Trip Report - Just back after five and half weeks in the UK
 

After being a regular reader of the Fodors boards for some time I first posted a trip report last year after our seven weeks in Scotland and England. Some of my coffee mates had suggested that I send them a simple weekly email during that trip to let them know what we were doing and when we returned I packaged those emails up as a trip report. We're just back from another trip so I thought I would do the same this year.

As I do each week's report I will add some photos at the link below;

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/GregYeaman

I'll be happy to respond to anyone's questions or comments.

UK Trip Report Week 1

Despite some anxious moments in the lead up to our departure, as the Icelandic volcano threatened to upset our plans, our flight went very smoothly and we touched down at Heathrow only 10 minutes behind schedule. This was our first flight with Malaysia and we were very happy with them - good service, good food, and comfortable seats - in business class at least.

Our plan was to pick up the car, drive around London on the M25 to Kent, and to visit one or two sites while we waited to get access to our cottage at 2:00 pm. This was a good plan but we had not really thought through the implications of arriving at 5:10 am - most sites open around 10:00 am so we had some waiting to to do.

We called in at Sevenoaks first, thinking that we may find a café open early there but we were too early so had a wander around the town centre and then went on to Tunbridge Wells where we had a coffee and spent some time reading the papers before driving a few miles south to Scotney castle & gardens. We really enjoyed this visit, an interesting house on the high ground, set in lovely gardens running down to the ruined castle surrounded by water. Bluebells are still out and rhododendrons and other flowers added colour. Our Australian National Trust membership gets us into most NT properties here so we didn't have to pay for this visit

After Scotney we headed back to Tunbridge Wells to visit a supermarket for basic supplies and then to find our cottage in Langton Green. The cottage is very nice; small but comfortable and in a quiet lane just off the main road. It has lounge, dining room and kitchen downstairs and 2 bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. There is a nice little garden with patio furniture and BBQ but it has been a bit cold to spend much time out there.

http://www.freedomholidayhomes.co.uk...-details/TW647

On Sunday morning we went in search of a good coffee in Tunbridge Wells (and failed to find it) then took it easy for a while before heading out in the afternoon to Smallhythe Place, a 16th century half timbered home about 20 miles south east of Tunbridge Wells through lovely Kentish countryside. The village was once a shipbuilding centre and discarded ship timbers were used in the house's construction resulting in all sorts of odd angles and levels. We really enjoyed dinner at Tunbridge Wells Bar & Grill, an upmarket pub in the centre of town.

The next day we again started with coffee and papers in Tunbridge Wells and tried another café which was worse than the day before. We then followed a drive from the AA guide book, though the Ashdowne forest with a stop at Penshurst Place, a visit to the pretty village of Chiddingston, and then back via Sevenoaks - which was much more lively than it had been at 7:00 am Saturday. Penshurst Place was a very impressive stately home but only a small part was accessible to visitors. The gardens were very formal, a series of connecting areas separated by walls and hedges, with lots of blossom and massed plantings. The adjacent village was very attractive.

On Tuesday we tried Juliet's for our coffee - success at last - and this became our regular coffee stop for the rest of our stay. Quite a long day, starting with a drive south to Lewes, where we followed the tourist walk around a very attractive town. We then continued to the coast at Birling gap for views of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and a clifftop walk to the lighthouse before going on to Beachy Head for another short stroll and great views of the coast. From there we continued inland to Battle to visit the 1066 battlefield and abbey ruins. This was an excellent visit with a very good audio commentary to guide us through a 40 minute walk around the battlefield. We bought an 14 day English Heritage pass here.

The next day we started with a ride on the Bluebell steam railway, a 9 mile train ride though lovely Sussex countryside (of course) to Kingscote and then back again. There was a 30 minute turnaround at Kingscote and there was nothing there but the station. While this was quite a nice experience and I don't regret doing it, it was expensive at 12.50GBP each and I would have preferred a shorter trip.

We then visited the nearby gardens at Sheffield Park (NT) which were great with lots of colour and set around a series of lakes. Lord Sheffield donated 150GBP in 1892 to promote "intercolonial cricket" and the funds were used to establish the original Sheffield Shield competition between the Australian States.

