Now Where Were We?

It's been five days since our last post and we're sitting in our comfy little campervan high up on Herding Hill Farm in Haltwhistle, Northumberland. We're just a couple of miles from Hadrians Wall. Despite forecast rain, we bravely headed off on a 'gruelling' (the Princess' words) 30km ride yesterday up 'hill and down dale, more up than down' (her words again...) thru the moor to Housestead Roman Fort.

Very picturesque, made even more so by the RAF Tornados flying VERY low level up and down the valley. The Brits are getting their sheep battle ready for special missions in Afghanistan... The Roman army used to send their soldiers here too for training against the Picts. It's that sort of a place.

Here is a view of the road out to the wall...

and the wall itself...

 

The day before, we had been in the old Roman-walled city of Chester. Chester is the only city in Britain still to have it's wall intact and surrounding the old city. It's citizens have at many times found it very useful over the last two thousand years!

The weather at this point had become fabulous and we were down to shorts and t-shirts for the first time on the trip. Chester is very traffic conscious and there's few cars allowed in the old city. There are cycle lanes everywhere, as well as along the river and the old canal tow-path, and they've converted the old rail line into a cycle way as well. It was fabulous, and everything that you could want as a cyclist (except the cobblestones if you don't have a 2.5 inch mountainbike tyre like moi...).

You're even allowed to ride your bicycle around on top of the Wall!! We didn't see anyone else doing it, but it was the mostest fun!

 

 

We also had our second good coffee in England here. 'Cafe Fuerza' in the Plaza, across from the library...

The day before, we went up the Wirral peninsular to Birkenhead to catch the ferry 'cross the Mersey...

 

We also did a bollywood karaoke video clip on the ferry. To be uploaded for your viewing pleasure if the editing works...

Before that we were in Lladudno, at the Great Orme, which was a very amazing Welsh holiday town. It also has the world's oldest copper mine (5,000 years old) which I have wanted to see for some time now. I was amazed at what English Heritage have managed to accomplish over the last few years to make the mines accessible and to inform. It will be one of the highlights of the trip. But then, I'm a nerd...

The weather had just become fabulous at this point, and we had a great camp on (another) hill farm, 'Tan y Bryn' and in the evening you could see the Isle of Man in the distance. The owners were excited as they'd lived there all their life and only seen it once before.

 

Before Llandudno, we had been at Shrewsbury and Much Wenlock, and the old Roman town of Viraconium at what is now Wroxeter. Can't catch you up on this as we have to get out of the car park now and be off to Vindolanda (google it you boofheads) before heading up to Glasgow. Stay real.  R+1 and The Princess.