Entries about ancient

The hotel was located in the centre of town, and fortunately the room Erik and I had been given was front facing - meaning we had beautiful views over the Nile, the Luxor Temple, and the Avenue of the Sphinxes.

We had a few hours to chill before we headed out to the first major site we'd visit in Luxor - the Karnak Temple.

Karnak is a vast open air temple complex - the largest religious building ever made. It contains multiple entrances and inner temples, as well as a huge Hypostyle Hall of 134 columns.

We had a look round, saw many more hieroglyphics, some obelisks, a pond, as well as a scarab statue! Good luck is supposedly upon anyone who does 7 loops of the beetle, so I thought I'd try my luck!

Considering the size of the place, we didn't have that long, as by now the complex was getting ready to close for the night. Just as sunset came over Luxor we headed back to the hotel and for the first time all week had the evening to ourselves.

I joined several of my travelling companions as we were given a quick orientation by our group leader, Saad. We stopped for some falafel, before Erik and I took a short walk past the Luxor Temple to the Winter Palace

This hotel was built in 1905 and was the place that most foreign visitors (including the Egyptologists of the time) stayed during the early 20th century. We took a quick look inside this famous luxury hotel, before we continued back towards the centre of town.

After grabbing food, we walked around the outside of the Luxor Temple, and then made our way back to the hotel.

That evening I got a knock on the door. When I answered it, it was Claire, our travelling companion from Ireland. I asked if she was ok, and she said not really, and showed me her ankle where she had been bitten a few day ago - the whole thing had swollen up and did not look good at all! She was after Erik, who had just popped into the shower, and once he was done we went over to her room and he gave her some meds.

She was leaving earlier than everyone else, and therefore only had another 36 hours before heading home - hoping to be able to plod through until then. Turns out she'd gone and got cellulitis!

The next morning was another early one, as we wanted to beat the crowds and the heat. After getting up, I went to take my tablet, where for some reason I gagged... then what followed was a 15 minute episode of first feeling, and then actually being sick - it well and truly put me off my breakfast that I didn't even have time for.

We then got on the coach and made our way to the Valley of the Kings. These tombs are the locations of some of the later Egyptian Pharaohs (relative to the ones at the Giza Pyramids anyway), and dating back 3,000 years. The tombs are located in the valley immediately behind the Nile on the Western Bank, and contain almost a hundred tombs, literally carved into the hills.

We got given a ticket which enabled us to visit three of the open tombs. In addition, we were also able to buy tickets for any of the three tombs that aren't included within the main entrance fee. Having done a bit of research online before, I decided to visit two of them (the third being particularly expensive, at an additional £33!).

Saad recommended which of the free ones to visit, in order to give us an overview of the different variety between them. The first was that of Merenptah, which was one of the longest tombs here, but was somewhat plain.

Whilst the next was the double tomb of Tausert and Setnakht. This was also large as it featured two halls and more interesting artwork.

The tombs were actually quite slippy to walk around. With the corridors being at downward angles, there were wooden planks to walk on with grippers to help prevent slips. But only if you walked carefully!

As she was trying to leave, the sister of the Canadian who lost her bumbag in the Nile missed the step and fell flat on her face. No major injuries but with the tombs being so echoey, of course everyone came running to check she was ok. The Canadians needed watching on this trip!

The final free tomb we visited one was that of Rameses III, which was very pretty with more of the paintwork intact, but was only open halfway.

I then took a look inside the Tomb of Rameses VI (which had originally been planned to be used by his nephew Rameses V, before he took it over). This was very grand, with beautiful hieroglyphic decorations.

The final tomb I visited was that of Tutankhamun. This was located below that of Rameses VI, and is noticeably different.

Access was via a small but steep shaft, as opposed to the others' gentle sloping long corridors, and the tomb was much smaller. This is the only tomb here that still contains the mummy - with Tut being fully on show, despite the rest of the belongings having been moved to Cairo, as I had seen earlier in the week.

Photos are not permitted in this tomb, but the guards are more than happy to ignore this for some money, and I fell into the trap of having a photoshoot here...

After having spent a little while at the Valley of the Kings, we then headed to the other side of the hill, to the Temple of Hatshepsut - the mortuary temple of one of Egypt's few female Pharaohs.

It is a huge complex, and unlike any other temples we'd seen so far... a far more modern type design with huge terraces, despite being around 3,500 years old.

