Itinerary otherwise known as "Thatch's La La Tour"
	England
	Upper Hartfield (Picnic 100 acre wood)
	Stonehenge Tour
	Stonehenge surrounds
	York
	Windemere
	Hadrians Wall
	Lindisfarne Priory (Horse ride out to ruins???)
	Scotland
	Edinburgh (Stay at Queens Ferry)
	Glasgow
	The Trossachs
	Aberdeen (Dunotter castle)
	Loch Ness (Inverness)
	Carbisdale
	Orkneys
	Tounge
	Ullapool
	Lewis (Callanish Standing Stones)
	Hebrides
	Skye
	Plockton (Applecross??)
	Fort William / Doura
	Islay
	Mull of Kintyre (Campbelltown)
	Ireland
	Ballycastle
	Derry
	Errigal
	Sligo (Knocknarea)
	Westport
	Clifden (Roundstone, The Abbey)
	Galway
	Dingle
	Bantry
	Cork
	Dublin
	Wales
	Port Merrion
	England (Again)
	Bath
	Cornwall
	Heathrow

"06/08/2000",
"Flying out",
Flight CX104 to Hong Kong. A wait of 3 hours until the connecting flight to Heathrow.
We finally contacted the Paddocks Bed & Breakfast at 2 am this morning and booked 2 doubles. The horses we plan to ride through the Hundred Acre Wood can be hired from a mob called Ashford Livery.

"07/08/2000",
"Hartfield",
Arrived at Heathrow at about 6am. Picked up the hire car and out on to the M25 in peak hour Monday morning traffic. Down into Sussex and arrived in Hartfield.

"08/08/2000",
"Hartfield",
Walk in forest before breakfast
Late back for breakfast
Forest Row to buy lunch
Multiple attempts to hire horses
Expotition to North Pole
Back to the Half Moon for a refreshing ale
Rain and back to the B&B to prepare page one of website.
Drove all over the countryside looking for a netcafe, no luck

"09/08/2000",
"Hartfield to Amesbury",
Poohsticks Bridge before brekky
Crawley College did upload
Drove across the south to Amesbury, had Lunch at Petersfield. Salisbury YHA was full so we decided to go to Amesbury to get an early start.

"10/08/2000",
"Amesbury",
Stonehenge in morning (Wrong 7.30, we were 12 hours early)
Pewsbury Whitehorse
Drove up to Avebury
Shopped in Marlborough
Salisbury Hill
Picnicked at Avebury Stone Circle
West Kennet Long Barrow
Dusk at Stonehenge (awesome)

"11/08/2000",
"Amesbury to York",
Uffington Whitehorse
Motorways to York
Terrible Traffic on M1
York
Found a nice B&B called the Warrens
Met K&P went out for a drink at 3 pubs
Dinner at old (400 year) restaurant.

"12/08/2000",
"York",
Walked all over York, walked the walls, walked the snagglepusses and grimleys, walked the river banks, walked the Shambles, and there are still bits we haven't seen, fortunately we stopped in 7 pubs
Climbed to top of York Minster, bloody long way up.

"13/08/2000",
"York Moors",
Rievalaux Abbey with Aileen & Maureen as well as Keith & Philip
Lunched in a place called Hutton Le Hole.
Cruised the moors and dales of North Yorkshire.
Almost got into Castle Howard (where Brideshead was filmed, but too late)
Had dinner in a great little pub called the Jolly Farmer in Leavening.

"14/08/2000",
"York to Lakes District",
Drove across the country to the Lakes District.
Came in at Keswick in the North
Stayed at the Honniston Haus YHA at the north end of the Lakes District
Jo who ran the hostel was great.

