September 11 to 13 Paris

Decided on a hop on/hop off bus tour of Paris to get a quick look at the main attractions. Saw most of the famous icons (Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Sacre Coeur etc) & then had a wander through Montmartre before enjoying our last dinner on holidays at a lovely French restaurant with piano accompaniment – very pleasant.

Notre Dame

Sacre Coeur

Eiffel Tower

Our final day arrived with rain??? Nevertheless went for a promenade along Rue du Temple in the Marais district then along the Viaduc des Arts – a lovely garden & walking path sits atop the Viaduc & the arches below are filled with artesan workshops. A very pleasant & relaxing end to a marvellous 5 months.

Our last cafe au lait

The Holiday is Over

As our adventure drew to a close I tried to decide on the highlights but there are too many – perhaps the Mont Blanc walk & Canal du Midi stand out due to their uniqueness but so many other places were also memorable – Morocco, Praiano, Venice, The Dolomites, the Italian lakes, Scotland etc etc. I am looking forward to reliving the adventure as I sort through the 1,000’s of photos for the albums. This has certainly been an amazing holiday & it will be hard for future holidays to match up – but we’ll try. 

I hope you enjoyed sharing our blog & we look forward to catching up with everyone.

September 1 to 10 England

First we had a nice look around the Cotswolds. Again some very quaint & beautiful villages with interesting names – Shipton-under-Wychwood, Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, Lower Swell & Upper Slaughter – just to name a few. Winding, secluded lanes with magnificent homes & gardens & the villages separated by rolling fields & forests.

A Cotswold house

Next stop Bath to see the Abbey & the Roman Baths – boy those Romans knew how to relax? Also visited Cheddar Gorge & saw a bunch of people scaling the vertical cliffs before arriving in Glastonbury – an interesting town which has clearly been influenced by the annual Festival – tarot reading, incense, mythical gifts etc. Enjoyed a great dinner of sweet potato & spinach soup & mackerel salad at the ‘alternative’ restaurant.

Next headed to the beach towns of Watchet, Minehead & Porlock Weir. The latter was a beautiful little village set on a pebble strewn bay below a forest covered hillside. Took an amazing little private narrow winding toll road through the forest before crossing through the picturesque Exmoor National Park to Okehampton. Our B&B was originally (1901) a ‘gentleman’s’ residence & later a boarding school before being converted to a B&B – a lovely old place.

Toll Road entrance

Near Porlock

Off to Land’s End (a bit of a tourist overkill) then to a few quieter little coves at Porthcurno, Kynance Cove and Lizard Point. Small but nice sandy beaches in small coves cut into the cliffs – very picturesque. The drive to these was through the beautiful Cornwall countryside of rolling hills & green fields divided by hedges & areas of forest.

Land's End

Our B&B at Okehampton

 

Two lovely but very different walks in the Dartmoor National Park today. The first through Lydford Gorge – the Lyd river flows between rocks & tall forest trees, the trees & rocks are covered in moss & lichen, there is a very pretty waterfall, some tranquil pools & some areas where the water roars through the narrowest parts of the gorge. By contrast, the second walk across the moors at Wistman’s Wood is totally open, walking across grassed slopes with heather & gorse & sheep grazing before dropping down into a small forest of twisted & dwarfed oak, ash & hollies all covered in moss & lichens. We then climbed to the top of the nearby Tor for 360 degree views of the surrounding moors & valleys. All this walking was rewarded with a ‘cream tea’ at the Two Bridges Hotel.

Lydford Gorge

Lydford Gorge

Wistman's Wood

Next stop, Beer, a beach & fishing town situated in a cove below white cliffs. Then Stonehenge & on to Porton (near Salisbury) to stay with Anne’s rellies, Roland & Lis for a few days. Visited some old Batten family historical sites plus New Forest, the Downs & the Fovant Badges (WW1 armed service badges carved into the chalk slopes of the Downs).

After being spoiled by Roland & Lis we headed to Brighton & checked out the Royal Pavilion & famous pier. Then on to Seven Sisters & Birling Gap where we walked along the base & top of the amazing white cliffs before heading to Folkestone to prepare for gay Paris. Our B&B is perched on the hill behind the town at Folkestone & has a view across the Channel. We can see the French coast in the distance.

