Sky High in the Lake District.

Well not quite as high as the sky, but as high as you can get in the Lake District. From The lovely fishing town of Whitby we travelled across country to the beautiful Lake District and all the hype about it did not disappoint. We travelled down small country lanes with me on the imaginary brake if Phil was driving and I am sure him doing the same when I was driving. More worried about the £1000 excess on the car lol. The temperature today got to a balmy 27 degrees and thank goodness for air conditioning.

Saw these on our way and had to take a picture of the local wildlife until Phil reminded me they weren't local and there was nothing wild about them. But they sure did smell bad.

A derelict castle in Brougham pronounced Broom.

Needless to say no one lives here and no one was home today.

A view from the upper wall.

Not very exciting but these were everywhere, a dry stone wall.

See what I mean, they were everywhere.

These pictures sadly don't do the view justice, it was breathtakingly beautiful and quite wild.

Tonight we are in the lovely town of Selkirk which is just over the border of Scotland. Tomorrow we plan to visit Edinburgh with our friend who we are staying with.

York and the Scarborough Coast

   We set out from just outside Bristol this morning and managed to get to York in one piece. The City of York is stunning and well worth the visit, from its 700 hundred year old keep to the lovely York Minister and the area known as the Shambles, York has much to offer its many visitors.

The Keep build in the early 1300s. The view from the top is worth the £4.40 entrance fee.

The York Minister in the background.

Inside the Keep.

On a hot day, about 25 today it is hard to imagine how hard it must have been to build the hill and then add a stone Keep to the top. Amazing to think that this is so old.

This area is known as the Shambles, and parts of it were used in the Harry Potter movie.

Some of the houses in the middle of the Alley almost touch at the top.

The York Minister a very large and beautiful Cathedral.

Some of the local wildlife. Cars and buses were very good at stopping when Mum took her young ones across the road.

Tea at The White House in Whitby just up the road from the B and B we are staying at. Our hostess is lovely and is looking after us very well. Think I might move in. The view again was stunning and we took a walk along the beach after dinner.

Along the way we found some more beach huts, although these ones are called chalets.

Finally we found this statue of Captain Cook, which a seagull decided to roost on just as I took the photo, comic timing.

Well that's us for today, lots of driving, lots of things to look at and as usual tired out and ready for bed. 

Lost and found

No pictures today sorry. 

Found - my dear friend and old boss, Annabel who we saw briefly and will catch up with again next week. She meet us walking to her house and we both cried and had big hugs after not seeing each other for 28 years, it was great.

Lost - our way out of London, but eventually sorted maps and GPS. We then got to Bristol only to find we didn't have the address or phone number of the person we were staying with. Hmmm an interesting moment but we both managed to keep our cool lol. 

Found - a lovely B and B just out of Bristol where we spent the night. We eventually got our friends details when kids woke up in NZ and called round for a catch up. 

Lost - My fondly remembered Uncle passed away peacefully in Christchurch yesterday. A sad moment in the day and yet another of the older generation lost.

Will try and post some pictures tonight. Today we head to York which is a lovely and very old city. We are finding the crowds here uncomfortable and are hoping to find some quieter places to go, along the way today.

London, crowds, night lights and sore feet.

The Chard in London, a very imposing building with the best views of London. unfortunately we left it a bit late to go up and have a look.

For lunch to celebrate my birthday Phil and I took Matt and Sally to the Hix restaurant for a really lovely lunch. They even had beer with my name on.

We went to pay our expects at the NZ war memorial near Hyde Park. One of the more sobering moments on our trip.

There she is I can see the queen, just kidding apparently she wasn't even home.

After spending several minutes stalking a squirrel to get a good photo it then walked up to me and laughed, I swear it even winked at me and let me take this photo.

A new double decker bus just passing Big Ben at about 6pm in the evening. A really hot day, lots of sunshine and everyone still in shirts and shorts.

We were right under Big Ben when it tolled 6pm.

