13 ~ The Britannia June 15-July 3 (Day 1-19)
Day 13 (June 27, Mon) ~ Liverpool-Chester-Llangollen-Ludlow-Llandrindod Wells
Breakfast 7:00; Depart 8:00
Today we were back and forth between England and Wales. Our first stop was Chester. We absolutely loved this walled city. Our TD gave us a tour of the city using the whisper system. There was a beautiful cathedral as well as many old buildings. We loved the Rows. It was a fantastic photo op. After our tour we just walked around,on the cobbles streets,taking pictures. You could even shop in malls which ran along the top of the street stores. There were steps up to these shopping areas. It was like a double decker shopping area. Interesting way to make the most of an old area. We could have stayed a lot longer. We were really sorry to leave. This city is right up there with such places as York,Stratford-Upon-Avon.
We then drove back into Wales over the Horseshoe Pass to Llangollen on the River Dee. The Horseshoe Pass was stunning. Well worth the trip through it. This was an absolutely charming town. We walked the main street. At one end there was a beautiful waterfalls. We stood on the bridge and got pictures of the river on both sides. All along the street there were planters full of beautiful flowers. Let me tell you they sure know how to beautify their town. After walking the streets we stopped and had cornish pasties and dessert with a drink out on a bench. We sat and watched people go by. It was one busy town. We again had to pay 20p. I guess 20 "pee" is appropriate. Even though the town was quite small we could have stayed here for a while.
Next we stopped in Ludlow another nice Welsh town with old houses and very narrow streets. We basically wandered through this wonderful town. In some of the streets we could have almost touched thw walls of the houses on both sides of the street. Our coach dropped us off in the town square where there were FREE toilets. There was a market on. Each stall had its own canopy. Unfortunately we had rain so we were able to wait under shelter until the coach picked us up. We simply followed the narrow streets downhill. Some of the streets meandered in various directions. We definitely could have stayed longer here. As our coach was leaving our TD told us to notice how close we were to the houses. Well he was right. As our coach managed its way through the streets we could actually see in the windows of the house on both sides of the streets.
Before heading to our next hotel our itinerary said that we would be doing the following: "Tonight enjoy an extra special 'Be My guest' experience in a heritage listed Gothic Mansion before dinner at your hotel". Well we went out in the middle of ABSOLUTELY nowhere. As our BIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG coach went along on a SINGLE lane country road our TD started getting really worried. He then told us that he had never been to this mansion but other TDs said it was good. WE,including TD,were all very worried especially if a car came the other way. We scared one woman driver almost to death. When she had to back up she almost drove off the road. Let's just put it this way. ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL of the sheep and horses ran when they saw us coming. Now in all of our travels in the UK that had never happened.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO that kind of tells you how far out we actually were. You might think that it allowed us to see extra countryside. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. When you are afraid of hitting something it wasn't fun. Once we got there the home owner directed us through very narrow gates. The gardens were beautiful. We were allowed to wander through the gardens while we sipped on wine. It does look very nice from the outside. The mansion was nice but all I will say is that the owners were hoarders with 52 rooms to work on. In many of the rooms there were 3,4,5,6,.. of the same items. It looked like they were buying things and couldn't stop. I think I have defined hoarding quite nicely.
This is just our opinion others may have really enjoyed it. Our little group were all of the same opinion as us. We had seen a number of mansions on tour and this one wasn't as tastefully done as the real mansions. I personally feel that the location among other things really make it a do skip 'Be My Guest' experience.
Because we had gotten lost in the middle of nowhere we didn't get to the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells until later in the day. We actually didn't get a chance to walk around the town since it was so late. I was looking forward to this place especially the hotel. It looked quaint on their web site. The hotel was an older structure. It turns out that most in our group had nice bathtubs with glass doors,etc. Well our bathtub sucked. Excuse my use of words. It turns out that the rooms were very hot but we had a lot of windows which actually opened. So we were cooler. A lot from our group had windows that only opened a little or not at all. I guess that we did alright after all. Our room also looked out over a small park. The meal was OK at this hotel.
Day 14 (June 28,Tues) ~ Llandrindod Wells-Cardiff-Bristol
breakfast 7:30; depart 8:30
The weather is now better. We had almost 3 days of sun with some showers.
