Our last day I the United Kingdom spanned two countries. We began in Cardiff with the Doctor Who experience, which was a fun way to spend a morning. The costumes, props and activities were great to see, and we were able to see inside the Tardis! From there we drove to Bath, our final city before home.
It's a beautiful place, which feels like continental Europe rather than Britain, and as it was our last day, we decided to splurge. There is only one place which uses the original Roman springs, and so we booked in for a massage and access to the three levels of hot springs and saunas. Four hours of luxuriating in aromatherapy saunas, rooftop pools and mineral springs, as well a having a lovely head to toe massage is a blissful way to experience why the Romans built here nearly two thousand years ago. It was a decadent, thoroughly relaxing way to spend our last day.
From the spa we made our way to Sally Lunn's, the oldest eatery in the city which is famous for their signature bread. It was delicious, with the best garlic bread we've ever had, and everything else was also lovely. We had spotted dick for dessert, which was very good, the stack and lamb were excellent and we were just happy that our last dinner here was one we both enjoyed.
Tomorrow we'll have a few hours of wandering the streets, and then we're homeward bound in the evening, so that's it folks! Thank you for reading, and we'll see everyone after we get home on Saturday.
- Jess
Day 32 - Cardiff
Today was a long, but very enjoyable one, that began with a three hour drive from Bala to Cardiff. It was a pleasant drive, and the weather was fine, so as soon as we arrived we dumped our bags and head straight out into the city for a day of exploring. We made our way to the castle, and decided to stay and have a tour. It was brilliant, as the castle was inhabited until the 1950's, the rooms remain pristine and parts are still used today for state functions. Similarly to Neuschwanstein, the decoration is a pastiche of medieval decor, rather than an accurate representation. It was an excellent, and unique castle experience.
From the castle, we had a wander of the shopping district, and then discovered an indoor mini golf course, so of course we had to try it. The course was great (I won the first round) and then I won a free game, so we did the other course as well (which Andrew won). Following golf we were hungry, so we went to a Mexican place and had some tasty dinner, with tastier cocktails, and enjoyed our second to last night in the UK. Wales has been fantastic, especially the northern countryside.
- Jess
From the castle, we had a wander of the shopping district, and then discovered an indoor mini golf course, so of course we had to try it. The course was great (I won the first round) and then I won a free game, so we did the other course as well (which Andrew won). Following golf we were hungry, so we went to a Mexican place and had some tasty dinner, with tastier cocktails, and enjoyed our second to last night in the UK. Wales has been fantastic, especially the northern countryside.
- Jess
Day 31 - Horsies
We awoke to the saddening news that Bowie had passed away, which made for a somber breakfast. However, a crisp Welsh morning was beckoning us to enjoy the day, and after many, many years, I'd managed to get Andrew to agree to do some horse riding! Neither of us had done any before, but here in Wales it's reasonably priced, and I thought it would be a nice way to experience the countryside.
We had a particularly beautiful, though treacherous (gradients of over 20%) drive, into the mountains to what is Wales' highest farm, to a riding school situated in woodland and pastures near the border. We were expecting that our session would involve a sedate amble around a paddock to learn some basics, and maybe a short wander on some trails. This wasn't the case. After making friends with the two farm cats (who followed us) we met Harry and Rudi, the two beautiful horses we would be riding. We were given thirsty seconds of instruction, then we were on hour horses, and immediately on a trail outside of the farm. What followed was the most magnificent ride through fields and on trails in the Welsh mountains, the ground with a light dusting of snow, and our horses happily ambling along following our guide on her sprightly pony.
The scenery was stunning, snow capped mountains in the background, and bemused sheep and woodlands in our immediate surrounds, a brilliant way to spend two hours outside on a freezing (1 degree) morning. We did get up to a trot, but Rudi was a bit lazy and didn't fancy keeping it up for long. It was a fantastic experience, one I'd do again in a heartbeat.