The Bluebell train had passed the no longer used station of West Hoathly and I remembered that Mum's maternal grandfather had come from there so we drove around to find the village which was small but very attractive and rather prosperous looking. There is a house there - the Priest's House - that the family had rented, initially from the Church but then from Henry VIII after the Dissolution and later Elizabeth I, from 1524 to around 1700. We took a look around the gardens but didn't go inside ( I didn't realise that the family had actually lived there until we got back to our cottage and I looked it up). Back to Langton Green via East Grimstead.

On Thursday we left early for Rochester and the old Naval Dockyards at Chatham. Rochester was a very nice town with an excellent cathedral and a ruined castle offering views of the town and surroundings. Chatham was only a short drive away and the Dockyards were certainly interesting although they were expensive and suffer by comparison with Portsmouth. There was an excellent display of historical lifeboats and I found the guided tour of an O-class submarine very interesting but the other 2 warships on display were less exciting. The tour of the ropeworks had it's moments - our guide was being critiqued by a gentleman with a clipboard and appeared very nervous (I think he probably failed) - but could have been a lot shorter. The most interesting bits for me were the rope walk itself and the rope making demo which made up the last 15 minutes or so.

After some deliberation about the amount of driving involved - about 50 miles but away from Tunbridge wells - we then decided to head for Deal to see the castle. That was well worthwhile as the audio-guided tour was very interesting and the castle was unlike any we had seen previously. I knew that France could be seen from England and had expected maybe a smudge on the horizon but the French cliffs could be seen quite clearly. Then a longish drive back via Dover and Ashwood.

Friday, and our last day in Kent/Sussex, started with a visit to Down House, Charles Darwin's house, using our English Heritage pass. Very interesting with an exhibition on his life and the writing of "On the Origin of Species" on the upper floor. We then drove to Hever Castle to finish our week with a great visit. A beautifully proportioned building, set in lovely grounds, and dating from the 14th century it was home to Anne Boleyn. The castle was restored in the early 1900's by William Astor and no expense was spared on the house or the gardens. A real highlight. Back to Langton Green to pack and then a return to the Tunbridge Wells Bar & Grill for another very nice meal.

Thanks for writing about your trip. We're Australians too and currently live in the UK. I had to laugh when you said you couldn't find a cafe open early, it's one of the things that we noticed very quickly here, nothing opens early, particularly on Sundays. Very different from home.

Look forward to reading about the rest of your trip.
Kay

Thanks Kay, here's week 2

UK Trip Report - Week 2

On Saturday we packed up at Langton Green, called at Juliet's in Tunbridge Wells for one last coffee then headed north to Audley End House, about 25 miles south of Cambridge. Set in large grounds the house has an impressive entry hall and the oldest living spaces are very well proportioned but the rest of the house is less exciting. The stables have recently been refurbished and were interesting, and the walled garden was nice but overall we somehow expected more. Maybe seen too many stately homes already.

We phoned ahead and the house at Bar Hill,was ready early so we went straight there and settled in. We were very happy with the house which has one bedroom only but has a large dining-living room, a separate kitchen, a conservatory, and even our own garden. It is about 5 miles out of Cambridge in a residential area so not so convenient but a very pleasant base for this week.

http://www.highfieldlodge.info/index.php?pageid=1

On Sunday morning we drove in to Cambridge to get a feel for the town, parking etc and to visit the tourist office, before it got too busy. Cambridge is a lovely town and there is plenty of parking but it is expensive and use of the Park & Ride buses is encouraged.

In the afternoon we took a short drive to Anglesey Abbey (NT), no longer a religious building, but a family home since 1536, and restored in the 1930's. Very nice gardens, trees and lawn rather than flowers beds, and the house was well worth seeing. We couldn't get in to see the restored mill as they were short of volunteers that day!

Then on to Wicken Fen, another NT property, where we did the boardwalk circuit of a part of the site - didn't see much birdlife and none of the 21 species of dragonfly & damselfly said to live there but then we weren't there all that long. A pleasant & interesting walk through a distinctive landscape.

