September 2o21.  The slow process of scanning slides at 1,200 DPI. from our 16,000 35mm library continues; I still have a lot of countries to cover and  Part Three will bedim wit the United Kingdom; more countries will be added.
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The United Kingdom is now completed, France is next
​

The United Kingdom (UK) is an island nation in northwestern Europe and is comprised of four countries: England, Scotland, and Wales (which collectively make up Great Britain) and Northern Ireland (which is variously described as a country, province or region of Ireland). Wendy ans I visited the UK several times in the 60's & 70's with our campers RR1 & RR2 (Roadrangers). Our most recent visit wad in 2013 when we returned to old haunts. Events illustrated here are a composite drawn from all three occasions and periods. England, birthplace of Shakespeare and The Beatles, is home to the capital, London, a globally influential centre of finance and culture. England is also site of Neolithic Stonehenge, Roman spas and centuries-old universities at Oxford and Cambridge.
Population: 66.65 million (2019) 

---

​In the United Kingdom, England(1) is where a lot of the action is and there’s a lot to see and do there But we won't be forgetting about Scotland, Wales and Ireland, they'll get their fair shoe late. London(10 million)), with its“melting pot” of ethnic diversity(1), is a magnetic place(2) to visit. 

"it's a “melting pot” of ethnic diversity(1),"

"London is a magnetic place to visit."

Throughout our travelling years we seem to end up there several times for one reason or another; the city is one of the travel hubs of the world(1) and we used it as a home-base to plan forays into Africa, Asia, Far East, the Americas and Pacific and Atlantic islands. We had no problem with returning to London many times, once out of the city there was always something new to  discover(2).

"one of the travel hubs of the world(1)"

" there was always something new to discover"

As for the English themselves, they are generally friendly(1) and chatty(outside of the cities); they are also devoted history geeks(2), animal & flower lovers(3), candy freaks(4), Garden fanatics(5) and would soon cease to exist without their local pub(6-7); we had no problem with them other than the fact that they like to mind everybody else’s business as well as their own but we could live with that. 

"they are generally friendly "

" they are also devoted history geeks"

"animal & flower lovers"

"candy freaks"

"Garden fanatics"

"and would soon cease to exist without their local pubs"

In England, some 56 million people live in an area roughly the size of USA's Louisiana that has a  4.6 million population; you may think that would mean wall-to-wall people throughout the land but in really, one of England’s attractions is the extent of its manicured rural areas(1) interlaced by meandering tree/hedge lined roads(2), narrow, sealed country lanes(3) that provide unlimited opportunities to explore away from the bustle of the cities(4).

"IS THE EXTENT OF ITS MANICURED RURAL AREAS(1)"

"INTERLACED BY MEANDERING TREE/hedge LINED ROADS(2)"

"NARROW, SEALED COUNTRY LANES(3)"

"THAT PROVIDE UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE AWAY FROM THE BUSTLE OF THE CITIES(4)."

​Most of the population are city dwellers and live in dense suburbia(1) but what kept bringing us back to visit this part of the world time and time again was that the lesser of the population live in smaller, charming towns many of which have postcard appeals of their own(2). Historic towns like Oxford and Cambridge, famed for the universities and colleges had their moments(3-5) but for us we had so much more fun exploring quaint, Photo friendly thatched roof villages the variety of which was never ending; unlike anything that that we grew up with(6); even the B&B's had so much charm of their own with their facades of clinging vines(7) especially memorable n the fall. 

"MOST OF THE POPULATION ARE CITY DWELLERS AND LIVE IN DENSE SUBURBIA(1)"

"CHARMING TOWNS MANY OF WHICH HAVE POSTCARD APPEALS OF THEIR OWN(2)"

"UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES HAD THEIR MOMENTS(3-5)"

:PHOTO FRIENDLY THATCHED ROOF VILLAGES(6)"

"EVEN THE B&B'S HAD SO MUCH CHARM OF THEIR OWN WITH THEIR FACADES OF CLINGING VINES(7) SPECIALLY IN THE FALL(7)"

It seemed that every time we returned to England, we would discover different things like the picturesque county of Kent where rhododendrons were nearly as tall as the houses(1); or East Anglia where windmills(2) actually work and a forest(3) where Robin Hood once flourished. As well, there were always new trails(4) that we had not previously discovered; trails that climbed high above the picturesque lakes(5) of England’s “Lakes District” which in autumn are ablaze with reds and golds(6). 

"WE WOULD DISCOVER NEW THINGS LIKE THE PICTURESQUE COUNTY OF "KENT WHERE RHODODENDRONS WERE ALMOST AS TALL AS THE HOUSES(1)"

"OR EAST ANGLIA WHERE WINDMILLS ACTUALLY WORK(2)"

"A FORES(3)T WHERE ROBIN HOOD ONCE FLOURISHED.(3)"

"AS WELL, THERE WERE ALWAYS NEW TRAILS(4)"

"TRAILS THAT CLIMBED HIGH(5) ABOVE THE PICTURESQUE LAKES "

"“LAKES DISTRICT” WHICH IN AUTUMN ARE ABLAZE WITH REDS AND GOLDS(6)"

England was our first encounter  with a culture greatly enhanced by its history(1) especially when compared to our much younger Australian history.  As is the case with Europe generally, there was so much to see(2-3), so much to learn, but at least in the UK they spoke English, well sort of! ​Growing up in Australia with its rain starved deserts and sunburned, sweeping plains(4) it was little wonder really that we returned many times to visit the rain blessed, evergreen, flower bedecked England(5). ​

" ENGLAND WAS OUR FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH A CULTURE GREATLY ENHANCED BY ITS HISTORY(1)"

"AS IS THE CASE WITH EUROPE GENERALLY, THERE WAS....