We were freezing and hungry after our ride, so we made our way to Dolgellau for lunch, a tiny village recommended in our guide, had a tasty lunch, and a wander around the town. Time was getting away from us, and with less than an hour of sunlight left, we hopped in the car for a last drive through the mountains to drink in the scenery. We saw pheasants, hares, a robin, and an owl. As an aside, sheep here have a death wish, as they frequently get out of their pastures and decide that the best place to graze in on the road, preferably ones with a high speed limit and narrow lane widths.
We're back in our room now, we'll head out for dinner in a minute, but today has been brilliant, not least because it was bright and sunny.
We had a particularly beautiful, though treacherous (gradients of over 20%) drive, into the mountains to what is Wales' highest farm, to a riding school situated in woodland and pastures near the border. We were expecting that our session would involve a sedate amble around a paddock to learn some basics, and maybe a short wander on some trails. This wasn't the case. After making friends with the two farm cats (who followed us) we met Harry and Rudi, the two beautiful horses we would be riding. We were given thirsty seconds of instruction, then we were on hour horses, and immediately on a trail outside of the farm. What followed was the most magnificent ride through fields and on trails in the Welsh mountains, the ground with a light dusting of snow, and our horses happily ambling along following our guide on her sprightly pony.
The scenery was stunning, snow capped mountains in the background, and bemused sheep and woodlands in our immediate surrounds, a brilliant way to spend two hours outside on a freezing (1 degree) morning. We did get up to a trot, but Rudi was a bit lazy and didn't fancy keeping it up for long. It was a fantastic experience, one I'd do again in a heartbeat.
We were freezing and hungry after our ride, so we made our way to Dolgellau for lunch, a tiny village recommended in our guide, had a tasty lunch, and a wander around the town. Time was getting away from us, and with less than an hour of sunlight left, we hopped in the car for a last drive through the mountains to drink in the scenery. We saw pheasants, hares, a robin, and an owl. As an aside, sheep here have a death wish, as they frequently get out of their pastures and decide that the best place to graze in on the road, preferably ones with a high speed limit and narrow lane widths.
We're back in our room now, we'll head out for dinner in a minute, but today has been brilliant, not least because it was bright and sunny.
Day 30 - Snowdon and Caernarfon
A delightful day today, helped hugely by the brilliant weather. We had two plans for the day, as we were unable to check if one would be open. We drove through Snowdonia national park, passing little hamlets, waterfalls and riverine route. There had been snow in the mountains overnight, and as we emerged from the trees, we were greeted by the most stunning scenery; snow capped peaks, forest, and sunlight gleaming through the clouds. We wanted to catch the mountain train up Snowden mountain, but it was closed. Having anticipated this possibility, we made our way to Caernarfon castle, a spectacular ruin on the Welsh coast. We had an excellent tour, and stayed for a couple of hours.
Our guide suggested a local pub for lunch, and as it was getting a bit late, we made our way there and had a delicious lunch of Welsh stew and pie. It was quite a drive back to Bala, so we made our way back via a different route, still very pretty, and as usual it was dark by the time we arrived back. Being a Sunday, everything was also closed, so we went back to our room and rested before having a very light dinner in our hotel pub. We went and picked up some snacks from the deli, and with little else to do, finished up watching television and having tea. A lovely way to spend a rare sunny day here.
Our guide suggested a local pub for lunch, and as it was getting a bit late, we made our way there and had a delicious lunch of Welsh stew and pie. It was quite a drive back to Bala, so we made our way back via a different route, still very pretty, and as usual it was dark by the time we arrived back. Being a Sunday, everything was also closed, so we went back to our room and rested before having a very light dinner in our hotel pub. We went and picked up some snacks from the deli, and with little else to do, finished up watching television and having tea. A lovely way to spend a rare sunny day here.
- Jess
Day 29 - York
What a beautiful day to explore York! The sun actually came out today, there was no rain, and it wasn't freezing so, after breakfast, we walked through the city walls to be met by the magnificent cathedral. It's the biggest medieval cathedral in Northern Europe, and it is stunning. Before we explored it, though, we decided to wander the delightful streets of the city, some of which have remained almost unchanged for nearly a thousand years.
