Aug 2007

8 August

Our morning began with an underground exploration of Halliggye Fogue (EH), an ancient Cornish Iron Age burial chamber or shrine. The interlinking unlit passages required some ducking and weaving to navigate with our head lamps on. Luckily we made it out past the deadly (looking) massive (if you are an ant) spiders.

Halliggye Fogou as seen without the torches

Wow, it is really dark in here!

The next stop was far more photogenic.

St Michael's Mount was founded in the 12th century and following the English civil war the St Aubyn family have retained a residence in the castle. We enjoyed egg sandwiches and tea on the windy island watching the tall ship and other sailing boats enjoy the breeze. As it was high tide during our visit it was necessary to do a little bit of boating ourselves with the resident ferry masters to get over to the island and back to the mainland.

After another scenic drive through the hedges we made a short stop at Tregiffian burial chamber which strongly resembled a large rock with a small gap underneath. Unfortunately over the thousands of years the nearby road has encrouched on this site and destroyed the rest. Arriving at what we thought was our final destination, give that you can't drive further west of Land's End, we only remained for a short time. Uninterested in an overcrowded novelty park we opted for hot chips at Sennen Cove watching the summer frivolity and sea birds.

Determined for a full day of sight seeing we filled in the rest of the afternoon and evening with a 100km scenic drive to Tintagel head campground.

9 August

Tintagel Castle (EH) presented a concise summary of the King Arthur legend and history entwined, far more than we learnt from Spamalot. Set on a cliff edge Tintagel Castle began as a trading settlement for Celtic kings during the 5th and 6th century and remains in ruins which were still in good working order until the 13th century. The view of the bay far below and adjacent coastline is stunning.

We ventured into a vast sea cave which led us through to the other side of the peninsula on which the castle rests. Back in the bay we admired the 20m+ waterfall crashing onto the sand and pebbles before making its way to the sea.

Tintagel's longest standing complete building is the Old Post Office (NT) dating from 15th century and preserved as it was used back then as a farmhouse and residence. The narrow staircase, rickety roof beams, low doorways and small rooms gave us reason enough not to buy a 550 year old home if you want to maintain good posture. To top off our absorbtion of Cornwalls history and delightful farm scapes we sat for a while on a rock wall eating a selection of cornish pasties we saw being made earlier that morning on our way to the castle. They don't come any better or bigger!

Leaving Tintagel we took a short detour through Boscastle harbour and village on our way to Arlington Court (NT). Unfortunately we were late by 15 minutes to view one of Britains largest collection of horse drawn carriages. Instead we amused ourselves with the extensive collection of model ships (50+), massive shell collection and art throughout the house before strolling in the formal garden and green house.

Deep in the Exmoor National Park we set up camp in the corner of a field with the sound of a nearby creek lulling us into sleep, horses standing quietly on the hillside silouetted by moonlight and the canopy of the Hawkcombe Woods keeping the dew off the tent till morning.

10 August

You may be wondering if we are all 'castled' out yet, and to you we say NEVER! Castle hunting has become rather addictive and for today our first catch would be Dunster Castle (NT). Owned and lived in by the Luttrell family for 600 years we thought it was a bit drafty but certainly good for entertaining. While Steve was admiring the art, furnishings and grandfather clocks Camilla was riveted to a page of scribbled notes in a glass cabinet in a dark corner under the oak staircase. It seems there were a few holes worth picking to pieces in the 1800's instruction manual attached to the portable medicine chest. In particular the bleeding of 12 ounces for treatment of early fever goes against all modern day knowledge.

After cheese and tomato sandwiches in the shade of a huge oak looking out towards the Bristol Channel we ventured in to town as our supplies of traditional clotted cream and lemon meringue fudge was critically low. Without further delay or a moment to lose we made our way post haste for the 14:55 train from Minehead on the West Sommerset Heritage Steam Railway. After careful deliberation over the question to catch or not to catch, Steve is adamant that it is far more exciting to see the action from the platform.

