Lyme Regis

With our family history tour complete it was now time to move from beautiful Cornwall to lovely Dorset where our destination would be Lyme Regis on the Jurassic Coast . On the way we stopped briefly at Truro then headed for Plymouth where we had lunch and had hoped to make our way to the Plymouth steps where our forebears had sailed from but due to traffic and parking issues decided to give it a miss and press on to Lyme Regis.

I think Trevor was happy to be out on the open road and leave behind the country lanes we had been driving on for the past couple of days. Trev had been telling "Jane" (our GPS narrator) in no uncertain terms what he thought of the route she would sometimes take him on. I'm not sure it worked as “Jane” had the last say and still kept finding the tiniest roads possible for him to negotiate.

We arrived in Lyme Regis and after booking into the very ancient Mariners Lodge Hotel we headed down the hill towards the beach. I had been looking forward to staying in Lyme Regis as my research had sparked an interest in visiting the Jurassic coast. My research failed to mention you need to be a mountain goat if you stayed anywhere beyond the esplanade opposite the beach .

After leaving our hotel we wandered down the sloping roads and along the beachfront before enjoying coffee while overlooking the famous Cobb (harbour wall) where “The French Lieutenants Woman” and Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” were both filmed.

It was a very hot day and we set off to return to the hotel. Nothing on the way down to the beach indicated to us what was in store for the climb back up to the hotel. The steep roads leading back from the beach had us puffing and panting until we finally reached the hotel. After arriving hot and exhausted Trevor announced that the next time we visit the beach he would be driving.

Unfortunately it was at this point when the lovely weather we had been experiencing over the last five weeks (with the exception of showers we had in Stockholm and Helsinki) was about to change. We had planned to go on a scenic train ride and visit some long lost relatives in Burley however we awoke to pouring rain so decided to scrap our plans .

Instead, Sal and I thought it was a good idea to go to the Post office and purchase some more boxes to post yet more items home to lighten our load – that was to be our mission for the day. We donned our rain gear and paddled to the post office to purchase the boxes then paddled back to the hotel. After packing the boxes we paddled back to the PO only to find we had packed a few too many items into the boxes so we paddled back to the hotel to repack the boxes. Trevor must have taken pity on us as the next time he drove us to the Post office. Talk about making heavy work out of a simple job - but it did keep us busy for the day.

As it was raining and we couldn’t go ahead with our planned itinerary I thought we would surprise Trev and take him to dinner at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's informal restaurant which was only 10 minutes away in Axminster. Trev is a big fan of the River Cottage series but unfortunately he didn’t feel like braving the wet elements so dinner was again enjoyed at the hotel.

Due to the rainy weather and having to stay indoors we got chatting to the waiter who enlightened us on the interesting history of The Mariners Lodge hotel. It was built as a coaching inn in the 17^th century and its history also included that of Beatrix Potter who at seventeen was inspired to write 'The Tale of Little Pig Robinson’ while staying at the hotel . Many of her illustrations in the book are based on the spectacular scenery she encountered while visiting Lyme Regis and the neighbouring towns and regions.

Wales

Today the weather had changed for the better so we packed the car and headed up the highway bound for Wales where we had planned a lunch stop at Stourhead House and gardens. After touring the lovely home at Stourhead we ventured outdoors to undertake one of the smaller garden walks before heading back to the café for lunch.

Not a good idea! On the way the heavens opened up and we were stranded in the gardens. Fortunately we had our wet weather gear handy so quickly put on coats and put up umbrellas however this was a flash flood and as the rain pelted down we were soon standing in rivers of mud. I think it was at this point Trev decided he had seen one garden too many so he was not a happy camper. Drenched to the bone we made it to the café where we and many others had retreated to have lunch while the rain cleared .

We continued on our journey and made it to Bristol just in time for a pre-arranged afternoon tea with Ann the sister of one of Sally’s friends. After catching up with Ann we set off and crossed from England into Wales and then headed for the coastal town of Tenby as we were booked into the Park Hotel for the night (including dinner).

Once again I was really happy with the choice of hotel. The Park Hotel was a beautiful white building set on top of the north cliff with majestic views over the harbour and sea and we were lucky enough to score a corner suite for three which had amazing views. We had made it to the hotel with thirty minutes to spare for dinner and we were all looking forward to a Sunday roast as most hotels serve one – but not tonight, so we settled on lamb which was very tasty so we were not disappointed.

After dinner we were getting ready to turn in when Sal looked out the window and saw all the hotel guests assembled in the garden below . We weren’t quite sure if we had missed the fire drill so went to investigate only to discover they were all waiting for the fireworks display that takes place over the harbour every Sunday during the summer months. So, not ones to miss a fireworks display Sal and I stood and watched the twenty minute display that would rival any I have seen in Canberra – it was just amazing and a special way to end a very pleasant evening.

During the night we had the first incident of the trip with my insulin fridge. Sal and I had noticed when in the corridor using the wifi that this hotel was big on timer switches. Since starting this trip it has been common practice for me to tune in to hear if my fridge is working each time I wake during the night. On this night I woke several times and listened and yes, the fridge was working, however when I checked around 1.00am I did hear the familiar sound of the timer switch being activated but didn’t think about what was being switched off .

I woke at 4.00am and panic set in when I couldn’t hear the familiar sound of my insulin fridge purring away. I jumped out of bed and quickly transferred my insulin to the bag containing the not so frozen gel packs I had used while on the road. In my sleepy state I then tried to troubleshoot what had gone wrong – and yes the power switch was turned off!

I could only conclude that the switches were all on a timer and the sound I heard at 1.00am was the timer being activated to turn off the power point my fridge was plugged into. Fortunately luck was on my side and the fridge has an internal battery to keep it working for an additional three hours if the power is turned off. That was a life saver and my insulin was OK so we could continue on our merry way albeit a little wiser for the experience.

In the morning we were up and packed ready to commence our journey . After breakfast we departed and we were a little sorry we didn’t have an extra day to spend in Tenby as it was such a lovely location. Today would be another long drive as we were headed for Llanaber near Barmouth. Lunch was enjoyed in another lovely little Welsh seaside town. On our walk through the town we discovered a Deli with Café attached that served great food and equally great Welsh cakes - so lunch was a very tasty affair.

Prior to lunch we stopped for a comfort stop and after returning to the car I was sitting with the car door open ready to hop out for our walk into the town. Trev asked me to close the door as he thought it was blocking cars from passing us so unfortunately I reacted quickly to his request without realising my camera was near the door and got caught resulting in one squashed camera. Although the camera continued to work, the screen had been damaged so I couldn’t see what I was taking - looks like I need to go shopping for a replacement.

Our journey north continued through beautiful Snowdonia National Park where the towering mountains and cascading waterfalls make it a picturesque drive. We arrived at Mowendon House, Llanaber which was a beautiful B&B just in time to be served a welcoming pot of tea, coffee and cake prior to settling in to our lovely room that opened up into the tower section and contained a comfy seating area where you could while away the hours looking out to sea. Sally had an equally lovely room but minus the seating area.

When booking Mowendon house I had opted for the dinner, bed and breakfast deal and was glad I did as it was in an isolated location and we didn’t feel like venturing too far for dinner. We were the only guests who chose this option so were happy to sit and enjoy a meal cooked by the very talented owners consisting of beautifully cooked Pork belly with fresh vegies followed by a dessert of sauced ginger pudding with cream or ice cream. We returned to our rooms to enjoy a good night’s sleep so we were ready for the final leg of our UK journey in the morning.