Our next adventure was to hire a car in London- gulp! We decided we would collect it from Heathrow Airport so we wouldn't need to drive in London traffic. We were traveling down to Andover in Hampshire to stay with friends we had met in the pub we worked at in 1975. We've kept in touch over all those years and every time we travel we make sure to visit and stay with them. I can hear Ken now "look out the Orstralians are coming".
Wendy, Louise, Ken and Laurie enjoying dinner at the Wheatsheaf Hotel at North Waltham in Hampshire
They had organised for us to have dinner at the old pub where we had first met, the Wheatsheaf Hotel at North Waltham, just off the A303 from London. We had got the job in 1975 by going to Australia House in The Strand in London and looking through the 'jobs book'. Then you could read the Australian newspapers, buy a combi camper in the little lane at the back of the building and sell it there when you get back. Things are different now, you can't even get into Australia House.
Anyway the pub has the same atmosphere - typical English country pub, but is much larger and
more organised. The food was great. It was just fantastic to see Ken and Wendy again and to made feel so welcome.
Ken and Wendy at their house in Andover in front of the lilac tree we gave them in 2007 - It is sooo big now!
One of our 'must dos' when we are in Hampshire is to travel to nearby Wiltshire to visit the amazing Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain.
When we arrived the weather was very gloomy. It got gloomier.
Then the heavens opened and we got very wet.
But it didn't matter. We grabbed the little electronic audio tour guide which you hold to your ear as you walk around. The guide is fantastic and gives you a great pocket history. They still can't be sure how they built this structure or totally sure about what it was for.
Our next day was to visit a family friend in New Milton, Margot Frost. Margot and Mark Frost were great friends of my Mum and Dad. Dad and Mark were in a prisoner of war camp during the second world war and have kept in touch. Sadly Mark passed away in February of last year.
It was fantastic to see Margot again and to catch up with her daughter Trish and husband, David.
David and Trish Green and Margot at their home in New Milton. Plus Margot totally engaged in Laurie's explanation of his iPad.
After a good chat, afternoon tea and swap of email addresses we were then off to Cornwall. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it was a fair drive to get to Port Isaac in the one afternoon! Arriving in the dark it was difficult to locate the Port William Inn as it was described as being located at Tintagel but was actually at Trebarwith Strand a mile and a half away. Now that doesn't sound far but driving in the dark on roads that are badly signed and like a rabbit warren it was tricky. We'd headed for Tintagel and had to back track to access theTrebarwith Strand road.
Anyway we checked in, had a really lovely meal at about 10 pm and wondered what the morning would reveal. We weren't disappointed as the hotel is on the edge of a little cove.
The view from next to the hotel and the hotel on the edge.
We set off for Port Isaac and again weren't disappointed although they really haven't capitalised much on the Doc Martin thing. Maybe we were there in the off season but there is only one little shop that has any connection with the series. Port Isaac is a working fishing village and it is great that so far it is not commercialised to the brink of extinction.
Everything is up at Port Isaac!
The little bay at Port Isaac and on the hill overlooking the village the Doc's house!
The beautiful little village of Port Isaac climbs its way out of the sea along the cliffs.
An interesting roof line on this house in Port Isaac. Rolling hills next to car park just outside the village
After leaving Port Isaac for Bath we stopped off at Launceston on the Cornwall border to enjoy a real
Cornish Pasty just near this very quaint street
The weir in the middle of Bath and the magnificent Bath Abbey which must have had bell ringing practice the night we were there as they rang for ages which was beautiful.
We stayed at a nicely appointed B&B called Breconridge B&B at Camerton about 20 minutes out of Bath. Julie and Jake run a very nice place which was beautifully clean, which is not always the case from our recent experience. Breakfast was served in the conservatory at the rear of the house where we could watch the birds at the bird feeder and the sun flowing through the newly shooting trees.
We swapped B&B operator type stories which was fun! Their friendliness and openness was lovely.
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