Full of fudge we thought some exercise was in order. Hiking from the carpark we slugged our way up to the tallest point in Exmoor, Dunkery Beacon (NT) at 519m. It took all of 13 minutes at a stretch and the view was well worth the exertion.

11 August

Stourhead Gardens (NT) was featured in the recent production of Pride and Prejudice which made for a lovely morning tour.

We were assisted by a GPS transceiver with audiovisual guide to the grounds and estate which should be read as an indicator of how large the gardens are. Although fairly accurate the GPS plotter would have run us into a number of large trees if directions were followed blindly. Most of our day was absorded at Stourhead so we decided in the late afternoon after a visit to the house that a drive to Bath would be all we could manage.

Having found a suitable campsite we squeezed onto the last pitch available with Teilo and Kathy, a very firendly couple from Brisbane. As dusk fell the four of us caught the bus into town for a walk past the baths, abbey and down to the river Avon with the attractive Pulteney Bridge. Even though it was only 9pm when we started hunting for dinner most of the pubs had stopped serving so we took a local's recommendation and were delighted by the Eastern Eye Indian restaurant. On the return bus journey to camp we experienced the unfortunate disgraces of drunken aggression from youths who evidently were generally dissatisfied with riding the bus, the driver, the seats, windows, each other or anything else for that matter.

To guide us down the narrow path back to camp Teilo produced his trusty wind-up torch and we all slept well as the midnight rain shower started.

12 August

Today would be dedicated to bathing, well visiting the Roman Baths in Bath actually. We avoided the shower drenching us by remaining in our tent till it stopped later that morning. Catching the bus into town we spent about an hour and a half in the Roman bath centre, testing the water temperature and admiring the plumbing before finally tasting a drop from the kings spring in the famous Pump Room. Originally the water was believed to have healing qualities and upon tasting the 46 degree water with its mineral rich after taste it certainly was bad enough to be medicinal.

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for an all Australian, outdoor, campside, sing along, tong turning mouth watering, lip smacking gastronomical BBQ! As we finished the last morsel of grilled scottish salmon we chatted till late with Teilo and Kathy. It was very nice to share our campsite with friendly likeminded Aussie travellers, we wish them well on their adventure.

13 August

Dyrham Park (NT) was our first stop for today. Walking down the kilometre long drive we detoured into the woods and spotted a young family of speckled deer. Points of interest in the house included wonderful paintings of Amsterdam depicting harbour and village scenes from the late 1700's and as always an impressive kitchen complex.

After a quick sandwiches lunch in the parking lot (this is totally normal in all National Trust country houses, usually equipped with picnic tables) we headed off to Lacock Abbey and village for the afternoon. Totally saturated with historically interesting tales a point of interest in the Abbey was the famous window which William Talbot used as the subject for the first negative / positive photograph. Walking through the rooms it was also of interest to note that Harry Potter was filmed here using the cloisters and basement for scenes. Finally we had a quick read and paraphrase of one of the few copies produced of the Magna Carta.

A walk through the lovely village of Lacock was not sufficient exercise to offset the carrot cake from the local baker-ess wearing complete 1800s attire. We enjoyed the streets used in the BBC productions of Pride and Prejudice and Emma while desperately trying to imagine the avenues with horse and buggy instead of cars.

Our final stop for the day would take us back 5000 years in time to a point where Avebury was home to a small developed farming community (not much has changed in that time evidently). Pondering the immense stone circles, long stone lined procession way and deep moats around the town rivals Stonehenge for intrigue, historic significance and mangnitude of effort to develop so long ago.

With the late afternoon sun on our shoulders we walked through wheat fields up the hill to admire the man-made Silbury Hill (commenced at the same time as the pyramids although not as impressive) and delved into the West Kennet Long Barrow burial chambers. Much of our current understanding of the healt, diet and rituals of ancient communities is learnt from the burial chambers making a visit both fascinating and ominous.