"15/08/2000",
"Lakes District",
Grasmere (Pretty)
Ambleside (BridgeHouse)
Windemere (Busy)
Newby Bridge
and back again

"16/08/2000",
"Lakes to Hadrians Wall",
Buttermere
CastleRigg Stone Circle
Lilliput Lane
Penrith for Lunch
Up the M6 to the start of Hadrians wall
Roman Fort at Birdoswald
B&B at Gilsland

"17/08/2000",
"Hadrians Wall - Lindisfarne",
Left Howards House Farm and followed Hadrians Wall across the country.
Headed north to Amble for lunch (fish and chips) on the harbourside (not good).
Went to Castle Bamburgh (not great)
Too late to get across the causeway to Lindisfarne.
Stayed at a great little B&B in Beal.
Had tea at the Plough Hotel

"18/08/2000",
"Lindisfarne to Glasgow",
Started the day by driving across the causeway to Holy Island and finally got to Lindisfarne Priory.
A long wait but worth it. We spent several hours roaming around and taking lots of pictures.
Drove up the road heading to Edinburgh and went through Berwick on Tweed (another walled city).
Stopped at Dumbarton to use the Tourist Information service booking facilities and discovered that there was nothing in Edinburgh but there was room in Glasgow. We decide to take it and commute to Edinburgh.
Drove down the M8 and we are back in Glasgow.
The accommodation is The Lodge Inn.

"19/08/2000",
"Glasgow",
I really like Glasgow, its a great town to walk around and in places it just looks wonderful. Today was a day for laundry and errands.

"20/08/2000",
"Glasgow",
Took the Guide Friday bus tour and got caught in a marathon. Took nearly 3 hours. Went to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and caught a show by a band called Fiddlers Bid, 4 fiddles, piano (& harp), bass and guitar. They are from the Shetlands. The support act was the Scottish Stepdance Company. Both bands were great. Jools won a membership to the Glasgow Fiddle Workshop and I won a CD by Fiddlers Bid.

"21/08/2000",
"Edinburgh",
Drove to Edinburgh
Took bus tour round the town.
Edinburgh Castle
Strolled The Royal Mile
Mary King Close tour, very musty very close, very weird
Drove back to Glasgow

"22/08/2000",
"Edinburgh",
Drove to Edinburgh
Walked to the bottom of the Royal Mile (Took forever, so many shops)
Mucha Exhibition @ City Art Centre
Dinner @ Sealcraig, the restaurant under the Forth Bridge

"23/08/2000",
"Glasgow - Trossachs",
Finally left Glasgow
Loch Lomond (East side)
Lunch in Balmaha
Trossachs
Staying overnight at the old school house in Thornmill. (one of the best B&B's so far)

"24/08/2000",
"Trossachs - Aberdeen",
Tiny Ferry (12 people) out to Inchmahome Priory
Drove through Perth / Dundee / Montrose
Dunottar Castle (even better than I had hoped)
Dinner in Stonehaven
YHA in Aberdeen. Had to share a room. Seem to work OK.

"25/08/2000",
"Aberdeen - Dufftown",
Aberdeen
Easter Aguhorties Stone Circle
Glenfiddich Distillery Tour. Free tour and a good tour. I think we confused the hell out of our guide.
Dufftown
Went out drinking with Jude & Kevin
Had to split the party into 2 buildings Karen & Seona ended up over the pub.

"26/08/2000",
"Dufftown - Inverness",
Balvenie castle - Dufftown
Inverness.
2 net cafes 1 useless and one closed
Worst B&B of the trip (Stalag Inverness)

"27/08/2000",
"Inverness",
Dores and the South Side off Loch Ness
Fort Augustus Lunch and locks
Clansman Highland centre presentation (Thatch was wrapped up in a plaid)
Invermorriston followed river
Rainbow over Loch Ness and Castle Urqhart.
Back to Inverness for dinner at a place called One+One. Service was terrible, latte was even worse than Japan.

"28/08/2000",
"Inverness - Wick",
Lunch in Tarbat. Met Gypsy Dave Smith who played with Captain Matchbox way back when. (www.medicinemusic.ic24.net)
Tarbet Archaeological Dig
http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/arch/staff/sites/tarbat/tarwww.htm
Drove to Wick along coast road
Great B&B and meal at Queens Head hotel.

