UK Road Trip Tour
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2006
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3
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Trip End
Oct 19, 2007
Edinburgh,
United Kingdom
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Day One (Monday)
Heading North from Central London we traveled into Robin Hood's country (Sherwood Forest with thousands of silver berch trees) then onto Nottingham Castle which is next to the oldest pub in England which housed the Cursed Gallon- a ship which legends says if anybody cleans it they will die- therefore it is in a glass case above the bar- to stop dust getting in people's beer of course! The pub also houses the pregnancy chair- thats right ladies- legend tells that if you sit in the chair you will very soon become pregnant- needless to say (and to Dads relief) l bypassed sitting on it!
We then made our ways to historic old Viking York
001- Oldest Pub in England
! I loved this beautiful old city, it just took my breath away! I walked around its streets including the famous Shambles, exploring little alleyways and cobbled stone streets adorned with ordinal Tudor buildings, and then walked around the wall which surrounds the old town- watching the magnificent sunset over the town! If you are ever in the UK make sure you visit this city! Its amazing gothic cathedral called York Minster was just stunning, its river Ouse is very scenic, its history is amazing and you can even hold up Cliffords Tower (see pics!). The beautiful Merchant Adventures hall was a beautiful old Tudor building l particularly enjoyed walking around. After exploring the city our tour group went and had a Viking feast at a local Pub- which was basically all completely deep fried food- I cant imagine the Viking having deep fried spring rolls for some reason! We had lots of fun getting dressed up and eating deep fried mushrooms! And to top the night of we went on a ghost tour- which was said to be spine tingling- l thought it was more funny than scary! I then slept the night away at York Backpackers. A great first day l think you will agree!Day Two (Tuesday)
Heading further North we took a brief stop in beautiful University city of Durham- where we visited the Church of England Cathedral where l particularly enjoyed looking at the reflections the morning light was making through the stain glass windows- it was quite breathtaking. The university grounds where lovely with the colors of autumn ivy adorning the castle and buildings walls. We then headed north to the strange and rather imposing statue called the Angel of the North- which looks over Newcastle city. A lot of the locals see it as an eyesore- but l quite liked it- in a modern art kind of way. Crossing the River Tyne we entered Newcastle- home of football and beer, and also the site of the original Sydney Harbour Bridge called the Millenium bridge
002- Cursed Gallon and Pregnancy Chair
. They say that our bridge was a replica of theirs- even if that is true- it is nowhere near as beautiful! From here we attacked Hadrians Wall and then took in the spectacular views through the Northumberland National Park . It was then goodbye to England and Scotland ahoy!!I and another girl on tour (Anita) were immediately whisked away by a tour group Wild In Scotland on the train to spend our first night in Scotland in a 13th Century Castle near Stirling. You heard me right l got to sleep in a ordinal castle- for two nights!!! It was one of the highlights of the trip! Our castle was called Plane castle- but is more commonly known as Cock a Bendy Castle. We had way too much fun there!!
Day Three (Wednesday)
John the owner of the castle gave us a tour around it and a bit of its long history. We then headed off on a loop around the "Trossachs" (or Braveheart country if you choose) - hearing the history of Wallace and Bruce, checking out Doune Castle, Rob Roy Macgregor's land, waterfalls and 'wee' walks galore - then back to the castle to relax in style! Highlight of the day had to be being called a 'wee bonnie lass!' Girls watch out for the Scottish men is all l have to say! Ohh and l soon learnt on this tour that a 'wee' walk was a mighty big walk!
Day Four (Thursday)
Today we headed westwards towards Loch Lomond ( listening to the sad song "you'll take the high road I'll take the low road") before driving along the Argyle coastline (the ancient kingdom of Dalriada
003- Sherwood/Sherbrooke Forest- Robin Hood
. We stopped for a wee bit of fresh oyster at Loch Fyne, then visited the mysterious Standing Stones of Kilmartin Glen and climbed to the top of Dunadd Fort to find out how the nation was defined. Beautiful scenery, fresh air and fascinating stories - what better way to prepare for a lively night in bonny Oban. Our home for tonight was cosy Oban Backpackers- where we hit the town for a bit of Karoake! Fun times for sure- singing love shack baby!Day Five (Friday)
Today we headed deeper into the magical Highlands through some spectacular north west coast scenery with amazing stops and walks in magnificent Glencoe (hearing the tragic tale of the MacDonald's Massacre) and Glen Nevis. We headed to Eilean Donan Castle before making our way to scenic Strome Ferry (near Plockton & Skye) our home for the next two nights- right on a beautiful Loch.
Day Six (Saturday)
A full and active day round the Isle of Skye, with lots of walks and time to take in the fairy magic. We viewed the Cuillin Mountains, the Old Man of Storr (an incredible Jurassic pillar) and heard some amazing legends and fairy tales, visiting the fascinating Kilt Rock, the beautiful and magical fairy glen and taking in absolutely awe-inspiring panoramas in the Quiraing
004- Shambles Streets of York
. Perfect preparation for a few wee drams back at the loch- to reflect on a day of tales and legends! Tonight was a huge night- as it was our final night together in Scotland on the tour- we had a very fun and rather dirty Halloween party. Day Seven (Sunday)
Time for a spot of monster hunting and swimming at Loch Ness this morning then it was on to an emotional visit to tragic Culloden battlefield (Bonnie Prince Charlie's last stand). It was then a short hop back to Edinburgh - true honorary Scots!
