England and Wales - Aug to Sept 2024

We spent our final three weeks of our European trip back in England to catch up with friends and family we were not able to see when we were there at the beginning of the Summer.  As such, we bounced around a bit to align with people's calendars.  We flew from Switzerland to London and got a rental car for the entire time.  While here, we spent our time in the following locations.

Portsmouth - Steve

We spent one night at Steve's house which is a cute three story home that he recently bought.  He has two renters staying with him so he gave us his bedroom for the night while he slept on a twin mattress in another room.  After we arrived, we went for a walk around town and along the beach so he can show us the hot spots.  We then had dinner at Indian Cottage - after ten days of rosti and cheese dishes in Switzerland, we were quite ready for Indian.  We shared a few dishes - all quite yummy.

Walking around Portsmouth with Steve

The next morning, we went for another walk, this time going through the old part of town to see the fortress.  We had breakfast inside the Hotwalls Barracks at The Canteen which had great breakfast options.   

Romsey - Steve and His Parents

We drove to the Romsey area to have lunch with Steve's parents (Peter and Joyce), first stopping in the New Forest to walk a bit and to see the Rufus Stone which marks the death of King William II. We saw lots of sheep, horses, donkeys and pigs wondering around. We had lunch at The Bear and Ragged Staff, sharing a tasty trout dish with veggies.  Keith had not seen Steve's parents since 1992 so was great to see them again. We said our goodbyes to Steve and headed out to our next destination.

Lunch at The Bear and Ragged Staff with Steve, Peter and Joyce

Fleet / Guildford - Daphne and Dave

On our way to Daphne's house, we stopped at a National Trust site - The Vyne - to stretch our legs a bit.  We walked around the grounds for about 45 minutes. There are some nice trails through the forest there but we did not have the time to do them.  We stayed at Daphne and Dave's house for one night, which is a nice two story home.  Keith knows Daphne from his time at Surrey.  We sat outside in the backyard to catch up and then they made us a great dinner of meat and potato pie and lots of veggie dishes.  We also had pie and cake for dessert.  

Dinner at Daphne and Dave's House

The next morning, they also made us a traditional English breakfast with eggs, sausage, bacon, and mushrooms.  On our way to the next spot, we drove through the cute town of Farnham and then went to the University of Surrey so Keith could show Shawna his old stomping grounds - we walked around the campus and saw his dorm and the restaurant where he worked.  We also stopped at another National Trust Site - Hindheld Commons and Devils Punch Bowl - to walk around for an hour.  

In front of the restaurant Keith worked in at University of Surrey

East Grinstead / Haywards Heath Area

This leg of the trip was organized around going to dinner at the place where Keith's parents got engaged and to see one of the homes they lived in together after they first got married.  We were supposed to stay at the Cowdray Arms near Haywards Heath but on the way there, we noticed that the Google listing said it was permanently closed.  When we arrived, we found out that they had gone bankrupt and closed a few weeks prior.  Of course, we were never notified.  There was the new owner there who had just taken over but of course the property was not open yet and he could not help us since we had booked through Expedia.  So Shawna spent the next hour with Expedia getting our money back and also finding the next place to stay.

We ended up staying two nights at Ashdown Park Hotel, an old estate that was once a convent and is now a fancy old inn.  We lucked out to get a decent last minute deal. Our room was nice and comfortable with a beautiful view of the chapel from our window.  Breakfast was included which we had both mornings - great continental options with a choice of hot items as well.  We had dinner at the hotel the first night - eating at the casual restaurant option - Forest Brasserie - which was quite good.  We shared a mediterranean chicken dish and a mushroom ragout pasta. We spent the next day relaxing and catching up on admin stuff - taking a break to walk around the grounds of the hotel.  

Ashdown Park Hotel

The last night, we had dinner at Gravetye Manor which is the place where Keith's parents got engaged. Turns out it is also a Michelin star restaurant. We went early to walk around the grounds including the walled kitchen garden which was pretty cool. We then had a cocktail, sitting outside in the back courtyard.  Dinner was fantastic and really exceeded our expectations.  The dining room was really nice - very open with large glass windows overlooking the gardens.  They offered a three course menu with choice of appetizer, main and dessert but then supplemented it with extra courses throughout - so in all it was more like a ten course meal. We each chose different dishes so we could try more things and loved it all.  We also got a wine pairing which was three different glasses that were paired with each of our courses. During our dessert, we were surprised with a glass each of port and a card from Keith's parents - they had called ahead to order this for us which was so nice! Overall, a definite treat of an evening!

