UK Travels

UK Travels

Friday 16 May (Last Day in Vancouver)

Today is mainly for getting ready to leave.  We have to tidy up the apartment and wash the sheets and towels.  We also have to go to the Post Office to post a couple of parcels back to ourselves.  We have some souvenirs and clothes that we will not want in UK.  Easier to send them home than carry them around for the next 5 weeks.

Got all the cleaning and washing done and off to the Post Office.  As we arrived back from the Post Office we saw this person dressed like a Bakers Delight person disappear into the building.  Ian had come to pick us up.  We had expected him a little later.  Spent some quality time with Ian and then with Karen when she got home from work.

Walked down the hill from Karen and Ian's apartment to Yaletown-Roundhouse Station where we caught the train to YVR Airport.  No one seems to call the airport by the name Vancouver but it's international airport code YVR.

Ian and Karen at the Airport

Had a farewell cuppa at the airport with Ian and Karen.  Strange to think that we wouldn't be seeing them for quite a while,  We have had such a memorable visit.  We wouldn't have had such a wonderful time without the assistance of Karen and Ian. They pointed us in the right direction to see lots of things we otherwise wouldn't.  And thanks Ian for showing me how to tip.  It is the norm here and it is a hard thing for us to get our head around.

We went through security and immigration and only had an hour to wait for the aircraft to leave which went very quickly.  Onto a British Airways 747 - 400 for our trip to UK.  Unlike out trip to Canada we were unable to secure the exit row seats.  We were seated in the last row of the aircraft.

The aircraft getting ready to take us to the United Kingdom

Saturday 17 May

This is a continuation of the previous.  Because of the time difference, the time we left Vancouver was 8.40 pm. That was 8 hours behind London.  We passed from Friday to Saturday sometime during the flight.  We arrived at Heathrow at 1.30 pm on Saturday,  The flight was 9 hours which wasn't too bad.  Started to get restless legs towards the end,

The flight was very interesting because of the time difference.  All the cabin shutters were pulled down about 2 hours into the flight.  We took off in twilight and as we headed further east we headed into daylight, so to try to get our body clocks to synchronise a little bit they created artificial night in the plane.

Arrival at Heathrow was really good.  Flowed nicely.  From landing to walking out of customs took about an hour.  In Vancouver just getting through immigration took an hour and a half.  Got a free bus to take us to the Europcar depot to pick up the car.  We organised the car before we left but didn't organise a GPS.  Paid a little extra and got a Volvo with built in GPS.  Nice car.  Will put photos etc. into a later blog.

Drove to the hotel at Reading. It is called the Hillingdon Prince.

Hillingdon Prince Hotel

The hotel as you can see was built in a different era and could probably do with some TLC.  It was however a roof over our head and a bed to sleep in.  The roof didn't leak and the bed was reasonably comfortable.  We got out and had a walk to a local supermarket and got some stuff for breakfast.

For dinner we walked to a local pub called the "Queens Head".  I had cod, chips and mushy peas.  The first time I have had this combination since leaving UK 36 years ago.  Was as good as I remember.

Both Deb and I were starting to flag a little.  It was nearly 10.pm local time and we had been on the go for nearly 24 hours so we decided to call it a night hoping that we would sleep through.

Didn't work!!!

We were both awake at about 2.30 am.  Tried to get back to sleep but were up reading at 2.30 am.  Lights out at 4.30 am and the alarm went off at 7.30.  Had our breakfast and headed off to Bath at about 8.30 am. Set the GPS to travel the A roads and this took us through some beautiful country.

Some of the scenery

We stopped in a village called Melcham to have some morning tea and do some shopping in their local Sainsbury's Supermarket,  Deb got a "T" shirt that is really nice for 5 pounds.

Bath when we got there was very crowded.  It was about 23 degrees, the sun was shining and a beautiful day for a stroll and a lot of people were taking advantage.  Had a nice lunch at the "Volunteer Rifleman's Arms" and then more looking around.

Bit of a wag at the pub

Some of the detail on The Guildhall at Bath

Some of the residences in Bath - I remember these from my visits when I first went to UK

The Hot Baths at Bath

The Cross or something similar.  Can't quite make out the name

Got away from Bath at about 2.30 and headed for Holsworthy where our accommodation for the next two nights is.  Deb organised it while we were in Vancouver and she wasn't sure what it might be like.  On paper it sounded excellent and in fact it is.  It is a resort type place with units spread out over the side of a hill.  It is a single bedroom unit and is much larger than our apartment in Vancouver.

