Month: July 2025

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD –CORNWALL UK/NOTINGHAM UK

Nottingham

Kerry continued the driving and returned the car to Green Motion, where we caught the shuttle to Heathrow terminal 3 and caught the National Bus to Nottingham. I thought the bus ride would be a bit nostalgic, but time has brought about change and the bus route had numerous stops at Luton, Luton Airport, Milton Keynes, Leicester before finally delivering us to Broadmarsh Bus Station in Nottingham. When we left Nottingham in 2015 the Bus Station was connected to an old shopping Centre called Broadmarsh but now the Centre is partially demolished a new Bus Station built and the skeleton of Broadmarsh is partially standing as thought awaiting a decision as to what’s next. We dragged our suitcases up the hill to the Ibis Hotel. The room was small but did the job. The reception was a combination of café and reception with the receptionist sitting amongst the shop customers – novel.

It was drizzling rain and cold, but we still ventured out to reacquaint ourselves with the city. Martin & Christine were due to visit us tomorrow and we had lined up how and when we would catch up. Dinner that night proved a bit different. We made for the restaurant that our friend Pam had shown us last visit but it was booked solid and the directed us to the neighbouring restaurant with the same result. Things were getting a bit desperate – we may need to get fish ‘n chips. We were both interested to find out what the place across the road offered – it is called “the Alchemist”. The interior was decorated with bottles and shelves like an old-style alchemist with images of a changing geometric designs projected on a wall making it a different style of venue. After a small selection of entrees, a glass of wine for Kerry and a Guinness for me we retired to bed. The bus trip had been tiring, and the hauling of the luggage tipped us over the edge of tiredness.

Nottingham Castle:

The following day at our arranged rendezvous we caught up with Martin and Christine. We had met on a river cruise from Cologne Fr. to Rüdesheim am Rhein Ger. and remained in contact since. They had traveled over from Manchester and stayed overnight at the Premier Inn in town, so we decided to go with my first choice of place to visit – Nottingham Castle.

On the way to the castle we called into the Town Hall. We were unable to look through the hall due to Council meetings being held there that day. So we moved onto the castle. We had been there previously so knew what to expect. Martin thought he was in for a full-on old castle experience. Not so. The castle had been demolished by the people of Nottingham after the restoration of the Charles the Second to the throne of England. The castle had the reputation of being impregnable hence Charles the First had used the castle as the place to raise his standard against the Roundheads starting the English Civil War. Once the War ended Cromwell ultimately took control of England and with the restoration, the people of Nottingham tore down the castle for fear that the castle may be used again as a power base in the midlands. Martin was disappointed to learn that the Duke of Norfolk had purchased the ruined site to build his country home which he continued to call “Nottingham Castle” which remains its name to the present. It is filled with artistic treasures and a memorial to the local regiment of the British Army “the Foresters”. Martin was not impressed with the castle but was taken with the memorial having served in the army in the military police.

Part of a visit to the castle is to visit the caves constructed to provide a hidden access to the castle and from the castle to the pub Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claimed as the oldest remaining in the UK from the 12th century.

The first 2 pictures are in Town Hall. Then follows the picture of “Nottingham Castle” and its gate. No photos are permitted inside the castle but the formidable gate gives a fair idea of what the castle may have looked like. Then follows the photos of the caves – the toy fox marks the way down. Of course the pathway has been prepared for today’s tourist but when it was used for its original purpose it would have been rough and ready. When you exit the caves you get a better idea of the nature of the development. At the foot of the hill is an array of the housing for the ordinary folk of the time close by the pub.

The second part of my plan – to visit the pub unraveled as after doing the tour of the caves we found the pub full to overflowing. Martin came to my rescue and suggested we go to the Navigation Hotel just nearby.

Visit to the Navigation Inn at Castle Lock Nottingham

There is a canal runs through Nottingham separating the old town from the newer part of town and the Navigation Hotel was a leftover from times when the canal was in commercial use. Old building charm with nostalgic decoration in the interior and no crowds. So, we settled in for some lunch and drinks finishing late in the afternoon. The picture below is part of the interior and outside is the canal. Martin and Christine had planned to return to Manchester the following day so after some sad farewells we retired to our hotel and later braved the cold to find a place for dinner. Somewhere during those two days Kerry made a call to Nick Smith the owner of the business supplying stretch fringing to Glitter and Dance. So it was arranged for the following day that we would have lunch with Nick and Selina at country manor outside the city.

