Results tagged “Towns” from UK and Japan 2010

Let the sweetie sleep in til 8am this morning and were slow getting going (didn't leave the B&B til 10:20).

First stop was the Headland Hotel, which is is just south-west of Newquay, and was used in the 1990 movie of Roald Dahl's The Witches.  


Newquay
Newquay

Headland Hotel, Newquay, used in the 1990 movie
Headland Hotel, Newquay, used in the 1990 movie "The Witches"

Then we headed east.


Tiny little roads
Tiny little roads

First stop on the south coast was Polperro.  Because my parents went there last year and raved about it and said it was one of the nicest places they went to.  Because obviously they had a good day for it.  For us, it rained.  Of course it rained.  The rain was fairly short lasting and was mostly gone by the time we'd stopped for a drink.  But the tide was all the way out, so the little harbour was just a bit pile of mud.  So didn't leap out for us as a nice place.  Got ourselves a Cornish pastie cause we still hadn't had one, then headed off again.  Had intended to see if we could find somewhere to get some photos of Looe (the next town along), but it was bigger and more crowded and the parking lot looked full to overflowing.  So even though it was now sunny, we ended up just driving through and I didn't get a single photo :(  But the tide was out so I suppose it wouldn't have been that great anyway.


Horse-drawn wagon in Polperro
Horse-drawn wagon in Polperro

Polperro
Polperro

Cornish Piskies!
Cornish Piskies!

Muddy harbour in Polperro
Muddy harbour in Polperro

Muddy harbour in Polperro
Muddy harbour in Polperro

Harbour in Polperro
Harbour in Polperro

Polperro
Polperro

Polperro
Polperro

Polperro
Polperro

Cornish Pasties
Cornish Pasties

So then had a big long drive, and stopped again at Lyme Regis.  Walked down to the beach, but couldn't get very far along because the tide had come in and was blocking access.  Don't know if there were other access points.  So really just took some photos of the cliffs then headed off before them impending thunderstorm dumped on us (just made it back to the car in time!)


Seagull at Lyme Regis
Seagull at Lyme Regis

Cliffs at Lyme Regis
Cliffs at Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis

Stu at Lyme Regis - hey look! Sunshine!
Stu at Lyme Regis - hey look! Sunshine!

Stu at Lyme Regis
Stu at Lyme Regis

This is as far as we got before we couldn't go any further
This is as far as we got before we couldn't go any further

Cliffs at Lyme Regis
Cliffs at Lyme Regis

Cliffs at Lyme Regis
Cliffs at Lyme Regis

Lots more driving.  Ended up in Portsmouth around 7pm.  We thought we'd be able to have a wander around the Historic Dockyard.  Except it closes at like 6pm and there's no access at all, just a super high brick wall blocking the view of everything :(  We should have known - the two nearby carparks were closed and we thought we scored by getting a free on-street park.  I thought the place would be somewhat like Darling Harbour where you just wander around.  Instead the place was almost completely dead.  Just a couple of shops open, a couple of restaurants and a night club.  We had expensive pizza and beer for dinner.  Took some photos of the Spinnaker Tower then headed off again.


Cute cloud
Cute cloud

Entrance to Portsmouth
Entrance to Portsmouth

HMS Warrior, Portsmouth
HMS Warrior, Portsmouth

HMS Warrior
HMS Warrior

Spinnaker Tower
Spinnaker Tower

The only things open in Portsmouth after 6pm
The only things open in Portsmouth after 6pm

Spinnaker Tower
Spinnaker Tower

Arrived in Bognor Regis and found our hotel (Best Western Beachcroft).  Probably one of the nicer hotels we've stayed in this trip.  Or maybe it's just the view out to the English Channel with the moon rise over the water.. super awesome :)  And lots of space too.  Although the poor sweetie had to drag our bags up to the second floor.. sorry sweetie!


View from our hotel in Bognor Regis
View from our hotel in Bognor Regis

Geotagging - Day 27
Geotagging - Day 27

Photos on the Canon: 219
Photos on the Sony: 11
Photos on the Video: 3
Videos on the Video: 10
Steps walked: 10361
Pounds Spent: ?
Being a B&B the place was tiny.  There were four tables in the breakfast room and only two were set, so I assume there was only one other room taken last night.  Breakfast was decent enough though.

So checked out and headed into Bath, parking at the big "Pay on foot" parking area off Charlotte St.  


