Leeds and London

After leaving the ferry at around 9pm, we headed north intending to get as far as we could that night. We did not have any campsite booked and since most places would now be closed we knew we would be (illegally) wild camping for the night. After rejecting many places as unsuitable we finally pulled into a layby off the motorway. We joined 3 or 4 huge trucks also bedding down for the night. What a ghastly night! The road was noisy and we got very little sleep. However that assured us of an early start the next morning and we reached Leeds and the Moor Lodge Campsite in good time. The weather was about as far from sunny warm Spain as you could get. It was cold, misty and raining - miserable weather to be cleaning out the van.

We always like a few days in London and so no exceptions here!

We decided to stay in a slightly flash hotel for a change and so the Danubius Hotel near Regents Park at St John's Wood was it. Nice rooms, nice view over the park and nice and close to central London by bus and tube.

We met up for dinner with Bob and Annette, our neighbours in Sydney who are on a 2 year posting to London. We also took the train down to Coulsdon to have the day with Michèle, my friend from schooldays and her husband Graeme.

Lunch at the London Borough markets as recommended by Bob and a night out at the musical Legally Blonde rounded out the stay nicely. Along the way, I scoured the shops along Oxford Street and eventually found the exact top I wanted as part of my outfit for David's wedding. Hooray!

And so home again for the summer. Next year, we will collect our van again and head out on some new adventures.