Birling Gap

August 20 to 31 England & Wales

Our first dinner back in England was at a hotel (more like a fishing or hunting lodge) where we had pigeon, smoked salmon, poachers pie & trout from the local stream. Our fellow diners included 4 chaps who had caught several salmon in the Esk River where they pay $30,000 for a permit to fish a specific stretch of river for 1 week each year for 10 years??

Aira Force

"Struggle Road" to Ambleside

Next day we visited Hadrians Wall, had a walk in the Lakes District & headed for the Dales. Several pleasant walks in The Dales but the weather is persistently wet so kept them short. Travelled some beautiful narrow back roads & checked out some very quaint little villages. Then off to Leeds for a few nights rest with Vicky, Tris & the kids.

Walk in Dent

After a pleasant few days of rest we headed for The Peak District, another amazing & picturesque area, before arriving in Wales. It was clear from the unpronounceable sign posts that we had crossed the border. Travelled to the South Stack lighthouse near Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey via the Great Orme (an impressive limestone headland).

near Castleton

Next day it was off to the odd but quaint tourist village of Portmeirion & then to the Snowdonia National Park. Staying in Beddgelert – a truly charming little town - the beautiful stone buildings sit on the banks of two rivers & the town is surrounded by mountains.

View from our B&B in Beddgelert

A fascinating visit to the slate quarry & slate museum in Llanberis was followed by a ride on the Snowdon Mountain Railway (a steep rack & pinion railway) to within metres of the summit of Wales’ highest peak – Snowdon. Despite some fog & mist the views were incredible.

Snowdon Mountain Railway

Snowdon

Then off through the spectacular Llanberis pass & on to the quaint Dolgellau before heading to our B&B at Aberieddy on the Pembrokeshire coast near the Blue Lagoon & historic slate trading port of Porthgain. Red Bull was building a platform over the lagoon for the Cliff Diving World Series in 2 weeks’ time – contestants dive into the lagoon from the 30 metre high platform – crazy? We then continued around the coast to Tenby, a beautiful walled seaside town with 2 lovely white sand beaches.

Tenby

Next - the Brecon Beacons national park for more beautiful scenery & forest walks. Trees are becoming more plentiful even on some of the hill tops. We travelled some very narrow winding roads with the car mirrors hitting the bushes on both sides & the need to reverse to a “wider” passing area when encountering on-coming cars, tractors or trucks – fun? This area has many waterfalls & we walked to a few.

Gospel Pass Road - Brecon Beacons

August 6 to 19 Scotland

What a wild & rugged country – mountains, lochs, moors, heather & endless water – a fantastic place. First stop Jedburgh just a little over the border. Stayed in another lovely old B&B built in the 1850’s right on the banks of the river with a view to the nearby Abbey. Wandered around the narrow streets where they have a Mary Queen of Scots museum, an Abbey & a castle jail. We then visited Floors Castle, Scotland’s largest inhabited castle (owned by 10^th Duke of Roxburghe & family) at Kelso before heading further north to Birnam.

Had a pleasant walk through ancient fir & oak trees to “The Hermitage” where there is a beautiful old bridge over the River Braan. Also checked out the Dunkeld cathedral & then visited the Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve where we saw many water & woodland birds & had a spectacular view of a nesting pair of Osprey & baby.

Next – Killiecrankie Gorge on the River Garry & then the Spittal of Glenshee an amazing little settlement in the middle of the moors. This area is popular with hill climbers & also has a number of ski fields. Then to Dufftown - the whisky capital of Scotland - with 7 distilleries in town & many more in surrounding towns.  Enjoyed a Ceilidh Night (Scottish music & dancing) at the local pub. We even joined in for a few reels & dances after some encouragement from the locals. A fun night.

Spittal of Glenshee Pub

Heather & Moors

 

Then off to the distilleries – sampled about 9 different drops & decided that they definitely improve with age (just like me). Worth the extra $’s for a 21 year old whisky. Back to the pub to hear an ex Aussie (Gypsie Dave Smith) play guitar & sing – not too bad or was it the whisky?