Visit to Nick & Selina Smith

Nick had given Kerry the opportunity to open her business in the UK and though Glitter and Dance UK has not survived Nick has continued to supply stretch fringing to G & D. We called an Uber to take us to this destination nominated by Nick which he said was nearby. Like hell it was – we seemed to meander for miles through countryside until we suddenly turned left at an obscured turning, and we had arrived. It is an old Country Manor of some past minor gentry for the area now operating as a club style meeting place. There was a fixed menu and no choices which did not suit me at all but nothing to be done but soldier on. It was all very pleasant but expensive as I was unable to eat most of the meal. Nick and Selina ran us home to the city as it turned out they are living in Derby these days and they had to drive through Nottingham anyway.

Visit to Bob & Cilla, phone call to Pam and visit to RC Nottingham

It is now Monday. Kerry has organized for us to meet with Bob and Cilla later that morning and we have had a chat with Pam by phone. Pam has had some oral surgery and does not want visitors at present but she was able to inform us that she had resolved the trouble she had with the publisher of her first children’s book which problem had seemed to have depressed her the last few years.

I had been struggling with a cold the last week and I had now run out of antibiotic tablets that we had brought with us as a precaution. So, before we caught the bus to Attenborough, we had rung around some medical practices to get a new script with no luck. When we made it to Bob and Cilla’s house, we had a lovely catch up and were surprised by a visit from one of our fellow gardeners. We had met Cilla at the local church and our friendship had grown from there. One thing led to another about my health and Bob and Cilla were of considerable help with resolving the problem. They were both in good health and there is a chance we may catch up in NZ when they next visit their daughter and family.

After returning to the hotel, we prepared for our Rotary meeting at our other club – Rotary Club of Nottingham. We made our way to the meeting place and were greeted by a lot of old familiar faces and some new faces. It was like old times and a great surprise for many of the members. The Club remains robust and maintaining its membership.

Travel National Bus to Heathrow London – Depart London to Rome

Our return trip to Heathrow went as planned and we soon landed in Rome. Rome and the area around Terminii Station is now a familiar precinct so catching the train at Fumincino Airport to Terminii felt familiar even though it was 11.00 o’clock at night. Once at Terminii the short stroll to the front door of Dream Station was like coming home. We inserted the code and the big front door (no doubt once the doors to a forecourt in its early days) and now an obstacle track for guests coming to stay. Th elevator is big enough for two persons or 1 person and suitcase. Kerry went ahead and I followed next time round. So, we were now ready for bed in Rome.

So, until my next blog “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – “ROME, CESI, BARI, NAPLES and back to ROME” – keep on following our journey.

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – BRIGHTON HOVE to TRURO CORNWALL UK

I recall that it was almost sunny on our way to Cornwall and our stop in Dorchester was welcome to stretch our legs.

Dorchester

It is situated between Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. A historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the South Dorset Ridgeway that separates the area from Weymouth, 7 miles (11 km) to the south. In the 17th and 18th centuries Dorchester suffered several serious fires. Only a few of the town’s early buildings have survived to the present day. Dorchester remained a compact town within the boundaries of the old town walls until the latter part of the 19th century because all land immediately adjacent to the west, south and east was owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

This was a stopover to have lunch and break our trip. Despite the many attractions trumpeted by the local visitors bureau we were limited to dining in a quirky coffee shop and wandering through the quirky building in which the coffee shop was located.

Truro

We arrived at our B & B “The Fielding” late in the afternoon. To our delight onsite parking was included at no cost but a little bit squeezy. The premises are an Edwardian style two/three story house with two accommodation rooms and the couple who own it living on site – breakfast was included. I am certain this pair were older than us by 10 years and still running a B & B.

The accommodation was comfortable, and we spent little time in it, so it did the trick. A group of workers was staying at the premises whilst they fixed whatever needed fixing around about and we shared breakfast in the dining room. Then they would leave for their days work and we had no problem with the parking arrangements.

St Ives and Penzance.

Our first journey involved a visit to St Ives.

St Ives is a seaside town, and port in Cornwall. The town lies north of Penzance on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times, it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial emphasis, and the town is now primarily a popular seaside resort. It is notable in achieving the title of Best UK Seaside Town and named best seaside town of 2007 by The Guardian newspaper. We kept to the waterfront and were lucky to find parking on one of the shoreline parking areas. Unfortunately, it was a showery day but not miserable. We made our way from the car park to the seafront in the town’s centre and found the mariner’s church. On the way we encountered St Ive’s Church. St Ives is a parish church on the waterfront in St Ives. The church is dedicated to the Virgin, also known as Ives, supposedly an Irish holy woman of the 5th or 6th century. The current building dates to the reign of King Henry V of England (1413 to 1422 AD).

