Sunday 5th DUBLIN
It was a bit of a miserable day today & breakfast starts late, so a sleep-in & the Hop-on-hop-off tour bus around Dublin was on the agenda.
We did the 1 ½ hr tour, visited Trinity College, saw what was left of Dublin Castle & toured the Guiness Brewery.
It was a busy day around the city as it was the Grand Final of the Irish National Hurling (a cross between baseball, hockey & football using Gaelic goal posts). Not sure who won the U18s but Tipperary won the adults game with a crowd of 82,300 at the oval (or whatever it’s called).

Saturday 4th Rail Tour of Ireland
The alarm is set for 5.30am for an early start to our Rail tour of Ireland.
The tour took us via train to Limerick & Bunratty Castle. We were a bit disappointed in this castle after visiting a few in England. It is really small but the bonus is that the rooms are furnished as they would have been 600 years ago (the English Castles are empty) giving a better perspective of how they lived.
Lunch, after a tour of some of the countryside & its rolling hills, was at Doolin, a small town town near the East coast. A few miles away are the Cliffs of Moher & the Atlantic Coast. The cliffs are sheer & worth a look. The best part of our tour was to come as we drove along the east coast to Galway.
This part of the coast takes you along the edge of ‘The Burren’ – this is an area of limestone rock, no trees & very little soil or vegetationn. It looks like a cross between broken volcanic rock & a lunar landscape.
Can’t say what Galway itself is like as we only had about 30 mins to catch our train back to Dublin & a welcome nights sleep.

Friday 3rd HOLYHEAD & DUBLIN
It was only a short drive the next morning to Holyhead to drop off our hire car & catch the ferry. The Terminal isn’t hard to find but there are no signs for Hertz. Eventually it was found & we could wait for the ferry – Dublin here we come
The ferry is a large catamaran taking both cars & foot passengers. We were able to get a bite to eat on the ferry but had to break out the Euros to do so.
Our taxi driver into Dublin was the friendliest person & gave us details of the city & places as we passed them. It was a great welcome to the city. SO far we have found the city to be a hotchpotch of good & bad all in the one area. We feel safe walking around some streets, but not in the street next to it & so on – not what we are used to
We will no doubt enjoy our stay anyway

Thursday 2nd LLANDUDNO (Wales) - pronounced Clandidno
With Liverpool City left behind, we visited the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake. This is where the British Open is played every few years. We walked around the club house & viewed what we could of the course. A member of staff approached us we were leaving & we thought we were in trouble – not so. After asking if we were OK or lost he proceeded to explain to us that a few streets further down there was a public footpath through the course to the beach & we were allowed to walk across the course for a better view of both the course & the coast (the water would have been 2 miles from the edge of shore). Most people we have met have been soooo nice.
A short drive took us into Wales & to our last UK destination – Llandudno. Thinking this was a small seaside town (picked because it was close to Holyhead where we had to dropped the car off & catch the ferry to Dublin) – we couldn’t have been more wrong. It turns out that Llandudno is the premier resort town of Wales. It has a very long beach area, 750m Pier with amusement areas, shops, bar & cafe, large shopping area & The Great Orme.
Great Orme is a huge mountain on the edge of the coastline. This mountain has been made into a major tourist attraction & the top can be reached by foot (yeah right), bus, car, cable car & tram. We decided on the tram. There actually 2 trams that take you to the top, with a change of trams half way up the mountain. The views at the top are truly magnificient.
Llandudno is definitely a place we could have spent more time at. It felt really friendly & relaxing

Wednesday 1st September
Beatles again!!!!!!!!!!!
As we have walked & walked for miles every day, we decided on an easy morning walking around the centre of Liverpool & doing a bit of souvenir shopping – we walked just as much so didn’t give our feet a break at all (oh well!)
Trevor had arranged for us to be collected at 1pm for one of the Beatles taxi tours – Fab Four Taxi Tour. We thought this was a tour that lasted about 2 hours or so – WRONG!!!. When you get a passionate Beatles fan for a driver & let him know that you really don’t have a time limit he takes you up on it. We were driven all around Liverpool, shown the sights of the city & given a history lesson as well as being shown all the Beatles stuff:
The homes of all 4 Beatles members
Paul McCartney’s school – he has helped restore the school & still attends every couple of years to hand out certificates
Strawberry Fields – the boys home where John Lennon would disappear to. He would play with the boys & hide out from his Aunt Mimi who he was living with at the time
Penny Lane – as we listened to the song, every aspect of the lane was pointed out.
Eleanor Rigby – saw the grave and on and on it went. We will never listen to the Beatles songs the same again.
After 4 hours of driving around we were dropped off at Mathews Street to see the Beatles Memorabilia along the street & in The Cavern Club where they placed together. Of course we had to have a drink & sit & listen to the John Lennon ‘Imagine’ tribute taking place.