"SO MUCH TO SEE(2-3), SO MUCH TO LEARN"

"WE RETURNED MANY TIMES TO VISIT THE RAIN BLESSED, EVERGREEN, FLOWER BEDECKED ENGLAND(5)."

Scotland’s “John o' Groats” Village (above) was  an end-of-the-road for folks in Great Britain, touted as the northernmost point of Scotland but it really isn’t, (nearby Dunnet Head (below) is farther north). But the village does have some notoriety because it marks one end of the longest distance between two inhabited British points on the mainland, with “Land's End“ in Cornwall lying 876 miles (1,410 km) to the southwest. (see pix)......... 

Dunnet Head

WENDY CHECKS OUT "LAND'S END"

"GROWING UP IN AUSTRALIA WITH ITS RAIN STARVED DESERTS(4)"

As Australians, well accustomed to wide open spaces, (above) the distance of 876 miles meant very little to us but it was a big deal to the British; so many we met told us that one day, when they get a chance, they would drive from “Land’s End” to the “Groats” but in our experience, such folk get so tied up with earning their daily bread, raising and providing for their children, (below) they rarely fulfill their “bucket” lists…..c’est la vie. Wendy and I chose a different path and more than fulfilled our bucket list. (see Africa below)

"raising and providing for their children, they rarely fulfill their “bucket” lists"

"chose a different path and more than fulfilled our bucket list"

 ARRIVING IN THE U.K.
Our introduction to the United Kingdom began IN February 1967 when we disembarked in Southampton after a six week cruise in the "Fairsky"/1 from Australia. It was along time at sea and we didn't fare well with it but we made a lot of new friends./2 It is also worthy of note that part of the entertainment on the fair sky was a group of four young lads that in time became known worldwide as the Bee Gees. Full of ideas, hopes and plans we soon realized how ignorant we were regarding the northern hemisphere because on the train trip from Southampton to London, we became convinced that a blight/3 had ravaged the land for the entire two hour journey; having spent all our lives thus far living  in semi tropical conditions, we had no idea what effect that winter has on the landscape in the northern hemisphere. London/4's climate is maritime and coupled with the dampness, the city at 6c  was freezing and even colder in our hotel room until we started pumping coins into a gas meter to get some heat. But the coins soon ran out as did the heat and as it was already dark, we figured it was time for bed anyway and fully closed, we climbed under some sheets, cuddled up and tried to get warm; it was then that Wendy took note of her wrist watch glowing in the dark and realized it was only 4:00 PM in the afternoon…… Oh My God, we had so much to learn..........we hadn't even had dinner yet, nor did we bother. Frost/5 on our hotel room window next morning indited the lack of room heating.

"but we made a lot of new friends"

"we became convinced that a blight/3 had ravaged the land "

"London's climate is maritime "

"Frost/5 on our hotel room window next morning "

                                                   ROADRANGER (1)
With our pajamas under our jeans and two pairs of socks to keep warm, we roamed London and its suburbs/1 by Metro, bus and on foot looking for and eventually buying a new, quality, English made "Roadranger" motor-home/2 which soon proved to be a great asset to us (it was heated) as it provided free accommodation in the years to come which in itself was a saving of thousands of dollars. By playing hide and seek with the authorities/locals, we rarely used a campground and ​Cooking/3 our own meals with supplies bought from street markets/4, was a lifestyle that we were to follow throughout a 20 years around the world journey that began from London. 

"roamed London and its suburbs"

" English made "Roadranger" motor-home"

"and ​Cooking our own meals"

STREET MARKET

                                   LONDON, A LEASNING EXPERIENCE                            London is the third largest European city and we could not have asked for a better training ground that accommodated our independent lifestyle; with so much of  interest to see there(1-6),  Although we returned to London  several times over the years; our first visit was not so much a sight seeing one but much- more of an  information gathering one, arranging visas, attending embassies and consulates, visiting the automobile Association, following up on warranty service with our new vehicle interior, setting up mail forwarding, opening a bank account and following up on money transfers, purchasing camping equipment, modifying our vehicle to suit our needs; actually the tasks seemed never ending and very tiring. Our day started by moving into supermarkets car-parks at 8:am for breakfast(7), leave our home there all day,(8) perhaps returning for lunch; after dinner and a chat, we would make up the bed and move out just before 11:pm when they closed  the security gates and then relocate quietly into suburbia to sleep (9). We could write a novel filled with experiences that we encountered doing exactly that in many world cities.

"WITH SO MUCH OF INTEREST TO SEE THERE(1-6),"

QUEEN ELIZABETH

"MOVING INTO SUPERMARKETS CAR-PARKS AT 8:AM FOR BREAKFAST(7)"

"LEAVE OUR HOME THERE ALL DAY,(8)"

"AND THEN RELOCATE QUIETLY INTO SUBURBIA TO SLEEP (9)."