Gravetye Manor

The next morning, we packed up and drove by Keith's parents in Haywards Heath at 3 Ottafield Court.  They lived there for a year before they moved to the States in the apartment downstairs.  We then drove on to our next stop.

Jean and Dick's house in Haywards Heath

Birmingham - Charlie and Lena

We had lunch just south of Birmingham at The Red Lion where we met up with Dave and Helen - Keith worked with Dave at Kandersteg in 1990 and had not seem them for 35 years.  We had a nice long lunch with them and then drove to Charlie and Lena's house where we stayed for four nights.  

Lunch with Dave and Helen at The Red Lion

Charlie and Lena live in a wonderful, three story house in Moseley which is a suburb of Birmingham. We had our own room and bathroom above the kitchen. We met their two adorable kids - Felix and Rania, who were 5 and 3 respectively.  Keith had met Felix just 10 days after he was born.  And it turns out that Felix turned 5 while we were there so we were able to join in on the festivities.  

Horsing around with Felix and Rania

When we arrived, we had some champagne and then had dinner at their house - Lena made a wonderful lamb and egglant dish with salad.  The next day, we went to the Moseley Folk Festival with the kids and then returned there in the evening without the kids (they got a babysitter).  We listened to music, drank beer and ate some great festival food.  

Moseley Folk Festival

On Saturday, Felix had his birthday party where he had several of his friends and their parents come.  We spent the day helping to prep for the party and then clean up afterwards.  That evening, Charlie made more pizza with the leftover ingredients from the party and we chilled at the house.  

Felix's Birthday Party

On Sunday, we went to Sutton Park and walked around with some time for the kids to also play on the playground.  We stopped at the grocery store and bought some cheese and crackers and then had a picnic at a nearby park, Moseley Bog.  That evening, we had tasty salmon with rice and salad that was prepared by Charlie and Lena.  We left Monday morning. 

Picnic at Moseley Bog

Gerrards Cross - Ian and Val

We drove to Ian and Val's apartment, located northwest of London, to have lunch with them.  We first stopped to get them flowers.  We had a great visit with them, catching them up on all of our travels. Val had several items for us to eat - salads, meats, cheeses, sausage rolls and trifle for dessert.  

Lunch with Ian and Val

On our way to our next stop, we stopped for an hour at the National Trust Watlington Hill site to stretch our legs.  The walk was not the greatest but had a few spots of nice scenery.  

Oxford Area / Wheatley - Susie

We stayed for two nights at Susie's apartment, located in Wheatley just outside of Oxford.  Keith knows Susie from his time in Kandersteg at the Scout Center.  She has a nice two bedroom apartment above a cafe in a cute village.  We arrived early evening and she made us a delicious meal of chicken with prosciutto, roasted potatoes and stir fried zucchini.

The next day, we went to Blenheim Palace, birthplace of William Churchill.  We toured the palace and then walked around the grounds.  We also had lunch there, each having a yummy salad! The palace was very nice. When we got back to her apartment, we went for a walk around town. That evening, we had dinner at Cinnamons - an Indian restaurant a block away.  We shared a few dishes for the table - all very good. We left the next morning.

Blenheim Palace

Highclere Castle

We spent the day at Highclere Castle - the place where Downton Abby was filmed.  We had bought tickets in advance which included a tour of the castle, walking the grounds and afternoon tea.  We first went inside the castle which is a self-guided tour - we got to see rooms on three of the floors and in those rooms that were used for filming, they had displays indicating what the room was used for in the show.  The best room was the main hall. Our ticket also got us into the Egyptian Exhibit which is where we learned at the the 4th Earl of the house funded the excavation that led to the discovery of King Tut! There were some artifacts (replicas) from the discovery. We then walked the grounds which are beautiful with rolling hills and huge trees. We ended our time with the afternoon tea which they served in the Coach House - it included a glass of champagne, coffee or tea and sandwiches, cakes and scones with clotted cream and jam.  The food was better than we expected.

