Cheers to you too!

Wake up with the taste of beer and vodka in my mouth. Better brush the teeth twice as hard today. 

We are packed and ready to go. Our suitcases are getting harder and harder to close. Our big winter jackets take up over half the room and we haven't had to pull them out once. Why did everyone tell us it was going to be "soooo cold"? I think you were pulling our leg. Nice one Mum ;)

Only three stops on the tube to Heathrow. Long walk down to check in with Air India. Off on Business Class once again. 

Stop off in the lounge for a bite to eat followed by some strolling around the Heathrow shops. One word, ritzy. We arrived at the boarding gate and a lot of people were very eager to get on, standing in line 30 minutes before the first call.

On board a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner today. All 18 business seats are occupied. First round of drinks come through. The male flight attendant is very upfront but cracks a smile and a joke. Every time
he poured a drink he'd say "and cheers to you!" pretty loudly. Very generous on my vodka too, filled half the glass with the good stuff!

Climbing through perhaps the busiest airspace in the world gives a great chance to see other planes flying above or below you, a sight I enjoy. However as we passed over Amsterdam I look out towards the clouds and see a big red Air Malta plane right above us. You could see the logo clearly and the airlines name plastered on the fuselage. A bit too close for my comfort.

I actually got some sleep on the plane!! It's normally impossible for me but with a lie fat bed it was pretty easy this time.

We descended into Delhi. My iPod appropriately plays "Foreign Land" by Eskimo Joe. It set the scene well. Through passport control only to join another line three metres away, to get our passport checked again...ok

We found our driver to take us to the hotel. Walking out of the terminal the first thing that hit me was smell. Nothing too bad but you knew straight away that this is a different world. 45 minutes later we arrived. The driver checked us in and we were shown to our rooms. Of course they do this to get tipped, oh well.

It's now 3.36am as I type this on my iPod. Huuuuge day planned to start in just two and a half hours. Come at us! 

The hidden gems

My love. London. Come at me! Poppy wants a rest day so it's up to me to tackle this beast by myself. 

Those who know my traveling habits know I will walk and wander around aimlessly. That was the intention today. I get off the tube at Tottenham Court Road, for no reason at all. It sounds cool. Beautiful neighbourhood full of history jumping out of the old walls.

Time for brunch. Cheeky stop at Burger King. Disgusting. Hated it. Never felt so dirty eating a burger of slop...I'm getting too used to Grill'd at home. A bright spark flashes through my mind, a rare achievement. Camden Markets. So much yes!

I came here last year and wasn't too impressed with the hawkers, the wall to wall gimmick souvenir shops and suss looking people sitting on the footpath. I know there's more to this place. I need to know why people love it.

Off the tube at Camden Town. Here they are, the hawkers and the dingy shops. I hustle through the crowd and walk along a bit further and cross the street. Stable Markets. Yes! Everything you could think of at a market is sold here. It has the alternative flare of Woodstock meets Glastonbury. I now understand why people love this place. I wandered for around two hours through the maze of stalls. Some lucky ones back home may have scored some goodies here too!

Had I continued I would've spent the last of my life savings here. I heard about a cool lookout near Camden. I set out to find Primrose Hill. A fair twenty minute steady up hill hike through a very nice neighbourhood. I found it. It's hard to miss when 100 people are taking selfies in the same spot.

What a view! You can see the city of London from the openness of a huge park. I rate this place better than Hyde Park. Yeah, it's a tenth of the size of Hyde Park but there is so much going for it.

I better get back to the hotel to be ready for 5pm. I walked a different way out of the gardens and along the canal, bringing me back to the markets.

Back at the hotel by 2.45, I asked Poppy if he wanted a drink. The answer was obvious. So I asked if he wanted one with a nice view, 50-something levels above the smack bang middle of London.

He said yes.

I got on the martini while he stuck to some beer. With a sandwich platter overlooking my favourite city light up at dusk was....just a wow moment.

It gave us a chance to reflect on the trip up to this point. 5 countries, each with it's totally unique qualities that we fell in love with.

Walked back over London Bridge to Bank Station. Back to Hounslow. It saddened me to know that I wouldn't be able to come back to the city tomorrow, we have a plane to catch.

To the hotel, two beers then to bed. Tomorrow starts one new whacky adventure...

In 450 yards, miss the exit

Bolton. The guest house we stayed at was very nice. Cheaper than a hotel with the comfort and hospitality of being at your aunts house. 