Sand sculpting along the Thames river. Very clever artists who make their money from people throwing money into the buckets.

The Chard at night, really pretty.

Tower Bridge in the evening about 10pm.

Some people I know hanging out on the bridge.

Chocolate and Seagulls

Today had a really lazy day. Matt and Sally  at work so went meandering around Brighton and it's eclectic mix of people. 

Yes they made the chocolate here for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and lately they have a show on UK TV showcasing  their latest creations. Yes I went in, no I did not try the chocolate.

One of their fabulously if somewhat outrageously decorated cakes. 

This evening we had an extra guest for tea. One very inquisitive seagull, they are huge and we thought this young gull was trying to peck his way in for pizza.

Well that's us for today. Off to London for the weekend tomorrow.

Matt's Photos

Matt has been with us on our last three days adventures. He has been our chauffeur and tour guide, as well as photographer extraordinaire. Check out some of his photos of the places we have visited.

                            

When in Rome as they say, and how better to make your parents look silly.

                          

An Catholic Cathedral in Arundel. Another piece of fine architecture but this time only 150 years old.

This evening in Brighton at 9pm. Stunning. Just been out for dinner with Matt and Sally and strolling towards home.

BBQ on Brighton Beach a few nights ago. Living like hobos. There were others on the beach with small bbq's and tonight even more people at the beach. The sunshine brings everyone out.

           

       

Devils Dyke

A legendary beauty spot on the South Downs

Devil’s Dyke, just five miles north of Brighton, offers stunning panoramas, a record breaking valley, a curious history and England’s most colourful habitat.

At nearly a mile long, the Dyke valley is the longest, deepest and widest 'dry valley' in the UK. Legend has it that the Devil dug this chasm to drown the parishioners of the Weald. On the other hand, scientists believe it was formed naturally just over 10,000 years ago in the last ice age.

With a little exploring the Dyke's story starts to reveal itself: The ramparts or walls of the Iron Age hill fort can be seen when you walk around the hill and the remains of the curious Victorian funfair can be found just a few minutes from the car park. Venture into the valley and you will discover a living carpet of flowers and a myriad of colourful insects.

When John Constable described the panorama from Devil’s Dyke as 'the grandest view in the world', he wasn’t wrong, but there is so much more to discover here than just a beautiful view.

This is where we intend to visit today, sun shining, about 18 degrees so a perfect day for a ramble in the countryside. 

Looking down from the top of the dyke. Didn't look to bad from here, nice day to stroll in the countryside.

View from the top on the other side. Pictures don't really do the view justice. Lovely warm sunny day and surrounded by countryside. We also knew it was hot today because most people had shorts and t-shirts on and not just the mad kiwis for a change.

The little town below is called Poynings. Lovely old houses, and one pub. Stopped here for a quick drink before heading up the steep side of the hill. Nearly killed me, (the steep hill, not the drink).

Our chariot awaits us, great way to see a city from the top seat of an open double decker bus.

Back in Brighton and people everywhere making the most of the beautiful weather. This was a lovely example of an early merry go round down at the water front.

There are several hundred of these small beach huts along the Brighton shore line. Each one slightly different from the next. People store their deck chairs and what ever else they may need for a trip to the beach. Fascinating! The current price of a beach huts averages around £11,000 which is about $24,000 NZ.

Beach huts

Huts

Huts are of wooden construction and are available on Hove Promenade only. The council owns the sites themselves and licences are granted for you to place a beach hut there. The licence fee is £314.75 inclusive of VAT for 2014/15. Terms and Conditions are imposed regarding the condition, decoration and use of the huts.

The sale of huts are private transactions. For information about availability you should contact the local press, Friday Ad or local estate agents. The council are not involved in this transaction other than to administer the change of ownership. The council charges a £75.00 administration fee for this.  It should be noted that licenses will not be issued for multiple sites, ownership and applicants must be Brighton & Hove residents and the hut must be owned for three years before re-selling the hut.