                                          ESCAPING LONDON PART ONE
Being in London in February-March meant that tourists were few so we had no lineups to deal with although waiting foe the Russian consulate to approve our itinerary in the Soviet block was frustratingly slow. But, the delays did provide the time to test the living capabilities of our new motor home in colder higher Derby-shire(1) and also take advantage of the relatively deserted trails of that area(2). In England,  hundreds of miles of tracks and trails crisscrossing the land over what we would consider in Australia to be private property but hikers have rite of passage anywhere in the countryside(3-5)  as long as they respect the property  owners's privacy and ensure that any gate they open is always closed again. England has it's fair share of hikers; however, such activity dwindles(6) to a dribble in winter which suited us fine so that on extended weekends, we could escape to the highlands for some serious unhindered hiking(7).

"BUT, THE DELAYS DID PROVIDE THE TIME TO TEST THE LIVING CAPABILITIES OF OUR NEW MOTOR HOME IN COLDWR, HIGHER GROUND CONDITIONS.(1)"

"AND ALSO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RELATIVELY DESERTED TRAILS.(2)"

"HIKERS HAVE RITE OF PASSAGE ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE(3-5) "

"AS LONG AS THEY RESPECT THE PROPERTY OWNERS'S PRIVACY

AND ENSURE THAT GATE ARE KEPT CLOSED"

"ENGLAND HAS IT'S FAIR SHARE OF HIKERS; HOWEVER, SUCH ACTIVITY DWINDLES TO A DRIBBLE(6)

"ON EXTENDED WEEKENDS, WE COULD ESCAPE TO THE HIGHLANDS FOR SOME SERIOUS UNHINDERED HIKING(6)."

                            ESCAPING LONDON TO THE COTSWOLDS
During our 20 years of motor home travel we returned to London several times on travel business and when in need of a break, we always escaped the bustle of the city to revisit the nearby  Cotswold Hills only two hours away from central London; the hills are full of tree shrouded roadways, cross country foot tracks, narrow access lanes, secluded walkways, and all leading to and passing through historic towns and rustic villages with picturesque home, pubs, restaurants and B&B's', for us the Cotswold are a classic example of the many facets of England's charm. Join me as we ramble through examples of this delightful area as I nave described above.

COTSWOLD HILL HIKERS ENTER THE FOREST

LOTS OF TREE SHROUDED ROADWAYS

HIKERS HAVE RIGHT OF PASSAGE ACROSS THE LAND

LOTS OF HIDDEN SHORTCUTS

SECLUDED WALKWAYS

RUSTIC VILLAGES WAITING TO BE EXPLORED

ALWAYS NEW SCENES ASKING TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED

THE COTSWOLDS ARE FAMED FOR THEIR QUAINT THATCHED ROOF HOMES

EVERY ONE IS A PICTURE IN ITSELF

SO MANY PEACEFUL SCENES LIKE THIS IN THE COTSWOLDS

CUTE LITTLE STORES ARE EVERYWHERE IN ENGLANDBUT WATCH YOUR HEAD IF YOU’RE TALL

PUBS, RESTAURANTS AND B&BS ARE POSTCARD WORTHY IN THEMSELVES

THE PIX COULD BE ANYWHERE IN ENGLAND REALLY BUT THIS OLD MAN AND HIS DUCKS HAD APPEAL

THE ENGLISH DINE OUT WHENEVER THEY CAN; IT RAINS A LOT IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD

IN THE SMALL TOWNS THERE IS OFTENYS A LOCAL STREET BUTCHER

                                 UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE
Generally speaking UK residents are receptive to visitors even moreso when they learn you originated from England, (the “home country”), we soon found that Great Britain’s are happy to have a chat, you may even get an invite(1) for a cup of tea (universal drink).  But, that sort of thing tends to wane when you crossed into Scotland, folks(2) there can be a somewhat dour lot at times; understandable I guess considering the inclement climate they have to put up with. But when it comes to chatting, the Irish lead the field, sometimes you can’t shut them up, especially after downing a few Guinness's in the local pud(3); pubs seem to be the main hub of Irish social life as it is in the UK generally.  Depending where you were in the Kingdom, we found the locals hard to understand at times(4) and Scotland is no exception; this couple(4) doing some volunteer church work, went on to explain the history of their church, we smiled and indicated we understood but in reality, understood very little but that’s part of the charm of exploring the UK, the variety of accents are endless. Another good example was this Yorkshire fellow(5) who seemed to have an abbreviation for just about everything; he talked in great length about his garden, puzzling Wendy no end. Star performers when it comes to understanding their form  of English would have to be the Welsh with their distinctive Celtic based language; in the pix(6), Blodeuwedd, a Carnarvon local, is amused as Wendy attempts to pronounce her name correctly. However, the Irish accents remains my favourite derivation of the English language; and just listening to Cara,an Irish colleen (8) was an almost musical at times.

WENDY TAKES OFF HER SHOES BEFORE GOING IN FOR A CUP OF TEA, ENGLAND’S ANSWER TO JUST ABOUT EVERY SITUATION.

NOT THE SAME KIND OF WELCOME WHEN YOU CROSSED INTO SCOTLAND, FOLKS THERE CAN BE A SOMEWHAT DOUR LOT AT TIMES/

THE SCOTTISH BROGUE IS TRICKY; THIS EDINBOROUGH COUPLE SPOKE OF THEIR CHURCH HISTORY, BUT ONLY 50% OF WHICH-WE UNDERSTOOD.

