Snowdonia, Wales

We drive from Conwy to Llanberis in Snowdonia, where we are staying at the Legacy Royal Victoria Hotel. It's not time to check in yet, so we park the car, and stroll across the road to Llanberis Station, the start of the Snowden Mountain Railway. The acrid smoke of the steam engine hits the senses immediately. The hiss of the brakes, the billowing steam all builds an air of anticipation.



Tourists mill around the station or line up for their turn to catch this famous train to the top of Mount Snowden, the highest mountain in England and Wales.

We ascend into towering grass covered barren mountains, rocks scattered down the sides, like a giant once hurled them down from his mountain lair.

Along the way we pass hikers hunched over by backpacks making the ascent the hard way. We chug by them waving at each other, thinking, "You must be mad."

The return trip to the Summit of Mount Snowden takes around 2 hours 30 minutes. As we chug up the mountain a thick mist obscures the best views. We can barely see more than ten metres.

About an hour later we arrive at the summit. It is freezing, the cold biting straight to the bone. Thankfully, there is a ski lodge style building at the top, selling hot food. My hot chocolate and Cornish pastry never tasted so good.

You have half an hour at the top until the next train, but don't miss it because it is a long walk down.

Soon we are shuffling back the way we came, everyone hoping the brakes hold. The mist starts to clear, and we can drink in the beauty of Snowdonia again.


If you ever get to Wales then you simply have to do this train trip.

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FACTS SHEET:

Snowden Mountain Railway

Llanberis, Wales

Website: http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/

Conwy, Wales

Conwy Castle was built between 1283 and 1287 by King Edward of England, one of a chain of castles to cement his conquest of Wales. At one stage 1,500 people worked on the construction. It cost the equivalent of 45 million pounds today.

The castle has several tall towers that surround the castle walls. It would make a statement to the local populace that the English are in charge and we look down on all of you.



The walkways you see would have enabled the troops to move rapidly between the towers.


In Conwy there is what is claimed to be 'The finest preserved Elizabethan house now surviving in Britain'. The house is called Plas Mawr, and it was built for a wealthy Welshman Robert Wynne as a way to show his status. It was built by between 1576 and 1585.

Visitors would be greeted in the main court yard. Moving through the house, you can see by judging by the size of the beds, and the door ways they were not very tall back then. It was interesting place to visit to see what life was like back in those olden times.


Conwy is a great place to visit. We would of stayed longer, however the hotel was totally booked out, and so we are moving on to Snowdonia.

Conwy, North Wales

We drove across North Wales heading for the north coast. Crossing the river Conwy by the famous Conwy Suspension Bridge, we passed the imposing Castle Conwy into the walled town.

The castle was built by King Edward 1st during his conquest of Wales. A wall was built surrounded the town from attack around the same time.

For the next two nights we are staying at the Castle Conwy Hotel. There is a distinctive medieval theme to the hotel. It really is like a castle inside.

Louise feels like a princess in this richly decorated room. The shower is like standing under a waterfall, and the beds are oh so soft. I almost fell asleep writing the blog.

There is a pub downstairs where we had dinner; a mouth watering rump steak for me, and a Welsh Beef Burger for Louise.

That's it for today. The bed is too comfortable, and I'm about to go to sleeeep.........

FACTS SHEET:

Conwy Castle Hotel

High Street, Conwy

www.castlewales.co.uk/

Bath, United Kingdom

Bath is a popular destination in the United Kingdom. Everyone raves about Bath. "Bath is beautiful. I love Bath", said our gushing B&B Host at Torquay before we left. And yes Bath is beautiful, a city of limestone buildings built around the Avon River. And for good reason it was made a World Heritage Site in 1987.

We are staying at Saco Apartments right in the heart of Bath on St James Parade. A one bedroom apartment makes it our most spacious accomodation yet. We are spoilt with our own kitchen, and washing machine, which means no more trekking down to the Laundromat

After checking in we explored Bath, and the best way to explore a new place is on a Hop On - Hop Off bus. Around the town we, marvelling at each new discovery, thinking how good it would be to live here.

Over the Avon River (pictured above), listening to the audio commentary, and marvelling at the gorgeous stone buildings. Every place has a story.

If you notice the buildings in front they have been walled up. In the old days there was a bizarre tax on windows, so residents walled them up to avoid paying. Everyone likes to beat the tax man.

This is Bath Abbey (pictured above)



This is the famous Circus (pictured above).

