Category Archives: 2014 UK Summer

July 28, Monday We’ve come full circle … we’re back in Edinburgh.  63 days ago we landed in Edinburgh at the start of our journey. We’ve had a really special adventure this summer, and I’m a little sad to see … Continue reading →

July 26, Saturday Today started out pretty rough.  Adam set up an itinerary to visit several of the English Heritage sites in the area, so we got into the car to head out for the day.  The kids immediately started … Continue reading →

July 24, Thursday This morning Adam said sadly, “Today is the last day we’ll be driving the Land Rover.”  Tomorrow we drop it off with the mechanic, Geoff.  We can’t import it to the US, so Geoff has agreed to … Continue reading →

July 22, Tuesday We left our house and headed back to the York Starbucks for what is turning out to be a daily routine.  Adam is catching up on work, and I’m sitting across from a sign that reads “Art … Continue reading →

July 20, Sunday We’ve been to York in the past and liked it, but never had time to see it properly.  We scheduled 4 days this time so we could give our visit a little more depth. Our first stop … Continue reading →

July 18, Friday  Today we did something amazing.  Online Adam found out about this place called Breakout Manchester, which has an incredibly cool concept.  They lock you (teams from 2 to 5 people) in a room and you have 60 minutes … Continue reading →

July 15, Tuesday Today we visited Cadbury World in Birmingham.  It was an excellent tour.  We expected something rather small that would take about 20 minutes, but it’s actually a very involved, thorough tour through the factory that takes on … Continue reading →

July 12, Saturday We didn’t have any activities planned because we’d originally scheduled a B&B in another town.  The guy canceled on us last night so we had to scramble for a new itinerary.  We were lucky enough to get … Continue reading →

July 10, Thursday This morning Adam announced, “Today we’re going to dig for fossils.”  We are visiting Monmouth Beach, in Lyme Regis (town) and known as part of the Jurassic Coast.  The cliffs have been estimated at 199 million years … Continue reading →

July 8, Tuesday Since we visited the zoo yesterday, we were entitled to 50% off admission to the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth.  The kids really wanted to go, so we headed back to Plymouth after breakfast. Adam, up early as … Continue reading →

July 6, Sunday We didn’t have any plans for today, aside from driving to our next rental house in Devon.  We just headed out in the morning and started looking for interesting road signs.  It turned out to be one … Continue reading →

July 4, Friday As usual, this morning Adam got up with the sun.  By the time everyone else wakes up at a decent hour (like 6:15 a.m.) he is itching to get on with his day.  These photos are from … Continue reading →

July 2, Wednesday This morning Isabella’s ankle was not much better than it was yesterday, so she elected to stay home and give it one more day of rest.  We loaded her up with food, an ace bandage, and fully-charged … Continue reading →

June 30, Monday The house we’ve rented in Wirksworth is only OK, but has a couple of really great perks.  The first is a park with big playground directly across the street, which is fantastic for the kids and for us. … Continue reading →

June 27, Friday Some photos of the converted barn duplex we’re renting.  The right side is the one rented out; the owner lives on the left. View of back yard. It’s right in the middle of farm land. View out … Continue reading →

June 25, Wednesday Adam and I took another early morning walk around Glasgow while the kids were getting ready to go out.  This building is part of the University of Glasgow. More buildings of classrooms.  They are all gorgeous.   … Continue reading →

June 23, Monday Today was pretty much a wasted travel day.  We caught the ferry from Islay over to the mainland at noon, and spent the remainder of the afternoon driving to Glasgow.  Before we left the island, we had … Continue reading →

June 21, Saturday Today’s post (mostly) by Adam: Today we visited the island of Jura – home of Red Deer, a quirky whisky distillery and very, very little else. Jura is almost 6 1/2 times the size of Manhattan Island, … Continue reading →

June 19, Thursday We’re headed to the Hebridean island of Islay.  (It’s the spot where the red line ends above Derry in Northern Ireland.) For watchers of Parks and Recreation, this is the island Ron Swanson called “one place in … Continue reading →

June 17, Tuesday This morning we woke up to a glorious day.  Tea in hand, I went out on the deck to enjoy the majesty of the setting.  Grieg’s “Morning Mood” was playing in my head.  Ahhh, what a life! … Continue reading →

June 15, Sunday Leaving Nethy Bridge this morning had us pass by House of Bruar for the third time, so we stopped to get the makings of another Skyrim dinner. In front of the grocery store they have a small … Continue reading →

June 12, Thursday On the road back to Nethy Bridge from Edinburgh this morning, we stopped at the The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve.  It’s not really for tourists but rather a scientific research station that allows … Continue reading →

June 10, Tuesday One of the things Adam and John wanted to do most in Scotland is visit some whisky distilleries.  Yesterday’s Glenfiddich tour was family friendly, but most of the whisky tours are 18+ only.  I needed to dye … Continue reading →

June 8, Sunday Early this morning, Adam, Elaine, John and Josie got up early and went for a walk around Inverness.  Here are a couple photos: Loch Ness was our first official stop, and about a 30 minute drive from … Continue reading →

June 7, Saturday Our Scotland trip so far, for those of you who like maps to orient yourselves: Here is our B&B, Ardgarry, the one with the white door and the red awning.  The houses have names here.  Adam’s Land … Continue reading →

June 5, Thursday First thing in the morning, we headed over to Holyrood Palace since we ran out of time to see it yesterday.  It’s another castle-like museum/palace full of old treasures.  The Queen of England spends one week a … Continue reading →

June 3 This morning John and Elaine are arriving, so Adam and Josie headed to the airport to pick them up.  That left Isabella, Holden and me on our own until lunchtime. Yesterday the weather was quite nice and we … Continue reading →

June 1, 2014 — Northumberland, England Near the northern border of England, we visited The Holy Island and Lindisfarne Castle. Lindisfarne is on a tidal island, only accessible at certain times of the day. For about half of the day, … Continue reading →

(Adam’s write-up):  We first visited Alnwick Castle in Northumbria (NE66 1NQ) This castle is now most famous as the site (both exterior shots and interior) for the Hogwarts School of Harry Potter fame. Alnwick Castle is the home of the … Continue reading →

May 29, 2014 We finally have possession again of Adam’s finished Land Rover!  This has been an almost three-year-in-the-making project. We’ve realized after years of experimentation that staying in houses is much nicer than staying in hotels, and often a … Continue reading →