BUT THE IRISH LEAD THE FIELD WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIALISING, AFTER A GUINNESS OR TWO, YOU CAN’T SHUT THEM UP.

ENGLAND’S YORKSHIRE FOLK SEEM TO HAVE AN ABBREVIATION FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING; WENDY ENJOYED THIS SHEFFIELD MAN EXPLAINING HIS GARDENING PROWESS BUT SHE WAS PUZZLED ABOUT A LOT OF IT.

WHEN IT COMES TO BEWILDERMENT, THE WELSH “TAKE THE CAKE”; BLODEUWEDD, (pictured) WAS AMUSED AT WENDY’S ATTEMPTS TO PRONOUNCE HER CELTIC NAME CORRECTLY .

THE IRISH ACCENT IS OUR ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, JUST LISTENING TO CARA, (pictured) FROM COUNTY DONEGAL, WAS A MUSICAL EXPERIENCE IN ITSELF.

As much as we loved England with its never ending supply of historic cathedrals, castles, palaces and public gardens, the 56 million that live there can wear you down at times and in our case, especially when it came to parking our motor home by day or finding a place to sleep overnight. It wasn’t all that easy to find a place that someone was not going to complain about, often about petty stuff like even though we were legally parked in a suburban street, a homeowner (above) ventured down his driveway to inform us that we were blocking his city view; you can see by the pix that was rubbish as the house was on much higher ground than the street .... the English were like that, always wanting to cross swords. But to avoid such nonsense all we had to do cross the border into less populated Scotland, in contrast to England, was a country tailor-made to our style of freedom travel with deserted hiking trails, solitude and ideal campsites in abundance.

SCOTLAND

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a 96-mile (154 km) border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and the Irish Sea to the south. The country also contains more than 790 islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. Most of the population, including the capital Edinburgh, is concentrated in the Central Belt and the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands.

WASH-DAY BY SEA; NOT SCENIC BUT THERE IS A WATER TAP HERE, ALWAYS A GOOD FIND!

We crossed the border of England into Scotland many times and with both vehicles Road Ranger one and RR2. (above) We spent three years exploring the European continent and on occasion n crossed the channel into England to stock up on lots of cheap food of the non-perishable type like large cans of dried milk, bulk coffee and we loved their rice cream, jams and jellies. such items on the continent were expensive. In warmer months England was far too crowded for us with gobs of tourists and to retreat from the throngs we returned to Scotland until the first snowfall scattered across the Highlands (below, a favourite camping spot) and it was then time to retreat back to the continent for the next ski season.

"returned to Scotland until the first snowfall scattered across the Highlands"

​There were always new things  to explore like the fishing villages (pix) on the eastern seaboard where we often camped on wharves and jetties so as to pick up something of the morning catch.(pix)  Other times we stayed on at some of the county fairs where high-stepping bonny lassies (pix) were always a treat to watch. Scotland does have its share of villages worth exploring (pix)  but rarely with the charm of those in England and even the castles were more drab than their English counterparts..

"THE MORNING CATCH"

"BONNY LASSIES"

"VILLAGES TO EXPLORE"

Yes there were some big cities too, pictured here on their ugly side (above) but in reality, for us anyway, much of Scotland is primarily a land of low lying mountains(1), unfettered snow-melt streams(2), lakes of all kinds(3) their tranquility only disturbed by the wild-lonely call of the red loon, mist shrouded  hidden glens that could well co contain the fabled villa “Brigadoon”(4), secluded valleys that echo the rutting calls of  Red deer(5) and last but not least, dark, broody, windswept off-shore islands that beckoned you to come visit. (6). 

"A LAND OF LOW LYING MOUNTAINS" (1)

"UNFETTERED SNOW-MELT STREAMS" (2)

"LAKES OF EVERY VARIETY" (3)

"HIDDEN GLENS SOMETIMES MIST SHROUDED" (4)

SECLUDED VALLEYS THAT ECHO THE WILD CALLS OF RED DEER (5)

GRAZING RED DEER

"DARK, BROODY, WINDSWEPT ISLANDS" (6)

Seems like a fairy tale land doesn’t it and for us back in the 70s, Scotland was exactly that; nowadays, in 2021, it may well be very different but when comparing it to heavily populated England, most likely Scotland will always have a quiet pales for you to meditate. (below)

Because we had our VW camper as a base to return to, our hiking experiences, see 2 examples on the mainland and one on he isle of Skye  (some of our best in memory and more about that later) all .especially when we virtually had the trails to ourselves. Even though the weather was inclement at times, we always had “McGrath’s coffee shop” to dry out, warm up, eat well and get a good night’s sleep. (see "Our Home" Isle of Skye)

EARLY SNOWFALL ON THE CAIRNGORMS, MAINLAND SCOTLAND

Best of all, we still have our photos to reminisce about what great times they were. 

Considering our great love of nature and the freedom to camp at will and spontaneously take to a trail, Scotland proved to be our favourite UK experience with Ireland better still but that came years later. The picturesque charm of the English countryside is undeniable but equally so in Scotland but in a very different way; there was an unspoiled wildness to it we rarely found in England. In Scotland's northwest coast around Scourie, where we found deserted beaches that beckoned you tended to stay a while (above) which we did at times but never staying too long because of the cool winds; nor did we venture into the sea for fear of frostbite (just kidding but you get the picture).