"29/08/2000",
"Wick - Orkneys",
Left Wick
John O'Groats
Dunnet Head (Lighthouse and Fog Horn)
Caught Ferry to Orkney (MV St Ola) from Scrabster to Stromness
Maes Howe
Stenness Stones
Ring of Brogar
B&B at Bretobreck Farm Kirbister 3.5 miles out of Stromness

"30/08/2000",
"Orkneys (Mainland)",
Skara Brae. Absolutely sensational. 5000 years old and looks pretty damn fine.
Broch of Gurness (Ringed Fort)
Lunch in Kirkwall
Karen and Seona did Earl's and Bishop Palace. Jools and Thatch sat in the pub.
Drove down to the bottom of South Ronaldsay to see the Tomb of Eagles (5000 year old tomb) and a 2500 year old Bronze age village.
Finally saw the Italian Church, even in the fading light it was amazing.
Dinner back in Kirkwall at a "Chinese" Restaurant - my advice don't ever repeat that mistake.

"31/08/2000",
"Orkneys - Ullapool",
Up bright and early to catch ferry. We hadn't booked so they put us on standby. We were the last car onto the ferry, almost didn't fit.
Picked up picnic makings @ Thurso
Drove across the top of Scotland
Stopped @ Tongue and filled up the Thermos and stopped above Loch Ebbicott and had a picnic in the rain. Great fun.
Booked into the Ullapool YHA at Durness and drove down through the mountains to Ullapool. The rain slowed and stopped and started and stopped and thought about it, but it all still looked impressive. Got to the YHA and it is a very small room over looking the harbour.
Went to the Safeway and bought the makings for breakfast.
Dinner at restaurant in Ullapool.

"01/09/2000",
"Ullapool - Lewis",
Caught the ferry to Lewis
Slack Tourist Information
Nice B&B spent the arvo napping
Followed a road up the coast to the end, fairly desolate landscape and no pubs. Drove back to town and had tea at the Caledonian in Stromness.

"02/09/2000",
"Stromway",
West coast of Lewis
Port of Ness
Lighthouse Butt of Lewis
Weird Island once you leave the main centre (Stornoway) there are no pubs. Then in the middle of nowhere. Lunch at a pub. (near Breascleit)
Callanish Standing Stones. Just Sitting in a field on the top of a hill. Drove down a road to Ard Uig, pretty drive but very third world village at the end of it. Back into Stornaway for dinner at Crown Inn, and not bad either.

"03/09/2000",
"Lewis - Harris",
Left Cardaig B&B. Duncan gave us some fresh crab meat for lunch.
Drove down A859 heading to yet another Tarbert. On the way we notice that everything is closed. It's, like we were the only people on the island
Took a side road to Lemreway, very pretty. But still no people.
Drove on to Harris, and couldn't find anything open in Tarbert. Rang John and Marilyn at Ceol na Mara (the B&B we are staying at) and they told us the secret way to get lunch from the hotel.
Karen and Seona elected to stay behind in the sybaritic luxury of the B&B while Jools and Thatch drove on down to the bottom of the Island and back. Went to a beach at L????
Harris is a weird contrast of long white beaches and glacier scoured moonscape (with peat in between).
Got held to ransom by the hotel (no other game in town)and charged exorbitant prices for an OK meal.

"04/09/2000",
"Harris - Skye",
Up at quarter to 6 to have breakfast so we can catch the ferry to Skye. Everyone seems to have enjoyed the luxurious soft beds and seems a tad reluctant to leave.
Caught ferry and it was a smooth ride, Karen & Seona slept for most of the trip (Karen had a bed time story read to her.)
Ferry arrived at Uig and we followed the road north across the top of the island. Had lunch and a windowshop in Portree. Followed the road out to Dunvegan and the castle. Drove on to Broadford.

"05/09/2000",
"Skye - Plockton",
Left Shiloh B&B
Drove over the Skye Bridge (£5.70 fee almost makes jeff look benevolent...nah)
Eileen Doonan Castle. The most photographed castle in Scotland
Plockton
Staying at Plockton Hotel, up to bed and to sleep to shake off the cold.

"06/09/2000",
"Plockton",
Rest & Recovery Day
Give everyone a chance to shake off their colds. There are tons worse places to while away a day.
Picnic Lunch in the room.
Karen and Seona went to do their e-mail but the place is only open on Tuesday and Thursday.
Went for a walk around town before dinner, found some bits we didn't see last time we came here.