The innkeeper custom made my mushrooms and bacon on toast. A man came in the back door, he was also staying here. His van had been broken into by some teenagers...the van that's parked next to my hire car! We rushed out make sure the BMW was okay. It was. Thank goodness! No way I can afford the £1000 excess!

We quickly got out of there before the youth of Bolton came back for round two. 

In the early part I had to concentrate hard with the different road markings, surprise roundabouts and pedestrians crossing wherever they feel like. We drove to Hindley, where Poppy has an address for a cousin. He tried calling last night but had been given the wrong phone number. 

Success! At first she thought he was the gas man she had called for, but soon enough we were having a great chat in her lounge room. 

Onto Wigan. Parking in the UK looks confusing. Everyone seems to park on the footpath. I took the easy option and found the shopping centre. Starbucks found, hot chocolate down we strolled around the town centre. Nothing overly fancy about this place. Reminds me of the inner west of Sydney except older.

Poppy had no more addresses, they all proved to be inaccurate based off our conversation in Hindley. Manchester is only half an hour away and I'm really keen to test out this car. Sat nav set for Old Trafford, we were on the motorway.

One word. Intimidating. Wall to wall trucks who can't reach the 70mph speed limit and other BMW's who's only instinct was to go 15mph over the speed limit. I managed to find a happy medium, on the speed limit!!

Sat nav was vague in it's requests with "prepare to keep left but turn half right". I missed the exit. We finally arrived at my now fourth favourite stadium, (MCG 1st, Wembley 2nd and now Croke Park 3rd) Manchester United's Old Trafford.

With our limited time we didn't do the stadium tour. We checked out the megastore, the monuments outside and around the stadium including the tribute to the 1958 Munich Air Disaster.

A flying visit in the BMW through the centre of Manchester. Beautiful city. Unfortunately due to our time restraints, we couldn't stop for a wander around the city. Being here last year I've seen much of it anyway. Only now I feel 99% confident on the British roads.

Back to Bolton to fill up the diesel (at ~AUD$2.55 per litre here. Yes that's a two!). Returned the car in one piece, I get my £150 security deposit back. Taxi to Bolton Station, back to Wigan Wallgate to walk across the street to Wigan North Western. As you can see this is an action packed day!

Downed a large Chinese noodles and relaxed on the Virgin Trains service back to London Euston. Just a little over two hours in grim cloudy conditions as the sunlight faded. It was replaced by flashing bolts of light as we sped through cities and countryside at what seemed like the speed of sound. Arrived into the hustle of Euston and somehow managed to get two big suitcases through the underground tunnels. 

On the tube to Hounslow. A little bit out of the city but good price for a hotel room and it's close to the airport. Modern room! Touch sensor light switches. Huge LED TV. Big room by London standards.

One last day in London tomorrow. I'm looking forward to 5pm...

Driving me nuts

Waking up in a quiet neighbourhood in Central London was a very nice feeling. Brekky down, I ventured around the corner to Euston Station for a stretch of the legs and to find exactly where to get the train from.

Got back to the hotel and we were ready to go. We dropped our suitcases at a holding station to make things a bit easier. Choo choo we are off to Wigan! Three hours on the Virgin Train service.

The train is ridiculously long. We were allocated seats in the second carriage from the front, it took us five minutes to walk from the concourse to the train door! The train shot out of Euston and goes very, very fast. Oh look, there's Wembley Stadium in the distance...

We changed trains at Wigan to hop to Bolton. The local trains run on diesel and look like something out of a 1950's movie. Even sitting in the car you got a good whiff of diesel.

Short walk to our hotel. I've booked a car for our day here. We walked all the way to the Thrifty depot, all set to go until they ask for a copy of my flight ticket. I didn't have it on me. It's in my big suitcase in London. 

I had shoved it in there after giving it to Border Control at Heathrow. They want it to know when I leave the UK...who knows why. I had an hour to get back to the hotel, find the flights on my email, email it to Thrifty and get back to the car hire. 2kms away. Made it easily.

I booked a Hyundai i30 "or similar", it's what I drive at home. I was given a huge shock when she said "your BMW 320 is waiting outside; it's brand new too." My jaw dropped. Gotta love free upgrades.

We drove around town for a squizz. UK roads are known for being narrow but being in a city it's ok. However lanes multiply and go back to a single lane with no warning or signage, pretty scary! Very happy to get back to the hotel.

A look around town tomorrow; enjoying and not crashing the BMW...

