Kilometres Walked : 15

Friday 25th August, 2023.

Well it’s officially a week until we arrive back Australia now. On one hand I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and getting down to the farm but also on the other I still feel like there is so much more to see. I guess that means we will just have to come back! It’s a big, big world out there and it’s so much fun exploring it and immersing yourself in a different culture and listening to another language and savouring the different food and wine.

Today though was exploration day around Stratford Upon Avon. Most people would visit here to see where Shakespeare was born and penned his famous plays. Us on the other hand really enjoyed the television show ‘Shakespeare & Hathaway’ which is a private detective show set in Stratford amongst the fabulous architecture. I have always wanted to visit here since watching the show. Yes it’s very interesting as well that Shakespeare was born here and is buried here (apparently without his head🤷‍♀️) go figure, but as much as I enjoy a good play I am not obsessed with Shakespeare in the least.

The architecture here in Stratford though is just delightful. Endless streets of medieval buildings draw you in and make you forget how far you have walked because your so busy taking photographs of everything. To start the day we very excitedly were able to offer help to a couple who were travelling through the lock in their canal boat. What a fantastic and fun way to spend a couple of weeks indeed.

It was a fabulous day walking around the streets gawping at all the beautiful old buildings. I just love this style of architecture and love the huge hanging baskets of flowers everywhere. I have now also discovered that I love conservatory’s. They are absolutely amazing. If it wasn’t so hot in Australia I would definitely build one. (It would basically be a sauna in Oz) Here though in the UK it’s perfect. It has started to rain this afternoon but it is just awesome sitting here typing away in the conservatory watching the rain pound the glass ceiling and walls. I absolutely love it!

Kilometres Walked : Tuesday – 4.9, Wednesday – 11, Thursday – 10

Thursday 24th August, 2023.

Spending the last few days at Easington in our little converted Church was exactly what the doctor ordered. Rest and recuperation after all our travels and hiking. And after many daily beach walks, sleeping in, reading books, watching a few movies and enjoying an aperitif every afternoon in the glorious sunshine we have finally recharged the batteries. Now for the last little leg of our travels before boarding that plane and heading back to Oz!

Just managing to pack all of our belongings into our bags🤪, we headed off this morning for the home of Shakespeare. Stratford Upon Avon is our home for the next two nights, and what a quaint and pretty place it is. On the way though we stopped for a wander through another very beautiful town, Warwick. Seeing as we drive through our own Warwick every time we head to the farm we thought it fitting that we call into this one!

What a beautiful little town Warwick was. So much medieval architecture and the pots of colour everywhere were just fabulous. Very quintessential English countryside scenery indeed.

We still can’t believe how great the weather is. 25 degrees today☀️. Arriving into Stratford Upon Avon we were delighted once again at the super cute buildings lining the streets and the very pretty Avon River snaking its way through town with beautiful big parks either side of it. Enjoying a lovely evening stroll through the park and alongside the canal, we found a great little pub right on the river for a pint of cider.

Gotta love a big conservatory especially here in the United Kingdom. What a wonderful way to bring the outside in all year round especially when it’s a little dull and cold outside. I can imagine filling one with lots of lush indoor plants and enjoying my morning coffee looking out to the garden and up at the sky☕️. Looking forward to spending the day exploring Stratford tomorrow and possibly go see a play!

Kilometres Walked : Sunday – 10, Monday – 12.

Monday 21st August, 2023.

Yesterday was another lovely slow start. After lunch we wandered out to the beach once again and walked a little further this time to Kilnsea, a small Hamlet further down the road. With more blue skies the beach was busy with visitors out enjoying the sunshine and also riding their horses along the waters edge. It gave a new meaning to seahorses. Just before we arrived at the Kilnsea end of the beach we spotted a small grey seal having a lazy rest in the sun. With it’s big doey eyes staring back at us we almost felt sorry for it being so young and on its own, but on the way back he had started to make his way back to the water which made us happy. He or she was very cute. With more ruined gun turrets and outbuildings along the beach right around to Kilnsea you can definitely see what the place would have been like during the war.

Making our way around the beach in front of the Kilnsea Caravan Park we could see how much erosion has occurred on the cliffs. It’s the same at Easington as well. Quite a few vans have had to be moved so they don’t drop off the edge and turn into houseboats. Just a little scary when you are the one with sea views. We wandered through the little hamlet which was just a few houses and of course a Pub, then back down through the nature reserve and back onto the beach to head back to Easington. In one of the paddocks was a Sound Mirror from the War. This listening dish was used as an early warning device in the First World War to detect approaching Zeppelins. Very clever.