As we left the town we had some beautiful scenery on the backroads. Our next stop was Cardiff Castle in Cardiff the Welsh capital. The castle was amazing. Our son had also been here and like us he loved it. There were actually 3 castles in one. An outer one and 2 more inside of the outer one. One of the inner ones is located high on a mound surrounded by a moat and called the Keep. This is the one that is shown in all of the literature. There are very nice views from this castle. Remember there are a lot of steps to climb to get to this moated castle. The main castle was wonderful. We went in one end and followed direction to the other end. Cardiff Castle is definitely a must. There are park like grounds within the walled outer castle so it is nice and peaceful.
As mentioned before I downloaded maps of each village,town and city on our itinerary. It really helped in Cardiff. When we walked out of the gates of the castle we found the city center. One of the main shopping streets is perpendicular and almost in front of the castle. Thus we were able to wander the pedestrian streets. They have a market and everything else. We had pasties and drinks on a bench on the main pedestrian street. Because of my map we were able to go to a lot of the main shopping areas. You can also use Cardiff Castle as a focal point in finding your way back. I have mentioned focal points before such as Caernarvon Castle,etc. This was all quite a surprise since we really only expected to see the castle with very little time to do anything else. We definitely could have spent more time in Cardiff. Hey guys I got a chance to take pictures of Austin Martin and Lotus Showrooms. That was as close as I would ever get to those cars.Smile
After leaving Cardiff we drove into the Wye Valley which was absolutely beautiful. Next we stopped to view the12th century Tintern Abbey which of course was made popular by Wordsworth. Mrs Biotrav was in absolute heaven.Smile We didn't go in since we only viewed it but it was,of course,in ruins. You really didn't need to go into the ruins. I am just looking at the photos and we got fantastic shots from every direction. There were other ruins across the street from the Abbey. We had quite a bit of time so that wasn't a problem. There were free toilets and gift shop.Cry
We crossed the very impressive Severn Bridge which is now two bridges. Next stop was BATH. This city is right up there with Chester,York,Stratford. Bath was an absolutely beautiful city. A city in which you can wander and take MANY photos. The building were very distinct from other cities since they consisted mostly of white stone. For those of you that have been up the Eiffel Tower in Paris you do know what I mean by white buildings. In Paris everything looks white from above. Thus the light color gives Bath a more cheerful appearance if that makes any sense. You don't have the typical Tudor style building in Bath. We were dropped off and picked up at Bath Abbey which was our focal point for this city. We didn't go into the Abbey but took lots of photos of the magnificant building. We visited the Roman Baths about 33 years ago. Let me tell you they now really have their act together. You take an audio tour throughout the baths. Our TD got these for us as we entered the Baths. You go from station to station where things are explained. It was extremely well done. It is funny. The water in the Baths is green(algae...) and there are signs warning you no to go near the water. It even tells you on the audio. The water is toxic soup. As a Biologist I am most aware of this fact. Anyway people were sitting on the edge of the baths with their feet in the water. Some people were actually splashing each other.Frown How dumb is that!!!!
The streets of Bath spread out like the spokes of a wheel which made it easier to find our way around. Just going through the pictures and bath has many quaint little side streets which you just have to explore. One of the photos shows Mrs Biotrav in front of the oldest house in Bath known as Sally Lunns(1482). It is the home of the famous Sally Lunn Bun. These were just some of the great things that can be found on side streets. I believe that our TD told us about it. Oh no. In one of our pictures Mrs Biotrav found The Bath Sweet Shop.Cry Two stores down from our coach stop Mrs Biotrav found a jewellry store.Cry We had almost made it to the coach. We went in and told them that we had 15 minutes to get to our coach. Well they got it ready along with the VAT forms. They actually did it in time. We thanked them profusely.
