Second Trip to the UK
On the 11th February, I set off on my second overseas adventure, with my travel buddy Jen. This time I was not as freaked out or nervous about the flight, I was just excited to get going and for the adventures ahead. Again we decided to fly with Qatar with a stop over in Doha, and I had purchased myself a new camera which I picked up from the airport when we arrived, duty free. I was very excited to be able to get some awesome photos of this trip, especially after having camera issues the last time.
Unfortunately, we did have to deal with some arrogant passengers on this flight. Before take-off, Jen and I noticed that there were seats free near the exit doors with more leg room. We asked the flight attendant if we could move to those seats and they replied we could once we were in the air. The person in the row behind our new seats was not happy with this and so he cracked it with us and spent the next hour kicking the back of my seat really hard. When the man refused to stop the attendants moved us to the back of the plane were there were many free seats. Jen and I ended up with a whole row of seats each and made ourselves comfortable, definitely made it a lot easier to sleep.
Another downside of the flight was that I started to get wisdom tooth pain a few days before, and did not realise how much flying would effect it, because for the first week of this trip I could barely open my mouth to eat the pain was so bad.
Friends & Tattoos
We landed in Heathrow, stayed the night at a nearby hotel, I was excited to get some amazing sunset photos near the airports with my new camera and so happy with the images. The following morning, we picked up a hire car and started our trek down to stay with a friend in Cornwall, we got a Nissan Qashqai this time as we thought a higher car would be better as there were many floods at the time.
We had a good drive down to Cornwall, went past Stonehenge but didn’t stop this time. It was great to spent a few days with my best friend Kelly and her daughter, we had such a great time last visit that we had to come back again.
On one of our first days in Cornwall, I got myself a tattoo, it’s only small and just my nickname, but it’s a reminder to stay Smiley. I just wanted to have the memory of getting a tattoo with my best friend. I didn’t tell many people I was getting a tattoo, but I had actually had it planned for months in advance, but I loved that I could just post a photo of it with a “I did a thing” to tell everyone. Thankfully, due to the pain in my mouth I barely felt the tattoo at all, it tickled and that was about it.
Valentines in Whales
Jen and I decided to head into Wales for the weekend, we had trouble finding some accommodation due to it being Valentine’s Day but we found a little apartment in Cardiff and headed on our way. We stopped at Tintern Abbey on the way through, and it was amazing to wander around the ruins. Learning about the history and being able to see it for myself is really awesome.
Tintern Abbey is located in over the Wales border on the banks of the River Wye. Founded in 1131, originally with timber building the stone church and cloisters began being built in 1269. The British gothic architecture is incredible to view and amazing to photograph. It’s amazing to think that it’s been almost 500 years since Tintern surrendered.
The apartment we booked for the weekend was incredible, it was a complete apartment with a proper kitchen, bathroom, longue room and bedroom. It was nice to be able to chill in our own little space for a few days. We spent the evening of the 14th aka Valentine’s Day, chilling in our apartment watching the top 100 love songs music videos, with popcorn and Coca Cola… Jen being civilised and using a bowl and wine glass and me eating straight from the popcorn bag and drinking from the bottle, all class. It was a great spot to stay and we had a great time and a good view, it was nice to be able to go down the shops and buy ingredients to make our own bacon and eggs breakfast.
Wales Castle Hunt
Our first full day in Wales and we went castle hunting, starting at the incredible Cardiff Castle. Once a Roman fort, Norman stronghold and Victorian Gothic masterpiece, Cardiff Castle conceals 2,000 years of history. Which as Australia’s is amazing to even think about, we do not have that much history at home so we really can’t fathom just how old it actually is.
I enjoyed being able to take photos with my new camera, I loved being able to capture the amazement of the castle’s history. Not just the outside building and grounds, but also the intricates on the inside of the buildings, in the different rooms. There were some really incredible and intricate pieces throughout the place.
Caerphilly Castle
Second Castle of the day was Caerphilly Castle, although we got there a little too late in the day to do a tour of the ruins. We were still able to do a walk around the outside and enjoy looking at not only the ruins but the surrounds. Caerphilly Castle with it’s large walls, towers, gatehouses and water defences cover a total of 30 acres. Making it the largest Castle in Wales and the second-largest, after Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom.
The castle and surrounds were gorgeous and it was nice to just have a wander around the area, there were many ducks and swans and we just enjoyed our time there. We also got to see the castle as the sunset which added a different layer of beauty to the view.
Goodrich Ruins
Our Wales part of the adventure finished we headed back over the border to England, our first stop on the way was Goodrich Castle. Another beautiful location along the River Wye, standing in scenic countryside Goodrich is one of the best preserved English medieval castles. Life of the castle began in the 11th century, but in 1646 the castle was ruined in a siege.
Really glad we detoured out to Goodrich as it really is one of the most picturesque castle ruins in England. I loved seeing the Millennium Window in the chapel, originally finding it fascinating that there was stained glass windows in a place mostly in ruin, then learning that it was added to mark the new millennium in 2000.
SS Great Britian
As we continued to make our way back down to Kelly’s place in Cornwell, we detoured again to Bristol to visit the Brunel’s SS Great Britian. Jen wanted to stop here and check out the boat that her great great grandparents travelled to Australia on. This is one of the most historical ships in the world, launched in 1843 it was the biggest and strongest ship ever built, the world’s first great luxury liner.