Blue skies above once again for our little adventure to Spurn Point today. Spurn Point is Yorkshire’s very own Lands End, just a little further past Kilnsea. A constantly moving peninsular which curves between the Humber Estuary and The North Sea. Always at the mercy of the elements the landscape is constantly changing and provides a fabulous days outing depending on the tides. Due to a storm in 2013 the road down to the end of Spurn became impassable to vehicles at high tide and also to walkers, so you need to plan your visit accordingly. Luckily for us not only did we have fantastic weather but high tide was at 9am so that allowed us plenty of daytime to walk out and back.

A lovely day was had enjoying the sun on our bare limbs, walking along the beach, spotting another seal frolicking in the water, spotting various sea birds, watching some big ships come in through the entrance to Hull, finding colourful pebbles on the sand, enjoying the scenery and finally finishing off with a coffee and a millionaire’s shortbread at the Discovery Centre.😋 (shortbread with caramel and chocolate on top)

Kilometres Walked : Friday – 4.3, Saturday – 8.5

Saturday 19th August, 2023.

It’s hard to believe we will be back in the land of Oz in two weeks. After catching up with family and staying at Lucy’s gorgeous little house in Newcastle we picked up our hire car and headed to the seaside for a few days of rest and relaxation. Our bodies are definitely tired now after being on the go for the last five and a half months and with the amount of walking and hiking we have tallied up. Yesterday was our travel day with a three and half hour drive to our destination. Easington on the east coast has no shops at all so we called into Hull to stock up on groceries on the way so that we don’t have to go anywhere for a few days. Our beautiful accommodation is a converted Methodist Chapel that was originally built in 1850. The current owners have done a fabulous job converting it using the church pews in the bedrooms and throughout the place and also keeping the pulpit.

Today was the slowest start we have had yet and I think we really needed it. After lunch we eventually went for a stroll around the village admiring the cute cottages and lovely church in the middle of the town. What we noticed were how many of the buildings have been built with round stones and how fantastic they look.

After our little wander through the very cute village we then walked down to the beach for a nice stroll and to enjoy the sunshine.

It’s been a lovely relaxing day enjoying the sunshine and the quiet, and a cold beer sitting in the sun watching the world go by.

Kilometres Walked : Monday – 12.6, Tuesday – 3.4, Wednesday – 10.9, Thursday- 17

Thursday 17th August, 2023.

With no rain in sight on Monday morning we took the opportunity to climb Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is an ancient volcano which is the main peak in a group of hills in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park. Holyrood Park is a 650 acre park in the middle of Edinburgh behind Holyrood Palace which was a former 12th century royal hunting estate. With many varied walking trails there is something for everyone to escape the city yet only minutes from the city itself. With fabulous views over Edinburgh and across to the sea it was a wonderful way to start the day.

After heading back to the flat for lunch we spent the afternoon wandering about and visiting the museum to see the Lewis Chessman pieces. We had wanted to see the ones that are in the London museum but that room was being renovated so we missed out but luckily enough 9 of the pieces are at the Royal Museum of Scotland. The Isle of Lewis Chessman are a group of distinctive 12th century chess pieces made of walrus ivory. They are very intricately carved and it’s hard to believe they are several hundred years old.

Tuesday didn’t quite turn out according to plan. After querying with Airbnb in regards to not being allowed to use the central heating at night in our apartment by our host, things went a little haywire. Airbnb contacted our host in regards to this and he kind of went a little crazy. So they offered to move us to new accommodation but as it was so incredibly busy due to the festival we knew it was a long shot. Anyway by the end of the day after dealing with our crazy host we ended up packing up and heading back to Newcastle to Lucy’s. Airbnb were great and refunded our money and we received a voucher to use elsewhere as well. And quite frankly with how busy it was in Edinburgh we weren’t to bothered about the whole thing.

So now we have booked a few nights further down the coast in England so we can do a few beach walks🥾 before heading back to London for the journey back to Australia. It’s hard to believe we have only 2 weeks left.

We’ve had a lovely few days at Lucy’s catching up and going for some nice big walks around Jesmond and Newcastle enjoying the architecture and parks before heading off on the last little leg of our journey.