Not for a moment are we thinking that if we returned to the U.K. today (2021),  we would find it as it was when we were last there camping unrestricted and roaming at will with little cost to us; that is before full scale tourism mushroomed into the blight that it is today. The unspoiled wildness of the “Spittal of Glenshee” valley shown above now boasts several three and five star hotels; for us it was farmland and sheep and we cut our own track in the snow.  Now, this fine viewpoint (our campsite)  is an asphalted pay by the hour car park.... Ce'st la Vie! England’s Stonehenge is another example of how tourism changes a situation; when we were there we camped at night within a short walking distance of the site and have not forgotten the strange experience of walking among those stones at midnight with a full moon thrown in. Imagination is a wonderful thing but we felt like those stones were moving in on us, so creepy, as if they resented our presence. In comparison the whole area is fenced off now and access is strictly controlled to prevent people from carving their initials or spray painting the stones. Entry is  by payment only in certain hours

                                                      A SKYE EXPERIENCE 

There was so many nooks and crannies to explore on the Scottish mainland we really didn’t give a lot of thought to visit the islands. That meant car ferries and more expense but as it turned out, we were camped (above) one evening overlooking the sea (our favourite type of location) and spotted a tiny car ferry sitting idle by a jetty; with our binoculars we could read the name Glenelg on a small hotel nearby. Consulting our reading material, we soon realized we had come upon a ferry to the Isle of Skye but what surprised us was that the stretch of water between us and the island was so minimal that Wendy and I felt we could almost swim across to the islands from where we were camped. 

That being said and because we were the only vehicle there that next morning, we could not resist the temptation to “ Speed bonny boat over the sea to Skye.” (above) That spontaneous decision proved to be one of the best we have ever made for we soon discovered a rugged, mountainous, camera friendly island where we logged some of our best hiking experiences anywhere and that’s thinking worldwide. 

LOCH CORIUSK , A 25K HIKE FROM ELGOL IN THE CUILLINS.

How different Skye was for us then for they had not yet built the bridge that exists today and we virtually had the island to ourselves. For days we roamed this island camping and hiking at will seeing scarcely a soul, it was our kind of country. 

TOUGH GOING IN THE QUIRAING, ISLE OF SKYE.

Our favourite area was the Cuillins, (below) mountains of a rugged group some of which dropped steeply into the sea. We were never in any danger hiking on Skye, yes we did need to take great care on  loose faced inclines that dropped steeply into the sea but there was nothing we couldn’t handle. 

GREAT CARE NEEDED HERE, A VERY NARROW LOOSE TRAIL

Ironically and contrary to that, we had a near death hiking experience in England of all places where we made the mistake of tackling the featureless landscape of “Kinder Scout” in midwinter; lost in swirling mists and beleaguered by a sudden snowstorm, we survived more by good luck than good management,(see “Close Calls” on this website.)  For the most part Skye’s weather treated us well as our pictures will indicate but we decided to leave after suffering a violent, almost cyclonic storm that ravaged the island with gale-force winds and heavy rain that rendered our car ferry inoperable for 48 hrs. There were many times over the 20 years we spent on the road that weather conditions challenged our tiny homes and personal safety to the maximum and the storm in Skye was one of them.

As the above picture well illustrates, the event began with a beautiful sunset and we watched the sun go down from our dining table and we settled in peacefully for the night. Around 3 AM our van suddenly shook so violently we thought it was going to topple on its side. Gale force winds came out of nowhere and hit us like a battering ram accompanied by sheets of horizontal rain. Parked on a cliff top, we were very exposed and I jumped behind the steering wheel and reversed as quickly as I could into a safer position with our back to the wind. It was absolutely pitch black outside as we were not anywhere near a village or such like and camped on the rocky head land we felt extremely isolated, vulnerable and concerned not only for our own safety but more so, our tiny, shaking  home; without it we would be left destitute.

As the gale intensified, the rain turning to sleet, and it became obvious that we had to leave the headland and head for Porttree (pix below) seeking some protection from the wind. It was a long and perilous 16 km (10 mile) drive through mountainous terrain with uprooted power poles and arcing transformers by the wayside. No lighting of any kind assisted our way ahead other than our high beams which barely made their way through horizontal rain turning to sleet; it was a nightmare situation but we had little alternative but to push on as best we could but always fearing for the safety of ourselves and our tiny home. The power was out when we arrived in Portree; in unfamiliar territory without street lights and our poor visibility, I soon became completely bewildered as to where to turn for safety or at least away from the wind; at least it was good to have asphalt under the wheels. Ignoring the Private Property signs, I sort refuge beside a church wall. Once out of the wind, Wendy soon brewed up a “cuppa”; fortunately, we still had two unbroken cups. It wasn’t until I started drinking my coffee that I began to realize what a white knuckle experience getting to town had been; I just could not hold my coffee cup steadily in one hand I was shaking so much and had to resort to two hands.

