UPDATE 6 - Roadtrip’n

From Bath to Loch Ness!

Thinking back it feels like months since we started our roadtrip in Bath…not a few weeks! We stayed in a guesthouse there for 5 days, then a hostel, before deciding to hire a car and camp. We spent 5 days camping in Bath during which time we visited Stonehenge and an abbey in the South East of Wales. Then we headed north to the Peak District, York and The Lakes District. Ending our trip in Edinburgh, we returned the car with a sniffle of sadness and hung out with Johnno for the week. Last weekend we hired another car (a little zippier one) and cruised up north into Scotland and the Highlands. The lands of mountains and loches. It was absolutely stunning…as you will soon see.

So get yer coffee (or tea as is the case here), settle back in yer chair and check these out. I think it’s the biggest update so far…and the most diverse. It’s gonna be sad to leave Britain but it feels like we’ve really seen a lot. We’re quite exhausted from over 2 months of travelling but I can’t say I have been bored once in all that time.

Here’s hoping this is the last time I have to do an update like this at an internet cafe!

Next stop…Norway :)

Bath and Wales

So long London! This was our view from our loft room in Wandsworth.My bro's birthday present was an album full of photos of me standing in front of London icons with this sign :)A crazy bird ladyHere I am in Bath standing outside the entrance to the Roman Baths. We prefered the free entrance through the souvenier shop :)Here we are in the Roman Baths...so kewl.It was amazing to see, imaging it centuries ago full of dirty old men...and maybe some goodlooking younger ones.More bath action!We did a lot of walking in the first few days to save on bus money and really check Bath out. We walked past the canals and up a hill...This was on top of the hill. It's a facade of a castle that some guy wanted built so he could see a castle out of his window. That's not weird :)We took the bus to Bristol one day which is the city about half an hour away from Bath. Here's the pub we had lunch at.And here we are veging out in Bath.Yay I won!We hired a canoe one day and paddled around a river...padding away...it was a lot of fun. Til our arms got tired.This is the guesthouse we stayed at. Highly recommended (great breakfasts). The Flaxley Villa!The view of Bath from part way up the hill...on a gorgeous day.We walked up another hill a few days later to go to a car boot sale...we love car boot sales in England! Trying not to buy too much, we ended up with a £2.50 1984 robot called 'Verbot' and a few Asterix comicsThis is the £3.50 tent we set up in the field next to the carboot sale to check out. Yep, all the pieces were there! 1.5 tents in all!This is the view from the hostel room. It was called the Funky Hostel, and by the look of the brown smear on the curtains it was definitely 'funky'.Beautiful Bath...more bath...Our 'funky' hostel room. We got drunk and played loud music. It was all good :)Got drunk, took photos, and played loud music.The first day we hired the car and set up camp it started to rain. Only for an hour...just enough time to polish off a bottle of vodka in the car ;)Cooking near the tent in the rain. Matthew's birthday sign came in very handy.Us at Stonehenge. It's so kewl in real life. The rocks are huge!An amazing site worth the price of admission :)Dan pondering the mystery of Stonehenge.The Avebury ring was another set of mysterious ancient stones placed in a circle. Not too far a drive from Stonehenge.One of about 10 chalk horses that someone carved into the hills. They are pretty kewl. It was here that we met a real life crop circle nut!It was great driving into Wales and seeing all the signs in Welsh.This is the remains of a roman amphitheature in Caeleon.This was the best site we saw in Wales. The ruins of an old abbey in the middle of a valley...so gorgeous.We saw it on a pamphlet and thought we'd check it out. I'm so glad we did!It was made even better by the sunset over the mountains.Here's our campsite in Bath. Dan was very happy with his 20p Harry Potter rubiks puzzle :)

The Peak District

Our campsite in the Peak District. It was just after school holidays had ended so there was only 1 other tent.Another stone circle...this one was on a farm and the stones had all fallen over. Noone knows how or why exactly these were created.We climbed to the top of a huge peak which had an amazing view.Except for this smelter plant thingy. Why is that there?Dan thought the peak district should be named 'The Farm and Quarry District'.Lots of stone fences. They make great patterns from above.

York and Naburn

The essential backpackers camping kitThe surroundings were gorgeous but it was near a road so we had some traffic noise.Our next stop was at a caravan park in Naburn, just south of York.From our campsite in Naburn it was only a 5 min walk to the canal to catch the daily boat to the Roman city of York. Kewl huh?Walking down the streets of York. We found a great chocolate shop and a bakery where we bought pesto, mushroom and olive breads! mmm lunch :)Inside the huge cathedral in York.I don't see the resemblanceOur first view of York walking up from the river.There were so many boats along the canal on which people live and have tiny yards on the banks. Apparently it floods almost annually too!Here is the phone box that we rushed to have our phone interview with Funcom in. They asked if it had conference capabilities...we didn't think so :)Driving from York to The Lake District we stopped and had the best value lunch at an old stone gas station cafe. This was across the road.