Back to the big smoke

Good morning Sheffield. Or was it a good morning? I'm sure this place has good values but it doesn't look too appealing.

Onto the motorway. The M1! Congestion, delays, rain and crashes galore. We struggled through the traffic but the forewarning given to us days ago gave no one a reason to complain.

Quick stop at a motorway rest area for a coffee and the loo before stopping at our only town for the day, Stratford-upon-Avon. The birthplace of William Shakespeare.

A quick group photo and we were off exploring the town. The weather was the exact opposite from yesterday; rain, wind and freezing. 


Deciding to get out of the weather we popped into a small cafe for a toasted sandwhich. Fantastic. Braving the conditions we stepped out and I went from shop to shop having a look around. The town is small and there's only one major draw card, Shakespeare. I was looking forward to getting out. 

Back to London! The tour came to an end with sad farewells and exchanging of email addresses. The Cosmos tour overall, in my personal opinion was excellent. For the money paid you definitely could not cover the same amount of ground, in the same time with the quality of accommodation we had. I was the youngest person on the bus by about nine years and you can tell that the target market is 40+ years old. But I still found a lot of things interesting. Definitely worth it!

We caught the tube from Hammersmith to Kings Cross, cheap and being 3pm the trains were still quiet. The station to the hotel was about 350 metres. With 150 to go the heavens opened making our bags and our heads ultra wet.

Dried off, we stopped by the local tavern for some brews and enjoyed a share plate of nachos. Wales were playing Cyprus in the Euro 2016 Qualifiers. Wales got up 2-1.

Off to Bolton tomorrow on the train. Only a couple of more days left in the UK now.

One perfect Sunday

08.30 departure this morning, a sleep in so to speak. Time to leave Edinburgh and Scotland behind to head back to England. 

Stretch of the legs at Jedburgh, the last town before the English border. The park we get out at was a tourist sight in it self. Scotland keeps amazing us, even right down to the Borderlands. 

Time to cross the border. The obligatory stop for photos and to say goodbye to the UK's northern arm. 

Into England. Everyone knows that the weather in this part of the world can change instantly. Please don't change! The English countryside this morning was a postcard maker's dream. The sheep were grazing on their green grass, the clouds were few and far between and the trees are in their full autumn swing.

On our way to York, via a motorway service centre. It was a fairly long drive on the motorway. Somehow and for some reason we were doing the "Hokey Cokey" (yep, it's not "Pokey" here) sitting down from the comfort from our seats. It was...strange. Fog came out of nowhere, it was after midday. We drove through it in about ten minutes.

York. Beautiful. A walk over the River Ouse and onto York Minster, quite possibly among the best looking cathedrals in the world. The city it self is relatively compact and holds a lot of it's medieval past. We walked down "The Shambles", where the dwellings lean towards each other from across the street. Two hours flew by. After stopping at the sweet shop for some souvenir chocolate, we walked alongside the river and the adjoining park.

Clouds, none. Sunshine, maximum. It was a beautiful 16 degrees. The town was buzzing; people, buskers and street food everywhere. Why not? York produces the goods with the history, the ritzy shops, the cathedral and the atmosphere without screaming "tourist trap". 

We arrived to the park with the sun glowing on our face and the geese grazing. Unfortunately the bus was waiting for us too.   

Onto the M1, one of the busiest motorways in Europe. Our stop tonight is in Sheffield, an old steelworks town in it's day. We drove through much of the town and it's not overly appealing. Run down buildings everywhere. The hotel is in the centre of town and the food on the buffet was great. 

The last day of the Cosmos tour tomorrow. London awaits once again!

Dirty Doughnuts

Coco Pops or Haggis for breakfast? Coco Pops, naturally. A day in the Scottish capital today. We were introduced to our local guide, "Young Davie", a 50 year old man wearing a kilt.

We toured around some of the more historic parts of Edinburgh, which to be honest was quite boring to me. However it took a semi-interesting turn when we trudged up the hill to Edinburgh Castle. Spectacular views of everything. The Scottish Crown Jewels are on display here as well as the Scottish War Memorial. Definitely worth the visit if you venture up this far north of the equator. Get here early though, the crowd was swelling in huge numbers as we were leaving.

Back on the bus we checked out some more, from different angles. It was a good orientation to the city. We were dropped off in the city centre. Poppy decided to go back to the hotel to get some more sleep due to catching the bug that's going around the bus (I got over my one day of ill). I tagged along with a couple of the friendly Americans to Hard Rock Café, so I could see what the fuss was about. Fantastic burger!! But I paid wayyyy too much for it.