14 August

At the third campsite we had tried the night before we found ourselves approximately 10km outside of Oxford. We awoke to the drumming of heavy rain on the tent skin under an apple tree in the back paddock. Taking Sarah and Robs' advice (NZ friends in London) we decided to try the 'Park and Ride', a system of strategically placed parking lots linked by buses to the centre of town. A great idea to keep the crazy tourists out of the city and help maintain better air quality and less congested roads (think about it Sydney)

At the Royal Blenheim Pub we enjoyed a burger they claim to be the best in Oxford (SnC rating - 8/10). The rain finally subsided sufficiently for us to dash to Christ Church although there was no real need as we look like mountaineers in our wet weather gear. The famous dinning hall was used in Harry Potter and as it was presented ready for dinner it is easy to imaging the 100+ diners sitting to dinner under the watchful eye of the church leaders, or in Harry's case Dumbledore. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking town and hiding from the rain in a hot dank internet cafe blogging.

Back on the Park and Ride we extended our pantry inventory to include soy sauce which added the perfect element to a feast of rice and green vegetables whilst singing 'Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but meeee...'

Start - 1 August

At no extra charge our car (Vauxhall Holden Astra 4 Door) for the next 5 weeks was delivered to NZ Avenue and arrived at around 11 am. Without delay we vacated the loungeroom floor and returned it to its original state, stocked up at sainsburys ready for the British touring trip of a lifetime. Heading out we made it all of 10 km (or approximately 6 miles) to our first stop at Ham House and gardens managed by the National Trust (NT). Liz and Ken / Mum and Dad bought the membership as a Christmas present prior to our trip which we already realise will be a great asset during the trip. Ham House was of interest as we watched a documentary on the NT and Ham House which certainly added to the experience in real life. Unfortunately the kitchens were closed due to flooding in the recent rains but we are told the damage was minor.

Next stop was Canterbury with its fabulous cathedral which we were all of 1 minute late for entry however the outside and grounds were worth the visit, not to mention some of the old town houses and a quick walk along the fortifications.

2 August

Our morning started with a 2 hour walk through the NT managed White Cliffs of Dover coastline. It was great to be up before the rest of the daily visitors to this section of coast as we could enjoy the morning sea breeze alone together.

We continued through Dover, Flokstone and stopped in Rye watching the tide advancing over lunchtime, a quick poke around the antique shops and until we could not restrain ourselves any longer and bought lots of little items (chocolate covered sultanas from the lolly shop next door). Touring through the old fishing village of Hastings we turned right towards Battle to visit the site of the infamous clash of 1066 AD.

The theatrical audioguide and light sunshower left us with a real impression of the battle which shaped British history when William the Conqueror (formerly William the Bastard, truly) fought King Harold and won. At the cost of almost 7000 men in one day, including King Harold, the battle ground below our feet held more anguish than we will ever know. We valued the history lesson and our visit so much that we joined English Heritage on the spot to compliment our NT membership, now England is our oyster to discover all her treasures FREE.

Camping at Castle View Campground we could see Peversby Castle (funnily enough) and planned our visit for the morning.

3 August

Before the crowds associated with opening times wallked in we walked the grounds of Peversby Castle (admiring our campsite from the previous night) where William the Bastard (he hasn't won the battle at this point) and his army landed and prepared for the fight.

Our next stop was sunny Eastbournewith the beautiful early 19th century pier. We quickly became the source of amusement for the passing parade of locals as we had set up for a full buffet breakfast on the wall of the promenade. Muesli, fruit, tea, spreads and fresh bread was the order of the day and we are sure to have made those in the expensive restaurant behind us very jelous as we had the better view. Having reviewed the Lonely Planet commentary on Eastbourne we certainly agree that octogenarians choose this delightful town for thier holidays as evidenced by the embroided floral cardigans for sale and more park benches per mile of promenade than anywhere else on earth, we LOVED it.

Touring the coast with a stop at Birling Gap (NT) and the 7 sisters peaks we would argue that the white cliff views and beach access outshine Dover.

A short shopping stop in Seaford for camping repair supplies before perching on the cliffs for a hot self catered curry lunch. After lunch something came over Camilla which compelled her to take the drivers seat. In retrospect cruising through busy holiday spot Brighton and Hove was not as relaxing as the country lanes to follow. We had planned on going to the Isle of White for a day however when we found out that the ferry alone would be twice our daily budget and most of the campsites were already full due to the Cowes regatta we had to change our plans.

