The Isle of Skye and Loch Ness

We stopped for the night in Glasgow then headed north. I didn't realize how far north we were until I looked on the map. We traveled through the Highlands and boarded a ferry from Mallaig to the Isle of Skye. We visited the Museum of the Isles at the Clan Donald Centre. There we visited the grounds and the residence of the Donald family, or Clan Donald as you would say in Scotland.  

Upon leaving the museum, we drove along the shoreline of Loch Ness. It was absolutely breathtaking. We stopped to take pictures and maybe catch a glimpse of Nessie. Unfortunately, we had no such luck. Zach took these pictures around the loch because my phone ran out of battery, and they are beautiful!

Afterwards, we headed to Inverness to stay for the night. The next day we left for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland!

The Beatles Story and Grasmere Gingerbread

Anyone have a huge Beatles fan in your family? That would be my adorable husband in ours. I'm pretty sure he has all of their music and knows all of their songs. Our morning in Liverpool we toured "The Beatles Story." It has been an exhibition here since 1990, and they were celebrating their 25 year anniversary. Zach definitely enjoyed this exhibition. We were the last ones to get on the bus! 

After the exhibition, our group drove to Grasmere, England, home to the Grasmere Gingerbread invented in 1854 by Sarah Nelson. Our tour guide told us that the secret recipe is locked in a bank vault. This beautiful village is nestled in the Lake District and is an absolutely breathtaking place to visit. 

William Wordsworth, a British poet, was once entertained by Sarah Nelson's family for tea. He died in 1850 and is buried there in Grasmere at St. Oswald's Church.

From Grasmere, England, we headed to Gretna Green, Scotland, just a few miles from the English boarder. In the middle of the 18th century, many young people fled to Gretna Green to marry since the laws in England had put an age restriction on marriage. You had to be 21 years of age to marry without your parents' consent. The Scottish law was different in that you could marry immediately by declaration with two witnesses testifying that you were at least 16 years of age. The first place the couples came upon when crossing the Scottish boarder was the Blacksmith's Shop. There the Blacksmith joined the couple together in marriage over the pounding of the anvil for just a few guineas. Today, many couples from around the world still travel to be married there in the Blacksmith Shop. 

Upon leaving Gretna Green, we then drove almost 2 hours to get to our hotel in Glasgow. We had dinner at the hotel and retired for the evening. We still had hundreds of miles to cover, and needed every hour of sleep we could get! 

Builth Wells and The Cavern

After leaving Cardiff, Wales, we traveled north along the Taff Valley and Brecon Beacons National Park. The scenery was so lovely. Wouldn't you agree?

There are sheep, literally everywhere. Many of the sheep had just given birth, so there were plenty of little ones jumping around and playing. Some were having a meal, while others slept right next to their mammas. 

For a quick break, we stopped in Builth Wells, Wales. This is a quaint little town that Zach and I could have explored for hours. We stopped at a bakery on the main road and bought some delicious donuts and tea. The scenery here was absolutely beautiful and reminded me a lot of New Hampshire, USA, where Zach and I used to live. We sure miss it! 

Upon leaving Wales, we headed to Liverpool, England where we stayed for the night. Our group did a mini-excursion around Liverpool. For Zach, the best part was seeing Penny Lane, a place that left such an impression on The Beatles they wrote a song about it. We took a picture of Penny Lane and then our guide showed us some places mentioned in the song, including the bank and the bus stop that Paul McCartney and John Lennon used to get to the center of the city.  

We also got to see The Cavern, where McCartney first played, during the 1950s, before The Beatles were The Beatles. The Beatles then made their first appearance at The Cavern in the 1960s. We were allowed access, but only had 15 minutes to look around. If our hotel wasn't so far away, we would have stayed longer. They had some bands playing and had official "The Cavern" memorabilia. Zach got even more excited when he found out we were going to tour "The Beatles Story" exhibition the next day. 

We've been on the road for at least five days, and have loved every minute of it. But stay tuned because there is more...including Loch Ness, Edinburgh, and Shakespeare's birthplace! 