​Getting to town had been a journey of constant split second decisions as to whether I was still on the road or running off it and flying debris was everywhere. The gravel road was narrow, winding and without guide posts and complicating the issue even more was that water was pooling across the roadway putting me in doubt as to its depth and whether I should drive through or risk going round it. Gritting my teeth I also unintentionally ran over cable’s not knowing whether they were power or telegraph lines. Water, water, water everywhere and in some cases, flowing swiftly across what I kept hoping was still the road. Perhaps my greatest concern was the large rocks, loosened by the driving rain and wind on the slopes above us, kept breaking free and rolling across the roadway in front of us. As I said earlier, it was a nightmare experience with the added pressure of realizing that if our engine stalled or if we ran into a ditch, we would be in a lot of trouble. In the black of night, with icy sleet building up on our windscreen and covering our headlights, I have seldom in my lifetime ever felt so helpless and so vulnerable against the elements. Yes, it was a nightmare and one of those times you had to ask yourself what the hell are we doing here anyway; it was a price we had to pay for living the way we did; embroiled in nature as we so often were and if things turned bad, we just had  to survive the consequences.

​By morning, conditions head in Portree (above pix & note the church) eased, the rain had stopped, the sun was trying to appear and Wendy had started breakfast. Unfortunately, we had to leave our windbreak and finishes our coffee elsewhere. I can’t help but smile when I think about the church pastor who came out of hiding and told us to “sod off,” the Scots were not always a happy lot; little wonder really with the inclement weather they endure. 

We still had to fill in a day until our fairy resumed operations, so we headed off into other parts of the island that we had not visited; that way we avoided the area that had been hit by the gale which we were told was in need of a road repair…… little wonder we thought. It was a pleasant day and we were reminded again what a wonderful scenic island this was which brought out my camera once again to capture the above picture and those three following.

Hiking in the rugged hinterland of Skye was never on our bucket list but hiking the ten mile  to the summit of 4000 ft Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest peak was on our “bucket list” but that turned out to be a total farce; in  late August; the trail was so heavily  used it was more like a human highway (see pix) and when we encountered a woman coming down pushing a pram with a baby in it, we certainly did not feel like we wanted to add Ben Nevis to our achievements. Britain’s are active and enthusiastic walkers and there are hundreds of cross-country trails to choose from, a lot of it over private property, but nothing really that I would class as challenging.

We spent our last night in Skye at the same camping spot we had discovered  on our first night there. (above)The untouched, unspoiled natural wilderness of the island was  well illustrated here. It was high ground and we could see there was fresh snow on the mainland mountains only a short distance across the sea. We had spent two wonderful weeks on the island and despite our hazardous weather experience there, Scotland's Isle of Skye gave us some of our best hiking experiences but that was many years ago and we know if we returned there now it would never be the same because of its extensive development 

From our car ferry we waved goodbye to Skye but the sight of fresh snow on the mountains, and the fact that it was now mid October, we decided to give Ben Nevis another try hoping that the foot traffic would have dropped to a dribble. As things turned out, we practically had the mountain to ourselves and also discovered that reaching the summit was much more challenging than we had thought. Steep and loose rock to the summit would have been more of a challenge had we not already achieved a high level of conditioning in Skye; nevertheless, we were glad of the break on the summit and really appreciate it our sandwiches and thermos of hot coffee. Best of all, apart from two other hikers who soon left, Ben Nevis's summit  was eerily quiet and but definitely cold. (below) 

​Our thoughts soon turned to the Alps and the winter we would face while skiing in the likes of France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. Below, Wendy cradles the Matterhorn.

                                WALES

​​The red Dragon on a green and white background is the national flag of Wales, rather scary looking for a flag I thought when I first saw it but not near as scary as trying to understand the language, that is, if the person you are speaking to tries to strive some local language on but soon goes back to the English with a grin on their face; that's not a problem but the street signs can be a bit tricky at times (see below) especially if they don't always include the English version as well. Travelers  come from all over to see and photograph the longest name for a railway station in the world and forget about trying to pronounce it but the Welch do it with ease.

Caernaron, of Wales sits on the coast and is overlooked by the impressive medieval Caernarfon castle,(above) a prime tourist attraction for the city. After negotiating Liverpool, one of England’s uglier cities, it was a pleasant change to cross there into Wales and spend some time in Cardiff, (below) we found the capital a relatively peaceful place in comparison to across the border. 

Tucked into the southwest flanks of mainland England, Wales is not a large country with only a little over 3 million living there but a rugged coastline and a mountainous interior (above) it does have (below) Mt. Snowdon,1,085 metres (3,560 ft)  the highest peak offering good opportunities for some more challenging trails. For us mountains have always been places of solitude away from the maddening crowd and if you are fit enough to reach  a summit, and have a one to one experience with the mountain, memories are made that stay with you forever especially if that experience can be shared with a soul mate who loves nature as much as you do. 

Unfortunately, this was not the case on our first attempt years earlier to Summit Mount Snowdon where we experienced extreme gridlock on the trail and simply turned back after suffering it to this point. (above) This time (below) as we left a single track over fresh snow in Snowdon National Park, we figured we'd have a good chance of minimal visitors.​

From the Isle of Skye we could see that fresh snow had fallen on the Scottish Highlands and when we arrived at the base of Mount Snowden, (above) it seemed that the National Park also had its fair share of snow as well. As we had already done a great portion of the track to the summit of Snowdon as I indicated earlier, we decided under the current conditions to let the Snowdon Mountain Railway (summer  pix below) do most of the work.

This ancient funicular railway (above) has been running for over 100 years and still carries something like 140,000 persons per year up the 7.6 km track to the summit of Snowden. It’s not our normal routine to take transport to the summit of the mountains if there is a track that will do it for us but at this time we decided to cheat and get there the easy way which was just as well because by the time we went through the rigmarole of getting their the picture below well illustrates all we could see when we got to the summit…… So much for the view. I doubt if we shall ever try again, there is always other mountains.