Highclere Castle

Afternoon Tea at Highclere

Aston Clinton - John and Peggy

We arrived at John and Peggy's house late afternoon, a nice two story home located in a small village, and spent one night there.  We chatted with them for a while and had a glass of wine before Nikki picked us all up to go to dinner.  We went to The Artisan where we met with Nathan (Nikki's husband), Giles and his girlfriend and Nikki's two daughters who we had not yet met.  The food was quite good - we each got the lamb skewers.  It was a very nice evening. We left early the next morning after chatting with them over a cup of coffee.

Dinner with John and Peggy and family at The Artisan

Cambridge

We spent one night in Cambridge at the University Arms hotel which is a Marriott hotel (we got it for free).  We got there early and the room was not ready so we walked around town, stopping by to see Emmanuel College (where Ewan went), Peterhouse College (where Ian went) and King and Trinity Colleges.  We had a light lunch of salads at the Copper Kettle and then walked for two hours along the River Cam.  For dinner, we had yummy Indian at The Tiffin Truck which was just across the street from our hotel.

Peterhouse College

King College

Stratford St Mary (Colchester, Essex) - Rachel and Oliver

We arrived mid-day at Rachel and Oliver's house - a nice two story home in a small village outside of Colchester.  That afternoon, we went kayaking on the river which is across the street from their house.  We paddled upstream for about 45 minutes and then stopped to have a picnic lunch of cheese and bread along the bank of the river.  We then paddled back and popped into their local pub, The Swan, (which was very nice) to have a beer. That evening, we had dinner at their house - a tasty chicken curry - joined by Emma and her friend. 

Kayaking

The next day, we saw both of the girls (Amy and Emma) in the morning, albeit briefly.  We drove to Orford, stopping first at Honey & Harvey in Melton to have brunch.  We sat outside and had a yummy avocado toast.  In Orford, we took a nice, one hour, narrated boat trip up the River Alde with Suffolk River Trips - we saw the nearby preserve along with birds and some WWII buildings.  We then walked around town, stopping to see the Orford Castle and St Bartholomew's Church.  We stopped at The Kings Head to have a beer before driving back to their house.  That evening, we had dinner at The Crown, a really nice pub and inn that is owned by the company at which Oliver works.  The meal was fantastic - we shared a few apps for the table and then the two of us shared a fish dish.  

Boat trip on River Alde in Orford

Brown family - Oliver, Amy, Emma and Rachel

We left the next morning after chatting over coffee.

Ledbury

We stayed two nights in a cottage in a tiny village, Aylton, which is near the town of Ledbury.  We booked the cottage (we stayed in Long Barn - part of White House Holiday Cottages) on AirBnB but you can also book direct.  The place was really cute - it was a two bedroom with a great bathroom and a nice sized kitchen/living room.  We would definitely stay here again. It took us about 4 hours to get there from Rachel and Oliver's - we stopped along the way to stock up on groceries and then arrived around 3pm.  We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening relaxing and catching up. That night, Shawna made lamb and roasted potatoes (pre-made from Waitrose grocery) - it was very good.

Our cabin

The next day, we did a 11 mile, 2.3K elevation gain hike in the Malvern Hills that took us a bit over 4 hours.  The first half of the hike was really nice - crossing the ridges of the hills.  The first part of the return was also nice - forested and shaded on a well groomed path.  It was only the last 2-3 miles that were not as great.  That said, we really enjoyed it. That evening, Shawna made salad with salmon - she was happy to be cooking again!

Hike - Malvern Hills

The following morning, we had breakfast and then drove into Ledbury just to check out the town.  It's quite cute with Tudor style buildings.  We then went to Hereford to check out the cathedral - it's a beautiful place.  There is an exhibit where we saw the chain book library - they used to chain all of the important books so that they would not go missing.  There was also the Mappa Mundi, a very old map of the world that dates back to medieval times - claims to be the oldest map of the world that was drawn on sheeps skin. We also walked around the National Trust - Weir Gardens for about 40 minutes - pretty grounds.

