in every room. I would think the family would feel an extreme sense of obligation to live up to a certain standard. Plus, it was a little smelly, all that mould and oldness and all. It was fabulous to see though and I was chuffed that I was able to take some photos. Please enjoy the photo taken through the gate looking at the Summer Garden, I had to wait for about 8 people to move out of the way before I could take it.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-antony

Penzance:

We were spending the night down at Penzance, so headed off there after Antony. Penzance seems to be the Byron Bay of the UK, very arty farty, very beachy. We stayed at the Artists Residence, and this has been a little gem, to be honest! Such a great find. Each room has been decorated by a different artist, and ours is called “Ephemeral Opulence” by Rachel Ella Taylor. The walls have flocked cutouts of wild flowers which spill over onto mirrors and doors. Ornate lightshades with metal butterflies, and a metal embossed bed head all follow the same theme.

A couple of young girls run the place, it’s only been open for three months, and Charlie tells us that she believes that the place you stay should become part of the adventure as well, and we think she has achieved that here. This is without a doubt the best place we have stayed in so far, and we kind of wish we could spend a few more days here. As I am writing this section on the next day (Wednesday), I can tell you that brekkie here was just fabulous! The freshest and yummiest pastries ever! They also have an amazing collection of mismatched china and teapots, which has just added to the atmosphere of the place. It’s a fabulous… space!

Mark and I had dinner at the pub across the road last night – across the road being maybe 3 meters away (at its widest)! It looked like a little pub, but it was long, and underground in some manner, or so it seemed at least. We came outside the pub after we were done to find three men, dressed in morning suits with bowler hats and spats, just hanging around out the front having a ciggie.

We’re off to StMichael’s Mount today, and also Tintagel…. more castles, more ruins!

Click here to see our photo album about this blog entry.

Monday 18th July: Brighton-Stonehenge-Bath

We started the morning with a second attempt at the Brighton pier. It was still windy and cold but we were going to be brave. Especially since brekkie wasn’t on for another hour! We wandered down and looked at the beach which was pretty amazing – it was all stones—pebbles and stones, all about 2-3 inches long. We got to the pier, but it was closed! So, we didn’t get to wander onto the Brighton Pier after all.

THE ROYAL PAVILION, BRIGHTON:

After brekkie, we walked around to the ‘Royal Pavilion’. King George IV built the palace and filled it with amazingly ornate sumptuousness. We took the audio tour, and we would recommend a visit to this place if you are ever in Brighton. It was all really well set up, very informative, and never boring. The Banqueting Hall left us all breathless. An enormous chandelier hung from an elaborate dragon in the ceiling. Every wall had huge painted scenes of Chinese characters and there were gold urns, plates, platters and dishes everywhere. A huge rectangular table was set for thirty guests in the middle of the room, directly under the chandelier. The ceilings were about 20 feet up – it was all tremendously impressive, which I guess was the idea. We walked through the kitchen, which was filled with brightly polished copper pots and pans, with big wooden tables in the centre displaying all manner of pheasant and wild animals. A ‘typical’ menu was set up on an easel, and it contained over 100 courses. I counted 11 soups alone. They said that the King and his guests would dine over a period of four to five hours, and then retire through a series of other rooms to sit and talk, take tea, or have a dance. There were concealed doors everywhere, which lead into large corridors that the staff would use, set up this way so they were seen as little as possible by the guests.

We then walked into a music room – there was a huge pipe organ at one end, and ceilng to floor drapes that were held back by a big green snake figurine, which wound its way around the curtain. More dragons adorned the cornices. It doesn’t really matter what I write here, I won’t be able to describe the total decadence and opulence on display. It was just mind blowing.

The tour took us on upstairs into the bedrooms, which were just as interesting. All beautifully hand painted wall papers and huge four poster beds which had their bed heads pointed into the room rather than up against a wall the way we have them today. One room was Queen Victoria’s bedroom, and the bed was stacked with seven mattresses, a real ‘Princess and the Pea’ set up. The Kings’ bedroom had concealed doors that lead to his bathroom where a bath could be drawn with hot water, or sea water (to save him from having to go to the beach).

Google ‘Royal Pavillion, Brighton, UK’ and take a look for yourself as we were not able to take any photos and it really is something that needs to be seen to be believed.

STONEHENGE:

We said goodbye to Brighton (after a good coffee in a nice little Italian café) and headed west towards Southampton, on our way to Salisbury and Stonehenge. We drove past all the fabulous little change-sheds on Brighton beach, and then an enormous port area. It seemed like forever before we hit a motorway. We’re still kind of trying to work out speed limits and stuff, signs are few and far between and everyone drives at completely different speeds in different lanes. The satnav talks to us in Imperial measurements, so we are slowly learning how far 200 yards is (generally by missing a turn off).