Our accommodation for 18 and 19 May

There are peacocks and squirrels just outside our door and both have come to visit.  The peacock is quite inquisitive and the squirrel is extremely timed.  The peacock decided to give us a display.  We had dinner delivered here from the restaurant.  Pork ribs and rice.  More than we could eat and all for under 12 pounds.

Peacock at Woodford Country Club

Squirrel at Woodford Country Club  It was about a metre from the back door

Good trip today.  Saw some beautiful country.

Sunday 19 May

  

Headed off down to Port Isaac, aka Port Wenn from the TV series Doc Martin on the ABC,  The GPS took us through some very picturesque country.  Some of the roads were only single lane and we were very lucky in the fact that where we met cars coming the other way the road was a little wider or we were able to backup.   We thought we had been given a bum steer by the GPS because it took us down a road that seemed wrong.  It did however take us to Port Isaac but through the village of Port Gaverne on the next inlet to the west.  Only about 500 metres away.

The part of the village we see on the television is only about 20% of the actual village of Port Isaac.  The part of the village that we see on the television is just about over run by tourists from all over the world.  Heard American, British, Australian, and Spanish accents when we were walking through the village.   

The village seemed to be over run by tourists today and evidently this happens on a daily basis. This fame from the series has been a two edged sword for the village.  Prior to the series there were a lot of people who would visit for a period staying at B&B's and fishing etc..  Because of the number of visitors during the day fewer people are choosing to visit for their holidays so there is not as much money coming in from long stayers.

Doc Martins House

The Port Wenn School - It is a restaurant

The Port Isaac Harbour

The narrow streets of Port Isaac

Road looking down from Port Isaac to Port Garverne

Looking up the road from Port Garverne to Port Isaac (Note the width)

We headed back from Port Isaac through Truro where I got a new SIM for my phone.  Very easy process.  

The peacock and the squirrel visited us again this evening so Deb got some good shots of the squirrel.

Came up to the door to see us

Tomorrow we are off to the south west, Penzance and beyond.

Deb and Den

Mevagissey to Fareham

Mevagissy to Fareham

Wednesday 21 May

Headed towards Plymouth this morning.  I had read a bit about it and thought it might be a nice place to visit.  Didn't get away from Mevagissey until anour 10.00 because breakfast didn't start until 9.00.  Had to carry our luggage to the car which was parked about 500 m away.  We did find a way that we could drive the car on to the wharf in front of the Wheel House but it meant that we would have to negotiate the narrow streets and figured that the exercise would be good for us.

We have been keeping a list of interesting names of places.  On the way out of Mevagissey we came across a little village called Apprentice London.  It was quite small but didn't resemble the London that I know.  There was another town called Mutley which amused me.

On our way to Plymouth we had to go over a toll bridge and I did a couple of things I haven't done for quite a while:

                      1.  Pay the toll in cash

                      2.  Pay it to a real person. (We actually got change)

There was a toll booth with a person in it at the end of this bridge

It was an absolutely beautiful day, shorts and T shirt weather (I didn't bring shorts) and showed Plymouth at it's best.  Plymouth has a beautiful harbour and where we parked was near a memorial garden, originally a memorial to the First World War but added to for later conflicts.  The Memorial Garden is on the side of a hill which is just below Plymouth Hoe of Sir Francis Drake fame.

Memorial Gardens in Plymouth.  Plymouth Hoe above.

There is a pavilion just up from the Memorial Garden called the Tinside Lido.  It a series of swimming pools and other outdoor recreation areas that dates from the 1930's.  They are gradually refurbishing it and have completed the salt water pool.  When the whole thing is finished it will be absolutely fantastic.

Tinside Lido

Fountain in ther salt water pool at Tinside Lido

After having some coffee, lunch and a look around we headed for Exeter.  We are trying as much as possible to travel on A roads rather than the motorways.  We see much more of the countryside and the age of the buildings in some cases are more than 400 years and they are still occupied.   It is hard for us, I mean Australians, to imagine buildings of this age because the oldest we come across is just over 200 years old.

While in Exeter I dropped into the telephone provider because there seemed to be some changes to the phone since I put the UK SIM into it.  Got it sorted no problems.

The Internet is a very handy thing.  Deb has been able to organise all our accommodation since we have been overseas using it.  While we were in Exeter Deb organised our accommodation for the night at the Aquila Guest House in Dorchester.  What a gem.  It is light and airy and well appointed.  Had to walk into the town centre about 10 minutes away for dinner.  Found a group of restaurants in an old brewery and picked a good one called Zizzis.  They are a chain but the food was excellent.