Hereford Cathedral

Mappa Mundi at Hereford Cathedral

Hay-on-Wye (Wales) - Steve, Al and Meg

We met up with Steve, Al, Meg and Meg's friend Holly at Brobury House and Gardens for lunch.  We had a pretty good tart and a soda bread with cheese.  We walked around the grounds which were pretty.  We then went into town, walked around and got settled into our AirBnB - a three story town house right in town.  The place was great. That evening, we hung out at the house and then went to dinner at Red Indigo, an Indian restaurant in town. We shared several entrees for the table - all tasty.  

Hanging out in the living room of our AirBnB

The next day, we did a 4.3 miles, 1.6K elevation gain hike up the tallest mountain in Southern Wales, Pen Y Fan.  The hike took us 1 hour and 45 minutes.  It was very windy and raining so it was quite cold going up but then it started to clear on the way down and got to see some nice views.  We stopped for lunch at The Old Barn Inn, a pub about 10 minutes outside of town.  We each had a burger which was just OK.  We then went on a two hour kayak down the canal - it rained for a bit of it but it was still very pretty.  We had intended on doing the kayaks down the river but it was too high so we did the canal instead.  We had wine/cheese/crackers at the house and played around of Monopoly deal before dinner.  And for dinner, we went to the Old Black Lion, a nice pub in town, where we shared a tasty fish dish.  

Hike up Pen Y Fan

Kayaking

The following day, the rest of the gang with horse back riding while Keith and Shawna walked around the market in town, picking up snacks to have later on and then did a 4.5 mile, 1.5 hour walk outside of town in the foothills and across farmland.  The walk was nice, with views of the town and surrounding area - although, the path was not always obvious, we had our trusty All Trails app to guide us.  Shawna had an EYC board meeting in the afternoon which she did from the house and then we joined the group for a drink at the Hay Distillery - not the best drinks.  We 'pre-gamed' again at the house with wine/cheese/crackers and Monopoly deal and then had dinner at Tomatitos, a tapas place in town, where we shared a bunch of dishes for the table - some were tasty but not all.  

View from our hike

The gang at Hay Distillery

We all left the next morning.

Corhampton - Rachel and Quentin

Our original plan was to stay at Rachel and Quentin's house for one night but she had surgery on her neck a couple of weeks prior and was still not able to talk very well.  So, instead, we met them at their house and then walked to a nearby pub, The Bucks Head, to have lunch.  We shared a pizza which was very tasty.  We then walked back to their place and drove to our next destination.  The visit was short but nice to see them both. 

Lunch with Rachel and Quentin at Bucks Head

London Heathrow

We got to our hotel, Courtyard Marriott, near Heathrow early evening on Friday.  We stayed here three nights - comfortable, clean room.  We returned the car and walked back to the hotel and had dinner at their rooftop Indian restaurant which was pretty good for a hotel restaurant.  

The next day, we caught up on admin, went to the gym and then had dinner at The Fat Duck, a three Michelin star restaurant located about 30 minutes from our hotel.  Graham had recommended this place as they make really good triple cooked fries but also the chef is well known for making very creative dishes.  We went early to walk around the town which is very small and cute.  We had the Journey tasting menu which was a tribute to the chef's famous dishes over the years (they were celebrating their 30th anniversary) and we also got the wine tasting.  Dinner was weird to say the least - for example, we had to wear headphones during one course listening to the sound of waves while eating and in another course we had to put on eye masks while someone whispered to us! The food was equally weird - there is probably complexity to the dishes that we did not fully appreciate.  That said, a few of the dishes were quite good! Overall, we are glad we went but don't need to rush back!

Dinner at Fat Duck

Our final day, we did more admin and went to the gym.  We then headed into London via bus/train to meet up with Ewan, Sharon, Madeline and Lewis. We first met at Booking Office 1869 for drinks where we had a few bottles of champagne.  We then had dinner at Bao Kings Cross, an Asian restaurant where we shared several dishes for the table.  

Dinner at Bao Kings Cross with Ewan, Sharon and the kids

UK Trip with Dodds Family - June 2024

Keith's family joined us in the UK for a two week trip.  After our weekend in London, we took the train to Edinburgh and met up with his family there to start the trip.  We were blessed with really wonderful weather for most of the trip!!

Family photo in Berwick

Edinburgh, Scotland

We stayed at Kirsty's apartment for one night before the rest of the crew arrived.  She has a two bedroom flat a few minutes away from downtown. We walked into town and went to dinner with her at Howie's where we had some yummy mussels and a fish entree - cute place. We then walked up Calton Hill to see the views of the town and had a drink at Barony Bar before walking back to her place.  

