Slept on the north coast of Cornwall. In between the surfing village of Newquay and the fishing village of Padstow. Had local 'kippers' (smoked fish) and toast for breakfast. Drove to Rock to look at the coast and swing by the award winning Rock Bakery for its Cornish pasties. Forgot it was Sunday and everything is closed, especially at this time of year. Drove along the coast to Polzeath another coastal vacationing and surfing town. My husbands step mom has a vacation home here- definitely taking her up on any offers after our visit! Up to Tintagel to see the Old Post Office and the medieval castle on a rock overlooking the sea- the site (supposedly) of King Arthur's round table. Grabbed a pastie as big as our heads and kept rolling up the coastal 'Atlantic Highway'. Stopped at Clovelly the steepest village in England. No cars can make it up the steep cobblestone paths so small 4x4s drag up and down supplies on sleds. I'm sure in the summertime it is really touristy here, but at this time of year it's cold, half price, and full of locals. Went through Exmoor National Park. Beautiful grasslands and rolling hills. One of our favorite parts of the trip, the 'storm light' that shown down the hills and valley was so amazing- Ive never seen anything like it. Side tracked to the fishing village of Pols Weir. Decided to take one of the few remaining toll roads down to the town. At the end of the road was a really cool thatch roof toll house. I expected a hunchback man to come out and demand a bunch of money. But the sign said to put a pound in the slot in the door and close the gate behind us- fair enough. On the way to the 'motorway' to Bristol there were tons of old stone farmhouses. Ate Caribbean and went to a pub in the Montpellier area of Bristol, then headed to our friends who were just arriving from London.
The next day on the drive to Cheddar Gorge- where cheddar was born- it began to snow, forcing the freaked out Brits to pull over to the sides of the roads. Great thing for me, trained on the snowy roads of Minneapolis these driving conditions are second nature to me. On the radio we heard about school closings, bus and train delays, and the influx of emergency phone calls mainly from those who slipped or had snowballs thrown at them. P*ssies!! After Cheddar we drove on to Wells to see the 13C cathedral and cloisters. Really cool stuff- the highlight being the Medieval main street dating from 1381, the most complete street of its kind in Europe. Really looked like a movie set. On to Bath, where poked our noses into the roam bathes, yes we did take a sip of its 'healing waters'- tasted like metal. Went to the fashion museum and had tea and buns at Sally Lunn's famous bakery. Headed back to Bristol for a dinner date with our hosts. Before preparing dinner one of our hosts got in a minor car crash sliding down one of the many hills in town. So we were warned to take it easy the next day on our venture into Wales.
Tried to make an early start, there were definitely some prickly moments driving through the snowy hills in a tiny Mercedes but it was worth it. Locals out of work and school were 'sledging' (sledding) and snow boarding down the Welsh hills. Stopped in Breckon and got the go-aheadto go down the valley road near the Dan-yr-Ogof caves to the farm my husband spent his childhood days at. The hills were totally covered in snow -not a sheep in sight- I'm told not seeing sheep is very rare in these parts. By evening we made it to a roadway Pub/B&B. It was cool because this is what people did when travelling by carriage a long time ago. Felt like we were keepin it real. Jst like us they would have had a nice dinner and drinks next to the fire and sleep upstairs only to head off after breakfast the next morning.
Next morning was Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway. We really enjoyed the crazy Tudor houses here and in Warwick, the beholder of Warwick castle. Due to a lack of time and ambition we skipped the castle- though now we think maybe this was a mistake- ah well. Saw Buxton, where the spring water most UKers drink is from. Took a scenic drive through Peak National Park and made it to Blackpool around dinnertime. Walked down to the beachfront and saw the 'Winter Gardens' the epicenter of Victorian beach side fun. Went to a pub with pictures of Blackpool in its hay day- really reminds me of Coney Island. Went back to the B&B for some R&R. Next day another early start!
Pix(cheddar gorge; medieval street; tollhouse; Exmoor; Tintagel medieval castle)
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