Street in Bath
Street in Bath
Headed into the main bit of town first.  On the way passed lots of decorated lions, setup as a public art project, much like the Bears of Berlin some years ago.  Some of them were pretty cool!  I think my favourite was a gold-foil wrapped chocolate lion :) Or the QR code one or the scrabble letters one.  


Lindt Gold Lion? :)
Lindt Gold Lion? :)

Scrabble Lion
Scrabble Lion

Starry Night Lion
Starry Night Lion

Got into the middle of town and Stu stopped for a coffee so I went to find an ATM.  The first two I found were broken, so had to walk like a mile just to find a working one and then back to Stu.  

Went into the roman baths first.  I'd only ever seen pictures of the outdoor bit of the bath (which used to be indoors) so didn't realise the place was so extensive.  Was actually really cool and spent nearly two hours wandering around the place.  Took one look in the Pump House and thought it looked too fancy for the likes of us, so took a picture of the room and left.


Entrance to the baths 
Entrance to the baths 

Roman Bath
Roman Bath

Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey

Statue
Statue

Roman Bath
Roman Bath

This is where the hot water spring surfaces
This is where the hot water spring surfaces

Roman Bath
Roman Bath

Roman Bath buildings
Roman Bath buildings

Roman Bath
Roman Bath

Lead pipes
Lead pipes

For some reason they drained out where the spring surfaces
For some reason they drained out where the spring surfaces

Pump House
Pump House

Then went next door to have a look in the abbey.  As Dave2 had shown, it was indeed quite beautiful.


Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey

Organ in Bath Abbey
Organ in Bath Abbey

Ceiling of Bath Abbey
Ceiling of Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey

It was getting late by this point, so we headed up to The Circus (and couldn't get "Who will buy?" from Oliver! out of my head - you can see where they got the inspiration for the scene (which was actually filmed on a set - they built the whole thing from scratch)).  And then onto the Royal Crescent, where we saw our first rays of sun for the day.


The Circus
The Circus

The Circus.  Who will buy this beautiful morning?
The Circus. Who will buy this beautiful morning?

Royal Crescent
Royal Crescent

Left a couple of minutes before four hours for parking and saved a pound, hurrah .. only to find the boom gate was broken and we could have left without paying the 5.40 at all - doh!!

So we didn't have time for the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, or the Cheddar Gorge and town.

Just went straight onto Wells.  I'd seen a documentary some months back about the Wells Cathedral - and how the unique "scissor" arches were actually to stop the whole thing collapsing after they put on a tower extension.  So of course I had to see it :)  It was pretty cool.  Although seeing a cathedral and an abbey on the same day has not helped with remembering the details of each one.. hrmm.. :)


Glastonbury Tor from the A39 north of Wells
Glastonbury Tor from the A39 north of Wells

Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral

Ceiling of Wells Cathedral
Ceiling of Wells Cathedral

Scissor reinforcing in Wells Cathedral
Scissor reinforcing in Wells Cathedral

Scissor reinforcing in Wells Cathedral
Scissor reinforcing in Wells Cathedral

Altar of Wells Cathedral
Altar of Wells Cathedral

Organ of Wells Cathedral
Organ of Wells Cathedral

Quire of Wells Cathedral
Quire of Wells Cathedral

Stairs to the Chapter House
Stairs to the Chapter House

Chapter House.  Stunningly beautiful, but I needed a wider lens!
Chapter House. Stunningly beautiful, but I needed a wider lens!

Chapter House
Chapter House

Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral

And finally south west.  Stopping at a Burger King on the motorway for Linner.  And onto Newquay, arriving around 7:15pm.  We were just a little too late going up to the headland to see the sunset but had a nice walk anyway.  Then into town to have a look around and find the laundromat opening times.


Welcome to Cornwall!  Stu was pretty excited to see this
Welcome to Cornwall! Stu was pretty excited to see this

Cornwall
Cornwall

Sunset at Newquay
Sunset at Newquay

Came back to the B&B via a supermarket to pick up snacks and drinks.

Then watched some telly (including Australian Border Security!) and used the internet.  

Hopefully will get a sleep in tomorrow.. unless I get hungry .. prolly a good thing too, it being 11:15pm and all.. :/


Geotagging - Day 25
Geotagging - Day 25

Photos on the Canon: 492
Photos on the Sony: 27
Photos on the iPhone: 9
Photos on the Blackberry: 6
Photos on the Video: 23
Videos on the Video: 43
Steps walked: 15432
Pounds Spent: ?
Hey it wasn't raining when we got up!  Just a bit overcast.