The next day we took the Park & Ride bus into Cambridge and signed up for the 2-hour walking tour conducted by the tourist office. As with Oxford last year these are excellent, a great way to see the key parts of the town, to pick up some history from knowledgeable guides and generally to get a feel for the town. The tour included access to 2 colleges, King's and Trinity, with the highlight being King's College Chapel. We didn't get access to all the usual parts of the tour because it was exam time but still well worth doing. Visited St Mary's church and climbed the tower for a 360 degree view of the town then went for a further walk across the river and around the 'backs' behind the colleges and back through the town, calling at the Fudge Kitchen for a little birthday treat for me, then back to the bus stop.

On Tuesday, we started with a visit to Duxford Aviation Museum. This was an active airfield for fighters in WW2 and now houses an extensive display of historical aircraft - from very early flying machines to a Concorde - as well as a very good exhibition on the Battle of Britain. While there we saw a fly past of 2 Hurricanes (I think) and we also visited the American museum on site but my energy levels were flagging by then and I probably didn't do it justice. As with the Chatham Dockyard it's hard to get maintain energy & enthusiasm with these big sites.

From Duxford we drove to Ely to see its famous cathedral. I can get a little overexposed to cathedrals but this one was special. When the original square central tower collapsed in 1322 it was replaced with the existing lantern tower which uses giant oak beams cantilevered to form a central tower which is has no direct support from below. We took the tour up the tower to see it from the roof and some the painted panels were opened so that we could see inside - spectacular.

The next day we headed out early for Norwich, again to see the cathedral which is famous for its carved wood misericords. While the carvings were indeed very good this felt like a long drive for not that much. The town was very attractive and bustling but we had thought that it had more of an intact historical centre and we were generally a bit disappointed.

We decided to return via Lavenham and we were certainly not disappointed there. This is a small town that was very prosperous over a long period but then declined meaning that buildings were not replaced and the village has a very harmonious feel. Back to Bar Hill for a quiet read out in the backyard in the very pleasant sunshine.

Thursday was our last full day here and we took it easy spending the morning and early afternoon in Cambridge and then relaxing at the house, starting to pack up. Visited St John's college, mainly to be able to get a view of the Bridge of Sighs but the college itself was worth seeing as well.

We had dinner Thursday tonight at the Maddingley Pub, a nice white building with thatched roof in a quiet village setting. The pub has a good reputation but in my opinion the food wasn't special and I wouldn't hurry back.

GregY2 your report is fabulous! You write with a charming style which is so easy to read apart from being extremely interesting.
I could vividly picture you at Burling Gap - we went down those stairs onto the beach and I was captivated by the chalk that had fallen from the cliff face. As pieces rolled around at the waters edge it felt slimey and smooth.
I brought a nice chunk back with me imbedded with that unusual stone. (I doubt whether you would get a souvinir like that back into Oz with your stringent regulations.)

Looking forward to more of your report to see where else we have crossed paths! Can you also tell me from where in Australia you flew and was it via Malaysia?

Well thank you tod for your kind comments. It was interesting to see the erosion that created those cliffs still in action.

We live in Melbourne and flew from Tullamarine to Kuala Lumpur, with a couple of hours connection, then direct to Heathrow.

I'll be posting week 3's report shortly, I'm just picking out some photos to go with it. Greg

Thanks, enjoying.

Hi GregY2,thanks so much for your trip report, I've only just found this forum so I'm going to look for your other trip report as well.

I'm travelling to England from Australia with my 19yo son and 22yo daughter in September for 6 weeks and as you can imagine we all have different ideas about what we want to do and places we want to see. At this stage we haven't even be able to agree on which countries to visit and its only 3 months until we leave! So reports like yours really help me to decide what is worthwhile seeing. I know my 19yo wont tolerate too many castles and cathedrals so getting opinions from others will help us at least just go to the best ones!

Have you been to France at all?

Thanks again Greg,
Sandra

Thanks again

Hi Sandra, here's the link to last year's report.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

You will see as the rest of this year's trip comes up that while we revisited some areas we were also "filling in gaps" from our previous trips. What we did this time may not be what you would choose for a first trip.

