Monday, September 11, 2023 - High Wycombe, England

 Hard to believe today is the 22nd anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.  

Last night we stayed at The King Heads Inn in Chipping Norton.  Temperatures reached 91 degrees yesterday which is the hottest we have had on the trip and The Inn does not have A/C making it pretty uncomfortable until the sun went down.  We had dinner at the Inn and I had my first proper Sunday meal with Yorkshire Pudding.  It was a very filling dish with beef and vegetables.

Before we checked in last night we visited Diddly Squat Farm Shop owned by Jeremy Clarkson and featured on his TV show.  It was fun to check it out.  We had some ice cream and sat next to 3 young people in their 20s and 30s, two of whom worked for Nissan.  We had a great conversation covering everything from speed limits to electric vehicles and inflation.  One thing we didn't discuss much was politics, they didn't seem interested in talking about it.

On our way to our hotel today, we stopped in Oxford and had a self-guided tour of Christ Church and Oxford University using a recording and headset. Christ Church is one of the 44 colleges that make up the University of Oxford.  It is a huge compus and church grounds.  You may recognize several of our pictures below from the Harry Potter movies.  Some scenes used the University to inspire movie sets.  The University of Oxford, which is near Oxford University, is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation.

My proper Sunday meal of beef with Yorkshire Pudding and broccoli and cheese

Inside the pub at The Kings Head Inn

In the line to buy a souvenir at Diddly Squat

Diddly parking lot in what the workers described as a pretty slow day, amazing how popular it is

Entrance to Christ Church

Dining Hall at Oxford University

The Grand Staircase at OU

A memorial garden on the CC/OU grounds

OU Tom Tower

Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral

Peckwater Quad

Tom Quad and Tower

The outskirts of most British towns have, and provide notice of, crematoriums, and in this case, a cemetery

The GS felt very secure and protected in this parking space

Our tracker map for Great Britain.  We will cross the English Channel into "The Continent" in 3 days on Friday

September 9, 2023 - Northampton, England

 Today we rode 225 miles south from Newcastle to Northampton.  We were on main highways so we made good time.  Temperatures reached 91, which is the hottest we have had since leaving Gainesville.

However, before we left Newcastle our motorcycle was hijacked by a couple of rough looking young guys.  They took over the GS and sat on it with Grampa and Mom watching closely.  It was fun.

I reposted the link to our tracker so you can see where we have travelled and follow us live when we are riding.

Tracker

https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/e44f-4c5f5bd-c13e/view  

These 2 rough looking guys took over the GS while Grampa watches

September 7, 2023 - Newcastle upon Tyne, England

 Yesterday before leaving Alnwick we stopped by Alnwick Castle. Baron of Alnwick, erected the first parts of the castle in about 1096.  There is an incredible collection of painting, drawings, sculptures and furniture throughout the area of the castle we were able to visit.  It is now the home of Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland and his family.  In 2016, the castle received over 600,000 visitors per year when combined with adjacent attraction the Alnwick Garden.

We began our travels south, scheduled to leave the UK September 15 and drive south to Arles, France to meet Sheila, a friend from Gainesville.

Alnwick Castle has been used as a setting in many films and television series.

Films

• 1954 Prince Valiant
• 1964 Becket
• 1971 Mary, Queen of Scots
• 1979 Unidentified Flying Oddball
• 1982 Ivanhoe
• 1990 or 1991 The Timekeeper
• 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
• 1998 Monk Dawson
• 1998 Elizabeth
• 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• 2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• 2011 Your Highness
• 2017 Transformers: The Last Knight

Television

• 1977 Count Dracula
• 1983 The Black Adder
• 1984–1986 Robin of Sherwood
• 1995 Antiques Roadshow
• 1995 The Fast Show
• 2005 The Virgin Queen
• 2009 Dickinson's Real Deal
• 2011 Red or Black?
• 2012 Flog It!
• 2012 The Hollow Crown
• 2014/2015 Downton Abbey

The main entrance to Alnwick Castle

Bill, our tour guide, knows the history of the castle and British history like the back of his hand.

Some Harry Potter fans learning how to ride brooms

Outside the castle walls looking north towards Scotland

This is the fortified main structure, or The Keep, of the castle

This arch dates back to 1100s when the Normans were living at the castle

The main well of the castle

We weren't supposed to take pictures in The Keep, where Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland and his family live during the winter but I forgot and was chastised for it.

The GS looking fancy outside our hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne

This 1911 Model T Ford racer inside our hotel, description below

September 4, 2023 - Stonehaven, Scotland

 Stonehaven is a beautiful little port town on the North Sea.  Today's weather was in the mid-70s and sunny all day.  Sooz even put on some sunscreen.  It's the nicest day we've had in the UK.  We decided to walk the town and waterfront, grabbing some things for lunch and dinner.