We also saw the devastation wrought by the floods, the river is still inundating some homes and businesses in the city. The floods also ruined the Viking museum we planned to visit, though we stopped by it anyway to buy a ring I liked for the gift shop. We also were lucky to find a Whisky Shop next door which stocked a whisky we'd tried in Edinburgh castle and then hadn't been able to find anywhere, so we snapped one up immediately.
Then we went to church. We decided to break the tour up a little, so we did the tower first, 247 steps to the top of the cathedral tower, and we were rewarded with brilliant views over York and the surrounding countryside. It was a tough climb, so when we got back down we nipped out for afternoon tea at Cafe Concerto on Tina's recommendation, and it was brilliant. I had possibly the best cheesecake of my life, and Andrew had a delicious pork belly and apricot baguette.
Full of tasty food, we went back to the cathedral for a tour. It was a great way to learn about the history of the building, as well as details on how the windows and architecture changed over the period of construction. It really is a stunning building, and we continued to wander around well after the tour finished. Eventually we made our way back the street, and it was time to explore the shambles, a medieval street which is widely believed to be where Diagon Alley was filmed, though that's not confirmed. We shopped and wandered about until it was properly dark, then it was time to find a pub.
We settled on the House of the Trembling Madness, which is apparently haunted, and wins awards for their pork pies. It's situated above the specialty ale store that serves as the shop front, and it was delightful. It's very small, owing to the Tudor building it inhabits, and has over 600 types of ale to try. I actually had a cider, Andrew had a smoked porter, and we enjoyed our cosy evening in the traditional surroundings.
Like every other small town, by the time we finished dinner, everything was shut, the streets were empty, and the temperature was beginning to drop, so we stopped at a Sainsbury's for some milk and drinks, and walked back to our hotel. A brilliant way to spend our second to last day in England.
We also saw the devastation wrought by the floods, the river is still inundating some homes and businesses in the city. The floods also ruined the Viking museum we planned to visit, though we stopped by it anyway to buy a ring I liked for the gift shop. We also were lucky to find a Whisky Shop next door which stocked a whisky we'd tried in Edinburgh castle and then hadn't been able to find anywhere, so we snapped one up immediately.
Then we went to church. We decided to break the tour up a little, so we did the tower first, 247 steps to the top of the cathedral tower, and we were rewarded with brilliant views over York and the surrounding countryside. It was a tough climb, so when we got back down we nipped out for afternoon tea at Cafe Concerto on Tina's recommendation, and it was brilliant. I had possibly the best cheesecake of my life, and Andrew had a delicious pork belly and apricot baguette.
Full of tasty food, we went back to the cathedral for a tour. It was a great way to learn about the history of the building, as well as details on how the windows and architecture changed over the period of construction. It really is a stunning building, and we continued to wander around well after the tour finished. Eventually we made our way back the street, and it was time to explore the shambles, a medieval street which is widely believed to be where Diagon Alley was filmed, though that's not confirmed. We shopped and wandered about until it was properly dark, then it was time to find a pub.
We settled on the House of the Trembling Madness, which is apparently haunted, and wins awards for their pork pies. It's situated above the specialty ale store that serves as the shop front, and it was delightful. It's very small, owing to the Tudor building it inhabits, and has over 600 types of ale to try. I actually had a cider, Andrew had a smoked porter, and we enjoyed our cosy evening in the traditional surroundings.
Like every other small town, by the time we finished dinner, everything was shut, the streets were empty, and the temperature was beginning to drop, so we stopped at a Sainsbury's for some milk and drinks, and walked back to our hotel. A brilliant way to spend our second to last day in England.
Day 28 - Driving and beers
Today was the long drive from Aberdeen to York, by way of Masham to meet up with friends. And a hell of a drive it was. We did have to fjord a number of roads, though surprisingly it didn't make much of a difference to the travel time. What it did make a difference to was our heart health, which had already taken a beating the evening prior. Just out of Aberdeenshire we had our first, and hopefully last, moment of terror when a truck went through floodwaters at high speed, which no one could see because it was 7.30am so still pitch dark, sending a huge wave over our car, causing momentary panic by us and the car next to us. We were absolutely fine, as was everyone else, it was just a shock, we've never been in driving conditions like it before.