I do know France quite well and we have visited many times. In fact we are part owners of two village houses in the south of France. If you'd like to discuss itineraries in more detail - for the UK or for France - I'd be happy to do so (I have done several itineraries for friends and they seemed happy with them). Just give me an email address and I'll be happy to make contact. Greg

UK Trip Report - Week 3

After leaving Bar Hill we headed west for Ludlow but broke the journey at Kenilworth Castle and garden. We only stopped at Kenilworth because it was basically en route and because I found it in the English heritage guidebook but this turned out be a great visit. The castle is a ruin but large parts of several buildings are still standing, the medieval gardens have been restored, and the audio guide gave a lot of interesting detail about the history of the site - which has a long association with royalty.

We then drove straight to Ludlow, arriving about 3:15 and found our cottage after a brief search - the 'Vineyard' consists of 4 small cottages along a walkway running back from the street and ours was the second last in the row; not obvious from the street. The cottage is charming, a well equipped and light kitchen downstairs, and a small but comfortable lounge room down a couple of steps, then upstairs to a good sized main bedroom, modern bathroom and second bedroom. The only negatives are the lack of internet access and only paying parking outside. We knew about both of these when we booked and we have worked around them easily enough. We have since had an email from the owners to say that they are now going to provide internet based on our feedback.

http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/ludlow/91877

Ludlow is a lovely town with many half-timbered buildings and a good range of shops & services. As it happens Costa's had the best latte's in town and they open at 7:00 am so they have been our first visit most days this week. The Wheatsheaf pub has good reviews from previous guests and is just a few metres up the street so we had dinner there - quite good pub food without being outstanding but a very nice atmosphere.

On Saturday we drove to Knighton, on the Welsh border, and took a recommended walk of about 2 miles along Offa's Dyke to Hawthorn Hill and back for lovely views of the countryside. It was a beautiful day and the early morning was just right for a walk - about 18 degrees, on the way to the mid-20's. Our next stop was Stokesay Castle, not far from Ludlow. This was a lovely building, dating from around 1291, and with a half-timbered gatehouse. Stokesay was our last visit using the 14 day English heritage pass - cost 46.50GBP, ticket price saved 94.10GBP so excellent value.

The next day was a long one, and we started early with a 2 hour drive to Conwy in north Wales. The castle is massive and in a commanding position and the town walls are almost intact - we did the 3/4 mile walk from port to castle meeting only one break in the wall.

After taking the tour of the castle we then drove about an hour to Portmeirion, an Italianate village constructed between 1917 and the 1950's. If you are old enough to remember the TV show "The Prisoner" you will have seen the village as it was filmed there in the late 1960's. Then a couple of hours drive through the Snowdonia NP to get back to Ludlow about 5:30.

On Monday we headed south to the Wye valley, about an hour from Ludlow. We did 2 walks from Symonds Yat, a small village spread along both banks of the river Wye but without a bridge. The first walk was a short but steep climb to the lookout above the village for great views, then back down and along the west bank of the river for a mile or so, across the river via a suspension bridge, and back up to the village where signalling to the pub opposite resulted in the barman coming over in a hand pulled cable ferry to pick us up. We then had lunch at the pub before continuing about 1/2 an hour to Tintern abbey - ruined of course but a very complete outline of the original buildings and quite a bit of wall still standing. This turned into a longer day than we originally planned but very enjoyable.

Tuesday was our day to visit Ironbridge Gorge and its 10 museums. In fact after seeing the actual bridge and taking a stroll along the river we only visited one museum but that was really good. The Jackfield Tile Museum is located in the original buildings used for large scale tile production in the 19th & 20th centuries and it has an excellent display of wall and floor tiles from medieval to more recent times as well as information about how the various types of tile were made.

We then drove across to Shrewsbury which turned out to be a pleasant & bustling town which has retained quite a few of its medieval buildings. We had a late lunch in the market square and a stroll around town before heading back to Ludlow.

The next day was a return to Wales, south to the Brecon Beacons where we made the ascent of Pen Y Fan. The tourist office person said that the climb would be about 1.5 hours, or 1 hour for quick walkers, but we had the Seniors package and took 2 hours. It was a hard climb but well worth it with great views from the top.

Returned to Ludlow via a part of the "Black & White tour", visiting several small & out of the way villages with a high proportion of half-timbered buildings. The countryside around Ludlow, and south around Hereford is lovely.

