UK - The Other Side of the World

VIEWS FROM DRUIDS CIRCLE, PENMAENMAWR, NORTH WALES

It’s hard to believe, but here we all are in the UK.  Ian and I arrived into London a day before Leroy touched down in Manchester and Bob is still at sea and expected to dock at Southampton later this month.  After what seemed like an age to organise, one moment we were in Sydney and within 74 hours we were all standing on wet British soil. We weren’t sure what to expect after all the travel restrictions that have been in place for the past couple of years but, aside from showing our Covid vaccination certificates at check-in, the process was quick and easy.  We paid $3,000 each to fly Premium Economy with Qantas as $6,000 for a Business seat was a bit of a reach, but a week before the flight we tried our luck and bid an additional $1,000 each in an attempt to win an upgrade.  We weren’t particularly optimistic as a quick look online at availability showed that although seats were still available, the price of a business ticket one-way had now increased to $10,000!  On the morning of the flight we were advised that our bids had been unsuccessful and on boarding, a quick look into Business showed every seat was occupied.  I wonder who paid $10,000 or, alternatively, how much higher was the bid that had secured the upgrade.  Premium Economy was also full but poking my head round the curtain into economy showed the section to be less than a third occupied.  I guess the demand for flights is still low which would explain why Qantas are only flying the small Dreamliners instead of the big Airbuses on their flagship route to London.  An uneventful flight touched down at Heathrow and we were amazed to be out of the airport with all of our checked bags half an hour later.  Missing Bob already we picked up a hire car and headed up to North Wales where we would be staying for the next week.

BETWS Y COED, SNOWDONIA

North Wales is where I grew up and a beautiful part of the UK.  Eager to prepare ourselves for our up-and-coming Coast to Coast walk, we donned our hiking boots and hit the hills.  It was nice to show Ian around and even though we only had a short time, we did see quite a bit of the area, particularly Snowdonia and Anglesey and, after Australia’s tough policy in regards to dogs, couldn’t quite get over the extent of public footpaths and bridleways that we now had access to.  In fact, everywhere we went seemed to be sporting a ‘dogs-welcome’ sign. 

Before heading up to the Lake District, the start of our planned walk, Ian went for a quick zip on Velocity 2, the worlds fastest zipline.   Set in the Snowdonia National Park, four 1.5km parallel lines whiz you over Penrhyn Quarry at speeds up to and over 100 mph.  Having enjoyed this experience a few years ago I was probably more keen that Ian have a go than Ian was himself, although he did make me laugh when I watched him striding out at the front of his group intending to head towards the smaller warm-up lines but instead leading all 30 of them off in the wrong direction.  Watching from the viewing deck of the main hub it was so windy that getting a good shot was near impossible but I can confirm that Ian was way out in front, a fact that pleased him enormously!

RAPESEED

Leaving Wales we headed north and up into Cumbria, home of the beautiful Lake District.  Driving along we were surprised to see so many bright yellow fields breaking up the traditional green, English countryside.  A bit of googling informed us that these crops of oilseed rape are UK’s third-largest arable crop after wheat and barley, covering an area of 1.5 million acres and worth around £700 million a year.  Globally, rapeseed is the third-biggest source of vegetable oil after soyabean and palm oil and, with agricultural subsidies from the EEC many British farmers in the 70’s and 80’s were quick to introduce this crop which has proved to produce high yields and high returns.  Known as a break-crop, a crop specially planted to give other crops a break, rapeseed fertilises the soil by adding nitrogen and is recognised as a high quality vegetable oil with a good health profile.  However, being a member of the mustard family Brassicaceae, and true to form as anyone who has grown broccoli or cauliflower will know, oilseed rape is particularly vulnerable to attack by insects and often receives three sprayings of herbicide and fungicide per crop.  This has obvious disadvantages such as polluted run-off into waterways, an adverse impact on populations of honey bees which are strongly attracted to the high pollen flowers and recent studies are showing that it emits nitrous oxide which is nearly 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as an agent of global warming.  Initially, we though the splashes of canary-yellow were quite beautiful but, armed with a bit more information, we now have a very different view.

It took us 15 days to complete the long-distance Coast to Coast walk, and it exceeded all of our high expectations. No wonder this is one of the most popular walks in the country and for anyone wondering whether or not to do it, absolutely, you won’t be disappointed! We were a bit concerned as to how Leroy would cope with the rigours of unrelenting day after day walking but once he got over the initial shock he was an absolute superstar and definitely played his part in contributing to a fun trip. April in the north of England can be cold and rainy (sometimes not unlike the rest of the year) and although we weren’t expecting to see many other walkers, were surprised at how few we did come across. For the most part we enjoyed our own company and were encouraged that even in the UK where there is such a dense population there are still plenty of opportunities to find areas of quiet, hopefully a good omen as we travel through a busy world.  Settling more and more into our nomadic lifestyle, we are able to clearly identify the components that make us happy and, it is a relief to find that, for the most part, it is as simple as eating healthily, getting a good night’s sleep, being physically active and enjoying the peace and quiet of nature.  We do not miss owning our own home, actually quite the opposite, although we are looking forward to being reunited with Bob and the independence he enables us to have.

NORTH LODGE, BALCARRES, SCOTLAND

On finishing the walk we still had some time before we needed to head south and collect Bob, so we continued north and crossed over into Scotland.  As we had found in Wales, many of the original large property estates are now renting out their gate houses and out-buildings on Airbnb and we stayed at the delightful North Lodge at Balcarres, just outside St Andrews.  It was the perfect place to recharge with log fires, tartan throws and a huge free-standing copper bath, all set in private woodland complete with red deer.  We were sorry to leave but also wanting to see a bit more of Scotland we drove higher into Aberdeenshire and then west over to the Highland council area and Loch Ness. 

