York, Scarborough, Edinborough and the Lakes District

Well the last three days have been a blur. We have been traveling all over England and yes even into bonny Scotland! And still no photos, but they are coming.. it's just the time it takes to upload them.

We headed off from the busy Stratford upon Avon region to the wonderful city of York. Dates back to the Vikings and then was a major Roman outpost at the height of the empire. Beautiful town on the banks of a wide river. Ancient buildings, an historic castle (again) and wonderful narrow streets dating back 900 years. Yet where were Steff and Gab.. the Top Shop. We really need these stores in Aus, cheap and really well made funky clothes. Headed off to Scarborough. This place was amazing, Britain's original seaside resort. Victorian buildings, penny arcades, vaudeville theatres along a beautiful beach. The old codgers sunning themselves were really funny, wearing old pants with bracers and a hanky on their head.

I thought the pommy TV shows were all exaggeration, but they are fair dinkum!!

If you want to know what the camping experience is like hire a copy of Carry on Camping with Sid James. Its exactly the same now!! And the towns and villagers are just like the TV shows, everything is heritage, like a picture postcard. Very pretty towns with old codgers like the Benny Hill show.

Left Scarborough and headed off for our biggest drive to Edinborough Scotland. Drove through the Yorkshire moors, but didn't really have time to stop. We were on a mission to meet Rach and go out for dinner for Gabs birthday. Thanks to Rach it all went to plan. She found a motorhome park, outside a bus stop and after a quick freshen up we were down in the heart of the city drinking a pint!

This is really the most magnificent place. Every corner is old and interesting with he spooky castle overlooking the whole town. Lots of cool people but an amazing location. Worthy of a much longer stay.

Went out with Rach and Flynn for a fantastic Thai meal and then sunk a few pints at the local. Rach caught a train to Glasgow and we headed off on one of the last buses back and got to bed abut midnight.

So Gabs birthday comes to a close, a mere two weeks after her party. (Which is about the normal time span for Gabs birthday!

Headed off today on a fantastic drive through Southern Scotland, stopped at the very overrated touristy Gretna Green. We spent the afternoon at the fantastic Carlise Castle. This was a major castle since the 12th century and went into the tower that Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned. I think this was the best castle so far, really intact and interesting on the border counties.

Arrived at Kelsal in the Lake District at 5 PM. Gab and I took a walk and Steph hit My Space with a vengeance. The prettiest spot so far! Amazing Beatrix Potter countryside with quaint streets and houses. The poms love their heritage! Nothing gets knocked down and this place is one that has to be seen. Hope to explore the area more tomorrow before heading south to Wales.

We are all going well, the motorhome is easy to drive, and Steph has only had one or two meldowns!!

Missing everyone. Pictures are coming soon and stay tuned for more adventures.

On the Road in England

Well the adventures continue!

Picked up the motor home in a quaint little town of Flamstead near Luton after catching the train from St Pancras. Its what we expected, quite nice and new with good beds, clean, but they are always smaller when you actually get them.

Naively headed off to Oxford, which I thought sounded quaint and charming but was actually a nightmarish first drive along England's busiest freeway to get to a huge town about the size of Ballarat!! Got to Oxford and found that the whole place was booked out. As luck would have it however we ended up in Standslake in the heart of the Cotswolds!! Thank god I ended up hiring a tom tom GPS coz I would have been driving around Luton still. 

Beautiful spot we stayed out, on a pristine lake. real Beatrice Potter territory, the poms sunning themselves in the last rays of summer.

Actually he weather has been perfect, cool nights but sunny days with the temp about 20 degrees.

Headed off today on the most perfect drive through the back country roads of the Cotswolds, took pictures at a church built in 1226 and went to a market.. all good ..until we hit the roundabout between Stratford upon Avon, where we are staying tonight, and Warwick.

This was the worst gridlock I have ever experienced. 90 minutes to travel 4 ks!!!

Hideous!! But the drivers are amazingly polite, never flustered, heaps better than Aussie hoons.