Feeling a little disheartened we made excellent use of our time in Portsmouth historic wharves before driving to Winchester campground. After a tiring day the last thing we needed was 4 semi-retired camping managers (yes it takes 4) to work out if they had any space for us we had to remain calm regarding the near empty paddock we passed on our way to reception. In the end they carefully guided us to our pitch with a smile.

4 August

A short stop at Northington Grange was all that was required to see the parklands and acropolis style columns at the front of the 18th century house, then onto Winchester town. We visited the city mill which is in full working order after NT took over management. Greeted at the door by the flour grinding manager complete with a spot of flour on his nose we learnt more in the subsequent 10 minutes about where bread comes from than we thought possible. It was great to see how they used to harness the rivers energy and a little sad to note that of the 90+ mills in the district only a few remain standing, and only this one still works. A beautiful walk along the river took us to Wovesley Castle (EH) ruins then past Jane Austen's final home opposite the spectacular Winchester Cathedral.

Leaving Winchester we made our way for lunch in the gardens of Mottisfont Abbey founded in 1201. In such a stately home there is no more fitting meal than baked bean sandwiches and tea, although a pan fried trout such as those in the river would have also sufficed.

As if today had not been busy enough it seemed logical to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine at Stonehenge. Fasttracked through long queues is one of the great benefits provided by NT or EH membership and once through the door we giggled at the audioguide speculations as "we really can't be certain", or our favourite "we don't know but...". Moments after we had left our speculations seem far more likely anyway. It is unfortunate the site has been overrun by tourists (shame we fall into the same category) as it would be far more fulfilling to have peace during a wander between the stones in reflection of the ancient past.

5 August

Our morning commenced at Kingston Lacy (NT) in the superb grounds before entering this impressive house. In particular the story of Corfe Castle siege and subsequent destruction made the viewing of the castle keys over the fireplace even more symbolic of the courage of one lady. Notable aspects of the house include the collection of Egyptian artefacts, working 16th century grandfather clock complete with original cat gut weight strings, and an extensive art collection including Rubens and Titian.

So, today is Sunday therefore nothing would be more fitting than a full roast lunch complete with trimmings in a dinky pub. Phelips Arms Hotel offered the perfect selection of yorkshire pudding, beef, pork, leek and whitesauce, home made apple sauce and super hot horse radish cream. After lunch we went into the Phelips family home (next door) called Montacute House. Built in 1588 and modified over the coming 300 years the key points of interest included a National Portrait Gallery collection on loan showing the royal lineage through the ages, Steves first attempt to write with a feather quill (no improvement noted) and THE RACE.

Camilla stood with the crowd eagerly watching as she clasped her lance and steadied her stead. Lauren dug her sparkling pink heels into the soft lawn and looked at her opponent with all the savagery and determination a 5 year old can muster. As the course fell behind in their wake, their trusty stallions pressed on as fast as their wooden rollers allowed, and their lances now burdened with the weight of straw rings glinted in the sun, it was Lauren by a nose in the end. Camilla commented in the stables after that her achilles was a lack of sparkling pink stilletos.

Our evening was spent at an adventure camp on the river Dart, where we swung through the trees on a big kids jungle gym complete with flying fox.

6 August

Camilla took the wheel with gusto thismorning as Steve navigated the way through the back lanes of Devon, past the steam railway to Berry Pommeroy Castle (EH). Although the castle is in partial ruins the audio tour was of great interest with detailed descriptions of life in the 15th and 16th century, and tales of the lingering ghosts from the family.

Munching on carrot sticks we delayed the hunger pains until after the Dartmouth car ferry to Dartmouth Castle (EH). After 2 minute noodles (please assume tea follows all main meals) we explored the cannon battery and now realise how much time is consumed in preparation for firing a cannon. Back in Dartmouth we wandered town, admired the harbour, watched the steam train depart across the estuary and realised how big the tides in this area really are as we saw yachts moored standing on thier keels in the mud.