After this we then paid a visit to a local alabaster factory, and it was here that I was once asked the same old question I get asked every time I go travelling:
Them - "Where are you from?"
Me - "England"
Them - "Which [football] team? Manchester?"
Me - "I don't like football"
Them - "What?!?"
🙄

Having seen some very odd ornaments, we then made our way around the corner to the Colossi of Memnon. The site contains two large statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, that guarded his mortuary temple.

The temple was built in 1350BC, but was destroyed around 150 years later by an earthquake. Then in around 27BC, another earthquake destroyed the statues, after which they were rebuilt (pretty badly) by the Romans.

After a long busy morning, it was now time for lunch. We visited a local family who live close to the Nile, and after eating we then took a brief tour of the house, including seeing the traditional stove that the food had been cooked on.

We were now done with the western bank, and instead of heading back on the coach, to take the long trip to cross the bridge on the southern outskirts of the city - we instead took a boat across the Nile to right outside the Luxor Temple.

By now I'd seen enough temples and hieroglyphics, so whilst we had a few hours to ourselves I had a rest and used the WiFi

We then went for a last group meal together at a restaurant around the corner from the hotel. Here we had reserved a large table on the rooftop balcony, overlooking the centre of the city.

The final day had a horrifically early start, as we were booked on the day's first flight back to Cairo. After waking up at 3am, we headed to the airport half an hour later for our flight departing at 5:30am!

Ridiculous security checks endured - including three bag searches, where we had to physically write down our passport document numbers in a book... Eventually we boarded the small plane and flew over the Sahara and parts of Cairo before landing before 7am.

We had been advised not to book our onward flights before 2pm, as the flight back to Cairo is prone to delays. My flight wasn't now until 6pm - but there was in fact an earlier flight heading back to London in jut two hours time!

I tried my luck, and went to see if I could have my flight brought forward. Things looked good - until they told me I'd have to pay £400 for the privilege. No thanks - I'll stick out the 10 hours...

There was a final, additional excursion taking place for the group today - a visit to Saqqara and Memphis. However as I wasn't sure how I'd get back to the Airport, and wasn't that bothered about seeing more Egyptian ruins, I decided to stick it out at the airport instead.

Most of the group were headed off to continue their trip in Jordan, and so had all been booked on the same flight which was leaving at lunchtime. However annoyingly it was departing from the other terminal, so I wouldn't be able to sit with them!

But Erik was more than happy to give me company for a few hours, so we sat in the Arrivals Hall chatting the time away, before eventually saying goodbye. I then moved around the Arrivals Hall to try and waste more time, before eventually it was just a few hours to go.

Sadly, after all the waiting, the departure lounge was pretty poor - having only a few shops and little to buy with my remaining Egyptian Pounds, and no Currency Exchange.

I eventually bought some overpriced sweets and chocolates and then continued waiting for the flight, when I realised the details had gone missing from the board!

Eventually it came back on and confirmed I was in the right place. Not long later it was finally time to board. At the gate there was a final document and security check. Everyone seemed to take ages, being asked many questions about why they were travelling to London. Then it got to me - I showed them my British Passport and went straight through! Western Privilege....

The return plane was certainly nicer than the outgoing one, but after such a long day, I spent half of it napping. Before long we were coming in to land and after a relatively quick journey through immigration and baggage collection, I was on my final leg home. It was good to be back, but I wasn't enjoying the cold at Heathrow!

Egypt was a great trip. It had been 32 months later than planned, but finally I had got to see the Pyramids!

We started by taking a visit to Philae, a temple dedicated to Isis (the goddess, not the group...). The temple sits on the island of Agilkia, in the Aswan Reservoir - the area between the Low and High Dams.

Until the construction of the dams, it sat on the island of Philae (hence the name) which was then submerged and required it's relocation to the neighbouring island. However it is near enough the same as it was - same position, almost the same orientation, and still requiring a boat to get to it.

We arrived at the marina, which as surrounded by locals selling tat, as well as millions of flies. Trying to avoid both, we eventually made it onto a boat, where we were joined by some local salesmen before we finally reached the island.

The temple was a standard Egyptian complex, with colonnades leading to a gateway portal and inner sanctuaries. Was it the best temple in Egypt? No. But it's setting on an island did make it very interesting, plus it had some pretty cats to look at...