A small “A” frame sign beckoned us to enter with the word “Café” – yes inside in one of the wings of the church was a modest coffee shop offering a free service for those who could not afford a coffee. I believe it had a volunteer operating it so we stopped had a coffee and cake and paid forward for the next two people in need to receive a coffee. What a great idea!

We continued our walk keeping to the waterfront. The weather remained overcast and rained intermittently so there was not much excitement – so we moved onto Penzance.

It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall. Situated in the shelter of Mount’s Bay, the town faces south-east onto the English Channel. Penzance’s Chapel Street has a number of interesting features, including The Admiral Benbow public house (home to a real life 1800s smuggling gang and allegedly the inspiration for Treasure Island’s “Admiral Benbow Inn). It is also the base of the pirates in Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera “The Pirates of Penzance”. Exploring the town we came upon Rotary Shop in New Street. We stopped off to check it out and Kerry introduced herself. The Rotary Shop is unique among local Charity Shops. The shop raises funds specifically to assist local groups and charities by selling goods donated by the community.

From Penzance we went to find Land’s End. Land’s End is a headland in western Cornwall, on the Penwith peninsula about eight miles (13 km) west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is the English Channel, and to the west the Celtic Sea. However, we followed the route given to us by our maps on my phone. This proved to be a mistake as there are two ways to Land’s End – one along the A30 to the end and the other being the route we took, through farm roads and lanes to a vacant paddock with a sign saying, “Land’s End – 800 metres”. It had been raining for several days, and the paddock was a bog, so we turned around to return from whence we had come, and there was a garbage truck in our way. Kerry managed to get passed (I don’t understand how) and we got to the A30 saw the sign to Land’s End and decided we didn’t need to see it at all. So we decided to push on to St Micheal’s Mount. The following photos show how the weather deteriorated and the narrowness of the lanes. This building is part of a tin processing plant from ages gone by.

We arrived at St Micheal’s Mount where the tide was out. It is a tidal island rising high out of the surrounding water, topped by a towering stone castle complete with battlements, a church, and a museum. I remembered the French version Mont St Michael, its steep steps and defibrillator at the top awaiting you. The castle is also the home of the St Aubyn family, who have owned the island for nearly 400 years. At the base of St Michael’s Mount is a small village with a harbour with charming eateries and picnic areas. Whilst it was appealing, with the tide out we were not going to get across the causeway and the light was fading. Next time.

We returned to Truro for the evening and rest as tomorrow we planned to find Port Issac and Tintagel Castle.

Port Isaac is a small fishing village on the Atlantic coast of north Cornwall. From 2004 to 2022, the village served as the backdrop to the ITV television series Doc Martin. It also is home to the sea-shanty singing group Fisherman’s Friends. For those who don’t know Fisherman’s Friend is an all-male a cappella group (a group who sing unaccompanied by instruments) who sing sea shanties. Just as Doc Martyn became a popular TV series a movie made about Fisherman’s Friends in 2019 and its sequel Fisherman’s Friends: One and All in 2022 has kept Port Issac as a popular tourist destination. The trip through the countryside was pleasant and as we approached Port Issac we noticed of course, we are here in winter, and the place is very quiet with lot’s of maintenance being done for the spring and summer. We could not park in the village itself but the walk down to the the village centre showed us some of the unusual building styles. We saw the school house and the bay, the oldest building housing the boat rescue crew, Doc Martyn’s house and surgery and where we had coffee.

Still, we had a great time locating and identifying things from the TV series. We have seen the first of the Fisherman’s Friend movies but all we could recognize there was fishing nets and boats. We enjoyed a coffee in the restaurant/café closest to the boat ramp. It felt special being in the place as seen on TV. After coffee we moved on to the village of Tintagel and the ruins of Tintagel Castle.

Tintagel Castle is a medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island adjacent to the village of Tintagel. No Roman-era structure has been proven to have existed there. It was settled during the early medieval period and a castle was built on the site by Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall in the 13th century, during the High Middle Ages. Archaeological investigation into the site began in the 19th century but later digs exposed significant traces of a much earlier high-status settlement, which had trading links with the Mediterranean world during the Late Roman period. Two digs in 2016 and 2017 at Tintagel Castle uncovered the outlines of a palace from the 5th or early 6th century (the early medieval period), with evidence of writing and of articles brought in from Spain and from the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Investigation is continuing.