Tuesday 31st
A tour of the Beatles Story (so big it’s held in 2 venues) & a trip on a ‘Ferry ‘cross The Mersey’ was on the agenda for the day. We would recommend these to anyone interested in The Beatles.

Monday 30th LIVERPOOL
Liverpool – Beatles Week & the Mathews Street Festival – Trevor is in heaven
Every year the Liverpool City Council put on a free concert. There were 6 stages set up around the centre of the city, with various artists and tribute bands (all very good) performing at each stage. As it was also the end of Beatles Week (50th anniversary since The Beatles began) 2 of the stages were dedicated to The Beatles – one playing their first 6 albums chronologically & the other playing their next 6. We started the day with David Bowie & then The Rolling Stones before heading to the Beatles stages. A good day was had by all. Most of the crowd was 45+ with quite a few over 70, so there was no pushing & shoving – it was all very civilized.
The worst part of the day was the large group of young people (12 – 16 year olds) that decided to start brawling. Within about 2 minutes there were cops everywhere (2 on horse) to separate & chase off the youths. Many didn’t want to leave of course & decided to lay in wait for others, but before the brawl could start up again more police arrived. After dinner we decided to walk around the block to McDonalds for an ice cream but decided to forget about it after seeing about 50 youth gathered. There were so many police around that even with them surrounding the youths there were another 20 police in the next block. Australia could take a lesson from the way the police are used over here

Sunday 29th SHREWBURY
On our way to Shrewsbury we decided to have a look at the first iron bridge ever built. The bridge completed in 1779, was built over Ironbridge Gorge.
We landed in Shrewsbury on Sunday, the middle of the Bank Holiday long weekend. There was a Folk Festival & Steam Engine Rally happening all weekend & the Park & Ride (park the car on the edge of town & bus it into town & back) does not operate on a Sunday, so although driving all around town we were unable to get a park. We were just about to give up bur decided to follow the signs to the Folk Festival camp at the Showground. Everyone was being directed to free parking in a paddock & free bus shuttles were on offer. So we caught the bus with various interesting people that were going into town to perform. We lost track of the number of different acts we saw – from belly dancers to a fire juggler to various dance groups. At one stage I expected to see a Maypole for the ladies dancing in their clogs
As it was such a windy afternoon we decided to have an easy afternoon & find our accommodation about 5 minutes out of town in Albrighton. There was no accommodation in Shrewsbury at all so we took what we could get & were glad we did. I would recommend the Mecure Albrighton to anyone (especially if they get a good deal on it like w did). A lazy afternoon was had & a nice relaxing soak. After a couple of drinks in the bar we headed in to dinner – this was a surprise in itself. As we sat the mobile rang – Cathy & Geoff wondering where we were. Geoff had finished his bog snorkling & they were on their way towards Liverpool. They though we may have been in Liverpool by that stage, one day too early. They realised they were about 8 miles from where we were staying so joined us for dessert . It was really great too catch up with them & find out how their trip was going. What a nice way to end the day

Saturday 28th LUDLOW
Another sunny day & a drive across country to Ludlow. This is an absolutely picture perfect town with friendly people everywhere. We think we even saw Wales in the distance from atop Ludlow Castle.
Ludlow is so good in fact that we could easily move here

Friday 27th BLENHEIM CASTLE & STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
Yeah! The rain has stopped – hope it stays away for awhile
No traffic jams today but it was a bit slow going at times behind a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang style car
We are now off to Oxford – HELP!! You can’t drive in the centre of Oxford & there are no car parks anywhere near – we give up. Blenheim Palace here we come
WOW!!!!! That is all you can say when you walk through the gates into the centre courtyard at Blenheim Palace. We spent 4 hours touring the state rooms of the Palace, the gardens & down to the cascades at the end of the lake – we would have been there all day to see everything. As we left some young children were entering & their reaction – WOW!!!
On to Stratford-upon-Avon (the home of Shakespeare)for the night. Some of the buildings here date back 600 years& some even look it. The waterfront is picturesque & very serene, even has swans on the river. You feel relaxed as soon as you get to it so it was a great place to stop for a drink