Next stop, John O’Groats & a walk to the ‘Stacks of Duncansby’ – 2 huge rock stacks beside the cliffs along the sea shore. Quite a stunning site. Nesting birds were using every available ledge along the cliffs & we spotted many seals in the water near the cliffs. Met a happy group at the pub who were celebrating having just cycled from Lands End to John o’Groats over 14 days – wow!

Next we took a day trip to the Orkney Islands by ferry & bus. A very interesting place with lots of history including a strong link with Norway & a wartime link to Italy. Italian POW’s built the famous Churchill Barriers during the war. The Islands are virtually treeless due to the regular gale force winds stripping the leaves off young trees. Conditions are certainly tough but the Islands remain beautiful & the inhabitants friendly. We also witnessed “The Riding of the Marches” – an annual celebration of the gifting of The Orkneys to Scotland from Norway as a wedding present? The celebration involves many residents (some in traditional outfits) riding horses around the borough in a re-enactment of the King of Scotland making the ride in the 15^th century & declaring it a ‘Royal’ Borough – the ride was followed by some formalities & then a wee dram.

Orkney Islands

The following day was another beautiful drive from John O’Groats to Durness. The narrow winding roads took us through moors, heather & grassland with spectacular views of the sea & lochs from cliff tops & beaches. Truly stunning again. From our window tonight I can see a beautiful beach with pure white sands below cliffs & rocky mountains covered in grass & heather, divided by stone fences. Pity it’s too cold to swim!

A long & wonderful drive from Durness to Isle of Skye via Ullapool. Mountains & water everywhere but few trees. Magnificent Loch’s, bubbling streams, surging rivers & waterfalls, cliffs, heather & fields full of sheep or cattle. Truly stunning – or did I already say that?

Kirtomy

Loch Eriboll

Knockan Crag

A drive around the Isle of Skye provided more amazing scenery & a change in weather – rain, strong wind & fog descended in moments & traffic came to a standstill as we all had to pull over & wait for it to clear. Many roads here are single lane with occasional passing bays – sometimes requires reversing to a bay to allow an oncoming vehicle through – very interesting, especially in fog?

Glen Brittle - Isle of Skye

Off to Aviemore to see Loch Ness & catch up with the Stamp’s at the MG Car Club event – hundreds of beautiful old & new MG’s to see & great to see someone from home. The rain started again as we left Aviemore & was very steady on the whole drive to Glencoe then stopped for long enough to have a beautiful walk to the Glencoe Lochan. Next morning we awoke to steady rain & fog & decided on a slow start to the day. In the arvo we headed to Glen Etive, with all the rain there was water everywhere, pouring from the banks on the side of the road, gushing from streams & waterfalls on all the hillsides and roaring down the rivers & gullies – quite a site.

Dog Falls Walk

Loch Leven

Glen Etive

Our final Scottish highlights were Doune Castle – a fascinating medieval castle but importantly also used in the film “Monty Python & the Holy Grail”. Then we saw the engineering masterpiece of the Falkirk Wheel in action – a huge wheel operating as a lock on the canals connecting Edinburgh & Glasgow. The wheel simultaneously lifts a gondola containing one boat & 500,000 litres of water & lowers another 35 metres. Incredible to watch. Now it’s back to England & Wales as our wonderful holiday enters its final weeks.

July 29 to August 5 England

After our magnificent week on the canal we jumped back in our little car & headed for the UK. Approx 1,000 kms across France then boarded the Chunnel train from Calais to Folkestone – just 35 minutes across the Channel. Had a few terrific days with Anne’s nephew Darren, his wife & 3 kids in Kent then a few days in London city. We walked all around the city to see the sites for two days & then enjoyed a pub crawl with my Niece, Emily to check out some of London’s oldest pub’s – the oldest was The Cittie of York at 580 years old. The English certainly know how to do pub’s – they were great.



Emily, Anne & I at Cittie of York

Next stop – Cambridge. This city revolves around the university which has some amazing old college buildings – the most amazing being King’s Colleges. These beautiful buildings are surrounded by acres of lawn & The Cam River. Also visited the Botanical gardens – maybe it does run in the blood just a little? It’s a beautiful town with a nice feel. Stayed at a lovely old B&B.