Just a note that we went to Bath first then backtracked to Bristol. If you look at the map with the Britannia it doesn't look that way. We stayed at the Mercure Holland House in Bristol. This was the best hotel so far. We had a glass enclosed shower as well as double beds. Since there wasn't a dinner included our little group set out to find a place to eat. All you do is go out the front doors of the hotel turn left walk down the street a short distance. There was a nice church on this street. Looking at the pictures it was a beautiful church with a very large spire. It was our focal point to get us back to the hotel. Next you turn left which takes you over a bridge under which was a nice waterway. This brought us to an area where there were lots of places to eat. Our TD recommended a certain pub so we set out insearch of it. The pub's name was Llandager Trow and it was 100's of years old. Got some great photos of the exterior. It was in the Tudor Style with hanging flower pots all along the windows. I just love those buildings. That was one reason why we wanted to visit the UK. After looking at our photos we got a picture of a sign that says it opened in 1664. Of course what would life,in a pub,be without a pint of Stella. The food was very good at this pub. We had gotten to like breaded scampy.Smile
We really didn't get a chance to see a lot of Bristol but it seemed that our hotel was in a good location.
Day 15 (June 29,Wed) ~Bristol-Plymouth(2 nights)
Breakfast 7:00; Depart 8:00
As we approach the end of the tour we were getting better weather.Cool Today was sunny. We were starting to get the end of tour blues. This happened on all 3 of our TT tours.
Our first interesting area was Cheddar Gorge which is the home of original cheddar cheese. Of course today many countries make but this was the original. When we first got near Cheddar Gorge our TD kept telling us that we would soon drop into a very deep gorge. When he was saying this the area was quite flat. He also told us that we might see a few goats along the gorge walls. Well suddenlly we dropped into a very deep gorge where we had to really look up to see the tops of the cliffs. When we stopped for a photo op the walls were vertical. So just picture driving along the road where there are vertical walls on both sides of the road with little room for shoulders of the road. Once we got started we were literally stopped by a HERD of goats. Our TD was completely amazed since he had never seen this before. We kept going and then suddenly we were driving through "downtown" Cheddar Gorge which was very qaint. I believe that there were caves in which the cheddar cheese was stored. I think that we even saw the fronts of these caves. Yes I was right. I just checked our photos and one of the caves says GOUGH'S CAVE. As soon as we left Cheddar Gorge we were back up on fairly level land.
We next went to Wells. Just looking at our photos and it sure was great taking pictures of the names of towns,etc. We stopped at Wells Cathedral. We got a great chance to walk all around the front and sides of the beautiful cathedral. Just looking at our photos and see that we drove through the streets of Wells. There was one street where springs of water flow so much that both sides of the street have gutters where water runs all the time. That was a very unusual thing to see. On this one street periodically there were little footbridges over the FAST running water. The streets that we drove through,in Wells,were very narrow which made them very quaint. Wish that we could have spent some time here rather than the DISASTER town that we were driving towards.
Our next stop was Glastonbury. Our TD mentioned a couple of times,before getting there, that a lot of people in Glastonbury were almost like the HIPPY generation. OK.
We first went to the Glastonbury Abbey(1539) where according to legend King Arthur was buried. The ruins were very interesting.It was worth seeing this. We got a chance to see the "make believe" burial site. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. The ruins were spread out over a very large area. Of course they had an ice cream stand and since there were no calories(right Aussie Miss) we each had an ice cream. Once we got out of the gift shop(Cry) we then went out into the streets of Glastonbury. Well it is interesting that I didn,t take any pictures of the town. The people on the streets were "sketchy" to say the least.
Warning. For any of you going to Glastonbury please take note of what happened to us. By the way I told our TD about it but he wasn't concerned at all. So this is my opportunity to warn you.We did the Grand European(07) thus were aware of the Gypsy problem in Europe. I don't want to point out one particular group but you must be aware of them. Our TD showed us where there were 2 bank withdrawal machines which were located on the main street. We thus went to the Lloyd's Bank machine. There were 2 others there withdrawing money. I immediately noticed a gypsy trying to sell or give heather plants to the 2 people. So I said at the top of my voice that it wasn't right to be doing that in front of a bank machine where transactions could be watch. We decided to walk up the street a little ways. That is when we noticed a seemingly homeless man resting on steps. He just looked too observant to me. Then we decided to go back to the bank machine. Well when we got near the gypsy looked at us and walked across the street. Now whenever we withdraw money we are very organized. Mrs Biotrav withdraws the money and I keep my back to the machine and watch the streets. In other words I have her back. While I was scanning the streets I noticed the gypsy across the street talking to 2 other gypsies. Suddenly the supposed homeless man got up and walked towards the 3 other gypsies then they simply disappeared. I must confess that my martial arts background has taught me to be very causious and observant. For those of you that think I am paranoid you should really think again.