The rest of the journey was sedate, with some minor flooding on the way into the delightful village of Masham. It was here we met up with Tina and Isaac for an excellent lunch in The King's Head. On Tina's recommendation, Andrew sampled the locally brewed Old Peculiar, which traditionally is only to be enjoyed on tap within a six mile radius of the town, where the brewery resides. I'm told it's an excellent beer, which was thoroughly enjoyable. We had some tasty food, I ordered a game pie that was as big as my head, and Andrew kept up the tradition with sausages with mash and gravy. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, good food, excellent beer and brilliant company.
It was only a short hour drive to York, we found our B and B without too much trouble, and decided to have a quiet night in watching telly and sleeping, since we were up very very early.
The rest of the journey was sedate, with some minor flooding on the way into the delightful village of Masham. It was here we met up with Tina and Isaac for an excellent lunch in The King's Head. On Tina's recommendation, Andrew sampled the locally brewed Old Peculiar, which traditionally is only to be enjoyed on tap within a six mile radius of the town, where the brewery resides. I'm told it's an excellent beer, which was thoroughly enjoyable. We had some tasty food, I ordered a game pie that was as big as my head, and Andrew kept up the tradition with sausages with mash and gravy. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, good food, excellent beer and brilliant company.
It was only a short hour drive to York, we found our B and B without too much trouble, and decided to have a quiet night in watching telly and sleeping, since we were up very very early.
Day 27 - Darkness
And then there was light...at 5pm...thus afternoon. Yes, today was one of waking up in the dark (at 9.30am) and cold, to pull on some clothes and meet the day without a shower, light, or food as the blackout lasted far longer than expected.
We decided to drive into the city centre for some shopping, because Dunnotar castle (the reason for being in Aberdeen) was closed for the second day due to the high winds making it too dangerous to visit. We had some breakfast and spent the majority of the day just wandering around, so nothing very interesting today. We decided to come back to the hotel before dinner to see how things were going, and were told on arrival that the power had been on for about an hour, but if we wanted a shower, to wait for at least another half and hour or so because the boilers needed to warm up properly.
As a result, we're just pottering about, writing this up, before heading out for dinner on our last night in Scotland.
- Jess
We drove half an hour south to Stonehaven to the place that invented the deep fried Mars bar. We first went to another fish and chip shop and I ate deep fried pizza with a side of chips (!) with Irn Bru and Jess had fish & chips. After this we went to the aforementioned, infamous chipper to get a deep fried Mars bar. It was amazing. You'd struggle to eat one yourself as it's so rich (especially after a deep fried pizza and chips), luckily we shared one. We then returned to our hotel, which today decided to have power, and retired for the evening. Tomorrow it's an early start as we're driving to sunny, dry York (hopefully), via Masham (pronounced Massam) to meet one of Jess' colleagues for a pint. It's about 600kms...
- Andrew
We decided to drive into the city centre for some shopping, because Dunnotar castle (the reason for being in Aberdeen) was closed for the second day due to the high winds making it too dangerous to visit. We had some breakfast and spent the majority of the day just wandering around, so nothing very interesting today. We decided to come back to the hotel before dinner to see how things were going, and were told on arrival that the power had been on for about an hour, but if we wanted a shower, to wait for at least another half and hour or so because the boilers needed to warm up properly.
As a result, we're just pottering about, writing this up, before heading out for dinner on our last night in Scotland.
- Jess
We drove half an hour south to Stonehaven to the place that invented the deep fried Mars bar. We first went to another fish and chip shop and I ate deep fried pizza with a side of chips (!) with Irn Bru and Jess had fish & chips. After this we went to the aforementioned, infamous chipper to get a deep fried Mars bar. It was amazing. You'd struggle to eat one yourself as it's so rich (especially after a deep fried pizza and chips), luckily we shared one. We then returned to our hotel, which today decided to have power, and retired for the evening. Tomorrow it's an early start as we're driving to sunny, dry York (hopefully), via Masham (pronounced Massam) to meet one of Jess' colleagues for a pint. It's about 600kms...
- Andrew
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