We left London yesterday morning, having programmed our TomTom (well, it's Phil and Viv's actually) for a destination. We have christened it Annabel for the duration of our time in the UK. Despite Annabel's best efforts we were soon off track and heading back to London on the motorway. We executed a long and devious U turn to get back on track.
Our first stop was Stonehenge. We'd been warned that it was very 'touristy' but it's actually not bad. Yes, the stones are fenced off but that does discourage vandalism and souvenir hunters. The audio guides and the parking were included in the entry fee so by the time we'd done the full circuit we were much better informed. Did you know that Thomas Hardy used Stonehenge as the setting for Tess's last night of freedom in 'Tess and the Durbervilles'?
Next stop was the town of Totnes near Plymouth. This was where Sue's Giles forebears lived before coming to South Australia in the 1860s. The town was literally seething with people making the most of the summer break and finding a park was a challenge, but we succeeded. Did a half hour tour of the town and then travelled on to the night's accommodation. Annabel couldn't find the address so we got as near as we could (town of Constantine) then rang for directions. We traversed some of the narrowest roads we've ever seen - pretty scary when you are used to the wide open spaces of Australia - and finally arrived at the Trengilly Wartha Inn. And it was worth the effort. Enjoyed a yummy dinner, went for a walk, talked to a young couple staying there with Lulu the dog (the English do like their dogs) and then retired to bed.
Enjoyed a yummy award-wining breakfast and then set off for Lands End - and managed this with only one U turn. Yes, Lands End is 'touristy' but we didn't go into the entertainment park - we opted for a walk along the cliff tops. Didn't make it to the 'real' Lands End (not enough time) but we were close.
Then we told Annabel we wanted to go to Burnham-On-Sea and she took us there, patiently coping with our deviations to enjoy some of the scenic countryside. In fact she took us effortlessly to Knights Rest, our B&B for the night. Hugh, the owner, recommended the Dunstan Arms House pub for dinner so we did a scenic walk there - only a short walk thanks to the rain and wind - and enjoyed another yummy meal. Did you know that Burnham has Britain's shortest pier?
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