Out of the missed of Snowdon’s summit and back down in the sunshine, we made our way out of the National Park and in doing so came across this old church with lots of interesting graves and tombstones in it. Of course, we stopped and wandered into the graveyard but we were soon join by a caretaker who came scurrying out of the church no doubt figuring we were about to vandalize the property; we were amazed by the ages of some of the graves and tombstones some over 1,000 yrs. Old! As it turned out, the caretaker was a wall of information, actually more like a walking encyclopedia of the history of Wales. He went on to say that Continuous human habitation dates from the end of the last ice age when Mesolithic hunter from central Europe began to migrate to Great Britain. The old guy was amused at our surprise to find 1000 year old graves and asking for our map of Wales, he showed us where we could find (see below) a Celtic cross dating back to the seventh century and a 5000 year old Neolithic tomb….Incredible! The history of Europe in comparison to other parts of the world, never ceased to amaze us…… and we thought that the pyramids were old.

Strangely enough, what stays in my mind regarding the history of Wales is the tough times that workers, including children, endured during the slate mining boom in northwest Wales. Driving through this area, we was staggered by the sight (above) of, mile after mile, mountains/mounds of discarded slate often as high as three houses. On the 28 July 2021, the slate landscape of northwest Wales was awarded the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The slate industry dominated the economy of north-west Wales during the second half of the 19th century, but was on a much smaller scale elsewhere. In 1898, a work force of 17,000 men produced half a million tons of slate. Many workers had to rise early to walk five miles (8 km) before six in the morning, and the same distance home often to an evening meal of cold coffee or buttermilk and a slice of bread and butter. Many of them had a family of perhaps five, eight or ten to support on wages averaging from 12 to 16 shillings  a week.

 At Dinorwig Quarry, workers from Anglesey were housed at the Anglesey barracks (above) during the week. They would get up at 3 a.m. on Monday morning to walk to the ferry, and return home on Saturday afternoon. What they slept on and how they managed for water, meals, warmth, latrines and staying clean I can't imagine; these were tough people and somehow managing in tough times.​

When you look at a map it’s not hard to see that Snowdon National Park is about as close as you’re going to get to Ireland if you wanted to to swim. After checking the water temperature, we decided on a short car ferry from Holyhead across the Irish Sea to Dublin. 

IRELAND

We disembarked on what is 0ften referred to as the Emerald Island but believe me, the city of Belfast, our first stop after the ferry, was a far cry from that. (above). However it's suburbia looked a slice of England.

​But once on the road again we soon found that indeed, Emerald Green it is. (below)

Few places on the planet that we have seen I would class as green as Ireland but we did find one (below) and that was in the Faroes islands during another car ferry trip.

How we loved the varied, photogenic landscape of Ireland, and its people, (below) and their accent and their sense of humour which left us most of the time wondering what was true and what was not true; rather like the Australians in that regard.

 Ireland is yet another part of the world, screwed up by religious differences and politics and you only have to watch the film “Ryan’s daughter” that well illustrates all aspects many of which still linger today t. From a tourist point of view, the Republic of Ireland has a lot more to offer; but crossing the border into Northern Ireland, which occupies only 1/6 of the island, there are points of interest (below) that captured our attention.

We have never been city lovers although there has always has been exceptions; Belfast, birthplace of the notorious Titanic, had aa lot of history attached to it although we found the generally scrubby, dull, unattractive and in need of a cleanup; also, we didn’t even feel safe walking around their because of the conflict between Catholic-Protestant and a hatred of the British. However, we had occasion to visit there years later to find that things had quietened down a lot and some modern buildings had sprung up, universities were flourishing and a very fine museum (above) on the construction, life and death of the Titanic was well worth a visit Belfast  just to see that.

​While in Belfast hanging around the water reservoir,we could see how close we were to mountains and it didn’t take us too long to escape the city and head for cleaner fresher air in the Mountains of Mourne tucked away in the southeastern corner of  County Down. 

Okay, considering the relatively flat terrain of Ireland, it is the only mountainous area on the island with trails accessing at least five peaks between two and 3000 feet above sea level. Outside of Newcastle, we camped at what looked like a trailhead and headed for Slieve Donard.

 Slieve Donard is the highest of the Mourne at 2792 feet (850 m); the summit provided us with a panorama over all of the range  and from there we followed a trail to the point where the mounts  reach the sea; not a challenging hike but definitely worth the effort.

A bonus when visiting the “Mourne” at the time that we did was the fact that there was still snow pockets here and there that added to their appeal. We figured this was a leftover from the blizzard which made its way onto Skye, Wales, mainland Scotland and apparently touched on the Mountains of Mourne as well.

​But Northern Ireland still had one trick up its sleeve that really surprised us and made our venture into this part of Ireland more worthwhile. Around 40,000 interlocking, hexagonal basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption, spread themselves out along the shoreline to form what is now a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the “Giants Causeway". The whole area is a remarkable site indeed and the best example of its kind that we have since seen in the world. 

Of course the Irish version of how the Giants Causeway came about varies from the scientific; the story goes that back in ancient times a giant lived in the area and let it be known that no one could defeat him in combat; but the Scottish giant heard about the boast and challenged him to a duel; problem is neither one could swim the distance between Ireland and Scotland. Not to be outdone, the Scottish giant built the causeway across the sea so that he can walk over to the northeast corner of the island where the two giants “had it out with each other;” of course the Irish giant won considering it’s an Irish story. 