We were so glad to leave Glastonbury!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We headed out into Dartmoor which we absolutely loved because of its fantastic scenery. I just can't explain it. In the moors we had to stop for cows and goats on the road. Cows wandered across the road as cars and trucks tried to drive around them. Kind of Russian Rollet.
We went off the beaten path to the village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor. While driving toward this village there were more cows,sheep and horses. We loved the village. The village was basically a square but it was well worth the stop. There was a stone church as well as stone homes and stores. It was kind of like stepping back in time. I guess that the word quaint comes to mind. I see from my pictures that one shop was called "The Shop on the Green". They must have been used to tourists since there were,I believe,4 places to eat. We stopped and had scones,jam and clotted cream.Smile
The roads were very narrow into and out of the village as well as throughout the moors. We had to pass other coaches which was veryyyyyyyyyyyyy interesting. There was definitely a lot of backing up. I even took pictures of cars trying to get by us ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. We could have touched the hedges on both sides of the road. This is what we came to see and we really loved it.
We got into the city of Plymouth. We were staying at the Jury's Inn. Sorry I mean the Dreary Inn. The hotel was a real come down after our hotel last night. It was then time for the Forgotten Cornwall and Dinner(optional # 8). We left our hotel and drove to the oldest part of Plymouth. We then took a 7 minute ferry ride across the River Tamar to Cornwall. It was a drive on then drive off ferry. As we were starting to drive on the tide had changed enough that the front end of the coach drove extremely hard onto the ramp. We were basically stuck at a steep angle on the shore and on the ramp. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Our driver,Richard,managed to drive sideways,backup and tried again. We made it. The Edgcumbe Arms,an old Cornish Inn, was in the village of Cremyll next to the ferry terminal.It was nice to look over from the inn and see the Plymouth waterfront. I am just looking at our photos and I got a fantastic photo of the inn . It had a slate roof with MANY beautiful planters. The English sure know how to make a place look nice. In the UK there were flowers absolutely everywhere.
The inn had a beautiful stone fireplace and wooden beams everywhere. The food was fantastic. Probably the best so far.Smile Stella was good as usual. I have never had so much beer,of course,since our Irish Experience Tour(09). I strongly recommend this optional. Actually,as mentioned,we really enjoyed all of the optionals so far. After our dinner we drove along the beautiful coast,known as Rame Head,on our way back to the ferry and Plymouth. The ferry ride itself was fun. Since it was so short we all simply stayed on the coach and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
Day 16(June 30,Thurs) ~Plymouth(Day 2)-Cornish Excursion
It was a very nice sunny day although the end of the tour is looming.Frown We started the day off with the Plymouth Harbour Cruise(optional #9). We really enjoyed this. I strongly recommend this cruise. The skipper's commentary was very informative. We started from or near the Mayflower Steps which was, of course,where the Pilgram fathers departed. We got a chance to see the Royal Navy Dockyard which had some subs docked as well as other naval ships. We actually passed a large naval ship just leaving the dock area. As mentioned it was sunny so that made the cruise even better.
On the Cornish Excursion there were fantastic views of the countryside with very narrow roads lined with hedgerows.The beautiful scenery really made this excursion worthwhile. A number of times cars had to back up to allow us through. Come on. Who argues with a LARGE coach.Cool One time we came across another coach. Richard,our driver,did a great job getting out of that one.
Next stop was St Michael's Mount,near Penzance. This was a great photo op with a long stretch of beach in the foreground. There were free toilets. Yes!!!! It was a shame that we couldn't have gone over to it. It was low tide and you could see people crossing over. Some of our tour group walked,in bare feet,on the sand beach.