The Lakes District

The best campsite we stayed at. Right on the banks of Lake Windermere. We paid £5 extra per night to camp on the banks but it was sooo worth it.Disposable bbqs are all the rage in Summer over here. Just like having a campfire with all that smoke!The view from our tent. You can just make out the mountains over the lake if ya squint :)This was definitely the highlight of our camping trip.We drove into a forest nearby and stopped here to have lunch and go to the toilet.Us having lunch (we took the cooker everywhere).Inside a church...Dan took this shot and I liked it :)Us sitting on the banks of our campsite enjoying a drink.It was a national trust campsite, complete with fields of sheep :)We said goodbye to Lake Windermere a few days later and headed off...Taking the scenic route along the way. Some of the roads were tiny and we had to pull right over to let cars pass.We stopped at Lake Ullswater for lunch.

From Melrose to Edinburgh via the Coast

We met up with Johnno in Melrose (about an hour south of Edinburgh) and spent the night there.So many abbeys!This is the manor...er...hostel we stayed in. The girl's room had too many snorers so I asked for another and got a room to myself! So the boys joined me.Enjoying a drink in the eating area. It was great to see John again!Back to the Future style?I like this photo.John did his bit for the heart foundation...but not for the general public with that hat :)Stopping at Berwick..on...somethingarather along the coast.Watch out Dan! It's a people catcher!It was great checking out a few of the towns...so many old stone walls!Another stop along the coast...it's...er...started with a 'D'?Oh no! The slime is coming!Relaxing with a cup of tea in EdinburghThat's not very Scottish! Oh wait...yeh it is :)Edinburgh...and my first encounter with Haggis, neeps and tatties :)Edinburgh castleJohn is a man that can cook and drink beer at the same time.

Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands

Heading off on our roadtrip...we stopped many times for a photo!Our first night was spent in Inverness.And this is Inverness!We ate at a Chinese restaurant...wow a restaurant! It felt so good to have a bottle of wine at dinner again :)We asked for a accommodation at the restaurant and got a room for the 3 of us. The room was ok, but everyone smoked in the hall and toilets!Our pillows left a lot to be desired.We hit the town and drank at this classy local karaoke pub.All together now...Donald where's ya troosers?Getting into it...As were they...These guys were a bit sad tho.'Happy little roadtrippers'Skimming rocks along the wayIt was drizzly this day but that felt so right in a place that rains 320 days out of the year (or so I'm told).We couldn't believe just how gorgeous everywhere we drove was.We drove up to Gairloch, north of Loch Ness and on the coast and stopped for lunch. Mmm smoked haddock and potato soup!Dan enjoyed his Steak n Ale pie.It was nice to sit indoors and watch the rainy coast outside.This was the pub we were just in.We then drove on along the coast...It was amazing to see how many small rivers were coming down the mountains and along the ground next to the road.Another stop along the coast...Yay for little islands!Aww who would've thought John and I would met up in Scotland?Another stop along the coast.I loved how diverse the landscapes were around every mountain!Some mountains were really grassy and others quite brown and muddy. Some covered by forest, some bare with lots of little rivers...u get the picture!Yay it's Loch Ness! We got here just before it was getting dark. This is a castle on the banks of Loch Ness.These red signs don't stop Dan!Us and the monster...can you spot it?Wow real food! After 2 months of pub food I splurged on this fresh loch salmon and it was SOOO good :)The next night we called up a Hostel from John's book and to our surprise it was really clean and comfortable. And our own room for only £13 each!Our room even had a shower!Sheep with tailsDriving down one of the small roadsBreakfast the next dayIt was a nice view and the ducks even joined us.Another skimming stop by a Loch.All day we drove past mountains and loches...I could never get bored of these!This island must've been an old cemetry. It was covered with headstones!John doing what john does best :)Welcome to my islandThis one is going in the pool room.Stopping yet again to admire the view.So much water around here!Our last stop was at Stirling...about 40 mins from Edinburgh.We didn't go in the Castle but you get a great view from up here.Here's the castle from the cows perspective.And we couldn't believe it when we found this parking spot right out the front of John's apartment! I've never seen so many double parked cars before!