Of course Bath is famous for the Roman Baths. It's probably the most popular tourist attraction. As you know the Romans loved their baths, and this was a perfect location, fed by permanent hot springs.

First the Romans, now everyone comes to Bath, and you should too. You'll love it.

FACTS SHEET:

Saco Apartments

St James Parade, Bath

bath.sacoapartments.co.uk

Berry Pomeroy Castle and Totnes, England

Hidden in a secluded valley near the town of Totnes, Devon lies the ruins of romantic Berry Pomeray Castle (pictured above). There is a real Sherwood Forest feel about the place. It is quiet, just the chirping of birds, and the sound of a babbling brook.

The castle was built in the late 15th century for the Pomeroy family. It was converted into a stately home, and was once one of the best houses in Devon. By 1700 the castle had slipped into disrepair, and was eventually abandoned.

Through a gate house the crumbling outer walls is a courtyard, and the remains of what must have been a great home, but now it’s just a shell of its former self.

This is model of the castle in its heyday of around 1610.

Descending down a path into the valley we entered a little Eden. It was like going back in time to what England must have been before the trees were cleared for farming.

Berry Pomeroy Castle is near the village of Totnes where we enjoyed a Devonshire Tea at the Royal Seven’s Stars Hotel. Well, if you are in Devon you have to have Devonshire Tea.

Tomorrow we are driving to the famous spa town of Bath, where we will be staying two nights.

Stonehenge & Torquay, England

We literally stumbled on Stonehenge (pictured above) today, whilst driving down the motorway. Louise suddenly said, “There’s Stonehenge!” And there it was sitting proudly on the side of a motorway in the middle of the paddock with grazing cattle in the paddock next door. Travel is full of surprises.

Of course we pulled into the car park paid our 6.9 pounds entry, and joined the line of people circling Stonehenge listening to the audio tour. Interestingly there were people just lying on the grass all around just looking at it. Stonehenge is a mystery. For what purpose was it built. It is aligned with the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset, but why?

Still pondering that question, we continued down the motorway, and branched off to the sea side town of Torquay, Cornwall. Torquay was the home of the writer, Agatha Christie, who spent most of her life there. It has a pleasant relaxed holiday feel. Everywhere people are relaxing enjoying their summer holiday in cafes along the side of the harbour, sitting along the promenade, or lying on the beach.

We are staying at a bed breakfast called Haytor House (pictured above) on Meadfoot Road up the hill from the harbour. Unfortunately the internet was down last night, hence the lateness of this blog.

Brighton and Battle, England

Battle of Hastings took place here. Norman Knights charged up here. 

Golden Labradors frolic in the midst of the English garden a gun metal sea in the distance, whilst classical music floats from a grand old house. It could be a scene from a movie, but it's just breakfast at The Whitehouse.

This is Mr Jones and Oscar (pictured above).

Our host, Suzie, put on a sumptuous breakfast for us; scrambled eggs on toast, coffee, and orange juice. There is also a continental breakfast table if you prefer.

Well prepared for the day we drove to the seaside village of Brighton that is appropriately named, "London by the Sea". It is like a London suburb that has been placed by a beach (pictured below).

On this summer’s day, Brighton was packed with people enjoying the sunshine in restaurants, cafes, and on the shingled beach in striped fold out beach chairs.

The main feature is of course the famous Brighton Pier (pictured below).

There is a red double storey open deck Hop On - Hop Off bus run by City sightseeing that we caught that takes you on an interesting tour of Brighton.

We could have stayed there all afternoon; however we drove to the town of Battle, appropriately named after the Battle of Hastings. William the Conqueror, an improvement over his previous nickname, William the Bastard, founded Battle Field Abbey (pictured below) a few years later.

There is an informative audio tour of the Abbey and the battlefield.

The Norman led by William the Conqueror charged up this hill toward us crashing into the wall of shields of the English before finally the English King, Harold famously finally fell with an arrow in the eye. I took the Battlefield Tour, and walked down there and back and it’s deceptively steeper than you think. It would have been hard work going up and back all day.

It's wandering worth wandering around town, browsing in the quaint little shops.

The Italian Way restaurant was once again packed, and up to the usual high standards for dinner. It's the place to dine in Hastings.

Tomorrow we are off to Torquay in Cornwall for a couple of nights.