Loch Ness is one of four lochs linked by the 60 mile long Caledonian Canal, a project devised by Thomas Telford that took 19 years to complete and cost £910,000.  The purpose of the Canal was to connect the Scottish east and west coasts thereby improving communications and trade lines along a route that allowed ships to avoid the dangerous waters around the north of the country.  Unfortunately, when it opened in 1822, 12 years later than planned, sailing ships had been superseded by powerful steam ships which could easily navigate the passage around Scotland and were too large to use the canal anyway. However, following a well-publicised trip along the canal by Queen Victoria in 1873, the canal gained popularity as a tourist attraction with people wanting to travel along this most scenic of waterways with its 29 locks, 10 bridges and 4 aqueducts.

For me, Loch Ness has always been associated with the Loch Ness Monster and I was interested to read about Steve Feltham, better known as the NessieHunter and a self-professed patient man.  In 1992, at the age of 28 he left his home, job and girlfriend to become a full-time monster hunter and on days when he is in residence can be found in his, now, immobile van which is parked in the village of Dores on the shores of the Loch.  I love this excerpt from his webpage http://nessiehunter.co.uk/about  

“Film crews and journalists from all over the world turn up on a regular basis, and I answer all their questions, but they are invariably focused on one subject: is there a monster, or isn’t there?  Which is perfectly understandable, but it frustrates me that I never have the chance to get an equally important point across: that if you have a dream, no matter how harebrained others think it is, then it is worth trying to make it come true.  I’m living proof that it might just work.  Have I ever regretted my decision?  Never, not for one second.  I love my life, it’s an adventure.

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

It is impossible for me to put into words all that is Scotland but it is indeed a majestic country of towering mountains, lush forests and vast lochs.  Once up in the Highlands, everywhere you look there is a scene that evokes a ‘Wow’, the scale and beauty of the landscape is almost overwhelming.  The small hamlet of Fort Augustus, situated at the south-west end of the Loch, provided us with a base to explore the area and hike some of the local trails.  One of the more popular walks was to the top of Meall Fuar-mhonaidh, otherwise known by the less enticing name of Cold Rounded Hill, the most prominent summit in the area with fantastic views over the Loch. And, of course we hired a couple of kayaks and went looking for Nessie but sadly there was no sign. 

OLD MAN OF STORR, ISLE OF SKYE

Continuing west we drove over the Skye bridge and onto the Isle of Skye, a place famous for its rugged scenery, rich Clan history, varied wildlife, challenging rock climbs and stunning walks.  It was also home to some of the best coffee that we have had since arriving in the UK.  Being short on time we were only able to scratch the surface of this largest and best known of the Inner Hebrides but it’s size of 50 miles / 80 km long and 25 miles wide meant that we managed to get around most of the main attractions including The Old Man of Storr, Fairy Pools, Quiraing, Fairy Glen, Kilt Rock, Point of Sleat and Black Cuillin – how could you not want to visit with names like these?!   Some required a bit of a hike to get to whilst others were more of a drive-by, all a part of the island’s dramatic landscape which is intermittently dotted with pretty white-washed cottages topped with grey slate roofs that accommodate a population of around 13,000.  As is often the case with island life, you can’t help but absorb the serene, almost transcendental energy and this is definitely a place to savour and one I would love to return to.

BEN NEVIS SUMMIT

We had one more stop before leaving Scotland – climb Ben Nevis!  It wasn’t originally part of the plan but we were so close to Fort William, the nearest town to the UK’s highest mountain, that it seemed foolish not to stand on top.  There was no luxury of waiting for good weather, so we were relieved that the morning we set out was relatively fine although bitingly cold.  Everything we had read, recommended 7-9 hours to complete the climb and 7.30 am seemed a good time to set off.  The trail up is easy to follow although, with the exception of 500m of flat ground about half-way up, the uphill climb does not let up.  Not far from the top we passed a few people descending which was reassuring as until then we had only seen two other people climbing up which seemed a bit strange given that upwards of 10,000 people are reported to go up each year.  As we approached the top, the cloud was too thick to appreciate any views that might be enjoyed on one of the 14 days a year when the weather is clear, but it was fun to make our way up through the snow which covered the last part of the climb. Once up on the plateau we found ourselves in a white-out and were only able to continue by following the footprints left by those who had gone before.  We followed them until they ran out, at which point we figured we were at the top, however, I have since learnt that there is some sort of stone pillar on the actual summit and I have to confess that we definitely didn’t see it. Surely a small detail and given that we were completely unaware, it didn’t mar our thrill to be on the top and after a bit of adrenalin fueled jumping and running around we started to head back down.  As I started retracing our steps and looked behind to check on Ian and Leroy, I was amazed to barely see Ian heading off into the mist in completely the wrong direction.  Shouting to get his attention there was a bit of a stand-off as to which way to go before he grudgingly followed me down.  As world trip navigator, it looks like we might be in for a few surprises. It was nearly midday when we started our descent and we passed lots of people making their way up, so I’m guessing that such an early start was probably a bit overkill.

Provided everything goes to plan, i.e. Bob arrives on schedule and without any issues, our time in the UK is nearly over.  A few more days in Wales and then some time spent down south catching up with family and friends before catching the ferry to Calais, France.