Our next stop was St Ives. Please note that I may be all alone on this but I was very disappointed with St. Ives. I was expecting something different. I was expecting it to be quaint and neat but we found it to be far too commercial. With that said and done we walked down from the top of St Ives instead of taking a bus. Make sure that you use the free toilets which are located right where the steep path leads down to the town. It was quite steep but make sure that you are in half decent shape. Most of our group walked down to the town. The views from the coach stop,above the town,were beautiful. The streets do meander and have plenty of similar shops. The streets were absolutely beautiful. We stopped to have cornish pasties which were very good. Since it was a very hot day we decided to stop for ice cream. It was interesting that once we had our cones they told us to watch out for seagulls. They can actually be very vicious. When we stepped out into the street a seagull was perched across the street. We actually had to eat the cones in the doorway of a shop. Note: Take the seagulls seriously. They will literally grab your ice cream,etc and have been known to hurt people with their wings let alone their beaks.
After our ice cream we wandered down to the beach area. There was beautiful white sand as well as beautiful blue/green water. The main street along the water was absolutely crowded to the point of it being tiring. As we were watching the crowds,on the beach,we saw a VERY LARGE FLOCK of seagulls(15-20). What we saw was a mother holding on to her son's hand as the boy held on to his ice cream. The gulls suddenly dove and swarmed the little guy. Suddenly the mother literally yanked her son and started running. The ice cream cone was gone in minutes. We didn't believe it but some people were laughing thinking it was funny. Ask the mother and the little boy.
As we turned away and walked up the main street a seagull "crapped"(excuse my language) on the front of Mrs Biotrav's shirt. A lot of people would laugh but just let it happened to you. That made the third time in her life that a seagull crapped on her. We have talked to many that have experienced this and they likewise have a dislike for gulls. Remember that this town is full of seagulls both on the beach and in the streets.
Anyway we ducked into a narrow secluded alley. Off came her shirt and on went a very heavy sweatshirt. Remember that it was very hot. Well to say the least she was very unhappy. As mentioned before there were almost nooooooooooooooo laundrymats in the UK. We may have only seen one other. Then I suddenly remembered that we may have seen one on the way down from above the town. Yes there was actually a laundrymat. You have never seen two very happy people as happy as we were. The manager was absolutely fantastic. He put the shirt in a special washing machine and told us that he would hang it up outside for us. He told us to come back in about 20 minutes. We saw a number of our tour group heading back up the hill. We told them to tell our TD we might be a little late which we had never been before. Turns out that the shirt wasn't dry but we took it anyway. We gave the manager a little tip but he said that it would be an insult to accept. Well we both took off uphill with the shirt between us. She carried one arm and I the other. Let me tell you we got some strange looks. By the time we got to the coach we weren't late and the top was almost dry. She was able to put it on in the toilets that are next to the coach park. Most of you will probably love St Ives. There were beautiful beaches,lots of boats and lots of people.
When we got back to Plymouth our group was going to go out to a pub since there wasn't an included meal. The hotel is in a great location. Just go out the back doors of the hotel and it will take you right down to the waterfront. We didn't go to the first place. We actually wandered around and ended up right on the waterfront which was full of all kinds of boats. Remember you have to go out the back and after a short walk make sure you turn right out into the main waterway. We found a nice place right next to the water. I am looking at our photos and you can almost touch the boats. We were seated under a tentlike structure. We all decided to order prawn except for one of us. They ordered the fish of the day. That means exactly what it says. Whatever they have caught is on the menu and you can bet that it will be fresh. Anyway back to the prawn. We got a real surprise. I am looking at the prawn in our photos right now. There were 7 prawn(~3-4 inches long) with everything on them. We have never experienced them this way. Mrs Biotrav couldn't stand to see them looking at her. I mean they were quickly cooked and thrown on the plate. You would swear that they could jump off your plate. I got stuck shelling them. We are actually used to shreaded scampy so I guess that we were spoiled. Ah but the Stella was good. It was a nice atmosphere eating along the waterfront.
After we came back to our hotel we accidently found a very large shopping center.Cry We needed to find a pharmacy so the front desk directed us to one. You turn left out the front door and walk a short ways to stairs that go down below the sidewalk It was actually the bus terminal which was a little shaddy. You go through it and up the steps on the other side. The mall is off to the right.
