We called into Downtown Abbey (aka Highclere Castle) on our way to Bristol. It was goosebump inducing to see the familiar turrets rising up out of the green countryside. Although we had seen only one other car as we wound up the lengthy driveway, when we reached the paddock that serves as carpark we were dismayed to see eight coaches and what looked like a hundred parked cars! Tickets for the house, gardens and Egyptian exhibition cost about 16 pounds each. ...

Cambridge had impressed us as a magnificent university city but Oxford University was even grander. The ornate building facades carved with gargoyles, the secret inner courtyards, and elegant statues were all fighting for my attention as I tried to take it all in. We walked through the history filled streets past beautiful colleges and academic buildings, ending up at Christ College where parts of Harry Potter were filmed (and no doubt lots of famous thinkers s...

'The Bear of Rodborough', an inn near Stroud, was where we we would spend our two nights in the Cotswolds. The old part of the inn was very quaint, with low ceilings, exposed dark beams, and two large stuffed bears standing on their hind legs in the reception! Our room was small but perfectly formed, with a canopied bed, cute cottage curtains, and a view out over the green countryside. Back downstairs we found a table at the cosy bar and ordered beer and the s...

Bath, gateway to the Cotswolds, was the next stop on our UK road trip. We found a carpark in the midst of beautiful terraced housing, beside a park. Having paid the exorbitant sum of four pounds for two hours parking, we walked down the street, past the Jane Austen centre (unfortunately not Dale's cup of tea) and into the elegant avenues of the city centre. The impressive abbey tower drew us into the busiest part of town, the square outside the pump house and ...

The capital city of Wales wasn't looking her best when we arrived late on a Monday afternoon. Although the sun was shining, bags of stinking rubbish were lined up on the pavements, and when we went for a walk we found ourselves walking through a run down neighbourhood of unkempt houses and shops with barred windows. Not the best start! Things improved when we found a nice Thai restaurant in the heart of the city. After a fiery green papaya salad, a milder red...