22nd & 23rd Aug - Loire Valley Over the two days we explored the Loire Valley an area famous for lavish lifestyles of the French aristocracy, full of Chateaus & manors. Our first visit was to one of the grandest of the chateaus in the area, Palace au Chambord. An amazing castle that was built in 1519 by Francois I as a place for the royal family to stay while they hunted, with the most notable resident being King Louis XIV. We then also checked out some ...

9th Aug - We caught a ferry from Dover in the UK, for mainland Europe. We arrived on the other side of the road in France and after a few mis-directions we made our way to our accommodation in Normandy. 10th Aug - After enjoying some croissants for breakfast we decided to head for some water and sun at Trouville on the Northern coast, where we decided it was time for crepes. We wandered through the town, took in a local game of boules, had some gelato & rela...

2nd & 3rd Aug - Back to England to visit York. We tried to orient ourselves around York and got hopelessly lost in the small little lanes. We visited Chris & Beth to know how Aussies were coping with the British weather. It was great to share our weather woes with people who understand!! It was also great to have a good Aussie BBQ again and the weather held out for us. The next day we got up and had Beth's insider tip for a good coffee (another rare commo...

28th July- We left the Lakes District via Hadrian's wall - designed by the Romans to keep the unruly Scots out of England… so we decided to head for Scotland and meet these people first hand :0 We drove through the most picturesque scenery we have seen in the whole of Britain, absolutely stunning - so unbelievably green and rugged… something you would see in an Epic movie, think Braveheart. We arrived at our campsite In Fort William at the base of Ben Nevis (...

24th July - When you watch a British film - it is more than likely been filmed in the Peak District with its green rolling hills and stone walls. We did a great loop of the region and a 4 mile walk through the hedges and farmers paddocks in historical Tissington. 25th July - We left the Peak District and headed into Manchester. Our first stop was "the theatre of dreams" Old Trafford stadium home to Manchester United, where we did a tour around and thro...