Dartmouth is beautiful of course you already know that from the photo above.

7 August

No trip to the south of England is complete without a stop in Modbury (???). Camilla was drawn in to the local butcher by his broad smile and good looking rump. After receiving advice from Mr Butcher who has probably lived here for the last 70 years, and all the locals in the store, we were finally set on our way in search of the best Devonshire cream tea in town. Finding a spot in the sun we researched the matter of scone-jam-cream vs. scone-cream-jam fully and can report with little hesitation that we are equally happy with either option.

On the scenic tourist drive to Kingsbridge we saw nothing as the 8-10 foot high hedges are far taller than our car. Our destination was Lanhydrock House (NT), one of the finest examples we have come across depicting the sheer decadence and wealth of some families during the Victorian era. Before entering the house we walked alongside the vintage car shuttle taking visitors down the drive and set ourselves up in the cow paddock for rump steak sandwiches and unfortunately didn't make friends with Daisy.

National Trust has preserved and presented every room of Lanhydrock House with attention to the finest details, in particular the childrens wing complete with toys and bear skin rugs, fabulous 8 room kitchen taking up the majority of the downstairs, and the son's bedroom as he left it before going to war.

Near the end of the day we arrived at Cornwall's greatest fortress, Pendennis Castle (EH), developed by Henry VIII in the 16th century. Playing soldier saving damsel in distress (Steve doesn't make a very good damsel) we explored the keep, gun battery and war shelters on this sunny windswept peninsular until closing time.

There are 4 factors that will limit our level of detail in blogging over the coming weeks which we had not foreseen. Firstly, there is at least 10 times as many places of interest and things to do and see than we could have possibly imagined scattered throughout the English countryside. Secondly, the number of available internet computers is next to none in most small towns. Thirdly, in the past week (drafting this entry on 12 August) we have visited some of the most exquisite castles, estates and historic sites yet seen on our adventures abroad not to mention all the towns and villages in between. It has taken us each evening to plan the following day whilst leaving time to live life, eat, find a campsite and enjoy reflecting on the day that blogging is harder to get to than ever. Finally, and most surprisingly we have enjoyed almost perfect weather and therefore cannot bear to be indoors at a computer, moreso it seems foolish not to count our blessings and get sun burnt instead.

Given the above disclaimer which should be read as an apology to frequent readers our subsequent blogging efforts, we hope, you will enjoy with less words and more photos than ever before. Depicting our journey through Britain, Wales and Scotland should be even easier to relay in person as we will be home in under a month (which is really unbelievable).

Please also note the following for all subsequent entries.

Based on our recent experience over the last week we would like to make the following general statement regarding visits to houses, gardens, historic sites, castles and natural environments. If we add no commentary or specific descriptions to our notes for the photos please assume the following applies;

"Location 'X' presented us with a glorious/unsurpassed/exceptional/exquisite/enjoyable insight and/or educational experience during our visit to the beautiful/extensive/astounding/lush/fascinating etc. architectural/furnishings/artworks/gardens/prehistoric monoliths/collections from 2000BC to 2007AD. Location 'X' is well worth the visit and/or a must see if you are touring Britain. We would like to thank/compliment/offer our best to the English Heritage/National Trust for all their hard work/dedication/enthusiasm/fanaticism to maintain/conserve this site. "

We will endeavour to find an internet location soon, currently we are in Bath and about to have a BBQ with a couple of friendly Australians we met yesterday, best wishes.

Arriving - 26 July 2007

While we were excited about our first flight in months we were even more thrilled to be arriving in London, and by London we mean the sheep paddock called Stansted Airport. The bus ride rocked us to sleep for almost 2 hours before we emerged at Baker Street in the pooring rain. Totally unphased we put on full mountain wet weather gear and strode off in search of the Queen.