Thursday 26th BATH
It’s still raining over here but it has eased enough to be able to walk around
We hopped back on the tour bus for a ride up the hill to the Royal Crescent, a perfect crescent building – remarkable when you think that they started building at both ends & met exactly in the middle. We then walked on to the ‘Circus’ – picture a large roundabout in the middle with 4 curved 3 story buildings of the same size circling the roundabout, with a street between each building – truly amazing
Roman Baths – not quite what Trevor was expecting - 1 green pool of water was expected as seen on documentaries. Yes we found the pool, along with another steaming pool of 46C water. The audio tour took of the Baths takes you through the 2,000 year old history, pointing out the ruins of past rooms & the drainage system still in use, among many other interesting areas
We walked across Pultney Bridge over the River Avon. This bridge though not overly long has shops lining both sides. The shops aren’t very deep of course & you can see straight through some of them to the river beyond - quite a sight
Time for a wander back up the hill to our 300 year old B&B (really, really nice) for a freshen up, then back into town for a drink or 2

Wednesday 25th
We arrived in Bath after another 2 hour traffic jam – worth the hassle. This Roman city is quite stunning. A ride on the tour bus is worth the 50 minutes for the history & stories. Its a pity it’s too wet to do too much else today. Tomorrow will be better & we will walk around more & visit the Roman Baths etc

Tuesday 24th
Exeter is another old but lovely place – it has great Italian restaurant. Our hotel was very regal & we finally had enough room to walk around – even with a king sized bed.
Had a drive around Cornwall for the day – down to Plymouth – very industrial port city and not very attractive. Through lots of little towns (views are beautiful} and ended up in Launceston (the old medieval Cornish capital) with the obligatory castle and cathedrals etc, but well worth a look.

Monday 23rd
The weather overnight was horrendous – pouring rain & gail force winds (cyclone Tracey’s twin sister)
As it was still raining we decided to forego a tour of Lulworth Castle & the jousting (not much fun sitting on wet grass) & headed to Salisbury. Again our plans had to change as we couldn’t tour the great Salisbury Cathedral due to a funeral taking place (it must be hard living in places where you get no privacy). Most of the tourists still headed in to the Cathedral & surrounds anyway. We were happy just to wander the city instead
We decided as we had come this far we had better have a look at the ‘pile of stones in a paddock’ or Stonehenge as its known. It really is a pile of stones in a paddock but the mystery of it is real. It makes you wonder how & why.....
Now on to Exeter for a couple of nights –interesting drive with a traffic jam in the middle of the country due to an accident, but we got there.

Sunday 22nd
Time to leave London – we’ve had a great time here. We were supposed to be collected between 9.00 & 9.30 – luckily we were ready as our driver arrived at 8.30. We collected another passenger, who was dropped off first, then spent nearly an hour driving around Heathrow looking for the Hertz car hire terminal. Our driver had no idea where it was – we showed him the address we had, were the road was on our map & even read the street signs to direct him
That adventure over, we then had to navigate away from Heathrow to our next destination – Windsor Castle. This was much easier than it was finding Hertz
Really large crowds & rain deterred us from touring the castle itself, we opted for a wander around Windsor itself. This is a lovely town & well worth a visit
Now on to Brighton – a little trouble following signs but we didn’t get too lost. Its a pity it was a rainy day as the views would have been spectacular. The pier is enormous with restaurants, pubs, 2 games sheds & many rides including a ghost train & rollercoaster

Saturday, 21st August
Madame Tussaud”s Waxworks was first on the list for the day – this is a really amazing place. We have lots of photos with some interesting people incl, Princess Diana, George Clooney, James Bond, Marilyn Monroe & Shrek. The tour of the waxworks included the London Times Ride. We rode in small black taxis (no photos allowed) thru the different times London has gone through – plague, fire, war etc. If anyone ever gets a chance to go to Madame Tussauds, do so – it was well worth it
Portabella Rd, Nottinghill (Nottinghill Gate as it s really called) – definitely worth a walk down this road, though a bit hard to move through the crowd on a Saturday. The blue door & bookshop – we are still looking for them
Then on to Westfield – we found the brick we own (we think). This is a very large shopping centre – I have never seen so many restaurants in one place as on the Southside of the centre. It’s getting very crowded now – time to wander back to our Hotel, repack & freshen up for whatever we get up to tonight