Got up early and headed out without breakfast to make it to Stonehenge by 8am for the stone circle access tour.  Which, after Dave and Di got up my expectations, they say that you can NOT in fact touch the stones.  So that was a bit of a bummer.  Not that it would have been that exciting, I mean they're just stones right?  But it was pretty cool to walk around in the middle of the circle that you can't do normally.  After the access finished (ours went from 8am to 9am), we waited for the ordinary access to open at 9:30 so we could go round on the audio tour (and actually take better photos of the outer ring without all the other stone circle access people in the way).  It's true what I read somewhere - either pay to go on a stone circle access thingie, or just look in from the fence on the road.  The audio tour isn't that great, (face it you can read about it on the internet) and the best view (with all the horizontal plinths) is from the road anyway.


Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

Stonehenge
Stonehenge

So it was nearly 10:30 before we headed for our next stop - Longleat Maze, in the grounds of Longleat House.  £3 for just the maze.  I decided before I came away that I wanted to do a maze, and why not pick the biggest? :)  Well it was fun for about 3/4 hour before I kept ending up in the same place no matter where I turned and walked around and around in circles (meeting up over and over again with another couple who were equally frustrated).  After an hour and a half I went out and bought the postcard with a picture of the maze to see what I was doing wrong.  Only took one turn from the picture to get me to the place I wanted to be an hour ago, and solved the thing (this was after standing on the bridge and directing at least two couples to the right place that I couldn't get to).  The other couple went a different way, and we ended up solving the thing at the same time.


Tank Crossing
Tank Crossing

Longleat
Longleat

Longleat Maze.  The objective is to get to that tower in the 

middle
Longleat Maze. The objective is to get to that tower in the middle

It's looking a long way from here..
It's looking a long way from here..

Made it!
Made it!

Longleat House
Longleat House

So after nearly two hours in the maze we headed off again.  Drove by the Westbury white horse.  Got very frustrated with UK signage that thought the best way to see the thing would be to take you to the top of the hill which it's on - ie, so you can't really see it at all.  Bumheads.  So drove all the way back down to find a better view of it.


Westbury White Horse
Westbury White Horse

Next stop was Lacock - because they used Lacock Abbey and a house in Lacock for Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets.  As a location it was a bit disappointing (and £10 entry which is a bit pricey too).  Especially since so many things I'd seen about the place were just plain wrong.  Even the abbey itself put up the wrong information - they put up pictures of Durham cathedral cloisters, and said it was filmed at Lacock.  Well ok yes it might have been filmed there, but not the shots you posted.  Dumb.  The Sacristy and the Chapter room were the only things that were recognisably correct.  Took a bunch of photos anyway.  What was actually more interesting was the rooms upstairs that had been converted to a private residence with the dissolution of the monastries by Henry VIII.


Entering Lacock Abbey
Entering Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey
Lacock Abbey

Sacristy of Lacock Abbey
Sacristy of Lacock Abbey

Sacristy of Lacock Abbey.  This room was used in Philosopher's 

Stone as Snape's potions room
Sacristy of Lacock Abbey. This room was used in Philosopher's Stone as Snape's potions room

Corridor in Lacock Abbey
Corridor in Lacock Abbey

Chapter House of Lacock Abbey.  This was the study room in 

Chamber of Secrets
Chapter House of Lacock Abbey. This was the study room in Chamber of Secrets

Info board about the movie.  Showing shots from Gloucester and 

Durham cathedrals
Info board about the movie. Showing shots from Gloucester and Durham cathedrals

This was in the Warming House.  I don't think it was used in the 

movies, but the cauldron looks pretty cool
This was in the Warming House. I don't think it was used in the movies, but the cauldron looks pretty cool

There's a shot of Harry in this corridor in Chamber of Secrets
There's a shot of Harry in this corridor in Chamber of Secrets

Lacock Abbey
Lacock Abbey

Chaplain's Room, Lacock Abbey
Chaplain's Room, Lacock Abbey

Corridor upstairs in Lacock Abbey
Corridor upstairs in Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey rooms
Lacock Abbey rooms

Lacock Abbey rooms
Lacock Abbey rooms

House in Lacock used in Philosopher's Stone as James & Lily's 

house
House in Lacock used in Philosopher's Stone as James & Lily's house

House in Lacock used in Philosopher's Stone as James & Lily's 

house
House in Lacock used in Philosopher's Stone as James & Lily's house

And then we headed for the hotel.  Had to get past peak hour traffic in Bath.  What a pain.  I think noone lives in Bath, they all live in Bristol, and we had to share a road with them all the way to our hotel :/  Hotel is the closest to a real B&B we've had.  I didn't really have to check in at all, the dude just gave me a key.  Very odd.  Went across the road for a couple of pints and some food, then back here to try and book hotels and figure itineraries...