Thursday was our last day in Ludlow and we stayed close to home. Started with our usual coffee & papers at Costa's, then took a stroll around Ludlow to take some photos, and later followed one of the tourist office walks along the river and around central Ludlow. We split up for a little souvenir shopping then met for an afternoon coffee and to write some postcards. Dinner at Chang Thai was excellent, then back to start packing.

Not much to report for Friday, just a 5 hour drive to Glasgow where we had dinner with friends at the Italian Kitchen before heading for Appin on Saturday morning. Stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in the centre of Glasgow - a basic hotel but a known quantity and fine for a one-night stopover.

Great trip report, Greg.

I particularly enjoyed the Ludlow and Welsh Borders part as few people seem to visit that glorious part of the UK.

I lived for 3 years in a tiny village halfway up Clee Hill, about 5 miles from Ludlow. On a clear day we could see Pen-Y-Fan, and I know the views are spectacular from there.

I loved Ludlow, and am glad you liked it too. Did you visit the castle? It certainly made a good base for you to travel to many other places.

Looking forward to the next installment.

Greatly enjoying your report; like how much you cover succintly but with atmospheric details and personal comments.

I can't begin to tell you how much I've enjoyed your report. You stirred up many memories as we too have done most of these places but quite a few years ago. I no longer trust my husband's reflexes for driving in the UK. I'd love to revisit some of these places. Ludlow and Stokesay were particular favorites.We stayed at the Feathers and enjoyed dining at the wonderful restaurants in town.

Thank you all for your positive comments.

Julia T we had not visited Ludlow and the surrounding area before and we really enjoyed our stay. Ludlow is a lovely town, big enough to have a range of services, small enough to be easily navigable, a great setting beside the river, and a charming town centre. I'd very happy to return some day. I would highly recommend The Vineyard - spotlessly clean, tastefully furnished, well equipped, and I think quite reasonably priced.

Surprisingly we did not visit the castle at Ludlow. We tended to use Ludlow as our base for coffees, restaurants etc and just didn't get around to it. A reason to go back maybe.

Ill be posting Week 4 shortly

UK Trip Report - Week 4

The accommodation this week has been a slight step down from the first three weeks; plenty of room and quite well equipped but with a much more tired feel than our first 3 cottages, particularly in the bathroom. It was very well situated though for what we wanted and we ended up quite happy with our stay. We stayed in the "creran" apartment. This is the website.

http://www.kinlochlaich-house.co.uk/index.asp

We left Glasgow late morning after stopping off at Tinderbox in Byres Road for a nostalgic coffee and headed for Oban via Inverary where we stopped briefly for a stroll around this attractive village. Our first call at Oban was the Caledonian-McBrayne ferry offices to book our trip to the Treshnish Islands which was one of our main reasons for coming back to this area. Based on the weather forecast we booked for the following day then took a quick look around Oban, called at the supermarket then continued about 15 miles north to find Kinlochlaich House at Appin.

On Sunday we were in Oban ready to check in at 9:30 - too early for coffee in Oban on a Sunday morning, We first took the ferry across to Mull to meet the minibus, which then took us across the island through lovely mountain scenery to Ulva Port where our boat trip was to depart. It was an hour trip to Staffa to see the striking geological formations and to land briefly to take a look around and visit Fingal's Cave, then another half hour to Lunga, largest of the Treshnish Isles (but still not very big). We had 2 hours ashore and as we walked up the path to the high ground we started to see Puffins nesting in burrows along the cliff edges and the further we went the more there were. The birds did not appear to be bothered by our presence and by sitting still it was possible to get very close. The 2 hours disappeared very quickly and we then had to retrace our steps to the boat for the return journey, arriving back at Appin towards 8:00 pm. The weather was absolutely perfect, warm & sunny with clear skies and a light breeze. This was a real highlight. Our biggest problem will be how to cull the hundred's of photos that we took.

Monday morning we found that Café Stalker, just a mile up the road, and with a lovely view over Loch Creran and Castle Stalker, opened at 9:30 daily and served very good coffee - one problem solved! After coffee we continued a few miles north to the Glencoe visitors centre to get some advice on an introductory hillwalk.