The Roman Baths and Afternoon Tea

Like most woman, I love the spa! So when I heard that we would be visiting the Roman Baths in Bath I was excited! How cool is it to see a 2,000-year-old spa? Archeologists believe the baths were possibly built and used from the 1st century AD until the 5th century AD around the time the Romans left Britannia, as Britain was known.

We had a chance to explore with audio guides and learned that the Roman Temple and baths were built around a hot spring that reaches a temperature of almost 115 degree Fahrenheit.  The statues surrounding the main bath are the emperors and governors at the time Rome had control of Britannia. Some of the statues include Julius Caesar, Claudius, and Constantine the Great.

We also saw remains of the Roman Temple. The triangular section above the pillars at the front of the building portrays a Gorgon's head in the center. Our audio guide said the Gorgon is a female with venomous snakes for hair and turned anyone to stone who gazed upon her. This reminded me of Medusa from Greek mythology. 

Bath is a great town. It also has a Jane Austin center that featured information about her life, fashion, and recipes during the Regency Period (1811-1820). There is a tour for around twelve pounds per person, but alas, we did not have time, but went on to have lunch instead. Next time, I'm skipping lunch! 

For the past few days, I had really wanted to try the afternoon tea which is pretty much served everywhere in England! As we were walking back to our bus, we stumbled upon Jolly's Tea Room. Each order here served a plate of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and raspberry jelly, and a plate of small cakes. It was all so delicious. Zach and I ordered two, but we definitely could have shared one! It was an absolutely perfect place for tea. 

After leaving Bath, we drove to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and once we checked into our hotel, we prepared for another excursion: dinner and a show at the Wales Millennium Centre. The group of five that performed for us sang beautifully. Not only did they sing songs in English, but they also sang it in Welsh. Listening to traditional Welsh music was a beautiful and peaceful way to end the evening!

A Cornish Pasty and the Moors

The next morning we took our bus to the county of Cornwall. It is the most southwestern area of Great Britain and is surrounded to the north and west by the Celtic Seas and to the south by the English Channel. 

Here, we visited Land's End where we were treated to a Cornish Pasty, a delicious baked pastry that reminds me of chicken pot pie. The main industry in the 1800's in Cornwall was tin mining. The miners worked long hours and the conditions were
dangerous and filthy. The pasty was filled with meat

and veggies enclosed by a thick layer of pastry, which kept what was inside warm. A crimped section around the edge was used for holding the pasty and discarded after the miners were finished. The discarded piece was meant for the spirits of the tin mines to make them happy. If angered, it was believed that the spirits would transfer arsenic (which was present in the mines) into their food. 

Later that evening we took an excursion into the moors. We had a local storyteller, Gordy, who told us the history of St. Michael's Church and Dartmoor Prison, two attractions you can visit here. He also told us that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle drew his inspiration from the moors to write "The Hound of the Baskervilles."  This excursion was by FAR my favorite. It was Zach's favorite as well and we hope to one day return to the moors. 

Next, we visited Princetown, a small village in Dartmoor National Park. Gordy took us to different sites around Princetown and told us the history of St. Michael's Church. It was built in the early 1800's by American and French prisoners of war, during the American War of 1812 and the Napoleonic War between 1812-1814. These prisoners were held in Dartmoor Prison, not far from the church. This prison is still in use today but also houses a museum. We didn't get a chance to visit but it seems very interesting. 

We did a little more sightseeing before he took us to a local pub for dinner called Prince of Wales. They have a brewery located close by that brews their own ale, Jail Ale, because of Dartmoor Prison. For dinner, we had the Steak and Jail Ale pie. It had mushrooms and onions served with vegetables and fries. For dessert I had the apple crumble served with custard. Zach had an assortment of ice creams. Mine was better!! 

Our little group said goodbye to Gordy and headed back to our hotel in Plymouth. The sun was setting and it got very cold very quickly. Zach and I found it hard to leave. I can hear the moors calling my name...