Dinner with Kirsty at Howie's

Calton Hill

The next morning, we went for a walk/run along the water and then packed up to head to the airport to pick up our rental car and to meet up with Keith's family.  Unfortunately their flights to London were all delayed so they got booked on later flights and we met them later in the day at the Kelpies.

Kinross, Scotland Area

Accommodation

AirBnB - We rented a six bedroom house for three nights in Balgedie near the town of Kinross, about 30 miles north of Edinburgh. The house was amazing - a beautiful estate-like home with a large lawn and updated rooms inside.  All of the bedrooms were upstairs - we had a nice sized room with our own bath with great views of the lake.  Downstairs had two living rooms, a very large kitchen/dining room, an office and laundry room.  The kids really liked the zipline and trampoline on the grounds! If we ever want to rent it again we can book directly through this site. 

AirBnB near Kinross

Activities

Keith's family arrived later than planned due to flight delays so we picked up our rental car from Edinburgh Airport and drove to Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots.  There was a festival in town so many of the streets were blocked off so we had to park a bit outside and walk into town. We walked around inside the castle and then around the lake. 

Linlithgow Palace

We then drove to see the Kelpies, giant metal structures of two horses - we met up with Keith's family here. Our last activity of the day was a boat ride for an hour on a canal that took us up and down the Falkirk Wheel, a structure that rotates to lift boats to connect two canals.  Very cool invention - we were surprised at how smooth the ride was! While on the boat, we learned about the wheel and the canals. After this, we drove to our rental house and got settled in.

Kelpies

Falkirk Wheel

Each morning, we had breakfast at the house - Graham made eggs and bacon that we ate on rolls.  Before breakfast, we went for a walk/run on the Loch Leven Path which goes around the lake for 13 miles.  We did not do the whole thing but did a short bit as it took about 10 minutes to walk to the path from our house.  The path is well done and has amazing views of the lake and the surrounding hills.  

View to Loch Leven from our rental house

We spent a day in St Andrews, where there is a university in the same name and is famous for its golf courses.  We played 'putt putt' -golf on the Himalayas course which is not the same as putt putt in the US.  It's essentially a short 18 whole course where you are putting into the greens - so no windmills!! We had a blast doing it and of course the stuck up golfers did not appreciate our loud American selves!!  We then walked around the town seeing the university, castle (where we went inside) and cathedral.

St Andrews Golf

St Andrews Cathedral

And for the real reason we went on this trip (aside from just wanting to spend time together), we did a day trip to Isle of May via a zodiac boat to see puffins.  We were worried we would not see any - well that was not a problem as there were thousands of them!  On the boat ride there, we rode around the island before landing, seeing the cute seals in the water who seemed quite curious of us.  When we got off the boat, we had to quickly walk to the rest area spot to avoid getting dive bombed by the Arctic Tern birds who were protecting their young! It was quite hilarious to watch as they tended to pick on the tallest person, in this case Keith, so he would put a water bottle on top of his head so that they would peck at that instead! We walked around most of the island which had lush green hills and steep rocky cliffs.  We saw plenty of sea gulls, black gulls and razorbills - but the main event was definitely the puffins! At one point, we set out a cheese board with bread for our lunch/snack - was quite interesting to eat this while watching the birds!

Puffin with fish in it's mouth

Isle of May

One night, we hosted several of family and friends that live nearby to join us for dinner at the Muir Inn (see below) - Val, Heather, David, Linda, Dave, Gill, Richard, Lorraine, Kirsty, Patty, and Al were there.  We had a lovely time catching up.  After dinner, they all came back to the house to check it out and chat some more. 

Dinner with local family and friends at Muirs Inn

Restaurants

Aran - Cute cafe located in Linlithgow - we had a yummy toastie and salad for lunch. 

Muirs Inn - Nice restaurant located in Kinross.  We had dinner twice - the first night was a 'practice' night for the second night when we hosted everyone for dinner - mainly to check out the place and to meet the manager. On this night, we shared the mussels and pork chop.  For the second night, we both had the tomato/mozz salad for an appetizer and Shawna had steak while Keith had the lamb shank.  Food was pretty good.