The Pap of Glencoe was suggested and we set out but found it hard work, particularly on a very warm day. The Pap has a steep conical top that requires scrambling and we did not intend to go that far, just to the ridge below, which would give good views, but we really struggled even to get that far. Eventually we made it but found the overall climb a bit disappointing; there were excellent views from about half way up but it was real slog.

Tuesday was a rest day, with coffee at Stalker in the morning and a leisurely trip into Oban in the afternoon.

The next day we took a long drive up through the Great Glen to Culloden Moor. We had visited before but friends told us that a new visitor's centre had been built and that it was worth revisiting. We debated this a bit as it is quite a long way but decided to go, stopping briefly at Fort William and Neptune's Stairway, the multiple canal locks just out of town. The drive up through the glen and along Loch Ness is attractive and traffic was light so we arrived at Culloden in good time.

The new visitor centre is excellent, a low building that blends into the landscape and with a very good outline of the lead up to the battle, told from the English perspective on one side and with the Jacobite viewpoint on the other. An audio guide then takes you around the battlefield with the commentary triggered by GPS at particular points. We both really enjoyed this visit and thought the long day well worthwhile. The site is National Trust of Scotland and our Australian NT membership gained us free access so that helped as well. Dinner was just 2-3 miles down the road from our accommodation, at the Creagan Inn, which has a lovely lochside position and serves excellent pub food.

On Thursday we planned to attempt another 'Munro' and after coffee called back to the Glencoe visitor centre for recommendations. We decided to attempt one of the peaks in Buchaille Etive Mor, probably Stob na Broige at 956 metres. The walk starts with a relatively easy path along the glen for a couple of miles then the path goes up very steeply to the ridge. We actually made pretty good progress and I'd guess were up about 700 metres when we encountered a nearly sheer & potentially slippery rocky outcrop that Heather found too difficult to negotiate so we called a halt and made our way back. Disappointing not to bag a Munro but better to be safe and try again another day.

Friday morning we hired bikes at Port Appin, a couple of miles away, and made the 10 minute ferry crossing to Lismore Island. We had visions of cycling around the island taking in views of the mainland & Mull but the main road goes down the centre of the island and the views from there are very much like those on the mainland. We spent a couple of hours there but decided to catch the 11:15 ferry back as the next one would have been at 2:15 and we didn't think we wanted that long on the island. The bikes were not in great condition which didn't help. In the afternoon we made another trip into Oban, called at the Creagan for a drink on the decking, and later returned to Port Appin for an excellent dinner at the Pier House restaurant.

Initially we had hoped to get at least one fine day in this week so we could have a chance of doing our Puffin trip. As it happens, apart from some light rain the day we arrived, it was fine all week and warm and sunny most days - we have even had temperatures up to 22 degrees and that makes a real difference for walking and sightseeing.

Saturday morning we checked out and drove down to Glasgow where we were able to get access to our flat at just after 1:00pm.

I was very interested to hear you also took the trip to Staffa & the Treshnish isle of Lunga! We did the boat trip in 2008 and it was the highlight of our entire 2 weeks in Scotland! The weather was absolutely fabulous which made it such a sucess.
Really looking forward to seeing what you captured on camera!

Hi tod. Actually we had not planned a trip to the UK at all in 2010. We are going to Italy in September and that was to be our travel for this year. Then we saw an article somewhere about the Treshnish trips and within 10 days we had put together an agenda, booked flights, car and accommodation! I'll put a few more puffin photos on the picasa page.

Wonderful, thanks.

UK Trip Report - Week 5

We used the same flat in Glasgow as last year. It has a nice location in the West End of Glasgow, about 1/2 hour's walk from the centre of town. The flat is on the first floor overlooking Kelvingrove Park and is roomy and comfortable but didn't seem quite as good as last year. We had some problems with the hot/cold in the shower which the owner tried to address but with only partial success - I guess it wouldn't be Glasgow without boiler problems (while living in Glasgow in 2007 we had a boiler problem that remained unfixed when we finally quit the flat 2 months after the problem appeared).

