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From Wales we headed down to Southampton to make arrangements to ship the bike to Halifax in Canada. We had already found a shipping company that offered Roll on Roll off, but we just wanted to be sure of what we were getting and to tie up loose ends. All was good and the lady we were dealing with was most helpful. On the way to Southampton we stopped and had a look at Stone Henge and Salisbury Cathedral, in the rain and wind. Some people have said they didn't think much of Stone Henge, but for us it was quite amazing and interesting. From Southampton we headed up to north Devon in search of Puffins, we had read there was a point where they had been seen, but after a couple of hours of walking we saw only one seal, many sheep and seagulls. Thankfully the weather was now fine, but very windy. Then it was down to Cornwall to see what it had to offer. We decided to stay in one camp and to make day trips to see the sights, we stayed in a small village called St Day, it is hard to go unnoticed in small villages, on this occasion it was great as we were looked after on price in both the campground and the butchers shop. The day we decided to head to Lands End it was foggy, but we thought we would go and have a look anyway and as it turned out we were in luck and by the time we had had lunch the weather had cleared and we saw some great views of the rugged coast line. Lands End is not the southern most point, Lizard Point to the east is, so we headed there for a look. When we arrived it was again foggy, but by the time we left it had cleared, we were lucky. Our only real fine day was spent inside in the Eden Project, that is an amazing place which I suggest Googling if you want to know more. On the suggestion of my sister we went to a beautiful little old fishing village called Mousehole, pronounced Muzzle, a really cute little place tucked down on the coast, we actually found quite a few others tucked in along other parts of the Cornwall coast, you often find yourself asking what do they do there and how do they make a living, some of the places we found only had a dozen or so houses in them and were down very narrow single lane roads. The final tourist destination before we left Cornwall was St Michael's Mount, not to be confused with Mont Saint-Michel in France, though they are related and they are both built on an island off the coast. Another interesting piece of history. After a week of looking around Cornwall and only having one fine day we rode in the rain to Plymouth where we stayed with friends we had met in Macedonia, it was so nice to be in a warm, dry house. The next day though was fine and we spent the day exploring Plymouth, we had forgotten that it was Plymouth where the Mayflower sailed from, there is just so much history in England, everywhere you turn. When we left Plymouth we headed up through Dartmoor and had some lovely views across the moors to the coast, our friend had made us some lunch which we enjoyed by Post Bridge an incredibly old bridge that was made with stone slabs supported by posts, quite different to other bridges we have seen. As we headed east the weather improved and we spent a couple of lovely warm days in Dorset. We visited a little bay called Lulworth were we watched the Coast Guard rescue a man from some cliffs using their helicopter, apparently it is quite common, despite there being warning signs everywhere. From Dorset it was a short ride to Southampton to drop the bike off, that is a feeling only another traveller can understand, saying good-bye to your home and most of your possessions, hoping you will see them again and in good condition!
- comments
Mum/Marion Good to read your latest UK adventures. So many places of interest and history, you just have to fit in what you can. Yes I can appreciate the apprehension at saying good bye to your "Home & Possessions" - very nerve racking !
Mum/Marion Oops - forgot to mention Lulworth Cove - a beautiful spot, quite a climb if you went down to Durole Cove !
Jan McIntyre It sounds all so lovely and inviting! I laughed when you distinguished between the two St. Michael's cos I know I made that mistake when you had a photo of the French one. I wasn't disappointed in Stonehenge at all. I think maybe it suffers from overexposure, tourist-crowding and the main road near it. If you just came upon it, it would be overwhelming.