Jun 2008

Jim has done most of the driving. He has a photographic geographic mind and can get us anywhere. We don't have detailed maps, so we are following our noses a lot of the time. The signage is dreadful, very hard to make sense of. Also any road that is not a motorway is only about as wide as the car, with stone walls or hedges either side. Parking is totally random. People park facing either direction on each side of the road. Despite all this, we have taken very few wrong turns. Petrol is about $2.45 per litre, so don't be complaining about the $1.55 at home......

Missed Liverpool entry. We drove in on Sunday morning and it was very wet. Not a particularly inspiring city, but we did manage to search out the Cavern Club and see where the Beatles got their kick start, and where many other famous artists have played since. It really is a cavern, deep under the ground. Can imagine what it would be like full of people and cigarette smoke with no ventilation. I must be old to be noting such things.....

Travelled on to Conwy, staying at Castlebank Guest House - Could definately reccommend this one too. Lots of attention to detail. It's amazing what a difference good accommodation makes to your impression of an area. (A good night's sleep also helps) The North Coast of Wales is Caravan Mecca. I have never seen so many caravans, motor homes, on site vans, then all of the above for sale in there thousands. It's a great coastline, with real beaches. Had a look at magnificent Conwy Castle, just over the road. There are so many castles and we haven't looked at many, so this was a very good choice of one to look at.

The castle has a wall, completely intact surrounding the whole village.

Chester is an historic Tudor City - yet more history and splendor to absorb. We stayed at Crabwell Manor, on an estate just out of town. Some of the accommodation has been added on to the original manor which dates back to 1066. It has been carefully restored and maintained and you could really get a feel of how former generations lived. Absolutely beautiful rooms, furnishings and surrounds. We had dinner in the Conservatory and saw a fox wandering through the grounds.

Must mention that we went to see a film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. We saw "Love and Other Crimes", by a Serbian director, whose name I have forgotten, but he has had Oscar nominations for short films, this being his first feature. It was the premiere and he was there for a chat afterwards. What a treat!