Friday, 20th August
A later start was had, then off for a stroll to Kensington Palace. There was a fantasy exhibition being in the State Rooms while renovations proceed – good for the kids but a bit weird for the adults. There were some great paintings on the walls, a couple of lovely gowns & the crown Princess Margret wore on her wedding day. The rooms are not used these days & are showing their hundreds of years old age. Princess Diana lived in a separate section of the Palace, near Kensington Rd
Albert Memorial & Royal Albert Hall were next on the list. Wow, what a memorial it is – it is huge with gilding & a painting on the side. Unfortunately we were unable to tour Royal Albert Hall as all tours for the day were booked out. We were looking forward to a tour but walked the outside of the Hall instead, only to find another memorial at the rear
Next was a slow bus trip to Westminster Abbey – touring the Abbey was a real eye-opener. It really is a cemetery inside, as well as a church. Trevor says it was the most amazing ‘inside grave yard’ he has ever seen
Unfortunately the next stop was to the laundrette, but we had a good chat to 2 sisters from Launceston who had just been to Italy & France. They gave us some good tips for when we get to Paris

Thursday, 19th August
We started the day with a trip on a Red Bus to Piccadilly Circus, then a short walk to Trafalgar Square – this is a busy spot at any time
A stroll along The Mall (where the Royals travel for ceremonies), past St James Park found us at Buckingham Palace almost 2 hours before the Changing of the Guard. Even that early it was impossible to get a spot along the fence, so a spot on the steps of Queen Victoria Memorial was found. We think that by the time the ceremony started there were 50,000 people there. The ceremony itself was quiet boring really. It took 40 minutes in which time 2 bands & new guards marched past, 3 songs were played (about 5 minas apart), then everyone bar a couple of new guards marched out again. There was minimal movement inside the fence except for the bands. I know this is an important ceremony to the Royals but it is really drawn out with nothing much happening. It was definitely a one-time experience
More fun was had catching the tube, (we have now covered all the expected London modes of transport) to St Johns Wood for lunch at The Duke of York & then a stroll to Lords Cricket Ground for a 2 hour tour. This was very informative but not as good as the tour of the MCG
A few blocks away we found Abbey Road & had to take the obligatory photo of the ‘Beatles’ crossing & studios
After a quick shower & freshen up it was onto the London Eye - Wow, what views
Well, time for a meal, again, & an end to another busy day

DAY 2 LONDON 18th August
First stop after a good nights sleep was to start a sightseeing tour of London. We hopped off at Tower of London (stupid name for a castle with a really eerie past) for a look around. We got to see the Crown Jewels that were on display, including the Queens coronation crown, Edward 1 bedroom & various horse & human suits of armour. By now we had sore feet from walking on the cobbled streets in & around the Tower.
Then on to the Tower Bridge & its engine room for a look around.
After this we had a leisurely cruise up the Thames, resting our weary feet, past the London Eye & on to the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben & Westminster Abbey.
Another bus ride took us touring again & on to St Pauls Cathedral. Wow this place is amazing. Unfortunately, a service was about to start & we couldn’t look around much of the Cathedral – will see if we have time to go back.

DAY 1 LONDON 17th August
We arrived in London on time, after a really smooth flight. We got through Passport check (after lots of questions), collected luggage & followed signs through Duty Free & on to the exit. NO customs in sight. Our transport was waiting for us – easy to find
We were driven to our hotel - Corus Hotel via many small streets due to road works in progress. This gave us a chance to have a better look around. We even drove through Nottinghill Gate.
After a shower & freshen up, we walked through Hyde Park via Diana’s Memorial Fountain
We then visited Harrods for a look-see – we could have bought a nice gold & diamond encrusted fountain pen for £11,500 or a watch (the dearest we saw was £443,000 – could have bought a Bentley for less (even with import tax)
A London Black Taxi ride to Marble Arch for the experience & to save our legs was next on the agenda. We then walked along Oxford St & Bayswater Rd back past our Hotel & on to Queensway Rd where many & varied restaurants are located - Chinese was eaten. Strolled back to Hotel through various side streets marvelling at the many look-a-like buildings in various stages of repair
Now for a good nights sleep