The castle has a long association with legends related to King Arthur. This was first recorded in the 12th century when Geoffrey of Monmouth described Tintagel as the place of Arthur’s conception in his mythological account of British history, Historia Regum Britanniae. Geoffrey told the story that Arthur’s father, King Uther Pendragon, was disguised by Merlin’s sorcery to look like Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, the husband of Igraine, Arthur’s mother Cornwall and managed by English Heritage.

As we drove into Tintagel, we noticed there were numerous signs directing the visitor to parking. Some were remote from the ruins and the closest we found was the rear yard of a pub which was still 1 klm away along a rough path from the ruins. We ended up finding Camelot Castle Hotel (see below) situated above the ruins of Tintagel Castle. It is a grand Victorian building built in 1899 and has been a popular destination for artists (check out the painted car) and travelers for decades since. The hotel sits on a clifftop overlooking Tintagel bridge and the island beyond, offering panoramic views its stunning views of the castle ruins and the coastline. It continues the Arthurian theme with the Round table (Kerry was amused by the Merlin circle on the table). We could clearly see the ruins but as with everything else it was closed due to maintenance on the bridge crossing to the island. Apart from the pictures below we didn’t get to the site, but we had a cozy drink and some lunch before moving on.

We had realised after arriving in Truro that a return trip to Heathrow and catching the bus to Nottingham would prove a challenge so we had a change of plans – we would leave Truro a day earlier and travel to Amesbury then onto to Heathrow return the car before bussing it to Nottingham – an overnight stop at Amesbury was required.

Amesbury

Amesbury is a town in Wiltshire, best known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which we passed on our way to our hotel.

The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settled around 8820 BC. Amesbury is also associated with the Arthurian legend: the convent to which Guinevere retired was said to have been the one at Amesbury. Our hotel was in the centre of the town, and it too had history most notably the many additions over time such as in the hallways where the halls weaved and rose and fell without any rhyme or reason.

A walk around the town was hardly exciting but we were able to find a few treasures – our photos are below.

That brings us to the end of our Cornwall adventure, so, until my next blog “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD –CORNWALL UK/NOTTINGHAM UK” – keep on following our tour.

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – SAN FRANCISCO USA/BRIGHTON HOVE UK

The B&B (pictured above) was well located on the road that marked the exact boundary between the two towns (Brighton and Hove), and you would not have known the difference save for a sign on a building at the end of the road announcing the boundary. Upstairs It had two bedrooms both with an ensuite and downstairs a powder room kitchen lounge room and a dining table in the middle. Enough room for us but no garage. The missing garage came as quite a shock. The hiring of the car was based on the B&B having “private parking”. Our strategy was to spend the day traveling around and hope to find a space at night when it was free to park on the streets. Mick and Terri had joined us.

Mick had in his younger days worked in or owned a garage at the end of the street with a “lady of the night” working from the building across the road and the Robin Hood Pub on the opposite corner. The garage has gone, and the Lady has moved on but the pub was still there.

I had prepared an itinerary and planned to drag Terri and Mick around. Despite the itinerary we got side tracked on our way to Battle Abbey and Battlefield. We visited Beach Head and the suburbs of Eastbourne to allow Mick to catch up with an old friend. The wind was howling this day and sea mist blanked out the sun. The coastline is a continuation of the white cliffs of Dover and towered over the beach. It’s known for its dramatic, 531-foot (162-meter) high cliffs being the highest chalk cliffs in England and offers stunning views of the coastline and the English Channel. Beachy Head is part of the Seven Sisters Country Park. The visitor centre measures the distance from the edge of the cliffs to the centre and predicts that the centre will be lost over the cliff by 2050. We drove to the highest point and stepped out to take photos and were close to being blown away. The first picture is the visitors centre which will one day be in the sea as they lose a portion of the cliffs each year. The little lighthouse is further along the coast until you come to the highest point which is the last photo.

We moved on through Eastbourne to the town of Battle and parked behind Battle Abbey at the monastery car park. Terri had put the money in the meter and we moved onto the Abbey which was closed – it was Sunday. Disappointed we walked through the village and found somewhere warm for lunch. We paid no further attention to the parking meter until we received a rude email from the car hire people. We paid the administration fee but never received the fine – its in the mail. The first two pictures are Eastbourne Pier and its “shop” followed by the advertisement for a re-enactment of the battle on the carpark wall in Battle. The last picture is the phone box outside the Abbey from which King Harold rang home to tell his Queen he may be late for dinner. The battle with William in 1066 AD took place in this area.