North Point Cafe - Cute cafe in St Andrews where we stopped for lunch.  We shared a yummy soup and toastie.  The soup was very good!

Jannettas Gelateria - Really cute ice cream shop in St Andrews where we had possibly the best gelato ever - Keith had salted caramel and Shawna had honeycomb.

Elie Deli - Stopped here for cheese on the way to Anstruther for the boat trip to Isle of May.  Nice selection.

GH Barnett - Bakery in Anstruther where we stopped for rolls and scones to take on the island with us.

Waterfront Hotel - Cute place in Anstruther where we had an early dinner after the boat trip.  We had mussels and fish - both good!

Bamburgh, England Area

Accommodation

VRBO - We rented a eight bedroom house for six nights in the town of Bamburgh, about 15 miles south of Berwick.  The house was really large with each person getting their own bedrooms with large beds and ensuite baths except Josie and Lily who shared a twin room. There was a very large kitchen and living room with two bedrooms on the main floor and then bedrooms on the top two floors above with a separate wing of bedrooms on another side of the house.  The house overall was nice but lacked some kitchenware, had one of those washer/dryer combos that are never really good and was on the main road so was a bit loud with traffic during the day.  But it was comfortable and had amazing views of the castle across the street.  If we ever wanted to rent it again, we could book directly through this site.  

Bamburgh Castle - view across the street from our rental house

Activities

On our way down to Berwick, we stopped at Rosslyn Chapel which was featured in the movie Davinci Code.  We then drove into Berwick to walk around and see many of the sites there - we walked along the city walls, saw the old bridge, climbed atop the ruins of the castle (much to the dismay of another woman who scolded us), walked by Jean's old house, saw the workshop that Jean's dad owned and then walked along the pier. 

Rosslyn Chapel

Climbing the castle ruins in Berwick

Outside Jean's dad's building in Berwick

We spent the day walking around the beach and the castle near our house and then drove to Craster to walk the Northumberland Coastal Path to Seahouses.  We stopped to walk around the Dunstanburgh Castle and continued on with many people bailing at Newton where we had left one of the cars.  Margaret, Josie and Shawna made it to Seahouses, walking 11 miles in total.  The scenery was beautiful but we were quite tired when we were done!

Dunstanburgh Castle

We did a three hour boat trip to the Farne Islands where we rode the boat around the islands and then landed on one of the islands to walk around for an hour.  There were so many birds and of course puffins.  This time the Arctic Turns were even more aggressive, pecking each of us on our heads - one landed on Shawna's heads for a few seconds and another pecked Josie so hard she started to bleed a little!! The puffins were great here as we could get closer to them - they were walking around their nests which are holes in the ground and some even walked across the paths we were walking on.  

Farne Islands

We then drove down to Warkworth Castle which was quite impressive with large rooms.  We walked around the castle and then walked along the river and into the cute town of Warkworth.  

Warkworth Castle

Margaret, Keith and the kids rented bikes in Alnwick and biked all the way to Warkworth Castle.  Shawna stayed at the house with Jean and Dick and relaxed.  We went into Berwick to check out an exhibit about the 400th anniversary of the bridge - it was a pretty small exhibit so we did not stay for long.  We then did a 2.5 hour private boat trip in the early evening up the Tweed River and then around the Berwick lighthouse so that we could see views of the towns.  The driver narrated the tour, informing us about some of the sights and the fishing on the river.  The river was quite pretty!

Bike ride

View of the old Berwick bridge and castle from the boat trip

On our last day, we finally got a bit of rain but not too bad.  We toured the Bamburgh Castle which has lots of artifacts inside.  We went to the honey farm for lunch (see below) and walked across the Chain Bridge which is the oldest suspension bridge and had been refurbished since the last time we were there.  We took a few photos to replicate ones we took from seven years ago with the kids! We also went back into Berwick to walk around the walls and to see the Lowry paintings - famous painter from Berwick who painted different scenes from the town.  We then drove to Tillmouth which is now closed and is privately owned - we were able to drive up and take a picture but we didn't really walk around.  We ended the day with a walk (one mile each way) to the Duddo Five Stones which are like a mini Stone Hinge on a farm.