And lots of Gi Gi cuddles🥰

Kilometres Walked : Saturday – 6.1, Sunday – 6.

Sunday 13th August, 2023.

After a super slow Saturday morning we went out to explore the city centre of Aberdeen. Originally our plan was to do a day trip to Balmoral but neither of us could be bothered in the end. So we had a lovely wander around the local street’s admiring the gothic like architecture of the granite city.

We found the Art Gallery which surprisingly had one Monet and one Renoir and we also came across a pretty oasis in the centre filled with an assortment of flowers and plenty of greenery.

Today we packed up our belongings once again and boarded the train destined for Edinburgh. With stunning scenery along the way we sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Arriving into Edinburgh the sky started to look much gloomier 😳. We spent the afternoon wandering through the very busy crowds and checking out what is on this week. Little did we know that when we actually booked our accommodation 6 months ago that the Edinburgh Fringe Festival would be on and also the Military Tattoo at the castle.👏 So needless to say it is extremely busy but the atmosphere is amazing and it’s going to be a fantastic week. Let the fun begin🍻.

With our flat right on canongate halfway between The Castle and Holyrood Palace, it’s going to be a fabulous and busy week exploring.

Kilometres Walked : 18

Flights Climbed : 23

Friday 11th August, 2023.

Well all this sunshine is just becoming to much😂. Yes can you believe it, Bonnie Scotland brightened our day once more ☀️. With short sleeves on for me and Jason baring his white pins we headed out for a coastal walk in a southerly direction. Passing the main port of Aberdeen we meandered along the coastal path that leads to the Girdleness Lighthouse and Nigg Bay where another small modern port is.

As we were coming around the path in front of the Golf Course we spotted a few cheeky seals popping their heads up like periscopes in the water. As it’s not something we see often in Australia we found a bench and took a seat so we could enjoy some lunch whilst watching the seals lol about. With the sun shining so brightly we could spot them under the water and see that they were quite large specimens as well. What a treat indeed.

Turning around at the lighthouse we started to make our way back into town. Jason spotted a small building up on the hillside where we were able to enjoy coffee & empire biscuits with fabulous views over the bay and watch the dolphins frolicking in the water. Another lovely treat.

After our coffee and as we were walking back along the water we spotted some more seals bobbing up and down in the water. Such funny creatures to watch. It was like they were playing hide and seek with us, they would pop up and look at us then duck back under and pop up somewhere else and look at us again. We were the biggest kids on the waters edge laughing and waving at the seals🦭😆.

Once we arrived back into town we headed down to the opposite side of the port to Footdee, which is an old historic fishing village at the east end of the harbour. Today the area is a vibrant and eccentric mix of cute cottages and quirky colourful sheds with the beach right on its doorstep.

Such a pretty little area with so much colour and clever details. Now starting to feel the heat after walking around for several hours in the Scottish sun we finished the day off with a swim ( yes really ) in the North Sea👙.

Holy moly it was bone chilling cold. Neither of us put our heads under but we did very briefly get our shoulders under. I literally thought if I put my head under I may have a heart attack 😳. But we did it, we actually swam in The North Sea and sat on the beach in Scotland in swimmers 🤣.

Kilometres Walked : Wednesday – 6.6, Thursday – 10.7.

Friday morning, 11th August, 2023.

After our extremely long day on Tuesday going to The Isle of Skye we were a little slow to get moving on Wednesday. We did have all these intentions of walking here there and everywhere but that all fell over as we were just a little bit tired. Eventually after lunch we went for a lovely stroll around the museum/art gallery which had the most fabulous exhibition of Caithness Glass currently on display. They also had a few pieces for sale and yes I ended up purchasing one😳. With another day of clear weather we wandered around the shops and along the riverside again enjoying the glorious temperature and finding ourselves in heaven at the most fabulous secondhand book store😍. (Pity I can’t fit any in☹️)

Yesterday was travel day. This time we boarded the train once again and headed to Aberdeen with yet again fabulous weather. With the biggest blue sky we have had the joy of seeing so far in Scotland we went for a wander along the promenade and totally enjoyed having the sun on our skin. Families were out and about in abundance along the beach and splashing around in the North Sea with a few lads also trying to catch some small waves🏄‍♂️. Aberdeen is a port city in north east Scotland and is known as ‘The Granite City’ due to its grey stone buildings. With big blue skies those grey buildings stood out beautifully showing off their grand architecture.