With the Abbey closed our afternoon was free so we headed to Lewes and Lewes Castle and Museum of Sussex Archaeology. The town was buzzing, and the only parking space was the council car park near the river Ouse 500m away from the castle and museum. The castle is largely a ruin with a castle gate and some other buildings remaining. Still, it was very interesting. Lewes Castle is a medieval Norman castle originally called Bray Castle. it occupies a commanding position guarding the gap in the South Downs cut by the River Ouse and occupied by the towns of Lewes and Cliffe. It stands on a man-made mount just to the north of the high street in Lewes and is constructed from local limestone and flint blocks. The Barbican gate is mostly intact and can be accessed. The sign on the wall in the photo below tells the passerby that ten of the seventeen protestant martyrs were imprisoned in the vault below this building and burned at the stake a few metres from this site in 1555 to 1557.

This tour ended our day, and we returned to Hove to find a car space, a place to eat and a warm space to retire.

My niece Louise, who is presently managing the race days for Formula 1 Racing around the world, took time out of her busy schedule to come down by train to Hove and arrange for more of my relatives to meet us. Louise, Trish (Terri’s sister and my cousin) and her daughter Sarah arranged for dinner at the Connaught Hotel in the heart of Hove. We parked in the Aldi parking station and walked on to the Connaught Hotel – large and noisy hotel and a table of 7.

We also managed to fit in a visit to Ditchling a very small village with a lot of history. Even so the place was busy with visitors, and we ended up parking in a puddle in a dead-end lane – the only park we could find. It brought into the churchyard and as is typical of English churches we also passed through the cemetery finding a very quaint grave with its own font. Some of the buildings look to be from the Tudor era but the pub was warm and cozy. On the way to Ditchling we passed through some pretty country as you will see below. In the village itself the church stood out as the centre of the village and the buildings all to be very early or Georgian built.

After spending the morning in Ditchling we returned to Hove and the “Nevell” an old haunt for Mick and we met up with one of Terri’s sons for a drink and get together. The following day we continued our visits to beach side towns and the photos following show a mariners church where the sailors went to sea after visiting the church.

We had a lovely time renewing friendships meeting more of my father’s family in the UK and visiting new things in Brighton Hove. Our time in Brighton Hove had come to an end and we had the discussion as to when we might catch up again before we headed off to Truro in Cornwall. We had not visited places like Port Issac where Doc Martin had his practice (the TV show) and King Arthur’s alleged castle at Tintagel. The drive would take over 4.5 hours so we scheduled a stopover in Dorchester for a break and some lunch.

Read on in my next blog “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – BRIGHTON HOVE UK/ CORNWALL UK.

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – BRISBANE/SAN FRANCISCO USA

Ever wondered what it would be like to go around the world dropping in at various points of call, visiting relations and friends and visiting new points of interest? Well, we did wonder and now I am here to tell you what it was it was all about. Welcome to our holiday blog – The Retirees go around the World in 51 days.

It started with booking a cruise from Japan to Taiwan and return then taking fright at the cost to travel to Tokyo to catch the cruise ship. This caused us to investigate traveling around the world with connecting flights starting with a flight from Brisbane to Sydney, then Sydney to San Francisco departing on 24th January 2025 and arriving there the same day due to the time zones.

Our son Ben collected us from the airport and put up with us visiting them in their home for 5 nights enjoying spoiling grandson Angus and learning about Jee’s progress with Angus #2.

We played Garage – getting out boxes of cars and trucks and racing them down the track. We then had a mess, and we had to pack it away under grandson’s supervision. Then we visited his preschool at Saint Joseph’s Basilica, played in the park with a new friend and found a new park developed over a discontinued rail line.

Photo

It was just a few days with them but being so far away makes it difficult to connect. Gus is such a personable child I never feel as though we have been away. After those glorious few days, sadly, we waved goodbye. Angus is a joy for grandparents – not so sure it’s always that way for Ben and Jee.

Ben took us to the airport where we then flew from San Francisco to London Heathrow, where we collected a hire car from Green Motion Car Hire. The car collection point was outside of the airport, but the hotel shuttle bus got us to the collection point easily. From there Kerry drove to our accommodation in Hove. A tip for all travelers – ensure you understand the local rules regarding parking. Brighton / Hove Council has made parking on the street a costly dance to avoid the parking costs and fines. We found ourselves finding overnight parking up to 200m away from our B&B in weather down to freezing at times. The parking could easily cost £30 per day on the street. My cousin Therese (Terri) and her husband Mick (former residents of Hove but now gite owners in France) met us at the B & B and wisely had parked their car with friends outside the parking limited areas and caught a cab into Hove.

Read on with my next Blog – The Retirees go around the World –San Francisco/Brighton-Hove.