​This kind of “blarney” is rife in Ireland and we encountered more of it across the border in the "Republic" at the Blarney Castle; we climbed the stairs to the top for the view and encountered an attendant who recommended that we kiss the Blarney Stone while we were there…… for a small fee of course. 

The Blarney Stone is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of the Castle; according to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab. “Bollocks” we thought but to keep the guy happy (because we were the first people that he had seen all day), Wendy paid up and had a go but in no way did she kiss that stupid stone but he didn’t see that. The incident was a rare moment in our travels for we avoided tourist gimmicks like the plague but I must admit that we both did wonder, considering the position of the stone, how it was possible to kiss it but the attendant showed Wendy how, being glad for the opportunity to fondle her at the same time…… C’est la vie.

​ Yes we watched the sun go down over Galway Bay as the song goes and had some good meals at the local pubs of which there many in Ireland.

​Actually, pub food is pretty basic stuff but at least it’s hot although we stayed away from the terrible warm beer but we did enjoy listening to some great Irish musicians and merry songsters (below) who were not always merry because so often their poignant songs often dwelled on the hardships/heartbreaks that prevailed over the people in years passed.

The Atlantic West Coast, has a rugged topography of inlets, peninsulas, indented bays, coves, (above) fiords and in County Clare, some of the most spectacular, easily accessible cliff faces in the world. Always looking for scenic places to spend the night we camped for several days overlooking the Cliffs of Moher that drop abruptly 500 ft  into the Atlantic. 

​An 18 km, cliff edge trail follows the contour of the Moher and we hiked every kilometer, once again enjoying the freedom to do so at our time of travel in the 70s. These days (2021) the trail is subject to restrictions, parking is charged for and the ticket must be purchased to walk the trail plus extra to climb O’Brien’s tower, (below) as Wendy did unhindered and without a soul in sight for miles.

​ Seabirds by the thousands nest in the cliff faces, although these are best viewed from a boat that skirts the shoreline if and when weather permits which is not that often. Just north of O’Brien’s tower, the Cliffs rise to a height of almost 700 feet but even at that height , the it the Moher cliffs are not the highest on the island........continued

 To see those cliffs, we had to drive to Bunglass Point on the perimeter of Slieve league, a mountain that plunges into the sea not far from the border of Northern Ireland in County Donegal. At 600 m (1972 feet) they are the highest cliff faces on the island and almost 3 times the height of the Cliffs of Moher. Bunglass was another great place to spend the night, at least we thought so, but scary, high winds and heavy seas kept us awake the whole time for our experience on the Isle of Skye was still fresh in our minds. The next day we watched in awe as we witnessed what the Atlantic can do if it is angry (below pix).

On the other hand, the Irish Sea sandwiched between Great Britain and the east coast of Ireland turns are far more gentle face towards its coastline, (above) perhaps this is why Dublin, (below) the capital of the Republic is located there.

“In Dublin's fair city where the girls are so pretty,” at least that's how the song goes but I never found it that way but at least the little one (above) was kinda cute. Actually, in the UK in general, I never really spotted what I would say was a pretty girl but heck, in Scandinavia they seem to grow on trees; of course that is just my humble opinion and no doubt, plenty would disagree with me. However, on the positive side, Dublin (below) itself was a far more attractive city than Belfast.

We didn’t spend a lot of time in  Dublinitprobably because it is the largest city of Ireland although with a population of over 1 million, we seem to move very freely around the city. Situated on the mouth of the River Liffey, (above) the city, and according to local literature is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountain range; suffice to say we checked out the Wicklow but didn’t find anything of interest there. (below) For sure, it  was no Mountains of Mourne, so I guess Belfast is one up on the capital in that regard.

We visited the United Kingdom or parts thereof several times in the 60s with our Roadrang (1) and returned again in the 70s with our VW Roadranger (2)  to re-visit old haunts, seek out new ones and Ireland for the second time. In retrospect, and at this time I would have to say that Ireland was our favourite part of the United Kingdom. Everything about it appealed to us particularly the people and and their love of music and dance.(credit to D. McG. above)

For us, having our own wheels and camping freely at will, sometimes chatting up the locals as well (if you could understand them) (above), the charm of Ireland also has to included roaming its country lanes like the local gypsies do. ​(below)

Because Ireland is mostly flat in its terrain, little stone bordered pastures and cute country homes were two of its most charming features of Ireland’s Countryside. Over the years, the amount of stones that had been painstakingly collected to form the borders of properties is mind boggling to say the least; yes, we had seen this before in the UK generally but Ireland takes first prize in that regard. 

You only have to drive what is known as “The Ring of Kerry” to see Ireland's charm at its best. The "Ring of Kerry: is a 179-kilometre-long (111-mile) circular route in County Kerry, at one point navigating the Atlantic coastline. (above) Perhaps a few photographs will better illustrate my point. I can't think  of a batter way to end this feature on the United Kingdom.

                                      UK GALLERY
A bit og everything here. Just a few things that caught my camera eye; mostly in England but some in Walesa, Scotland and Ireland. There are stories attached to all of them so I will try to add captions later. Click on the bell ringers to enlarge the pix and move through with your mouse or keyboard arrows.

     FRANCE

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