Oh yes, and we finally had a clear night that I could go out and look for stars.  After much peering through sodium (?) vapour lights I finally saw what I thought was the Big Dipper and North Star.  The time on the EEE PC must have been wrong, cause it actually put the thing upside down so took longer to find it.  Had a stone fence to mount the camera on, and it was low enough in the sky that I actually got some semi decent photos of it...!


The Big Dipper
The Big Dipper.  Loses something in the resizing! 

Geotagging - Day 24
Geotagging - Day 24


Photos on the Canon: 469
Photos on the Sony: 8
Videos on the Sony: 1
Photos on the iPhone: 1
Photos on the Olympus: 75
Photos on the Blackberry: 1
Photos on the Video: 13
Videos on the Video: 14
Steps walked: 17139
Pounds Spent: ?
Breakfast was a little different in York - we actually had to order off a menu.  I had a chefs special which was a croissant with bacon, tomato, cheese and mushrooms, with scrambled egg on the side - but it was huge! Had trouble finishing it (I didn't).

The internet also died overnight which was a big pain as I hadn't blogged, or booked Edinburgh accommodation, or sorted out our day's itinerary.  Poo.

Anyways.  

We decided to skip a drive through the Yorkshire Dales as it wasn't going to fit in timewise.  So first stop was Thirsk. (Thirsk was the town that vet/author James Herriot was from). Found the Darrowby Inn on a drive by and then found parking nearby.  There was a tourist information office next door to the Darrowby Inn so went in and asked where the museum was.  So had a wander through that.  It was the building that Herriot used to live/work in, so some of the things in there (like the phone in the hall) were very squee to see.  It was quite well done, and was a good snapshot of a vet's working life in the 1940s etc.  Even Stu enjoyed it :)

Kilburn White Horse
Kilburn White Horse

The Darrowby Inn, Thirsk
The Darrowby Inn, Thirsk

James Wight's practice
James Wight's practice

Front room of the house
Front room of the house

Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricki Woo
Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricki Woo

The hall phone
The hall phone

Family room
Family room

Dispensary
Dispensary

Kitchen
Kitchen

Austin Seven car
Austin Seven car

Back garden
Back garden

Back shed/garage
Back shed/garage

Next door they've recreated the sets of the TV show All Creatures Great and Small
Next door they've recreated the sets of the TV show All Creatures Great and Small

Recreation of the TV set
Recreation of the TV set

Dining room of the TV set
Dining room of the TV set

Recreation of the TV set
Recreation of the TV set

Dispensary of the TV set
Dispensary of the TV set

Kilburn White Horse in stained glass
Kilburn White Horse in stained glass

Next we headed for Goathland (Hogsmeade Station).  Yes, much squeeing was had on my part :)  But what was also nice was driving through the North Yorkshire Moors to get there and out.  Unfortunately the wind was blowing hard and it was raining a bit, so photographing it proved tricky.  The drive was pretty awesome though.

North York Moors
North York Moors

The moors are all in flower, turning them pink
The moors are all in flower, turning them pink

Closeup of some of the flowers
Closeup of some of the flowers

Closeup of some of the flowers
Closeup of some of the flowers

Train passing through the moors
Train passing through the moors

Goathland Station - aka Hogsmeade!
Goathland Station - aka Hogsmeade!

Goathland Station seat
Goathland Station seat

First years! Follow me!
First years! Follow me!

Goathland Station from the overpass bridge
Goathland Station from the overpass bridge

North York Moors
North York Moors

Tiny little road on the moors
Tiny little road on the moors

Found lunch at a road-side Subway, that was actually drive through! Freaky!

