There were many great things about our trip to Europe but meeting Neil in Skye was definitely the highlight! Neil had spent two months sailings through Scandanavia and NW Scotland on Pura Vida 1 with his brother-in-law Anthony and Vergard, a friend. Their trip started in Denmark where Anthony had splashed out on a brand new X-yacht. Neil arrived in early June and they set off on a voyage up the west coast of Norway to the Lofoten Islands. After decimating the cod population but leaving the salmon unchanged they crossed the chilly North Atlantic to the Faeroe Islands. By all accounts an interesting place to visit, especially if you are partial to seagulls and whale blubber. From there they dropped down to St. Kilda, a remote outpost of the already remote Outer Hebrides, then through the islands (and over the sea) to Skye.
The girls took the road route through the Highlands (and over the bridge) to Skye. We met the boat at the harbour in Portree and had a fantastic evening getting reacquainted! After a couple of days exploring Skye and the Talisker Distillery, we drove over to Edinburgh and arrived just before the festival kicked off. We stayed with Suzie and Daermid and their eight month twins Molly and Tom. It was brilliant to spend a few days catching up with Suzie and getting to know Daermid and babes a bit better. Even though the twins are a full time job, Suzie and I managed to find the time to go to the pool (freezing and still in my fleece!) and visit a photographic exhibition. We ticked off a few of the essential sights with Vergard and Debbie and left Edinburgh in early August.
Romans and Vikings played a big role in our trip through Southern Scotland and Northern England. First stop was Hadrian’s Wall where neither of us had ever been. It was built around 100AD to keep the wild hordes out of the Roman Empire, and the fact that much of it is still standing after 2000 years is a testament to Roman engineering. We walked along the Wall for about 4km, it was a beautiful day, sunny and windy, Southern Scotland looked soft and gentle, and we wondered what all the fuss was about!
We found a lovely B&B in Dumfrieshire (Hazelfield House, Auchencairn if you’re passing) and discovered the delights of the coast around Kirkudbright. Next stop was a visit see my Uncle Mike on Lake Windemere in the Lake District. Mike has an old 1926 wooden launch and we planned, as it was the Windemere Classic Boats weekend, to head over the lake to have lunch and show “Dorothy” off. Unfortunately the wind picked up so we never left the dock but it was a lovely place to sit and catch up on 20+ years of news!
Next it was over the Pennines (or Paninis as Neil preferred to call them!) to North Yorkshire to visit la famille Lammiman, old friends for Brunei and KL. A quick stop in Whitby was more than enough, after wading through the swarms of tourists on the harbour Neil got attacked by a seagull, it seems they’re quite fond of meat pies. The weather in North Yorks was the best we had in the whole trip. One day we had a gorgeous sunny walk with Juliet and the family through the fields and along the top of the cliffs to Robin Hood’s Bay. After spectacular views, a crab sandwich and a pint in the pub we took the bus home to spend another lovely evening pouring wine down our throats and laughing over old times.
The Vikings appeared on the scene when we arrived in York. Once we had visited the Viking Experience and the museum we felt we knew enough about their interlude in the UK to develop a theory about Vikings, Romans and Normans, and the difference between Northerners and Southerners . . . well it made perfect sense at the time. I went to the Minster and was suitably impressed but also a bit disappointed because you can’t get up close and personal with the gargoyles! Nonetheless we really loved walking around the city, the tourist numbers dropped off in the evening and the streets were balmy and relaxed with some great eating spots.
Visiting Leeds had never been on my bucket list but Laura and Paul were there so it was next on our trip. It was lovely to see them again and after some glorious canal walks, a hike on the moors and a scrumptious Indian meal, I think I have been converted to a Leeds fan. We enjoyed David Hockney’s gallery in Saltaire and Bolton Abbey was impressive, but having seen Whitby Abbey and York Minster, my hunger for religious edifices was sated and we admired it from a far. So it turns out Leeds is a fine place to visit. Thanks Laura and Paul, I’m looking forward to coming back!
We finished our trip with a long drive down to Devon, learning quite a lot about speed cameras along the way! We had been really enjoying the long English summer evenings and spent several in Mum’s pretty cottage garden, sipping white wine and chatting with occasional dash to the Spar for further wine supplies. A shopping expedition into Exeter is a must to stock up on “stuff” we can’t get in Jakarta, and I am always interested to see what’s changed in the old home town. The layers of history are visible and well preserved within the modern city which makes it a fascinating place, quite similar to York actually.
Our final stop was in mid Devon to join with Dad and Anne for his 80th birthday. My brother Toby had joined us by this stage so, together with my step-brother Luke, there were six of us there to raise a glass and enjoy a delicious lunch celebrate the big day. The weather had finally broken and intermittent showers did not bode well for a family barbeque planned the next day, but against all the odd the sun broke through in the early afternoon and the party was a great success. Happy Birthday, Dad!
After two forts, two castles, two abbeys and a minster we are now back in Jakarta. Lebaran has been and gone, Neil is here again and life is settling back to normal.
Suzy and Neil