Baker, Oxford, New Bond, Piccadilly, Pall Mall and The Mall are all far easier street names to navigate than the last 4 months. Ladden with our heavy burdens and convict pride we arrived at the gates of the 'Mother Ship', Buckingham Palace. The sun came out in time for us to enjoy the Queen Victoria memorial, a stroll through St James Park and visit the horse guard courtyard before synchronising our watches with Ben (the big one that is), and finally stopping to marvel at the London Eye.

Having ascertained which of the dozens of platforms at Waterloo Station was ours we rode to Walton-on-Thames and walked onto New Zealand Avenue. Greeted by our New Zealand friends the jokes regarding their street name quickly subsided to a warm welcome into their home where we would be based for the coming days.

Day One - 27 July 2007

Fully stocked up (finally) with Australia's finest condiment (we had to regain the rose in every cheek), our start and end point would be Waterloo Station. For today it was a long walk in the first sunshine locals had seen in weeks. Walking along the South Bank we came to Englands largest collection of Modern Art at the Tate Museum. As with all visits ever made to modern art collections, Camilla swears to never return with Steven in tow as the constant criticism and mumbling disturbs the other visitors and embarasses to no end. Vegimite was clearly the only thing that would placate Steve.

Tower Bridge, to our surprise was baby blue rather than red as we had thought for some reason, yet no less impressive. We enjoyed watching the red double decker buses and London cabs cross the small gap in the middle of the bridge where the Thames is winking up from below. Unfortunately, due to long queues we would miss the last Yeoman tour of the Tower of London so we admired the stronghold from outside instead and are determined to visit next time round.

A short stop on the steps of St Paul's cathedral was necessary after a quick peak inside, then down Fleet Street we went to Temple Church ( in Da Vinci Code) and most importantly to the birthplace of tea consumption, Twinnings first retail store. It is nice to be back in a civilised country where tea is cheaper and more readily available than coffee. One of our favourite places in London is Covent Garden with its myriad of entertainers, tea houses, pubs and quaint specialist toy shops. As if our legs weren't tired enough we bypassed the Royal Opera House before dashing to Leichester Square to find out what was on the stage in the West End tonight.

Camilla took substantial convincing before finally agreeing to go to Cabaret, what with all that unnecessary dancing, singing and over the top theatrics... promise. With some time to spare before curtain up we walked a big triangle through Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus both writhing with activity before stopping for take-away chinese outside the theatre. Whether it is our Aussie accents or broad smiles, we don't mind which, we were upgraded to our own private box, LUCKY!

Our boomerang tour for the day took us out of the theatre to Waterloo station via Big Ben where we checked we were still on time for the train. With the rain starting lightly there was a magic in the air as the lights of Westminster lit up the underneath of the clouds overhead. The buzz of the evening was drowned out only by Ben's chiming 11pm as we turned for the station.

Day 2 - 28 July - Back on a bike!

To be sure, the greatest consipiracy in history mandated by the Queen herself is that ALL BRITISH are to tell the rest of the world that England has miserable weather. For all the evidence we have on hand suggests that England is blessed with crisp sunny summer days (ignoring the recent devastating floods). To take full advantage of the day Sarah suggested a bike ride along the Thames river and received no opposition from us.

Past the Aston Martin dealership and through a small field we were gracefully bumping and jerking along the banks in no time. Our first stop was Hampton Court Palace to admire Henry VIII love pad and gardens then onto Bushy park to track deer to no avail. Onto Kingston for a picnic lunch next to the river using fresh local farmers produce.

On our return we stopped to eat wild blackberries, YUM! Sarah's second excellent suggestion for the day was to wash down the berries with a selection of England's finest beverages such as ales, ciders and wheat beer. It was a lazy afternoon affair with Prince Charles 'Dutchy's Original Organic Wheat Beer' and for Camilla a 'Hobgoblin Oak Matured Cider'. When Rob got home we left to Windsor Castle for dinner however unfortunately the Queen was not at home so instead we walked the streets of Windsor, visited Eton College and dined on fine Italian cuisine.