Duddo Stones

Chain Bridge

Restaurants

S Luca - Famous ice cream shop in Musselburgh outside of Edinburgh.  Had some nice salted caramel ice cream.  Keith's family used to go here when they were kids visiting Berwick.

Black Swan Inn - Cute place in Seahouses, about three miles from our rental house.  We had dinner here - probably one of the best of the trip.  We shared a pate appetizer and then had the seafood curry which was super tasty!

Jolly Fisherman Inn - Cute place in Craster - we stopped here for lunch.  It was quite crowded so we sat outside and had crab soup.  

Insieme Restaurant and Pizzeria - Located in Seahouses, we had dinner here - good pizza!

Sherkahn - Located in Alnwich, we had dinner here.  Ordered a few apps for the table and then got a lamb curry for our dinner.  The food was pretty good - our lamb was not very spicy though.  

Indian Brasserie - Located in Seahouses, we had dinner here.  Better than Sherkahn.  We ordered a few apps for the table and we shared a lamb vindaloo which was nice and spicy!

Chain Bridge Honey Farm - Great farm outside of Berwick that sells honey items - Jean knows the owner (Daphne is the daughter of Jean's mother's friend).  We had lunch here - we each got a very tasty tomato soup and then a lemon drizzle cake!

Lord Crewe - Cute inn/ restaurant located in Bamburgh, just a short walk from our house, we had dinner here.  Food was pretty good. We had mussels for an appetizer (which was not great) and duck for entree which was great!

Chester, England Area

Accommodation

Rowton Poplars Hotel - A small hotel located outside of Chester.  We stayed here for three nights, each getting our own room.  Our room was super tiny but the bed was comfortable!

Activities

We packed up from our AirBnB in Bamburgh to drive to Chester.  Along the way, we stopped at Housesteads Roman Fort where we say the remains of a fort that was pretty impressive and walked a small part of Hadrian's Wall.  Shawna, unfortunately, woke up not feeling well (other members of the family had Covid a few days prior) so she went to the fort but skipped the walk. We arrived in Chester late afternoon so unpacked and everyone went to dinner (except for Shawna) where we hosted another friends/family gathering (see restaurant info below).  This one was attended by Joyce, Rachel, Lewis, Jenny and Rob.

Houseteads Roman Fort

We spend the day doing a Canal Boat Ride which was Shawna's favorite event of the trip!  We hired our own boat and rode from Trevor to Chirk and back, stopping in Chirk for lunch.  We rode across two aqueducts, one being the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and through two tunnels. Each kid took turns driving with Keith doing most of the driving.  The kids also helped with other activities, like helping to keep the boat from bumping the sides of the canal and using a crank to lift a foot bridge so we could pass under it.  The day started out a bit rainy but then got nice.  It was really cool going through the canals and then hopping off the boat to walk along the path - often times walking faster than the boat could go!  There were a few people on other boats who were not patient with us but many people on the river were quite nice and amused with us! On the way back, the two of us stopped in Wrexham to take a photo of the stadium and to have a beer at The Turf which is right next to the stadium.

Canal boat trip in Wales

Turf Bar in Wrexham

Our final day in the area was spent doing a Beatles extravaganza in Liverpool where they grew up.  We first started with the two hour Beatles Magical Mystery Bus Tour which took us to sights from their early beginnings and was narrated by a funny tour guide.  We got out at three stops to take photos.  We then had lunch at the Cavern Restaurant (see below) across from the Cavern Club where they played for a few years.  Lastly, we went through the Beatles Museum which has a pretty good set up telling their story to fame and then also when they split up and parted ways.  After this, we went into Chester and walked around the walls and saw a bit of the Tudor style buildings and shops in the downtown area.  

Beatles Tour

Restaurants

Tebay Services Southbound - This is a rest stop on the way to Chester that is apparently famous in England.  They have a really nice store and cafe.  We got a steak pie and some mac-n-cheese - pretty good.

Hartford Hall Hotel - We hosted dinner for a few local friends/family.  Jean and Dick had been here a few times before with Joyce.  The food was good and the waitress was good "putting up" with the large group.

Family/friend dinner at Hartford Hall

Costa Coffee - We stopped here each morning for coffee and pastries.  Pretty good for a chain.  

Poachers - Located in Chirk right off the canal, we stopped here for lunch while on our boat trip. We shared a yummy soup and salad.