"07/09/2000",
"Plockton",
Extending stay Jools and Seona still crook.
Went to check out the National Health Service
Jools despite very bad chest cough, lungs are ok with severe head cold but Seona has a cold and a tummy bug.
Dorothy at the hotel suggested we eat in our room, so we did.
Took photos of the bears as substitute editors

"08/09/2000",
"Plockton - Stranraer - Belfast",
Jools and Seona getting better, still not wonderful though.
Left Plockton, thanked Dorothy at the hotel for all her help.
Fort William
Loch Lomond (stopped at yet another) Tarbert for sandwich
Down M77 to Stranraer.
Trip took 6 hours
Booked place on Stena ferry on mobile
Booked into Jury's Belfast hotel
Trip on the ferry was quite cool.
Got lost in Belfast coming off the ferry, they have changed some of the streets around.
A security guard put us on the right track and we eventually got to the hotel.
We stayed just up from the Europa Hotel and the Crown.

"09/09/2000",
"Belfast",
Decided to extend the stay, Jools is still not 100%.
Walked around town for a bit and then caught the Bus Tour.
The bus tour took us on to the estates in Shankill and Falls to see the murals. I would never have imagined 4 years ago that in such a relatively short space of time, so much could have changed.
Had tea at the weirdest pub, just very strange.

"10/09/2000",
"Belfast - Ballycastle",
Breakfast at the Europa (They have changed coffee brands and it has gone off).
Drove up the coast road again
Up Glen Ariff down Glen Balyamena.
Cushendall
Lunch at Cushenden. The goat is still there but there is a lot of development going on.
The Torr Head road (Ireland the adventure ride)
Ballycastle Tourist Information not open
Went and had a beer at the Boyd Arms and the band we saw 4 years ago still has the Friday night residency.
Went down to Bonamargy Friary and Fairhead.
Picnic Dinner at the B&B

"11/09/2000",
"Ballycastle - Derry",
Left the B&B in Ballycastle and started driving along the coast road again. Day was pretty bleak and closed in, but there wasn't much wind.
First stop Kenbane Head and the castle. Bugger the path had fallen into the sea.
Carrick-a-rede string thing (Rope Bridge).
Dunseverick castle, well actually its another one of these toothstubs of walls at the top of a cliff and reached by a long walk down then a long walk up.
Giants Causeway. This is still as impressive as ever.
Bushmills. Who would think you could ruin a distillery tour - lost all the charm.
Karen did the taste test and got quite a buzz out of it. Jools was pissed because she had no sense of smell or taste because of the lingering effects of the cold.
Next Stop Dunluce Castle.
Coleraine.
Derry. Had tea at the hotel restaurant down the road.

"12/09/2000",
"Derry - Sligo",
Dropped Karen and Seona at the bus stop. Karen has a tummy bug but has decided to go on to Dublin to visit with family anyway.
Walked the walls of Derry, it's small - 1 mile in circumference.
Drove down to Omagh
Across to Enniskillen
Crossed border into the south at Blacklion
Followed the N16 to Sligo
Emora Lodge where we stayed last time isn't running anymore.
Drove back up the lake road and decided to stay at Lakeview B&B
Dinner at an Italian Restaurant, had pizza and it was a good one.

"13/09/2000",
"Sligo (Glencar)",
Rang Karen to make sure she was OK. Seona said she was much better.
Dropped in on Edmund (Emora Lodge) and passed on our condolences with Mora passing on. He invited us in for a tea, he seems very sad and lonely now. Still has Milly the Labrador.
n15 to Derry
Mullaghmore
lunch was a sandwich overlooking Lough Swilly
Stone fort Granich of Autarch. Very impressive, reconstructed in the late 1800's, great view over Lough Swilly and Inch island.
Wandered down some back roads to Lifford and then onto Castlefinn.
Beltane Ring - Stone Circle
Sligo for dinner

"14/09/2000",
"Sligo - Strandhill",
Netcafe
Laundry
Bought a new jumper
Back to Glencar to pickup Jools coat
Carrowkreel to view Giant's Grave
Strandhill

"15/09/2000",
"Strandhill",
Jools has decided to stay another day. Drove around Maeves Grave.
Walked around Carrowmore Stone Age Burial Ground for about 3 hours in the rain.
Lunched in a little town at the bottom of Carrowkeel called Castlebaldwin. Found the Carrowkeel stone burial cairns, way up in the Blacksleive mountains, with views to just about everywhere. Well worth the walk, wind and rain.
Drove back to Strandhill and had dinner at the golf club.