Day Eight and Nine (Monday & Tuesday)
I spent the next couple of days exploring the wonderful city Of Edinburgh- walking up and down its famous Royal Mile, learning about Bobby the dog and listening to the bag pipes playing! Staying at Castle Rock Hostel- l had views of from my bunk bed of the beautiful Edinburgh Castle and spent the days exploring the city's museums (including the childhood, People's Story, Edinburgh and National Scotland) piecing together this countries amazing history from such legends as William Wallace & Robert the Bruce, kings and queens such as Mary Queen of Scots and staples such as tartan.
I also spent a whole morning in the Scottish National Gallery- once again enjoying the art and reflecting on the words of Vincent Van Gogh in a special exhibition on the works of the impressionists
005- Inside Gothic York Minster (Cathedral)
. I went on two walking tours whilst in Edinburgh. One was run through the hostel and was with a gay guy from Barcelona who was wearing the ugliest and dirtiest kilt you have ever seen- he looked like a homeless guy- and it would have had to have been the funniest tour l have ever been on! The other walking tour was with an actual Scotsman born and raised in Edinburgh, who wore his kilt in 1 degree weather with pride and who took us through a supposedly haunted cemetery on Halloween night! Another night l will never forget- despite all the whisky tasting and haggis, neaps and tats (vegetarian) l ate and drunk later on!
I finished off my final night in Scotland going to hear some Scottish traditional live music down at a pub with Andrew Gordon as our performer- it was a perfect end to an amazing trip around a beautiful country!
Day Ten (Wednesday)
Departing from Edinburgh we head back into England . We have time for a quick call into Gretna Green where the Ironmonger performed a shotgun wedding- and l was the one who was picked to get married! Quite a funny experience really
006- Yorkminster Tomb
! Once l was married, l spent my honeymoon touring around the spectacular Lake District National Park (the largest National Park in Great Britain ). Visiting an amazing waterfall with a gorgeous rainbow, the highest pub in the Lakes, and the largest lake in the Lakes, Windermere for lunch! . Afterwards we traveled south for a rocking night in the city of Liverpool, getting some Beatles Mania down at the Cavern Pub! Just Imagine it!
Day Eleven (Thursday)
After breakfast we took a trip down to the famous Liverpool Docks, and crossed the Mersey River down into mysterious Celtic Wales. I love the fact that the Welch have kept their own language- and the speak English as a second language. Wales is l think the Uk's best kept secret- it is simply stunning!
We headed West to Conwy -a cool castle town on the coast, where l visited the UK's smallest house. We then experienced some real Welsh folk and learnt all about the Welsh culture and language before a visit to......
Llanfairpwllgwngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. (the longest place-name in the world) where l got my passport stamped.
After lunch we delved deeper into the stunning Snowdonia National Park - (the second largest National Park in Great Britain) dominated by the highest peak in England and Wales - Mt Snowdon (3560 ft) viewing the famous Welsh slate mines
007- Famous Punch Bowl Pub York
. Absoutley beautiful!We then continued Eastwards to Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. We took a walking tour around this very scenic and quaint township in -2 degree weather- viewing Shakerspeare's place of birth and where he retired as well as the famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Ofcourse we finished off at the pub by the fire- before settling down in a beautiful hostel set in the Cotswolds!
Day Twelve (Friday)
After a full English breakfast we meandered through the spectacular Cotswolds- l know where l want to retire! - before arriving in the University city of Oxford . Getting a full walking tour with Debbie our crazy guide was fascinating- what an incredibly beautiful University! I spent three hours wandering around its huge grounds where countless films (most recently the Harry Potter's) have been filmed. We then headed back to smokey old London- where l caught the tube back to my accommodation where l have been watching the endless display of fireworks and getting a fright every couple of minutes with them going off- it is guy forks weekend!
An amazing 12 days- l cant pinpoint a highlight as each day was full of them! Tomorrow lam off to Egypt- l cant wait for some sunshine, heat and more history! Enjoy the pics!
Comments
Hey there!
I don't know if you will ever receive this message, but I figured it was worth the try!
In seventeen days, my friends and I will be flying into Edinburgh from the United States. We will be spending a week there, however, we would very much like to visit notable points of interest in the Scottish Highlands (primarily Fairy Glen). However, we are having a very hard time figuring out how long it will take to get there from Edinburgh, how much it will cost, and what the best form of transportation would be. I was wondering if there was any way you could help us figure that out?
Thank you so much for your time! I hope you get this message and that you embark on many safe, enjoyable journeys in the future!
All the best,
Veronica
bsbtutu@yahoo.com