Andy's World Tour of Europe 2000 Diary
Tuesday June 20, 2000
Today we setting off for Howard Castle (location of tv show Brideshead Revisited). Then on to Scarborough, Whitby (location of tv show Heartbeat) and Hexham. No B&B’s available in the Hexham area due to a nearby golf tournament so we drove on to Haltwhistle and found a nice place run by a young couple.
Wednesday June 21, 2000
Haltwhistle is famous for being the centre of Britain... it's about half way along Hadrians wall, and therefore halfway between the east and west coasts and half way between the north and south tips of Britain. Nearby, as I mentioned, is Hadrians Wall (or sections of it) built by the Romans to keep out the barbarians to the north. Somehow I don't think Hadrians wall would have kept the mad Scotts out if they'd been serious about an attack (it's not that high), but you never know...
There are several Roman ruins we stopped at including Cawfields and Vindolanda. Interesting to see these ruins because we’d recently been to Rome. Drove across the border into Scotland. First overnight stop, Edinburgh. We had a few hours left in the day to visit Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh was a fairly large place. The castle is right in the centre of the city, and has some spectacular views out over the city. They were already setting up for the military tattoo, which isn't until early August. We then walked the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (which by this time was shut). Holyrood is the Queens Scottish residence.
Thursday June 22, 2000
Today we travelled up the east coast of Scotland via Dundee and Aberdeen. Our intent had been to stay in Aberdeen overnight but both Aberdeen and Dundee are industrial towns, and not particularly attractive. It started raining and not looking that great so we kept going and drove straight onto Inverness. Just before arriving in Inverness we searched out (and got lost looking for it) a visit to Cawdor Castle. Overnighted at a B&B. I don’t think it got completely dark here as we were so far north.
Friday June 23, 2000
Inverness itself has no special attractions (that we could see), but the drive south along Loch Ness is quite magnificent. Stopped at impressive Urquhart Castle, also a popular monster-spotting location, where we were welcomed by a bagpiper. Stopped at several locations to get some photos but the weather is still not the best. We passed through a small place called Fort Augusta, which is on a canal between Loch Ness and Loch Oich, and has 4 locks plus a swing bridge to let boats travel from loch to loch. As we pulled into town several boats were just entering the first lock, and as a result we have some great video of the whole process taking place.
On to Fort William in the afternoon. Purple Rhododendrons grow seemingly wild all over the hillsides and along the roads, and at the moment they are all in bloom, making for a very pretty drive. Fort William is a beautiful place surrounded by rugged mountains (Ben Nevis) and a tranquil sea loch. Found a B&B (we’re in the attic again!) and then went train hunting. We followed the Jacobite steam train on its return into Fort William. It’s a regular service from Fort William to Mallaig and back, Monday to Friday. Naturally, we arrive on Friday afternoon, so we won’t get a ride, but we got some good video of it from several vantage points. I'm buggered if I know why they don't run the service on the weekends. You'd think the demand would be even higher then. Tonight we attended a Scottish dinner/show in town.
Saturday June 24, 2000
Before leaving Fort William we visited the Neptune’s Staircase on the outskirts of town. Drove to Oban for lunch then onto Inverary in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. After a short driving break we continued to Loch Lomond with Ben Lomond in the background. Stopped for the night at a Travelodge (Dumbarton) just before we got to Glascow. Tony wasn’t keen on driving through Glascow!
Sunday June 25, 2000
From Dumbarton we skirted Glascow and headed south. We stopped several times on our way through the beautiful English lake district ... Carlisle, Thirlmere, Windermere, Kendel, then through Lancaster and stopping overnight at Morcambe. Found a B&B at Morecambe on the seafront. Another lovely attic room. Had a meal at a restaurant called Fatty Arbuckles.
Monday June 26, 2000
Today we continued our journey south. First stop, Blackpool. We walked along the beach and looked at some of the crappy arcades that are everywhere you look. Walked out on the central pier. From Blackpool we headed for Wales, bypassing Liverpool. We stopped and toured the LLechwedd Slate Caverns that features an underground lake. Then drove onto Betws-Y-Coed. This it a truly lovely spot. Walked through the quiet village. Had a meal at the local pub, Welsh Lamb and Leek Pie. We had another great B&B host and another wonderful attic room! We’re getting fit climbing these stairs.