After a nice breakfast at the Smeaton B&B, we headed off on our way to the Isle of Skye. Although we had no idea where we were going to stay the night! The drive through the Scottish Highlands was very spectacular! After a fair bit of driving we arrived at Mallaig where we boarded a ferry that took us over to the Isle of Skye even though we were planning on driving across the bridge to Skye, some how we ended up in Mallaig and it was too far to turn back to go to the bridge, but that was ok! We had to telephone lots of accomodation places before we found one that had a vacancy! But we found one in the end! It’s located in Broadford. 

 
  
We haven’t seen too much summer, but the scenery is great even when the sky is grey!
  

Blue sky!!!!  
   

  
Tara

We started the day with breakfast then set off on our 4 hour drive to Edinburgh. We finally made it to Scotland!!! We are staying at a b&b just out of Edinburgh in Dalkeith.  After we checked in we went into Edinburgh by train. Our first stop was Edinburgh castle which was very old and big. The oldest building in Edinburgh was at the castle. It was a small chapel built in the C12th. In the jewels tower there was a stone where traditionally the Kings sat on before they were crowned and still do! It’s called the Destiny Stone. The stone was stolen by England many centuries ago and was only returned in 1996 on the condition that England could use it for the next coronation! After the castle we went to have dinner. Most places were booked so we went to a small market and had dinner there. 

 Scotland!

 From the castle…edited obviously!!

They still say mind the gap here!

This is an original cannon from the C15th used to attack an enemies castle.

This is where we stayed in Dalkeith – Smeaton House Inn.

   Yum!
Tess 

We had a fairly cruisie day today. We started the day with a full English Breakfast in the Goathland Hotel dining room. Then we caught the train from the Goathland Train Station (the train station from Harry Potter and Heartbeat!!) to Whitby! We just wandered around Whitby for a few hours. We walked up the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey, had fish and chips for lunch, walked out onto the wharf, had an ice cream and strolled through the shops of Whitby.  

THE TRAIN RIDE

 WHITBY ABBEY

WHITBY SCENERY

Whitby rooftops (for you, Trish)

Tara
 

We had an included English breakfast to start the day. Mum and dad had black pudding and all! (Ewwwww). We had a look around York before heading to Goathland via a stop at Scarborough. We had a ride on a tram like thing from the beach to the top of a cliff. While we where there we saw a glass room without a roof near the beach with deck chairs to sit on without the wind! We also saw a marching/dancing band practicing. We got back and drove to Goathland – Heartbeat country!

  The tram!

 This is the glass room.   
 

The Goathland hotel (Aidensfield Arms)!!

Tess   

Another great day…. 

In the morning mum and dad went for a walk to pick up the hire car.  We then escaped the busy London traffic to  go to York via Cambridge.

 A great day for a punt ride down the Cam river. The punt took us down past the different collages of Cambridge University then into the town where we departed and had lunch before catching the bus back to our car at park and ride. Park and ride is a system they have to reduce cars in the city, you park away from town in a big park then catch a bus in. 

 One of the the many bridges along the Cam river was called the Cam-bridge!!! 

  
Another bridge they called the bridge of sighs after a bridge in Venice as a joke as they have the student bedrooms on one side and the exam halls on the other! 

 We finally reached York! This is the York Minster, the heart shaped stone work in the window is called the heart of York. 

 Classic York street!

We had a lovely dinner at a pub called “A hole in the wall”. After dinner we went back to our hotel room at the tippedy-top of the Burton Stone Inn!

 This is where we stayed.

Tess

Another big sightseeing day today! 

Dad and I ran along an offshoot of the River Thames and saw some really interesting barges!

 One of the many barges along the off shoot of the River Thames.

TOWER OF LONDON

First up today we caught the tube to The Tower of London.

  Just another of London’s many amazing buildings!

 Tess could be a guard?

 A very heavy helmet.

DIAGON ALLEY

We walked from the Tower of London to the alley where Diagon Alley in Harry Potter was filmed.

LUNCH AT OLD TOM’S.

In ‘Diagon Alley’ there was a cafe bar called ‘Old Tom’s’. We had lunch there and it was very scrumptious.

 Hot melted ogleshield over new potatoes served with bread and cornichons… The perfect feast!

SELFRIDGE’S DEPARTMENT STORE

We caught the tube again from lunch to go and have a look at SELFRIDGE’S department store. It was quite similar to Harrods.

  The sign!

BRITISH MUSEUM

  Out the front.

The Rossetta Stone: one of the greatest archialogical finds of the world. It enabled people to be able to understand ancient Egyptian hyrogliphics. 

THE EVENING MEAL

We left the British Museum right on closing time and wandered down the street and found ourselves in a very nice little English pub for a little drink before dinner.

 The interior of the pub.

From there we caught the tube back towards Islington where we were staying. On the way home we ended up having dinner at Jamie Oliver’s Restaurant, Fifteen. It was lovely!

   
Tara.

We had a big sight seeing day today!! We were all very tired at the end of it but it was all so much fun! Tess and I fell asleep straight after our M&S microwaveable dinner! (Very yum by the way!)

Dad and I saw a squirrel when we were running through a park this morning! We didn’t get a chance to take a photo though.

We went and had a look around Westminster Abbey. So fascinating.
We saw the changing of the guards ceremony today at Buckingham palace, however due to wet weather (in the middle of London’s summer!) parts of the ceremony were cancelled so it wasn’t the whole thing, but still very exciting all the same! 

  WOW! What a building!!
  How do they stand so still for so long!?
   It was interesting seeing what they wear in wet weather.
We caught a talking double decker bus for a little bit – ’twas a good chance to rest our tired legs and have a little munch on some lunch!

    
Eating lunch on the bus! 
We went on a boat down the River Thames from near Big Ben to the Tower of London.

  
  BIG BEN!

    The London Eye!

We also went today to Westminster Abbey. 

   
 
  In the evening, we went to a wax museum called Madame Tussaud’s. It was amazing everything looked so real!  Tess just chillin’ with Katniss!

Oh yeh – did I forget to mention that we met the Queen at Buckingham Palace…?
Just kidding! They’re made out of wax!
  

  
“Office of the president, good evening!”

Tara

First day of sight seeing!

On the way back from Harry Potter World we started to get on the underground train.  Mum and Tara got on first, then I started to get on but the doors started to close. I almost got cut in half!! Dad and I were left at the train station and Mum and Tara were on the train! It wasn’t too bad though as the next train was in 4 minutes and we were only going one stop anyway! We waited for the next train then met them at the next station.

  
Massive escalator at the under ground train station!

   
A building in the city.

   Red telephone box!  

Father’s Day roast!

Alsop Arms – this is where we had our Father’s Day lunch! 


  

Warner Bros. Harry Potter World

The Knight Bus at Harry Potter World

Inside the wand shop.
   
 

Butter Beer – YUM!

We made it!    Dubai Airport

  Dubai Airport

 London Tube!