Aquila Guest House - Dorchester

Walked back.  Finished the blog for Tuesday and headed for bed.

Deb and Den

 Thursday 22 May

Off to Portsmouth today after a delightful breakfast.  The fresh fruit was amazing and there were heaps of choices.  I was a bit boring with fresh fruit, yogurt and then toast and marmalade.  If I have a cooked breakfast every day I will be the size of a house before I return.

 Selection of Cereal and Fruit - Note the citrus has been peeled and segmented 

Our first stop was the village of West Lulworth.  This is a pretty little village and vehicle access to road leading to the harbour is restricted.  It is obvious that it is set up for tourism by the number of small shops selling souvenirs etc..   It is a pretty little spot and I can see why people would come to stay.

Looking into the bay at West Lulworth - The large body of water on the right is the English Channel

The Little Shop - Sold sweets and souvenirs

House in West Lulworth

Thatching detail on house in West Lulworth

As we left West Lulworth to go to East Lulworth the heavens opened up.  This made it difficult at times to get the most out of the views as the visibility was reduced to about 200 to 300 m.  We kept close to the coast and passed some ruins of a castle called Corfe Castle.  Unfortunately by this time the rain was quite heavy and the area where we had to park was a sea of mud so we thought it would be a good idea to give it a miss.

We kept off the main road and ended up on the western side of Poole Harbour and had to catch a ferry across.  Another real person collected our fares and gave us change.  The trip across the mouth of the harbour took about 10 minutes and then we were off to Bournemouth.  By this time the rain had become torrential so we decided to head for Fareham where we had our accommodation booked.  The rain did stop and the sun came out for about an hour.  We took advantage of this to get out and have a look around Fareham.  I did spend some time around here when I did my submarine training at HMS Dolphin at Gosport.  Needless to say there have been some changes.

We will go to the Submarine Museum tomorrow.  We only have about 2 and a half hours of driving tomorrow so we can afford to spend some time around Fareham/Gosport/Portsmouth.  The only thing that is concerning me is that the rain might continue into Saturday when I have a ticket to the D Day commemorative air show at Duxford.  Time will tell.

I suppose that a good thing about an early mark today is that I can get the blog up to date at a reasonable hour.  I know when you see this blog it will appear to be posted on Friday, however I can assure you that Thursday 22's blog is being posted on Thursday 22 May.

Deb and Den

Museum to Museum

Museum to Museum

Friday 23 May

Today has started off overcast and raining with quite a bit of wind.  Deb and I went to the Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Gosport in Hampshire.  The museum is adjacent to what was the RN submarine training establishment, HMS Dolphin right next to Portsmouth Harbour on the western side.  We were just about blown away getting from the car park to the museum which was about 500 m. HMS Dolphin was decommissioned in 1998 and is now a joint service establishment called Fort Blockhouse.  I did try to get a look around but I wasn't allowed in.

The museum has some interesting exhibits.  The first submarine in the Royal Navy, Holland 1, an X craft, X24 and HMS Alliance.  Holland 1:  Holland was the name of the designer and 1 indicates that it was the first boat in the Royal Navy.  (Submarines are always called boats as distinct from ships that float on the surface).  X Craft: These were British midget submarines designed and used during the Second World War.  HMS Alliance: is an "A" class submarine that was designed during the Second World War and used up to the mid 1960's

Holland 1

Inside the X 24 Midget Submarine

We had a guided tour through Alliance and during the tour they played some audio.  It is amazing what these sounds etc. were able to bring back to my mind.  I hadn't dived a submarine since 1978 but with that audio it is amazing what I could recall.

HMS Alliance

Controls for Forward Hydroplanes.

We left Gosport and immediately got caught in traffic, not just a little bit but a lot.  There were some breaks where we were able to get a bit of a go on but they didn't last for long.  It got to a point on the motorway that the indicated speed was 40 mph, normally it is 70 mph.  

When we planned our trip, the time given by Google Maps which is normally very good was 3 and a half hours.  We left Gosport at 1.30 so reckoned that an arrival time of 5.00 to 5.30 would be good.  We didn't get there until 8.30.  The GPS took us all around the world for sixpence.  It took us off the motorway and through some back roads. We haven't named the voice in our GPS yet but it is getting to a point where it won't be very nice.  We finally got the iPad out and got ourselves back on track.  Saw some really nice country so wasn't a complete waste of time.