Punts on The Cam at Cambridge

King's College - Cambridge

We then headed further north to the magnificent Ely Cathedral – quite stunning. Then up the east coast to Skegness, Anderby Creek & then the Yorkshire Moors. Stopped for a few days at Sleights & had a few lovely walks on the moors. At the top of the moors the scenery is stark apart from the heather then you drop down into beautiful green valleys with woods, waterfalls, meadows & fields. The towns are very quaint including Goathland (Aidensfield from Heartbeat), Staithes & Whitby. Another great B&B plus a pub meal rounded off another great day.

Ely Cathedral

English breakfast at our B&B

Mallyon Spout walk

Staithes

The skies then opened up & we had a very wet drive into Scotland.

July 14 to July 27 France & Canal du Midi

During our rest day in Chamonix we took the Aiguille du Midi chair lift, me to Plan de L’aiguille & Anne to the top, which involved a very high & scary cable car then a lift inside the rock to the top – too high for me. Later had a more sedate train ride to Mer de Glace glacier.

View from Aiguille du Midi

We then left Chamonix & headed south via Albertville & Grenoble to Peipin which is close to tomorrow’s Tour de France Stage 16. The drive was over a pass then through a gorge then river flats – a pleasant drive.

Stopped for a quick look at Sisteron – a town on the banks of the Durance river & sandwiched between a castle perched on a cliff & further steep cliffs on the opposite bank of the river.

Le Tour is one big marketing & promotional exercise. From our vantage point at Laragne-Monteglin we watched a procession of service & official vehicles, then the “Caravan” which consists of 180 vehicles dressed up as floats like Moomba with loud music & spruikers pushing their wares, many threw samples to the crowds who went crazy. This went on for about an hour before the riders actually arrived & the crowd went even crazier. The riders passed in two groups – a breakaway of about 25 & then the peleton – it was all over in 10 minutes. But quite an experience.

We packed up & drove along part of the race course before heading to Sault, a really lovely town perched on a hill overlooking a valley full of lavender, sun flowers, corn & other crops – very colourful.

View from Sault

From Sault we headed toward the Camargue in southern France via the Gorges de la Nesque – a deep & rugged gorge with the road hugging the cliffs or running through tunnels. We visited the Pont du Gard, the highest Roman aqueduct, an engineering masterpiece. As we approached the Camargue we finally found ourselves on flat plains with not a hill in sight for the first time in ages.

Gorges de la Nesque

Pont du Gard

The Camargue is a vast area of flatlands & swamps on the Mediterranean coast between the mouths of the Rhone & Petit Rhone Rivers. It is a haven for birds & famous for its horses & bulls & has very popular beaches. We visited the Ornithological reserve which had many thousands of birds including – flamingos, storks, herons, ibis, avocet, stilts & many more. The birds shared their wetland home with horses & ragondin (looks like a beaver). After a hot morning of twittering we had a dip in the Mediterranean to cool down & a cooling beer.

The Camargue

Then off to the Canal du Midi – packed our boat with stores & headed off from Negra (near Toulouse) & headed towards Argens (near Carcassone). We had 6 days to negotiate 118kms of canal & 66 locks. The Canal is beautifully located in a farming area & we floated by magnificent stands of ancient Plane trees. The locks have been interesting & tested our boating & rope skills but we managed OK. Some have a lock keeper to assist & some are automatic (Anne jumps off & operates the mechanism & ropes whilst I try to avoid hitting the sides of the lock). By the end we were a well oiled team.

We have bikes on board so have been able to moor the boat & ride into the quaint little towns along the way for coffe, baguettes & other supplies & to see the sites. We enjoyed a visit to the quaint little towns of Avignonet-Lauragais, Bram & Villesequelande as well as the larger Castelnaudary & Carcassone with its magnificent castle.

A most enjoyable & mostly relaxing week after the efforts of Mont Blanc.

Our little Canal boat moored for the night

Anne at the helm

The beautiful canal

One of many canal bridges