At this point we'd had planned to go to Durham to see the cathedral (Hogwarts) but changed our plans earlier in the day and decided to go see Hadrian's Wall and do Durham in the morning.  So trekked out (past the Angel of the North) to Housesteads Roman Fort.  By this stage the wind was blowing a gale, and it was raining fairly heavily.  So we got out our jackets and went up anyway!  It fell into the category of "you don't have to be mad but it helps" :)  So paid the £3 parking, and the £4.80 entry each, and went and had a look at the fort.  And it was super awesome!!  Even in the pouring rain.  I had to use random camera as it was much easier to shield from the rain.  But walking around this two thousand year old fort was very squee :)

Angel of the North
Angel of the North

Hadrian's Wall (this was the only part of it we saw)
Hadrian's Wall (this was the only part of it we saw)

Model of Housesteads fort
Model of Housesteads fort

Baaaa!
Baaaa!

Housesteads Roman Fort
Housesteads Roman Fort

Stu on the fort wall looking out at Hadrian's Wall
Stu on the fort wall looking out at Hadrian's Wall

Housesteads Roman Fort
Housesteads Roman Fort

Housesteads Roman Fort
Housesteads Roman Fort

Housesteads Roman Fort
Housesteads Roman Fort

Barracks
Barracks

We got drenched.  The photos don't show it.
We got drenched. The photos don't show it.

Housesteads Roman Fort
Housesteads Roman Fort

Watchtower
Watchtower

The fort toilets with flushing water
The fort toilets with flushing water

Housesteads Roman Fort
Housesteads Roman Fort

Part of the commandant's house or headquarters building
Part of the commandant's house or headquarters building

Base of a column
Base of a column

Well-worn steps
Well-worn steps

Base of a floor
Base of a floor

This is where I sheltered while Stu stood out in the rain for ages
This is where I sheltered while Stu stood out in the rain for ages

So we were completely drenched from the waist down, and headed back into Durham.  Found the hotel, got changed and went to have some dinner in the hotel bar.  Then stayed up entirely too late trying to find accommodation in Edinburgh (internet/parking/laundry were all factors that had to be considered).

Geotagging - Day 17
Geotagging - Day 17


Photos on the Canon: 298
Photos on the Sony: 137
Photos on the iPhone: 1
Photos on the Blackberry: 1
Photos on the Video: 7
Videos on the Video: 14
Steps walked: 6835
Pounds Spent: 101.51
Well the blinds in the hotel at Aylesbury were super awesome.  The sweetie got up to go to the loo and I asked him what the time was and he said 8:00 and I'm *gah* we have to go! heh

So got up and ready fairly quickly and had breakfast (very similar to last hotel but with actual real bacon instead of some weird pressed ham thing).

Headed out, our first stop being Stratford-upon-Avon.  Cute, if very touristy, little town.  Wandered up to see Shakespeare's birthplace building, but at £12.50 each ($50aud for the two of us to go in) we decided to give it a miss, as we weren't all *that* interested anyway.  Instead we went for a little walk down to the Avon river and saw a boat going through a lock and lots of birds and that was actually really quite nice.

Hedge trimming - large scale
Hedge trimming - large scale

Medieval buildings in Stratford-Upon-Avon
Medieval buildings in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Morris Dancers
Morris Dancers

Birthplace of Shakespeare
Birthplace of Shakespeare

Stratford-Upon-Avon is a canal town, so even the ice creams are sold from barges!
Stratford-Upon-Avon is a canal town, so even the ice creams are sold from barges!

Distances via canals and rivers to other towns
Distances via canals and rivers to other towns

Lock
Lock

Canal boat in the lock
Canal boat in the lock

Feeding a goose
Feeding a goose

Swan Water Fountain in Bancroft Gardens
Swan Water Fountain in Bancroft Gardens

Avon River
Avon River

Our next stop was Warwick, as we wanted to see the castle.  Found parking in the castle grounds by accident (although £5 which was a little steep we thought).  Castle itself was also pretty pricey (we got the cheapest option of £17.95 - as the dungeon looked pretty kitschy - and probably a good thing we didn't get it anyway as we were pressed for time enough as it was).  Had a bit of a wander around the outside of the main castle, down to the mill house and around the back to see the trebuchet (didn't get to see it in action though).  Watched the falconry show which was very cool, although I might have taken way too many photos ;) Then went into the castle and around the towers and battlements, which I really enjoyed but Stu nearly died on all the steps.  Then through the chapel, great hall and state rooms, making this one of the rare castles/palaces I've been into that let you take photos!! So quite enjoyed that.

Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle

Entrance to Warwick Castle
Entrance to Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle

Avon River and turbine room of the castle
Avon River and turbine room of the castle

Trebuchet outside the castle
Trebuchet outside the castle

Victoria, the Crowned Eagle, a new arrival at the castle
Victoria, the Crowned Eagle, a new arrival at the castle

This Golden Eagle is having a bath
This Golden Eagle is having a bath

Young Palm Nut Vulture in the falconry show
Young Palm Nut Vulture in the falconry show

Young Palm Nut Vulture in the falconry show
Young Palm Nut Vulture in the falconry show

Young Palm Nut Vulture in the falconry show
Young Palm Nut Vulture in the falconry show

Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show
Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show

Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show
Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show

Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show
Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show

Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show
Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show

Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show
Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show

Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show
Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show

Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show
Peregrine Falcon in the falconry show

Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle

Inner part of Warwick Castle
Inner part of Warwick Castle

Inner part of Warwick Castle
Inner part of Warwick Castle

Kids in the stocks
Kids in the stocks

Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle

My parents have a photo exactly like this one from when they went
My parents have a photo exactly like this one from when they went

Inside the castle there's all these mockups of castle life
Inside the castle there's all these mockups of castle life

Princesses and Knights toilets
Princesses and Knights toilets

No Drinking Brew, or Eating Gruel
No Drinking Brew, or Eating Gruel

Model of Warwick Castle
Model of Warwick Castle

Chapel in Warwick Castle
Chapel in Warwick Castle

State rooms in Warwick Castle
State rooms in Warwick Castle

Armaments
Armaments

Knight on horseback
Knight on horseback

State rooms in Warwick Castle
State rooms in Warwick Castle

Bedroom in Warwick Castle
Bedroom in Warwick Castle

Entrance to the dungeons
Entrance to the dungeons

Entrance to Warwick Castle
Entrance to Warwick Castle

It was getting a bit late by then (4pm) so left and headed for Nottingham.  Did ok until we got into town where we kept getting stuck in the wrong lane and not able to follow the GPS, or having the GPS try and send us the wrong way down one way streets.  Went round in circles just trying to get to the hotel :(

So got in eventually.  The hotel (the Britannia) is a bit of a dump - we got a smoking room so it smells, everything is a little old and sad, no aircon to speak of, security on the door doesn't work at all, parking and access a pain in the posterior.  But it was cheap (£49 including breakfast) so can't complain too much.  It's only saving grace is free wifi, which sort of works if you look the right way at it.

So dumped our stuff and headed out again to go to Di's.  Again we had issues with the GPS and getting stuck in the wrong lane for where it wanted us to go.  Again we went around in circles :(  Was very frustrating.  But escaped eventually and got away without any further dramas, even getting a FREE parking spot right outside their door (first free parking we've had in this country! Unless you count the half hour we got near the hotel when dumping our stuff).  So went out to the local (the Stratford Haven) for a couple of pints, then back to their place for nibblies while Nick cooked up a storm.  Dinner was a high-class bangers and mash - absolutely delicious sausages, a herby mash potato that was lovely, and heaps of delicious gravy .. nom nom nom :) Chatted the whole evening, about all sorts of stuff .. a lot about travel, Paul had to get a mention, their recent dramas with M's mother, cameras etc etc.  Was a really lovely evening and I have a slight hangover headache to prove it :)

Di
Di

Nick
Nick

Kitty! Taken on one of Di's lenses
Kitty! Taken on one of Di's lenses

Made it back to the hotel in one go and collapsed into bed without blogging.

Geotagging - Day 15
Geotagging - Day 15


Photos on the Canon: 549
Photos on the Sony: 6
Photos on the Video: 69
Videos on the Video: 81
Steps walked: 12838
Pounds Spent: 69.29
Got to have a slightly slow start today as we didn't need to pick the car up til middayish and checkout was 11. So caught up on as much internetty stuff as we could before we left.

Hopped on a train to the car rental place and found it quite easily and got all the paperwork sorted. Unfortunately the automatic had a big crack in the windscreen so we got stuck with a manual. We can drive manuals (we both own manuals) but when you're dealing with driving in a foreign country, not having to worry about gears makes a huge difference. The big difference between this trip and our honeymoon of course is that at least here they drive on the *correct* side of the road. The suckiest thing about the car is that the blinkers and windscreen wipers are backwards to most Australian cars. This sux *a lot* as when you want to indicate in a hurry the reflex action will turn on the windscreen wipers :( (indicating when you plenty of time is not such an issue because you have time to remember to hit the opposite lever).

