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UK reflections


In a few hours we are on a ferry across the channel to France. It seems the perfect time to sit in a pub and reflect on our 3 months in the UK. What were our highlights? In short, too many to mention them all so with the help of a few pints of ale and a couple of G&T’s here are some of them.

Best Museum: Scottish National Museum in Glasgow for its narrative through the curation. The technology focus connects all of the sciences as well as the arts. It is a hands on museum, fun for both adults and children alike and a great rainy day activity.

Favourite little art gallery: The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness on Orkney, the architecture of the building was exciting and the exhibits of local artists showed talent and originality.

Best place for street art: Glasgow; everywhere you go there is street art. Some of it no bigger than a postcard but some takes up the entire side of buildings.

Favourite coastal fishing harbours: Boscastle and Port Isaac, Cornwall; and Skerray Bay at the top of Scotland.

Modern Architectural Highlights: V&A museum in Dundee and Glasgow’s revitalised riverfront, which includes the BBC Scotland, Transport Museum and the buildings from the Commonwealth Games.

Most memorable nature experience: Climbing the two highest mountains in the UK: Ben Nevis (Scotland) and Mt Snowdon (Wales).  Both very long steep climbs with magnificent views along the way and at the summit.

Most memorable wildlife experience: We saw pheasants, red kites, seals, otters and a vole but the most exhilerating experience was coming face to face with two wild stag deer in the Scottish Highlands.

Learning more about Captain James Cook (marine surveyor and explorer), Charles Rennie McIntosh (designer and architect), Charles Darwin (naturalist and leader in the science of evolution), Governor Lachlan Macquarie (last NSW Governor who resigned 4 times. His mausoleum is on the Isle of Mull) and Robert Louis Stevenson’s family (architect of Scotland’s lighthouses).

Surprise learning: Scotland, Cornwall and Devon were not originally part of the UK mainland. The fact that they were part of another landmass colliding into what we now know as the UK, led to the discovery of plate tectonics (John Horne and Ben Peach). Our travels have taken us to learn more about the rich mining history in Cornwall, Devon, Wales, Glasgow, Derbyshire and Yorkshire.

Favourite Gardens: Lost Gardens of Heligan; Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal and the Eden Project which is a vast reclaimed quarry complete with biospheres.

Favourite epic drive: Three days of single track roads; at times teetering beside sheer cliffs, crofters (small hold farms) stone fences and dodging sheep. All three days were windy, windy and at times the road was incredibly steep. At each bend you were concerned about oncoming traffic, but also excited for the next amazing vista. The views were spectacular and the little van that can handled it all easily.

Best foody and most earthy experience: Meeting Roger Wilkins in his cidery and assisting to make traditional cider.                       

The generosity of strangers: In Stonehaven we spoke to fisherman on the breakwater, they insisted on giving us two mackerel. In Peebles we met a family of Scots who invited us to the pub to watch soccer then insisted that we were their guests and paid for our drinks.  At Lindisfarne we spoke to local fishermen working on a crab boat. They wanted to discuss Australian TV shows, namely Home and Away and Outback Truckers. After our discussion they gave us two large crabs and a lobster. We have been constantly amazed at the generosity of people we have only just met.
  
The generosity of our friends who hosted us, fed us, allowed us to take over their laundry, guided us and assisted us in so many ways.  We will forever be grateful to the Southwell-Sander family in Oxfordshire and the Woods-Doyle family in Leeds.
After too many years and too many missed drinks, it was truly fabulous to catch up; for Craig to get to know them and for us both to get to know their kids.


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