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FACTS SHEET:

1066 Battle of Hastings Abbey and Battlefield

Battle Abbey

Battle

East Sussex

www.english-heritage.org.uk/battleabbey

Canterbury and Hastings, UK

I walked up to Avis at Earls Court to pick up the hire car. I saved money by ordering and paying up front on the internet a few weeks ago, and because I was one of the first 200 customers that month in a special promotion I received 20% off. If you take a hire car outside the country you will have to pay additional insurance. In our case five nights in Ireland will cost an extra 75 pounds. I was well pleased with the final amount considering we will have the car for 24 nights. The flexibility of a car in my opinion is far better than waiting around for trains, planes, or paying constantly for taxis.

I’ve hired a Renault Megane (I’ve never heard of it either), and I must admit it took me a few minutes to work out how to start it. You don’t have a key as such – it’s a card that you slot in, and then you press the start button. It’s a manual 1.6 cylinder. Well, I think it is. I actually got lost in the car park trying to find the exit, so I was off to a good start.

The traffic getting out of London is horrendous. It is the worst I've ever experienced. It would drive you nuts driving here. I think I’m safe in saying that you would never get of London without a GPS, or a divorce. I would say its mandatory, especially as my model warns me of upcoming speed and traffic cameras, and it’s a wonder anyone still holds a license in the UK.
It probably takes a good hour to get out of the city. But once you’re on the motorway its fine.

Our first stop was Canterbury, home of Canterbury Cathedral. Unfortunately the Cathedral was closed today for a service.

This is as we could get (pictured above).

We had a strolled around the old town, and stopped for some lunch at a restaurant by the river. This is me studying the driving manual to work out how to get the car in reverse (pictured below).

We pass through those rolling green fields of England, and to the town of Hastings. If you watch the BBC you will know that it is the setting for Folye’s War, about a police detective during WW2. If you have read history books you will know that there was a big battle near here in 1066.

Hastings is a classic English beach side town that you have seen on television before.


This is Hastings Beach (pictured above) - you can see why the English love Bondi beach.

The old pier is decommissioned. In fact the whole town looks like it has seen better days.

There is a tram contraption that takes you up to the top of the hill for a fine view over Hastings (Pictured above).

We’re staying at The Whitehouse. It’s our first time staying at a Bed and Breakfast. Our host, Suzie, was very welcoming. Our room, The Van Burren, was immaculate with old world charm (pictured below).

I would recommend The Italian Way restaurant on the main street for dinner. They made great pasta and gave excellent service.

Tomorrow we are off to Battle, the scene of the Battle of Hastings. Then move on to Brighton, and maybe Portsmouth. See, there is a plan. I’m just not making it up as I go along.

Although having said that, the plan and what actually happens may have no resemblance to each other. I know some of you may have picked up that we didn't make it to Dover today. But that's the beauty of a car. You're not beholden to a timetable. You can actually make it up as you go along.

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FACTS SHEET:

The Whitehouse B&B

12 Godwin Road, Hastings

Website: http://www.thewhitehousehastings.co.uk/

Madame Tussaud's, London

I made a rookie London tourist mistake this morning. I walked down to Avis in Earls Court to confirm the hire car booking for tomorrow. There was blue sky when I left the hotel. Walking back I got caught out in the open in a shower, and totally drenched. I know – idiot! Always carry an umbrella in London.

Louise and I went to Madam Tussaud’s the home of the life like wax models of celebrities, historical figures etc. Fortunately, we had pre paid tickets, so we only had a very short line. However on the other side there was long line of people waiting to buy theirs.

It's a popular attraction, and being summer in London, it was bedlam inside (pictured above).


The best bet is to arrive early in the day, and pre pay your ticket.

There was our very own Nicole Kidman (pictured above)

Me looking a little sunburnt with Amy Winehouse (pictured above).

There's a Spirit of London tour in a black cab through the city's history. It was blessed relief from the throng. We caught the tube to Kensington High Street, so Louise could do some last minute shopping in London.

Tomorrow we are off to the South East of England. I’m planning on visiting Canterbury, Dover to see the famous white cliffs, and then onto Hastings where we will be staying the next couple of nights. Unless my new GPS sends me to Scotland.

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

The famous Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace takes place at 1130am. We arrived on this sunny blue sky day at 10am, and people were already in place at the front fence.

Traveller's Tip: Arrive at least an hour early to get a good position.

The Changing of the Guard is a process that involves changing the old guard at Buckingham Palace with the new guard. There are Grenadier Guards in their red tunics and tall Bear Skin hats.

The Horse Guards troop past in their polished armour, and magnificent horses. There's bands, and pomp and ceremony. They really put on a good show, and best of all, it's absolutely free.