Out of there I ventured off around the city. What a great one it is. Grand buildings, clean, friendly people, easy to navigate and not too many dodgy looking people around. It's busy, but not crowded. Every street corner provides another great cityscape. As Edinburgh is perched on a bit of a hill there's added beauty in being able to see the Firth of Forth from the centre of town.

I caught the brand new tram back out of town to the hotel. The station was 100 metres away from the front door. Time for the last optional excursion, a tour of the Britannia; the decommissioned Royal Yacht.

Classy, very classy as you'd expect. It was nearly access all areas. Everything from the formal dining room, Charles and Diana's honeymoon bed, The Queen's bedroom and the Captain's Bar was on display; and so much more. For a ship that first sailed in 1953, they did a remarkable job keeping the yacht with the modern times. 

The final part of the day was a dinner at a local restaurant. Very nice food, however I chose the dishes that had the smallest portion sizes. I left hungry. I took advantage of the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop across the road from the hotel. These doughnuts are made fresh in store and was by far the most electrifying Krispy Kreme taste sensation I've had in my mouth. Very nice way to finish off a fine day in the capital. 

Dancing over the Swilcan

Fog! It was very foggy this morning. The plan was to go for a jog at 6.30 before a 7.30am brekky but it was pitch black. 

After brekky we jumped on the bus. Only three degrees outside. Unlike winter mornings in Queensland, it doesn't warm up at all. We were shivering. My throat is 98% better from the other day but my nose is choc full of muck. Same can be said for nearly everyone on the bus.


We leave Grantown-on-Spey. The Scottish Highlands once again produce the goods with a postcard morning. Very low cloud which turns into fog. It couldn't be any other way, I'm loving it!

First stop, Pitlochry; a small highland town that borders with the Lowlands. Geoff suggests either the walk through the tiny town or a walk through to the hydro-electric dam that occasionally has salmon jumping up stream. We chose the dam. A bit of rubbish in there but there was a nice backdrop. We walked back into town. I sculled a Hot Chocolate whilst Poppy had a white coffee. Back on the bus we were.

I don't know what my attraction is to The Highlands. I think it's the unspoiled wilderness that sets this place apart. Some places were sunny with blue sky. Others were fogged in to set the eery backdrop of doom.

After driving through Dundee, we arrived at the place I've been looking forward to the most. The soft spot in every true sportsman's heart. St Andrews! Not only the place where The Duke on Cambridge went to university, but the home of golf. We had well over an hour and forty minutes to check out this place and we savored every moment of it.

I've played St Andrews on the Playstation many times before and had seen old footage of The Open Championships. This was something completely different. Something special. Something I've dreamt of. Something I couldn't believe I was doing, walking across the 1st and 18th fairway (a public footpath). 

We took the obligatory photos on the Swilcan Bridge. We even walked right down and onto the 17th, the "Road Hole" to check out the infamous greenside bunker that is near impossible to get out of. TV and photos make this bunker look a lot easier than it really is.

I won't forget this hour and forty for a very, very, very long time. Next time I come here it will be to play the Old Course. You need to book a year in advance to get a look in! The Pro Shop was hideously expensive but it's not often you come here...

It was sad to leave, even though we've had more time here than every other stop on tour (excluding Bath). Onwards through the town of Perth, we arrived at our hotel in Edinburgh, The Novotel.

Our penultimate tour excursion was to a Scottish show, right in the heart of the capital. After the fine dining experience we were treated to bagpipes, Scottish ballads and fantastic vocals. The dancing too, spectacular. Of course I was asked to take part in the dancing...I only had 3 pints of beer and two glasses of white in relatively quick succession by then! Was good for a laugh. The show ended, I had to quickly scull the fresh pint that was put in front of me.

Songs on the bus ride home. Being the youngest I was expected to be the loudest. "TO BE THE MAN WHO WALKS A THOUSAND MILES TO FALL DOWN AT YOUR DOOR....DAA DA DAA DAAAA"

Yeeahhhhhh. The Americans love me more now, maybe. They were cheering me on, possibly for the cheap comedy they were getting. Fantastic group to be around. Bring on a full day in Edinburgh tomorrow! 

Hunting Nessie

Good morning outskirts of Glasgow! Most of us are buzzing around the brekky table this morning, Loch Ness makes an appearance today.