Went to Warrick castle all afternoon. This is a genuine medieval castle. Fantastic, real dungeons, and a great big trebechet. ( A huge slingshot)

All great fun.

At Stratford upon Avon for the night, and will do the Shakespeare thing tomorrow, before heading off to York.

Followed the Cats win on the internet, at least they got the justice the Bombers of 2000 never did.

Sorry about the lack of photos, have taken about 400 but never on the internet enough.

London

This city is everything you've heard about and more. What I like is that there is no real centre. it's a series of quaint villages, pubs on every corner, and people are much more groovily dressed and funkier than home. Maybe thats because we live in Dromana!~ Gab is very impressed with the boys, many David Beckham like types with expensive haircuts and the obligatory fag in their mouth.

Everyone smokes and they go hard at the pints let me tell you.

The highlight for the girls was the shopping yesterday. Harrards is amazing and I picked up Gabs birthday present there. (A DKNY watch really nice Dont tell here.

Steph was on a buying role and picked up a (genuine) Dolce and Gabbane t shirt for a song. So she says. With Aunty Annes pounds too. (Thanks Annie)

For me the British museum and Houses of Parliament and Saint Paul's were the highlight. How did an empire ever get that grand that they could build such magnificent monuments. Missed the Cathedral though. (Sorry Marnie)

Love to all stay tuned for the next post. Wherever that may be.

London Calling

Arrived at Heathrow at about 2.30 and were amazed how quickly we got through British customs, must be our smiley faces. Gab is the only one that gets searched. Must be those voluptuous curved.

On the subway and checked into the two star St Athans hotel in Russell Square. The room is about as big as our bedroom and that includes an ensuite! but the position is fantastic. A short walk from the amazing British museum and the Trafalgar Square.

Immediately hit all the sites via the Tube and the buses. Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square. Had a great sleep followed by the full English breakfast. All for 90 quid! Bargain. Don't ask me about the beds though thats another story.

The next two days have been a blur of postcard scenery. Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the British Museum, the London Eye, Parliament Square, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the changing of he guard. (this was a drag waiting for two hours with a million Italian students!! etc etc Its amazing to see al these wonderful sites, the British empire at its grandest after 40 years of stories from Katie.

We are all well, eating out every night, and going through money like water. Still your only here once ain't you.

Pick up the motorhome today so another adventure begins!!

Pictures to come soon.

The list goes on and ev

from steff :)

this is gay :)
and dad says he is sorry for his spelling mistakes.
cause he was worried about the internet fading away.
he made me say that

having greaaaat fun :)

here at last!

Well here we are in London after hearing about it from Katie fr all these years and it is spectacular!

The first plane ride to Dubai, wel what can you say, 14 hours of boredom but Dubai itself was amazing. The sheer almost obscene displays of wealth was something to behold.
We hit the worlds biggest mall, the Dubai Mall, with no sleep and the girls hit it hard, five hours of mind numbing shopping. The whole place was almost unreal, aquariums, huge plazas and elaborate displays of wealth. It was Stephs paradise!
After a good night sleep we waled dwn to old Dubai by the ports andwent to the old gold souks. It was then that it dawned on us why the whole joint was so crowded and why everyone was so well dressed. It was the holiday thet followed Ramadan, so Muslims were expected to dress up and celabrate. We looked like Dromana yokals in comparison to the white robes of the Arabs and the burkas.
This night was an absolute highligt. We took a four wheel drive tour to the dunes. The driver was a total maniac, Goggles Pizzano, and where he took that Toyota Land Cruiser was amazing.
This was followed by an Arabian feast and belly dance performance. Mind blowing. 36 degree heat but the sand of the desert cool and a light breeze blowing off the gulf. This tour was an absolute highlight and worth every cent.
Even Steff liked it!
Flew out to London and immediately hit it with avengeance!! So far two day crammed in with every attraction that it is possibel to do in a 28 hour period.
The city is everything I expected and more.
But I will fill you in on our London adventures in our next instalment.

getting excited to go

2 more weeks to go I'm madi and ill be talking about the trip as well