Arkle - Michelin star restaurant located in Chester in the Chester Grosvener hotel.  Really nice place (although on the fancy side).  We all went here for dinner except the kids who stayed at the hotel to have dinner.  We started out in the lounge with some drinks and canapés and then sat in the main dining room for a five course tasting menu, along with wine pairings.  The food was really good, especially the pea starter and the lamb entree.  

Dinner at Arkle

Cavern Club - Very busy place in Liverpool next to where the Beatles used to perform - we had lunch here - not the best food. 

Rowton Poplars Hotel - restaurant in our hotel in Chester.  Cute place. Had shrimp and greek kabob with sticky toffee pudding - tasty. 

Wimbeldon, England Area

Accommodation

Travel Lodge - Located a few miles outside of Wimbledon, we stayed here for two nights (while the rest of the Dodds family stayed one night. Our room was quite small but it was clean and fairly modern.  

Activities

On our drive down to Wimbledon, we drove through a few insanely cutesy towns in the Cotswolds.  We first stopped at Bourton-on-the-Water where we walked around a bit.  We then tried to stop in Bibury but there was no parking and we didn't have a ton of time so we just drove through it.  We definitely will be back to spend more time in that area.  This day was Jean's birthday so we also went to the oldest pub in the UK (see below) for dinner before checking into our hotel.  Keith dropped off Boone and Graham at Heathrow where they stayed one night before flying out the next day.

Bourton-on-the-Water

The main event for this part of the trip was to go to Wimbledon.  Keith, Margaret and Owen had gone the night before to scout out how many people were camping out to determine what time we should get up to join the queue - they found out that there were already about 1200 campers and thus only about 300 bracelets left for the good courts which guarantees you a seat at either center court, court 1 or court 2.  After they are done with the bracelets, then you can get grounds passes where you can go to any of the other courses but are not guaranteed seats.  We got up super early and arrived at Wimbledon Park at 3:50 AM - we got our queue card and then set down a blanket that Jean had purchased and waited in line for about 4 hours before the line started to move towards the entrance.  While waiting, we napped, played cards, browsed the internet and had coffee and breakfast sandwiches from one of the food trucks. Thankfully, it was not raining and not too cold!

Waiting on the queue for tickets at Wimbledon!

As we got closer to the entrance, some stewards came by and said they had 7 bracelets left to court 2 - but there was 8 of us.  So they told Owen that when we got to the entrance, to ask for a specific steward and that person would get him in to court 2. When he did that, they told him they didn't have anymore court 2 bracelets but could get him into court 1 - what a score b/c his favorite tennis player was going to play at that court! So we paid, went inside and all of us went to court 2 while Owen spent the day at court 1. By this point, it was a bit after 10 am (this is how long it took from getting in the queue to wait until we got past paying for our tickets!!) and the first matches started at 11 am.

Family photo at Wimbledon

It was so great to have a specific seat b/c then you could get up to get food or go to the bathroom and not have to wait in line to re-enter (except you had to wait in a short line to wait for the players to break). We watched three of the four matches: Dimitrov v Lajovic (Dimitrov won), Wawrinka v Broom (Wawrinka won) and Osaka v Parry (Osaka won).  During the matches, we had a few Pimms drinks (so good), a Cornish pasty (pretty good) and the obligatory strawberries and cream (good but did not live up to the hype)! It was so great to experience this!

Enjoying every moment at Wimbledon!

We said our goodbyes to everyone - Jean and Dick went off to London with Lily where they planned to stay a few more days and treat Lily to shows in the city for her graduation gift.  Margaret, Owen and Josie stayed for the fourth game and then they when to Heathrow to stay one more night before they flew out the next morning.  

Restaurants

Gloucester Services Southbound - Another 'rest stop' with a nice cafe and market - we stopped here on our drive down to Wimbledon and had a light lunch.  

Royal Standard of England - Touted as the oldest freehold pub in the UK, we stopped here for dinner for Jean's birthday. It's in Beaconsfield about an hour outside of London.  Since it was a Sunday, they featured 'roasts' - so we had a roast trio of lamb, beef and pork with Yorkshire pudding and veggies.  We also had a few appetizers for the table and shared a few desserts.  Quaint place with pretty good food.