The first Loch (Lake) on our radar this morning is Loch Lomond. Very pretty settings on a beautiful Scottish morning of blue sky and sunshine. Prime selfie backdrops here!

We inched closer and closer to The Highlands, through narrow roads, blind corners and roadworks. The closer we got to the mountains, the gloomier the weather became. You could call it a romantic setting as we crossed the threshold into the high country. Clouds rolled down the mountain whilst the sun took a break behind heavy clouds. It's how I had always imagined this part of the world.

Time for lunch. Tyndrum is the place I've had an unforgettable meal. I had Haggis!! Haggis and Brie Panini for lunch. The meat was minced, probably tasted nothing like the normal stuff but as far as I'm concerned, Haggis is Haggis!

After the fanfare as I was the only one 'crazy enough' to try it, we continued through the spectacular landscapes of the Scottish Highlands. As a lot of places have been, this is truly spectacular. It's not the sheer cliff faces or coastal marvels that Ireland holds. The beauty here is the roads, set out in the valley with giant mountains either side of you. If it's not a mountain it's another spectacular loch. 

A teaser. We thought we were going to visit Nessie but no, we stopped at another small village where there were restrooms...and an 18th century bridge. Beautiful setting.

Finnnallllyyy! The bucket list destination, arguably the most famous lake in the world, Loch Ness.  Very long, narrow and extremely deep, the water temperature rarely changes from 7 degrees Celsius. On the look out for Nessie. We saw an unexplainable 'line' in the water that did not move, even when the wake from water craft swept through. Very interesting...

Driving along the Loch provided unlimited photo opportunities and the chance to ponder if a huge creature is indeed lurking beneath.

Another rest stop at a 16th century battlefield, where the Battle of Culloden took place. We were on our way to our most northern pit stop on the tour. We drove through the city of Inverness, which is now the most northern place above the equator I've been. It seems like a nice little place. With a population of 50,000 it's the largest city in The Highlands.

The last part of road for the day. The sun broke out from behind the clouds for a brilliant late afternoon show. The green hills with the golden autumn trees glowed in the afternoon light. I sat back in the bus and soaked up the magical scenery. Again and again I'm blown away by the many different landscapes that provide breathtaking scenery. We've all seen it in photos, on movies and TV. But being here and seeing with my own two eyes is definitely worth the trip to the other side of the world. I'm still pinching myself.

We arrive in Grantown-on-Spey. Geoff recommends either a walk into the town or a walk to the Spey River. We chose the town. Very small with no major landmarks, very cold yet very pretty. The hotel is old. A very nice building with a grand design. Grand design means old design. The first hotel with an actual lock and key instead of a swipe card, small tartan pattern decor in a smallish room. Dinner, one of the best yet. Looks like a foggy start tomorrow, should be interesting.

We have a brewery?!

Off on an early morning expedition. A 300 metre trek across the chilly Liverpool city centre, looking for what I had looked for last year on my trip to Liverpool and failed. The old offices of the Higson Brewery! 

Sandwiched between two pubs, these appear to no longer be the headquarters of a North English Ale. Being 6am we weren't able to make any enquiries to the pubs, we had another international border to cross.

First leg of the bus journey today takes us up through the English Lake District. This is where a lot of older Brits bring their caravans on summer holidays. I can see why. Pretty little villages, nice lakes and laid back locals. We stopped at the village of Grasmere.

Nice village. One slight problem for a 22 year old though; the average age of locals and tourists appeared to be about 75. Tea and scones everywhere, only grey hair to be seen on the local bus and frame walkers everywhere. Don't take this the wrong way, please. But the overall feeling of this hamlet was one of a ritzy retirement village. 

To the border! Goodbye England! Our fourth border crossing in three days took us to Scotland. We once again stopped, just over the border in the tiny village of Gretna Green. 

In centuries gone by, this village was the place where young couples would escape England to take advantage of Scotland's more relaxed marriage laws. Now it's the home of ridiculously overpriced gift shops and a chapel where couples still tie the knot amongst a nice backdrop.

The last leg of today's journey brings us to Scotland's largest city and the host of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow. Not the prettiest or grandest city by any stretch of the imagination. However you can feel Glasgow's charm by standing in the city square amongst the fine buildings and watch the locals succinctly go about their business.

The hotel is a little bit out of town, the bedroom is ok. Dinner was good and we had a couple of pints in the bar. A good day today. Not the best, but it was good.