After about two hours on the road, we found Stonehenge. We saw all the people, before we saw the stones themselves – and because it was still rainy and pretty grey, they didn’t quite stand out against the skyline. We grabbed an audio tour, but I gave up on that as it was slow and boring, particularly compared to the informative Royal Pavillion in the morning. So, Stonehenge – what to say? It was fabulous being there, it’s amazing that we’ve seen it. I don’t think I expected any hugely mystical feeling or anything, but it didn’t feel like any type of spiritual place in any manner. I don’t want to be insulting in any way, but I think for me, it was more of a case of “wow, we’re here at Stonehenge” rather than feeling all tingly and awe-inspired like I have at some temples. It was great, it was ancient, it was Stonehenge, and we walked around the rocks and took lots of photos. Jamie and I did the ‘Today Show T’ and the ‘Jetstar jump’ for fun piccies, and well, that’s about it! I guess if there was anything spiritual for any of us, it was the crows/ravens that were hanging around, sitting on top of the rocks. It was like they were old spirits, claiming their place, so we liked that part of it.

BATH:

About an hour later, (plus about half an hour in peak hour traffic when we got there) we arrived at Bath. We spotted the town through a clearing on a hill on the way in, and all the houses were in rows, all made of the same coloured building blocks. It was an impressive sight. I’m going to hand the description of the Roman Baths over to Mark now, as it’s my turn to drive. :-)

Mark says; I didn’t realize just how extensive the roman baths actually were. The main bath made famous by post cards is just one of about 10 different baths, all serving different purposes. The Romans progressed through a number of the baths in the same manner we do today – hottest to coldest – only they also received massage and a “scraping down” as well. A nice way to spend a day!

The pool that is the original hot spring continues to run, and steam constantly rises from it. We weren’t allowed to touch the water in any of the pools as it is now contaminated, that was a real shame as they looked very inviting despite the green colour of the water.

The ancient complex also included a temple to Minerva. While the temple no longer exists, archaeologists have excavated what they can underneath the streets of Bath, making our experience at the baths quite amazing.

The baths are almost 2000 years old, and around the upper terrace that surrounds the main bath stand former governors of the Provence, including Julius Caesar, who was easily the shortest of all the governors on show.

All in all it was an amazing experience walking through the ruins of these ancient roman baths, and one that I will not forget.

~ All of our Brighton, Stonehenge & Bath photos are here!

SIDENOTES:

• Brighton has the BIGGEST seagulls I have ever seen! They are at least 3 times bigger than Aussie gulls and sheesh, are they loud!

• We’re still trying to figure out what the ‘normal’ speed limit is on the highways! We keep seeing these signs that are a blue circle with a big red cross on it, but we’re not too sure what it means. We’ll figure it out eventually. Slow cars keep to the left hand side of the highways though – it’s fabulous!!

• Driving through the country roads are just what I pictured them to be. Narrow, yes, but lush and green, dotted with fabulous old farm houses made of stones and covered in ivy. Love it!

• Some friends suggested we buy membership to The National Trust. It seems to be the best £25.00 we have spent as it has given us entrance to so many things already (Knole, Bodiam, Stonehenge). We made our money back on it the first day and National Trust chocolate bars are yummy.

• I am now the proud owner of a Union Jack brolly!

• Jynks – no sign of Richard Hammond yet mate, but I am keeping my eyes peeled and my lasso ready. I did try to get a photo of me ‘licking’ the Prada store in Seoul, but they wouldn’t let us take pics – I am sure it had nothing to do with my licking attempt though!

17th July: London-Knole-Bodiam-BirlingGap-Brighton

We finally landed at Heathrow and thought we had it all figured out about catching the bus to the hotel. So we jumped on the tube, went to the terminal we (read, Michelle) thought we needed to get to, but alas, we were very wrong. So we ended up backwards and forwards between terminals until we found a taxi rank and just ignored all of the above. I’ll jump ahead a little here as we seem to be having some issues with deciding what the speed limit on the roads are – but we haven’t been anywhere close to the speeds this cabbie did getting us to the motel. I am sure we’ll figure that out somewhere along the line though. Needless to say, we didn’t see much of London at all as we were staying close to Heathrow, but we had a light meal (Jamie’s burger had its plastic wrap cooked into the patty) and Mark and Jamie had their first pints. We all crashed out then, waking at 2am because our bodies hadn’t quite figured out the time zones yet.

Brekkie – I am glad I brought a little jar of vegemite, but Mark is still waiting for a decent coffee. Then it was back to Heathrow - we figured out the bus this time as the cab ride was £34, and then spent a good half hour trying to figure out how to get to a hire car company that wasn’t answering the phone. Now, no offence meant here, but by geez, German people are pretty rude and pretty pushy and the French are just… well…. ! We had to upgrade the car so we would all fit, and have ended up with a rather nice (expensive) Volvo. Who knew you could start cars by pushing buttons! With me at the wheel, we headed off along the M4, M25, M bloody whatever it was in the long run. Needless to say, this was a tense time in our trip. Jamie is insisting that I write here “and Jamie was right with directions”. (Hmpf).

KNOLE HOUSE:

We thought we were headed for Knole House, and after some lovely windy and narrow country roads, ended up at Knole Estate. We started a big walk, very pretty and all, saw lots of deer and horse poop, but there was no Knole House to be seen. When we wandered onto the golf course, we decided we were probably in the wrong place. Back to the car, back down the country road, stopped to ask a man directions and he looked at us like we were weird as he said we couldn’t miss Knole, it was a pretty big place. (Hmpf again).  We found a lady who was a little more detailed in her directions (funny that) and headed back up the road. We had turned off too early, and when we found it, it was indeed a pretty big place.