Stonehaven is one of those rare places that still carries a small town feel and has not been taken over by tourism.  Plus, it is right on the water and easy to walk around.  We could definitely come back here and spend more time.  You better get here quick before it is taken over by those nasty tourists, like us.

Before I forget, you have to watch the video I took yesterday at the sheepdog trials.  Turn the volume up so you can hear the owner whistling directions to their dog.  The dogs are incredible.  Click HERE for the video.

Sooz is way down at the end

One piece of several art pieces along the waterfront walkway

Low tide at Stonehaven

Dunnottar Castle from yesterday by Sooz

Dunnottar Castle from yesterday by Sooz

Stonehaven Harbor at low tide by Sooz

Along the waterfront walkway by Sooz

Sunday, September 3, 2023 - Stonehaven Harbor, Scotland

 A couple of days ago Sooz and I were clicking through the channels on the TV and came across a sheepdog competition.  We had never seen anything like it and were glued to the TV until the end of the broadcast.  Sheepdogs, all Border Collies, were herding a group of sheep through gates and pens in a large open field.  The human owner was in the field also, guiding their dog using a collection of different high-pitched whistles.  It was wild, so we started poking around on the internet and found where a sheepdog competition was being held today close to where we are now staying.

So, we got going this morning and found the Udny Open Sheepdog Trial about 30 miles north of Stonehaven Harbor, where we are staying for a couple of days.  We had a lot of fun meeting and talking with some of the competitors and getting up close with their humans owners.  The dogs are incredible, smart, full of energy and friendly.  

The International Sheep Dog Society is a member organisation and registers over 6,000 Border Collie pups every year on behalf of its members. The ISDS Number and Dog Certificate are a guarantee of pedigree that, for most dogs, can be traced back over 100 years.

We spent about 3 hours watching the competition and then rode to the Dunnottar Castle which is less than a mile from our B&B.  The weather today is gorgeous, sunny, warm in the 70s, light wind.  The sun shining on the castle made for great pictures, looking almost fake.  

• It is not known exactly how long ago the site was originally inhabited, it is believed that the Picts established it between 5000 BC and 700 AD.  
• In 1276 William Wishart, Bishop of St Andrews, consecrated a stone chapel at Dunnottar, parts of which remain. 
• In 1297 after the invasion of Scotland by English forces, William Wallace attacks an English garrison at Dunnottar, taking it back under Scottish control. Legend has it that Wallace showed no mercy to the soldiers and set fire to the Chapel where they had taken refuge, condemning all inside to a terrible death. Others were driven over the cliff edges, with no survivors.

This is the town we stayed a couple of nights.

This is our B&B with the GS covered and ready for the night

Sooz sitting in front of our B&B

Low tide in Stonehaven Harbor

One of the young collies on high alert watching the competition.  She's only 14 months old and not yet ready to compete.

Sooz getting her pup fix.  The field where the competition was held was basically a clover field.

The parking area for the competition with a converted Airstream being used as a food trailer

You can get a feel for how thick and high the clover field is

 

Me with the Dunnottar Castle in the background

It looks fake, but I took this picture of the castle

Sooz having second thoughts about walking down 200 steps and then up another 200 just to get to the castle, and then repeating to get back

It was a beautiful day and the North Sea almost glowed

September 1, 2023 - Blair Atholl, Scotland

 Sooz took care of her back today by being on a heating pad most of the day.  I took a short ride to a waterfall and a dam.  I can't get enough of water.

The Falls of Bruar, photo enlarged from a distance.  I hiked about a mile from where I parked the bike and said that's enough.  But I saw it.  Robert Burns wrote a poem about these falls.

This is the same picture without enlarging the falls.  It's in the middle left of the picture.

This is where I parked the GS and hiked to the falls

This is the Pitlochry Dam on the River Tummel, part of a series of water management and transport structures throughout this part of Scotland.

This shows part of a fish ladder designed to help Atlantic salmon migrate in the River Tummel.  The owner of our B&B says fish populations have declined in the last 5 years.

From the home of golf, this course is just down the road from our B&B.

The first hole tee.

We had dinner at the golf course cafe tonight and this is its menu, very typical of restaurants in Scotland, and the UK.

The owners of our B&B use this treacle when they make sticky toffee pudding.  We tasted it and it is less sweet than typical caramel syrup used by some restaurants, which would be good.

This is the The Firs Blair Atholl B&B where we stayed 2 nights.  It is very comfortable and (retired) Dr Lindsay Easton and Mrs Pauline Connolly (retired school teacher) made us feel at home and were great to talk with,  If you are ever in this part of the world, Sooz and I can highly recommend staying here.