"16/09/2000",
"Strandhill - Westport",
Left Merdel B&B and drove down through Ballysadare to Ballina saw a sign for Ceidlh Fields ( a neolithic site) but the signs ran out. So we continued on to Westport. Picked up Karen and Seona at Westport Station.
Walked around Westport, went into Molloy's Bar for a bit. Found a cyber pub (4 macs in the old residents lounge)and a B&B to stay. Dinner was takeaway and we sat around most of the nightwatching the pictures from the last week. Captioned page 5 and uploaded it as well as most of the stuff for page 6.

"17/09/2000",
"Westport - Clifden",
Finished Page 6 pictures upload this morning. left Westport and headed to Louisburgh. Went to Roonah Quay to check out the ferry for Clare Island but it wasn't running ubtil 2pm. Grania Wael's castle will have to keep until next time. Stayed on the backroads to get to Srahmee Megalithic tomb. Drove around a corner and there it is sitting in someone's front yard. Down to Kilary Harbour and Leenuan and on to Kylemore Abbey. Found a B&B in Clifden with a great view.

18/09/2000
Clifden - Galway
Drove from Clifden to Roundstone along the coast road. Still very pretty. Jools and Seona both picked up their bodhrans. On to Galway staying on the coast road. Spiddal still looks wonderful. Got into Galway, it is really becoming built up and there are 4 cranes on the skyline. Went to the tourist info to find a B&B but nothing has changed. Found a B&B on Newcstle Road just a few minutes walk into the city.

19/09/2000
Galway
Hit the shops. The Celtic tiger is a consumer led recovery.mainly by us. picked up some cd's and stuff. Had lunch at the Kings Head, not really how i remember it. Didn't end up buying a new day pack. Jools and Karen found these quilts and bought one each. onig to send ours home by post. Did email at a pool hall Picnic tea at the B&B

20/09/2000
Galway - Dingle
Returned quilt after POst and DHL said it would cost œ80 to send it home. Drove out of Galway and headed south to Dingle
21/09/2000 0:00 Dingle - Bantry Slea Head Drive Muckross HHouse Bantry Harbourview.

22/09/2000
Bantry - Cashel
Left Harbourview Thatch bought a new jacket and a cap and is now every inch the picture of the country squire. Heading to Cashel Mallow Castle picnic lunch B&B with view off the Rock Rock of Cashel tour. Best meal we have had for ages in a restaurant about to close down because of a lack of business.

23/09/2000
Cashel - Drogheda.
Lots of driving.

24/09/2000
Drogheda - Dublin
Breakfast in Drogheda. Knowth, Howth, New Grange, New Visitor centre arrangments Trinity College Dinner @ Eamon Damons

25/09/2000
Dublin
Breakfast is much better than it was 4 years ago. Celtic Note St Stephens Green Grafton Street

26/09/2000
Dublin
Meetings

27/09/2000
Dublin - Holyhead
Ferry Cancelled. Went on a Real Estate search while we waited for the storms to clear.

28/09/2000
Holyhead - Weston Super Mare
Holyhead, Pormerion, Brecon Beacons - Black Mountains Weston Super Mare

29/09/2000
Weston Super Mare - Tintagel
Left Weston Super Mare and headed south through devon on the motorways. The coast road was a dud. Finally got to the coast at Bude, and ended up in Widemouth Bay. Great looking sets rolling in. Had a cornish pastie in cornwall for lunch. Continued as close to the coast as we could but the hedgerows blocked the views. But drove through the odd seriously cute ittle village. Finally goto Tintagel and walked up the headland to the castle. The site is amazing. Jools found a throw in a grot shop window, absolutely beautiful. The owner opened up the shop so that we could have a look and before you knew it... well not quite. Karen found an Edwardian dresser that she liked the look of.

30/09/2000
Tintagel - Luton
Boscastle Motorways Luton Dinner and Drinks

1/10/2000
Luton - Heathrow
Red Lion Keith & Phillips County Cricket Match, Heathrow and home to Melbourne.

Last updated: 18/09/2000