It’s amazing to think that this ship rests in its original birthplace in the Great Western Dockyard in Bristol. The incredible craftsmanship and technological innovation of this ship was amazing to see, and being able to learn about part of our own history, more so Jen, was a great addition. I love how the ship has been preserved, sitting proudly on the glass sea, and having been restored and dressed with flags looking ready for departure.
I loved that you can walk under the glass sea into the dry dock and view the bottom of the ship and the massive propellor that was cutting edge technology in 1843. I always love when you can go in and check out the engine rooms, it’s amazing to think of how old and innovative they are. We wandered all three decks, got to pretend to steer the ship, found boxes with Jen’s name on them, though it was the opposite side of her family that came across on the ships. I love how the ship and dock are set up like they would have been back in the day, the dinning area was even set up and had dirty dishes. It’s a joy to feel like you are stepping back in time.
Brought one of my favourite souvenirs from this place, a little bear wearing a life jacket. I love it, it’s adorable and something a little fun to remember the visit.
Fun with Friends
As we headed to Cornwall, we stopped via Plymouth to have dinner with a friend Kay and her family, it was great to see her again and spend time with them all. We were not late on arrival this time and I didn’t need to pee so desperately - see Exploring England post. Kay was amazing and made us a delicious roast for dinner and it was a great way to finish a long day of driving. After dinner we headed back to Kelly’s in Cornwall where we were able to relax for a couple of days, just spending time with friends.
One day Jen and I took Kelly’s daughter to a local kids play centre called Kidzworld, I was so honoured by our time spent here. Kelly’s daughter has autism and doesn’t really like being around a lot of people, I’ll never forget asking her if she’ll be okay with all the people and she replied “It will be okay, because I am with you” this made me so happy. We had only met in person a few times and yet she felt that much comfort and trust in me, such a massive thing especially for someone with autism. We had an awesome time running around and playing in the centre and had a ball, so much fun was had, there was climbing, sliding, ball pits and lots of laughter.
The Legend of Tintagel
During our stay with Kelly, one day we went on another Castle hunt and it was a lot of fun. Our first stop of the day was Tintagel Castle, located on Cornwall’s rugged north coast and the Peninsula of Tintagel Island. Tintagel Castle is one of the most spectacular historic sites in Britian and its association with King Arthur makes it one of the most famous. Although the history stretches back centuries before the first tales of King Arthur.
The castle itself was built in the 1230s but had fallen into disrepair by the 1330s, the castle ruins stand among the remains of a much earlier and more extensive settlement dating from the fifth to seventh centuries. The early history of the location remains mysterious, although it is said to have been occupied during the Romano-British period, although there is no conclusive evidence of this.
Tintagel is linked to the legendary tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, it is said to be the birth place of King Arthur. The landscape and its mystery has helped to foster the site’s significance as a place of legend associated with King Arthur. Long after the castle had fallen into decay its mythical associations have kept interest in Tintagel alive.
Merlin is a significant figure in Arthurian legend, it is believed that Merlin spent much of his life in caves, it is because of his cave dwelling he was able to rescue an infant Arthur from the waves. Merlin’s Cave is located beneath Tintagel Castle, it is 100 metres long and passes completely through Tintagel Island. It is a sea cave formed by the power of the Atlantic Ocean over thousands of years.
I thoroughly enjoyed being able to view the amazing history of this location and such gorgeous scenery, to experience this with such close and good friends was brilliant and I’m so happy to have these amazing memories.
Launceston
Following our visit to Tintagel castle we dropped by Launceston, we unfortunately got to the Castle too late to go inside, but we still got to view it from the outside. Considering the size and area covered by Tintagel Castle it was quite a stark difference seeing the small ruins of Launceston Castle. There is very little left of the castle, however, much of the castle defences remain, including the motte, keep, high tower, the gatehouses and some of the curtain walls have survived.
Launceston was the former capital of Cornwall and the castle controlled the main entry route into the county. The castle was established around 1068, and was initially build out of timber and included a large community packed within the walls of its bailey. It was rebuilt in the 12th century using stone, then it was substantially redeveloped after 1227. By 1337 the castle was in decline, and used primarily as the county goal.
Return to London
Having thoroughly enjoyed spending time with friends in Cornwall it was time to head back in to London for another event. We got to the Renaissance Hotel, dropped off our luggage and returned the hire car. We met up with a couple of friends at the hotel and the four of us went into London for the day, we wandered through Hyde Park and got to feed some squirrels.
We decided to go on a tour of Westminster Abbey, an architectural masterpiece with over a thousand years of history. A coronation church since 1066, where some of the most significant people in Britain’s history are buried or commemorated. It was an amazing experience and hard to believe we were standing in a place that has touched the lives of many kings, queens, statesmen, soldiers, priests, poets, heroes and villains. The architecture really is incredible, such as the cloisters, crib, lady chapel, nave, and the quire. I loved being able to see Poet’s Corner, the funeral and wax effigies and the royal tombs, it’s amazing to think about how many people in history have been laid to rest there.
After Westminster Abbey we had lunch at a nearby café and then continued on with our wander through London, we saw the London Eye and Big Ben, we visited Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square. Leicester Square and the M&M Store. We had a nice dinner at TGIFriday and continued on exploring, walking along the Thames and checking out sights such as the Shard, London Tower Bridge and London Tower and then eventually headed back to the hotel for a rest.
It was fun to go sightseeing and take some photos, unfortunately, I lost most of my photos from this time period so I don’t have many to share, but it was great to just spent time with friends and have a good time wandering around London.
This day was followed by a few days in London attending the AT7 event with Amanda Tapping, which you can read more about in the blog post: Amanda in the UK
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