Day 3 - 29 July

Sunday morning in Walton on Thames reminded us of home with a full English breakfast. Thankfully we were full of beans as we assisted in stripping a one of Sarah's friends cars for spare parts. Sarah's Rover Metro now runs straighter with new tires and a shiny bonnet. We all headed to Hyde Park to start the afternoon in town and after a short stop at speakers corner we escaped the mad ranting of soapbox weilding shouters for Greenwich. With a pit stop at Canary Wharf for Tescos sandwiches we walked up the grassy hill and paid tribute to Captain Cook's statue before entering the observatory. In typical tourist fashion we stood on both sides of the world at once (0 to 360 degrees longditude) before marvelling at the original maritime time pieces such as the first timepieces and chronographs.

ROB AND SARAH ON THE LINE

It was ale o'clock so back on the tube to Soho we went in search of a 'dinky' English pub with traditional cask ales and cider. What a great end to a super day with friends.

Day 4 - 30 July

Changing of the Guard would today be our first tourist adventure. We made it just in time as the procession wound around Queen Victoria Memorial and behind the fence of Buckingham Palace. Having now witnessed a couple of Guard Changing ceremonies throughout Europe we feel confident in saying that this ceremony is a real treat to enjoy. The sunshine was out and we could feel the buzz move through the crowd as the masses gathered to listen to the band play.

We set a brisk pace to escape the now dispersing crowd across to Green Park Station and like lightening flashed across town to the British Museum. There were numerous displays which our appreciation of the artefacts and exhibits was substantially enhanced due to having recently visited many of the historical sites in Italy and Greece. After spending over an hour marvelling at the Egyptian collection of mummies and tomb treasures a trip to Egypt should be on the cards in the future certainly. Some of the collections in the Museum are outstanding and for one we are pleased to say we have seen first hand finds such as the Rosetta Stone which unlocked so much history for us all.

Now that we were completely saturated with information we felt the excitement of another West End production was in order to calm the nerves. Unfortunately Les Miserables was sold out save a few 'Restricted View' seats so we opted for the hilarious new Monty Python production 'Spamalot'. Given that we had a couple of hours up our sleeves we headed out to Notting Hill in order to take our first ride on a double decker bus and visit the famous Portabello Road markets. What fun it was to watch the city pass underneath and once we had arrived we found the town of Notting Hill charming. Sainsbury sandwiches, with a much needed enhancement of smoked salmon, was enjoyed on the bus ride back to West End. Spamalot proved even funnier than could possibly have been expected, such a laugh our sides split.

Day 5 - 31 July

As of yesterday Camilla has read the first two lines of the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, only making us more determined to find Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station. Thankfully we were able to avoid suspicion when taking photos of blank walls between the platforms (we suspect we are not the first). Now hungry we made our way to the Natural History Museum and soaked up the sun with the locals whilst having a picnic lunch of Sainsbury's finest sandwiches (AGAIN) and toffy cookies. You can imagine how busy a sunny patch of grass outside a museum full of dinosaurs can get during the first week of school holidays.

As has been repeated a number of times by Steve's Mum, we have in our minds the fact that when he was a young boy he declared his undying love for all dinosaurs and wished to marry one if possible. Things turned out rather differently (lucky Camilla, or more so lucky Steve). At the sight of all the skeletons our imaginations were ignited as we dashed between huge femurs and sharp claws. Saving time in the day for the Science Museum required us to leave the Natural History Museum a bit prematurely yet we weren't dissappointed.

Amidst the extensive collections of world firsts in engineering and science were 1000's of detailed explanations regarding the birth of steam engines, ships, rockets etc. Everything that moves or beeps from X-Ray machines to rocket ships, industrial steam engines for mining, a dissected boeing 747 fuselage and an original WWII spitfire all within our reach ('please do not touch'). Camilla found the first ever electrocardiograph (ECG) particularly interesting and noted the few similarities with todays MUCH more advanced systems.

To top off a great day we were indulged by Sarah and Rob with a traditional British / New Zealand / Australian BBQ in their courtyard before poor Rob had to retire from the festivities to complete a uni assignment, ouch. We really have immensely enjoyed London and thoroughly appreciate Rob and Sarah's generosity and friendship. We look forward to returning the favour in Sydney soon.