And yes there is more blue sky this morning 👏👏👏👏👏

Kilometres Walked : 9.6

Flights Climbed : 42

Tuesday 8th August, 2023.

Now we were informed the weather is always ghastly in Scotland🤔 and particularly on The Isle of Skye which is more commonly known as The Isle of Mist. Deciding to participate in a small bus tour to Skye for the day we packed extra layers, umbrellas, rain jackets and the hip flask in preparation. Well weren’t we all in for a rare treat! The sun shone rather brightly for the entire duration of the day and there was no mist whatsoever 👏. ( But of course there were still some clouds in the sky as well) Heading out of Inverness at 8am in the morning we drove up along Loch Ness once again before turning off through Drumnadrochit to head towards Skye. Wow what spectacular scenery indeed. With our faces basically pressed against the glass we totally forgot to take any photos along the way 😆. But we certainly won’t forget how breathtaking our surroundings were. It literally just took your breath away. With just a couple of quick photo opportunity stops and of course the all important coffee stop, we just sat back and relaxed and enjoyed the ride.

Our first stop on Skye was Portree where we had ample time to have a wander around and tuck into some lunch. Portree is the largest town and the capital of The Isle of Skye and is just like a postcard with its lovely coloured shop fronts and beautiful little harbour.

What a lovely little town Portree was. With its colourful little buildings surrounding its picturesque harbour. We had enough time for a quick walk around the little headland behind the church which allowed us fabulous views across the harbour and surrounding hills. Next stop on our journey was The Fairy Pools. The fairy pools are a natural waterfall phenomenon on The Isle of Skye. ( we didn’t find any fae though 🧚 )And what an adventure the drive in was, with a narrow dirt road and plenty of other traveler’s, thank goodness our lovely bus driver Amanda was a pro and very patient. Whilst we only had limited time at the pools we managed to walk most of the way up and back amongst the throngs of tourists and enjoy the very beautiful mountains surrounding us. We also noticed a few brave people were wild swimming but with the sunshine out in force it was a perfect day for it.

After another adventurous drive back through the narrow entry road we wound our way back around more amazing scenery to a lovely pub for a quick couple of pints and a taste of the local whiskey before leaving the island.

Heading back to Inverness we were again totally mesmerised by the scenery before us. Wow what a magical place The Highlands are indeed. With a quick stop to feed the hairy coo’s along the way we landed back in the city about 8.30pm🥱. It was a huge day but absolutely so worth it.

Gotta love a hairy coo, yes you do🐂.

Moo😊

Kilometres Walked : Saturday – 6.5, Sunday – 5, Monday – 18km.

Monday 7th August, 2023.

With a little bit drizzle to start the day on Saturday, we packed our bags and jumped on a bus this time from Fort William to Inverness. Managing to nab the front seats we had fabulous views the whole way. Passing Loch Lochy and of course the famous Loch Ness, we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery surrounding us. Loch Lochy was definitely the more magical of the two but Loch Ness was considerably larger and we didn’t spot Nessie along the way😆. We did see four more huge stags though which was just plain awesome 🦌🦌🦌🦌.

Yesterday was a very slow relaxing day. Our bodies and feet were just yearning for some lounge time with a good book. We did venture out after lunch for a lovely stroll in the sun ( yes the sun really was shining ) around the town and enjoyed a couple of pints at the pub in the beer garden and yes you guessed it, in the sun☀️.

With renewed energy and enthusiasm this morning we made a packed lunch and decided on a walk along the river and then along the Caledonian Canal. The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. At 60 miles long and with 29 Locks it is an engineering marvel. We walked as far as Dochgarroch where the first Lock is after you depart Inverness.

The walkways along the river are just beautiful. Suspension bridges regularly connect both sides and lovely large trees create a forest atmosphere only minutes from the city centre.

Blessed with blue skies once again we soaked up the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Canal. Plenty of boats and canoes passed us along the way and just as we arrived at the first lock a huge barge was just about to head through. My super excited 51 year old child videoed the entire process😆 ( it was very cool to watch ). Enjoying our lunch beside the canal we soaked up the sunshine whilst we could.

After watching a few more boats go through the lock we headed back to town, and who did we happen see along the way – Nessie😆