The Horse Guards are situated opposite Buckingham Palace through St James Park in close proximity to defend the Monarch. The Horse Guards Museum was interesting. Horse Guards duties extended to enforcing law and order, like putting down riots etc. The officers used to read the Riot Act, "Our, soveriegn, lady queen chargeth and command all persons to disperse themselves, and peacefully to depart their habitations, or their lawful business, upon the point contained in the Act made in the first year of King George for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God save the Queen" Then they could legally stomp them I suppose. Now, you know the origin of the term, "reading the Riot Act."

I saw how effective they are for real when the crowd scattered when this horse guard boomed out, "Clear the road", as he clattered forward to take up his post - very impressive.

Moving up Whitehall we come to Trafalgar Square with the statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson on top of the column. He is one of Britain's greatest heroes, who died at the moment of his greatest victory at the naval battle of Tralfagar. The significance of his naval victories is that it gave Britain undisputed command of the sea, enabling her to dominate world trade, thus contributing to her great wealth, particularly of London the centre of it's empire.

The Britain and London Visitor Centre at 1 Regent street is well worth a visit. We picked up some useful brochures regarding various places we are visiting in the coming weeks. There are many high end fashion stores in Regent Store, however we kept walking up to the shopping district around Oxford Street. I needed to buy a GPS car navigation unit for our driving holiday. One thing I learnt from driving in America is that it is hard enough driving in a foreign country, so you don't want to compound it by trying to navigate, and pick the right lane to be in to take the correct exit, particularly on those big freeways.

We picked the first department store we came to, John Lewis. and the staff were very helpful and I walked away with a TOMTOM G0550 with a map of United Kingdom and Ireland. I can download the map of Australia, so I can still use it when I get back home.

Tonight we did a very London thing and went out to the West End to the theatre. Louise had booked tickets to the show, Jersey Boys, online months ago, which is wiser than trying to buy tickets on short notice when you are in London. Don't bother dressing up too much, everyone is fairly casual -we even saw some blokes in thongs!

The Prince Edward Theatre lies in Old Compton street a cobbled stoned street in the heart of the West End Theatre district. It's a quaint old place decked in burgundy with those box seats like the two old critics on the muppets sat. Jersey boys is the story about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, who I must admit, I had no idea who they were, until I heard their songs. There was a standing ovation at the end.

West End is the the place to be apparently at night, with throngs of people, and it was absolutely jam packed on the Piccadily Line from Leicester Tube Station to Earls Court. It is crowded at London at this time of year, and I must admit it is a bit of a battle working your way through the crowds, but at least it is warm, and there have been some blue sky days, like today. I think last time we came in September, and it was far less crowded, but still warm enough.

Tomorrow is our last day in London, before we head off on the next leg of our UK and Ireland trip.

FACTS SHEET:

Buckingham Palace

Website: http://www.royal.gov.uk/

Kensington & Knightsbridge, London

Kensington is a well heeled suburb in central London of classic four storey white brick terrace houses enclosed by black wrought iron fences, with flowers spilling out of window boxes. Private gardens surrounded by hedges dot the suburb, which local residents are given a key to enjoy. For those who need more room to move it is bordered by the green expanses of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park to the North. To the south is the suburb of Chelsea and the river Thames. The shopping district of Knightsbridge and the famous Harrods Department store is to the east. One can keep walking east to Westminster and Piccadilly Circus or catch The Underground at any of the conveniently located stations. For the traveller it provides a quiet nice place to stay within easy access to the centre of London.


Kensington High Street is the main shopping district in Kensington and home of Louise’s favourite store, Marks & Spencers. We strolled up today so Louise could indulge herself. We would recommend the large food store, Whole Foods, for lunch, which has many different food stores. Further down the road is the camera store, Jessops, where a friendly staff member managed to fix our camera, so we are back in business.



We followed Earls Court road back past Earls Court Railway station (pictured above) back to our hotel. Before continuing along Cromwell Road and into Brompton Road to the famous Harrod's Department Store (pictured below)

It's a very opulant department store, and tastefully presented in an Egyptian theme. It's worth wandering around even if you don't buy anything.

There is a memorial to Dodi and Diana inside the store (pictured below).

We did a fair bit of walking by our standards, and went back to the hotel to relax. Tomorrow we are going to see Jersey Boys in the West End.

I understand there are ongoing problems leaving comments with Blogger at the moment.

FACTS SHEET:
Harrods Department Store

Brompton Rd, Knightsbridge

website: http://www.harrods.com/