We were able to get into the flat about 1:00 pm on Saturday and just spent the afternoon settling in and taking a stroll around the area. It was a warm day and there were hundreds of people in Kelvingrove Park taking advantage of the sun. I've not seen them at home but little disposable aluminium foil barbecues seem very popular here and the smell of cooking food was right through the gardens.

On Sunday we started with coffee at Offshore, about 10 minutes walk through the park, and it seems just the same - good coffee and free wifi internet. We were invited to lunch with friends at Craigmarloch, about 1/2 hour out of town and after lunch we all took a walk in the local area along what remains of the Appenine Wall.

Heather had arranged lunch with another friend on Monday so I decided to tackle another Munro and chose the area around Killin, about 2 hours north of Glasgow. We had not been there before and it turned out to be a very nice area - Killin was an attractive small town on Loch Tay and there were several Munros to choose from. I had planned to get advice from the NT visitor centre but it had closed in 2009 so I spoke to some locals in the car park and then set out for Beinn Ghlas at 1066 metres. I made the top without too much difficulty in less than 3 hours and thought of continuing along the ridge to Ben Lawers - not far and only a 100 or so metres higher - but the visibility was quite poor most of the way and I decided not to go any further. Quite pleased to double my Munro successes though.

Tuesday was rainy, one of only 2 significantly wet days in our 2 weeks in Scotland; we had a dream run with the weather this year. We drove first to the NT Bannockburn visitor centre, just out of Stirling, thinking that we had never been there, but when we arrived we realised that we must have visited early in our 2003 stay. The centre marks the site of the battle of Bannockburn where Robert the Bruce defeated the English. Unlike Culloden the actual battlefield is not accessible and the visitor centre was rather ordinary - pitched at school groups I suspect. A Norwegian film crew and burly actors in chain mail were sheltering from the rain in the centre and that didn't help.

We had thought of revisiting Stirling Castle but decided to try something new that we found in the NT brochure and headed to Culross Royal Burgh, about 15 miles away and on the Firth of Forth, and a real gem. As often happens, prosperity followed by decline inhibited redevelopment and most of the original village is intact and now restored by the NT, including a couple of significant buildings. A walking tour of the village was included in admission and the commentary was excellent. This was a really good visit, particularly as we'd not heard of Culross previously.

Dinner at the Wee Curry Shop in Ashton lane was up to the usual high standard.

Wednesday was a quiet day. I had a wander around town and then lunch with a friend and Heather also spent some time in town. An afternoon stroll through Kelvingrove Park, and dinner with friends at Stavaigin 2, off Byres Road, was excellent.

By Thursday the fine weather had returned and we decided to do some more hill walking. As I was so impressed by the area around Killin we returned so that Heather could see it as well - and so I could see some of the views. While not specifically out to bag a Munro we started out on Meall nan Tarmachan (which at 1044 metres is a Munro) said to be a good walk offering good views. This turned out to be one of the best, if not the best, walks we have done. The track was easy to follow, and the early gradient was good, with just a few very steep sections when the end was in sight. There were good views early and these opened up as we went higher and were spectacular from the top. All helped by a glorious sunny day with really clear air - we could clearly see Ben Nevis off in the distance.

Friday was another quiet day. Coffee & emails at Offshore in the morning, a visit to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery to see an exhibition of works by the "Glasgow Boys', a group of painters active around here from 1880. Some very nice pictures. Then a stroll through the West End, a brief visit to town, and packing for the flight to London. It’s hard to believe that 5 weeks have gone already.

Dinner in town at Amarone, a favourite Italian restaurant, was well up to their usual standards.

GregY2:

This is a lovely trip report, well written and thank you for posting the links to where you stayed.

Duxford Aviation Museum does involve quite a bit of walking and we took the better part of a day.

Ely cathedral is spectacular and well worth a visit.

Very nice photos - again thank you for sharing.

Sandy

Hi Sandy, thanks.

The lesson from places like Duxford is, if there is a bus or similar transport, take it, rather then walking everywhere early and then getting tired.

I've just realised that I didn't include the accommodation link for Glasgow - here it is:

http://www.unique-cottages.co.uk/cot...park_apartment

I believe that the owners are in the process of selling the property so it may become unavailable for rental shortly.