The beautiful day we arrived at The Lakes transformed to rain on the one following. So we went to Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's farm house. They only let 8 people in the house at once, and as we waited in the garden, some fighter pilot on a training run decided to buzz the valley. Up and down, gone from sight before his ear cracking roar made us look to the skies. There was also an enclosed field well populated with rabbits just for atmosphere. The rain started in ...

Today we have finally left Wales. Not that we have any objection to Wales, it's just that we leave momentarily and then find something else to go and see there. We think we have wandered in and out of Wales about 10 times over the last couple of days as we negotiate our way around the border area. But finally we have said goodbye to Wales - and hello to The Lakes district. Before we left Wales, we went on a canal boat ride with a difference. This one crosses an ...

Long time between posts! It does depend very much on WI-fi access, and that has only just been achieved. This picture is of the Clifton Suspension bridge designed by Isambard Brunel and completed after his death. I wanted to go to Bristol because there are many family connections - Abbotts were born here and Bartons lived here. Found the place where Ambrose Abbott was born, and as Bartons lived in Clifton, I know where that is now too! Bristol was really intere...

We are back in Northern Ireland at the minute, but we did venture to the republic yesterday as we travelled out from Castlerock, where we had 2 very peaceful nights as guests of the Gibsons. It still amazes us that the sun isn't setting until at 9.30 or later each night, making it possible to take long walks after dinner, especially along the beaches and hills around Castlerock. Last night we spent in Kesh, Fermanagh, having spent the morning at Glenveagh Nationa...

Well, the Giro has been and gone, and the colour pink has been generally overdosed on to such an extent that no one in Northern Ireland will ever wear it again - well not for a long time! We moved on to the home of Ross' cousin Denise and her husband James on Saturday evening, and had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant and then a tour of the local hamlets and their Giro decorations. Despite the rain in Armagh, there was a crowd huddling under umbrellas to ...