We pulled into the parking lot and saw a big herd of deer, which Jamie and I tried to get as close as possible to (Mark is dictating here and is trying to tell me that Jamie and I chased them “like lions to the prey”, but we didn’t). The deer were very cute, and there was a fawn as well. We did lots of oohing and aahing over them, but I get the impression these will not be the only deer we see on this trip. We headed over towards the house/castle and entered a big grassy court. Knole House is 500 years old, had 330 rooms, 7 courtyards, 52 staircases, and Mark’s favourite – it’s own brewery. It was raining on and off,and so we gave in and bought a ‘brolly’ and decided to support the National Trust by buying three chocolate bars (yummmm).

At noon, the doors to the house itself opened onto ‘The Stone Courtyard’. There were huge antlers on the wall (see photo in Picasa) and an enormous ornate trough for horses to drink from, probably because they would have had a long journey as well if they too made the mistake of going to Knole estate rather than Knole House first. Inside the house, the opulence of the era (for the aristocracy at least) was evident. There were magnificent and huge portraits everywhere, with intricate frames and very detailed clothing (almost like a photograph in many). They lined every room from floor to ceiling. In one of the dressing rooms, all of the portraits were of Charles II mistresses. If there happened to not be a painting on a wall, it was because it was in a bedroom, where the walls were lined with tapestries instead. The age of the fabrics were obvious, very faded and worn, and the whole house was quite dark to help stop deterioration of items. The beds were all four posters with the tops of them almost at the ceiling (16 foot or there abouts). One room had King James II bed – and then there was “The King’s Bedroom” which I think may have been Henry VIII’s. The room was huge, and it had amazing silverware in it. There was an enormous silver dresser and mirror, yes, ALL silver, and the mirror had a big crown on top. There was a full size billiard table that would have been hundreds of years old and very impressive. Needless to say, we were not allowed to play on it. The walls were all wood paneling (what you could see of them around all the portraits) and each room had enormous fireplaces, many that were made from alabaster. I read a bit there which said that mould and damp was destroying the house and its items, but that back in its heyday, the fires would be lit in every room, all day, every day, and that helped to stop mould throughout the house.

BODIAM CASTLE:

Next up was Bodiam castle, built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge. This is the castle used by Monty Python in ‘The Holy Grail’ in the Tales of Sir Lancelot scene. Needless to say, Mark did a fabulous rendition of trotting hooves by clapping his hands – he had no empty halved coconut shells on him at the time to do it properly. Jamie and I thought about being horses to humour him, but we’re obviously not particularly giving in that aspect. The castle is in ruins (being so old, I guess), but it was everything you would imagine a medieval castle to look like. It was surrounded by a great old moat which had lots of ducks and giant catfish in it. We did a lap around the outside and got some great photos. We crossed the ‘drawbridge’ and made our way in through the main entrance. We wandered around and looked out all the keyholes and up inside the turrets. We climbed a tremendously narrow and steep spiral staircase with tiny steps up onto one of the turrets. Fabulous views, fabulous vertigo on my part.

BIRLING GAP:

We decided to skip the white cliffs at Dover as I had read that the chalk cliffs extended the whole shoreline from Dover to Brighton, and that around Birling Gap we’d get some great views of them without all the infrastructure of a port city behind them. So we drove south to Eastbourne with the intent of having lunch at the Beachy Head Hotel. We arrived and the pub was packed, so we decided we’d just head on to Brighton to eat instead. We didn’t bargain on the major winds though. Mark opened the back door of the car and it almost blew off! Jamie headed over to the cliffs, but couldn’t see anything. So we headed west along the coastline and came to a section where some people had pulled over, so we figured we’d brave the wind and rain to take a look. I saw one guy down on his belly crawling out to the edge of the cliff, if it wasn’t so wet I’d have done the same. We edged out as much as we were game to, in fear of just being blown off the edge. Looking back towards Beachy Head, we could see the rock (chalk) face of the cliffs. It was bloody awesome to be honest. Mark took off to get some closer photos and Jamie and I ended up taking a photo where it looked like her jacket was turning into a pair of wings. Back to the car, we drove down a little more and came to Birling Gap – even more fabulous views of the cliff faces. Again, we were almost blown across the Atlantic. We went inside the café for a cuppa and some scones, but if you are ever at the National Trust café at Birling Gap, don’t buy the scones. We needed chisels just to break them open – the wind must have gotten to them as well.

From there, we drove on to Brighton where we were staying the night. Mark wants me to write here “Brighton is a hole”, and yes, it wasn’t quite as I had pictured it. We just couldn’t make it out onto the pier, the wind was extreme and too bloody cold for us Aussies. We had a wander around the streetsnear our hotel and went into a pub for some dinner. We won’t talk about the food (it’s all part of the adventure, right?) but we did enjoy the drinks – Mark and Jamie had a pint each, and the glass of red I got, well, it seemed to come in a pint glass as well.

Click here to see the photos