Arrived at the Red Lion Pub in Stretham in time to get a meal and get things ready for the air show tomorrow.

The Red Lion Hotel, Stretham

Saturday 24 May

Overcast and raining today.  Doesn't look good for the airshow but I'm going anyway.  There are free buses departing from Cambridge Railway Station so Deb is going to take me in.  If the aircraft don't get off the ground there are still the static displays to look through.

Got to the station and there was a sea of pushbikes.  There were hundreds, if not thousands either put in the bike racks provided or stacked on each other.  The Cambridge area is very flat and very conducive to riding of bikes.  All the roads have bike lanes and most traffic lights have bike symbols that let the bikes proceed before the rest of the traffic.

Some of the bikes parked at Cambridge Railway Station

Arrived at Duxford in a heavy shower.  Arrived just on 9.00 o'clock and i started at the opposite end of the tarmac at the Land Warfare exhibit.  I then moved on the the exhibit dedicated to the United States.  

A couple of vehicles that brought back memories 

Some of the aircraft in the US Exhibit

B 17 - A similar aircraft flew in the display

I think the big problem with something like Duxford for me anyway is that the time seems to fly.  By the time I had gone through both those exhibits and had a cuppa it was time for lunch.  This only gave me just over an hour to have a look through the AirSpace exhibition before the airshow began.  Looks like I'll have to go back again sometime in the future.

Sunderland from the British exhibit

Canberra from the British exhibit

The Band of the Parachute Regiment

The weather was on again off again.  There were some periods of sunshine but mostly showery.  It would have been nicer if it had been sunny but I was able to see the aircraft that I would not be able to see in Australia.  Boeing B17, Curtis Hawk 75 and Hawker Hurricane.

The French Air Force Aerobatic Team flying Alpha Jets

Dakota and Spitfire

Typhoon

B 17 in the air

Curtis Hawk 75

I didn't stay around until the end.  I left about 20 minutes before the completion and missed out on the Dakota and parachute display.  I don't think I missed out on much.  I was just too cold by then, the rain had started quite heavily and the wind had started to blow quite hard.

Deb had a quiet day at the hairdressers and laundromat but I'll let her do her own blog to tell you all about it. 

I took over 300 photographs.  I won't include them all.

After dinner we settled down for a quiet night when the fire alarm went off.  We did the right thing and left the room and headed for the evacuation point.  Evidently smoke from the disco machine set off the fire alarm so it was everybody out.  It was sorted quickly and we went back to our room.  Unfortunately we couldn't get back in.  The latch on our lock had dropped and had locked the door shut on us. Even though we had the key we couldn't open it.  Evidently it had happened before but nothing had been done.  Luckily one of our windows was open so a ladder was used to access the room and open the door.

Fortunately the rest of the night was nice and quiet,

Sunday 25 May

Decided to head east towards Norwich today.  It's just over an hour away and there is quite a bit of history in the town.  Because of the problems we had with the GPS on Friday, giving us some poor directions we did some research on Google Maps to see times, directions etc. to Norwich.  The directions given by the GPS seemed OK but we kept an eye on things as we went along.  She was OK today.

We parked in a shopping centre called Castle Mall.  This was right next to and just underneath Norwich Castle.  The mall blends very well into the area and doesn't look out of place.  We had a walk around the business district and like most towns in Britain contains some beautiful old buildings.

Norwich Castle

Norwich Skyline

Norwich Streetscape

Kings Lynn is our target for today.  "A" roads all the way so we were able to see a lot of the country.  It appears that there is a lot of wheat planted and looks greener than the Australian varieties.  We got to Kings Lynn just before 2.00 and were able to get in to the room not long after.  We headed downtown to get a cuppa and look around.   There is a lot of history around here.  The bishop granted farmers the right to conduct a market in 1101, the town was granted a charter in 1204 by King John because it was the fourth busiest port in England.

Guildhall in Norwich built before 1603

Customs House Kings Lynn

The place where we had our afternoon tea had a number of models of various buildings and parts of the town showing places as they were at various points in time.  The model dated 1603 shows quite a number of buildings that are still being used.

We also found a statue of a Captain George Vancouver RN who was born in Kings Lynn in 1757.  Captain Vancouver explored the north west coast of the US and west coast of Canada.  The cities of Vancouver in British Columbia and Vancouver in Washington State  were named after him. aSince we have just been there I thought I would include it.

Captain George Vancouver RN

Deb and Den