So anyway, after getting honked at by impatient drivers two minutes into the trip, we managed to escape London and headed for Windsor. Didn't get to see the castle except for glimpses of it, and drove past Legoland (coming soon!) with a final destination of Runnymede and the Magna Carta memorial. £1 pay and display parking even in the middle of nowhere.

Teenage swans on the Thames at Runnymede
Teenage swans on the Thames at Runnymede

Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede
Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede

Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede
Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede

Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede
Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede

Under the roof of the Magna Carta Memorial
Under the roof of the Magna Carta Memorial

Runnymede
Runnymede

Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede
Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede

Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede
Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede

Blackberries - yum!
Blackberries - yum!

Runnymede
Runnymede

From there headed back into Windsor to find some lunch. Found a pay and display parking station and a Subway nearby. Then fought with the Tomtom which didn't have a couple of the places in it I wanted to go to. Well it did, but under different location names.

Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle

Itty bitty parking spots in a parking station in Windsor
Itty bitty parking spots in a parking station in Windsor

So the next place I wanted to see was Picket Post Close in Martins Heron (actually Bracknell). Because it also happens to be 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging. (!!!) I squeed lots and lots. Didn't get out of the car though cause it's a tiny culdesac and I didn't want to look toooo much like a stalker ;) There was a van and a skip out the front which didn't help either. So basically did a drive by shoot and headed off again.

Picket Post Close - aka Privet Drive Little Whinging!
Picket Post Close - aka Privet Drive Little Whinging!

Privet Drive Little Whinging
Privet Drive Little Whinging

Privet Drive Little Whinging
Privet Drive Little Whinging

Number 4, Privet Drive Little Whinging - Harry's house!
Number 4, Privet Drive Little Whinging - Harry's house!

Next we headed for Henley on Thames. Just to have a quick look really. We found a shopping centre carpark and walked down to the river and had a half pint of a couple of Brakspeare ales.

Henley on Thames
Henley on Thames

Thames River
Thames River

The Angel pub
The Angel pub

Bridge over the Thames
Bridge over the Thames

Crazy medieval buildings in Henley on Thames
Crazy medieval buildings in Henley on Thames

Next up was Privet Drive number 2, used in the Prisoner of Azkaban. This was Dowding Way, Leavesden, altho the Tomtom couldn't find that so we had to put in Watford. Approaching this I could see the purple Knight Buses across the road in the Leavesden Studios backlot. As you can imagine there was much squeeing on my part :) Got out this time and walked up the same bit of road that Harry did. There's not any swings in the little park where he first sees Padfoot but the grass is there. Also went to the end of the road and could see across into Leavesden studios and the top of the row of houses they used as Privet Drive for movies two and onwards. And one of the hangers (the great hall was built in one if the hangers and was used for all the movies).

Street in Leavesden where Harry walks before seeing Padfoot
Street in Leavesden where Harry walks before seeing Padfoot

There was a roundabout and swings setup for the movie but they're not there anymore
There was a roundabout and swings setup for the movie but they're not there anymore

Where Harry catches the Knight Bus
Where Harry catches the Knight Bus

Leavesden Studios - where Harry Potter was filmed
Leavesden Studios - where Harry Potter was filmed

Possibly sets for the Deathly Hallows movies
Possibly sets for the Deathly Hallows movies

Privet Drive set built for Chamber of Secrets
Privet Drive set built for Chamber of Secrets

Knight buses!
Knight buses!

So then we headed north-west thinking we might stop at Aylesbury or keep going depending how we felt. Just outside of Aylesbury we saw a Holiday Inn so decided to stop. After the London hotel we were very impressed at how much *space* this one has!  I completely repacked my suitcase which made me feel a bit better. The big downer is that the Internet is £15/day.. WTF?? They can take that and shove it :(

Had a beer and a snack dinner at the onsite pub, sharing the area with a wedding reception's pre dinner drinks. And spent the evening repacking suitcases and selecting images to resize for twitpics.


Geotagging - Day 14
Geotagging - Day 14

Photos on the Canon: 139 
Photos on the Sony: 2
Photos on the Blackberry: 1
Photos on the Video: 2
Videos on the Video: 8
Steps walked: 6999
Pounds Spent: 29.58