Had a leisurely breakfast and then took the ten-minute walk to downtown Salisbury.  We found the cathedral and spent time wandering through its transcepts and chapels.  The cathedral also houses one of the best copies of the Magna Carta.  I was a little disappointed in my pictures but you just can’t do justice to these [...]

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We spent our last night in Wales at the Baskerville Arms Hotel in Clyro, walking distance from Hay-on-Wye.  The hotel takes its name from the Arthur Conan Doyle story and some believe he drew his inspiration from stories in this area.I took an early morning walk through the church yard.  We had been seeing [...]

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We headed down the coast from north to south Wales on a rainy, dark day.  We stopped at the Trefriw Woolen Mills for some shopping.  I managed to find a few things…a couple sweaters on the sale rail that were hand knit and a lovely bag.
Then, it was on to Criccieth Castle, along the coast.  [...]

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The south of Wales seems a little less wild than the north.  We explored St. David’s peninsula, beginning with Pembroke in the north and then St. David’s, Britain’s smallest town, in the south.
Pembroke Castle is known as the birthplace of the Tudor Dynasty.  Of all the castles we visited, it is the most restored with [...]

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I am something of a bookaholic so friends recommended that I visit Hay-on-Wye, the book store town.  It made a nice stopping point between south Wales and Salisbury.  We arrived around noon and started with a lunch at the cozy Blue Boar pub.   The town has new and second hand bookstores throughout its winding, narrow [...]

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Today was castle day on the trip.  We started with Conwy Castle, located just a few minutes away from where we are staying in the seaside resort of Colwyn Bay.  The town of Conwy has its wall in tact and the castle was built by Edward I in the late 13th century as part of [...]

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After a breakfast of porridge and toast, we headed out…started in Keswick where I took the Keswick Launch around Derwentwater, the most photographed of the lakes.  I had some idea of getting off at Lodore to go see the waterfalls, but somehow missed the stop because I didn’t realize they had skipped the first dock [...]

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I am settled into the lounge at the Sunnydowns Hotel in Colwyn Bay, North Wales.  I’ve been without Internet access for a few days so will try to get caught up with the trip.  Photos are busy uploading in the background while I type.  It’s been a busy couple of days…
We left Stratford on Tuesday, [...]

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Out of the Lake District and on to Wales on this grand tour of England!  We had pegged Chester as a good stopping point on a short driving day and we were not disappointed.  This ancient walled city is right on the border.  After a quick lunch at a spot on the second floor that [...]

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We came to Stratford in search of William Shakespeare, and he wasn’t hard to find.  Stratford was the bard’s birth place.  He married Anne Hathaway here but pretty quickly left for London where he gained fame as an actor and writer.  He returned to Stratford at the end of his life, though, and is buried [...]

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