We headed back into Aswan, arriving at the hotel - the same one I had originally booked to stay in in March 2020. We checked into the room and had a few hours to ourselves. Some of the group decided to take a walk around the area, grab some food and visit the souq. I had Pringles and decided to have a rest instead. I've overdone it on previous trips and having had a rubbish breakfast... (If I never see stale bread again, it'll be too soon)... I was best off resting.

It was also the first time since the brief few minutes in Cairo that I'd had chance to connect to the WiFi and the outside world - so the time went by pretty quickly. Before I knew it, it was time to regroup, and after meeting in the lobby, we headed across the road to board a small boat.

At this point of the river there are many islands. The largest of which, Elephantine, contains luxury hotels to the north and a Nubian village to the south. The Nubians were the original inhabitants of this part of Egypt, and are of more African complexion as opposed to the majority of the Arab Egyptians from the north. For the first time it felt like we were actually in Africa. Northern and cosmopolitan Egypt is very much part of the Middle East.

We circled the island, including views of the Old Cataract Hotel (where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile), before taking a walk around the village.

After the tour we then visited a local family's home for dinner. Once again it was local food - grilled chicken, rice, tagine, stale bread. Fine, but nothing special. Thankfully it was still relatively early, as the next day we had a very early start.

At 3:45am the alarm went off... I took my travel pillow and blanket with me and prepared to board the coach that would take us south to Abu Simbel. I was ready to knock any grannies over if necessary in order to claim that back row all to myself. But thankfully I boarded first so didn't need to... I settled in to grab a few more hours sleep, as it was a four hour drive to Abu Simbel. To ensure our safety, this was via a police escort which had enforced this disgustingly early start.

After a few hours of sleep I awoke to find sunrise as we drove the last hour or so through the Sahara Desert.

Abu Simbel, like the temple at Philae was moved due to the construction of the dams at Aswan. Previously located within the cliffs on the banks of the Nile, it has now been moved to relatively flat land above Lake Nasser (the lake that was formed by the Aswan High Dam). Consequently artificial domes have been created to house the relocated Temples, which look ridiculous and so out of place!

But the temples themselves are very impressive. As we had a fast driver, we were one of the first groups down to the Temples.

This allowed our group to take what was essentially a photoshoot outside. Just half an hour later and the place was completely crowded!

There are two temples. One for Ramses II, and one for his wife Nefertari (not to be confused with Nefertiti).

We looked around the temples, impressive, with lots of side rooms, but quite small, considering the scale at their entrances

After spending several hours here we then headed back through the desert towards Aswan. We were so far south that we were on the other side of the Tropic of Cancer, where even before midday, it was hot enough to form a mirage. An incredible sight.

After having had some lunch out of a snack box, we arrived back in Aswan. We crossed the Low Dam, just managing to get some sights of the High Dam, before we stopped at an Essences store.

The store showed us examples of natural oils that can be used as an alternative to medicines. I didn't buy anything but came out smelling lovely... That evening we went for dinner at a restaurant beside the Nile, before taking a night time walk through the souq.

The next morning, thankfully later than yesterday, we had breakfast at the hotel before heading back down to the river. We were now leaving Aswan, but slowly... We would sail down the Nile on traditional Feluccas - wind powered boats.

The boats had mattresses upon which we would sit. And with our luggage aboard, we sailed off. The group had been split into two, which allowed us views of the other boat at close proximity. We didn't travel very fast, as the wind was not overly strong, and was coming from the north! Therefore we spent much of the time travelling across the river from side to side.

As the boat had no toilets or other facilities, we would make regular stops with the support boat in tow. Having sailed for a few hours already, we stopped along the western bank of the river just outside the city for lunch before restarting our journey north.

Getting to know our travelling companions, the sunshine and views meant despite being stuck on a boat all day, time went by quickly. It was also a well needed opportunity to have some relaxing on what was so far a very busy trip.

After a few hours we stopped again. And this is where the first disaster took place. The support boat pulled up beside us and everything was roped together. Then we were able to get off and have a walk around or use the facilities. One of the older ladies from Canada popped to the toilet, then when she came back attempted to walk on the boards heading to the river bank. As she did this the boat moved slightly, she grabbed the pole holding the boat in place, which dislodged and then she fell into the river. Queue panic with all the staff...

She was fine, but shaken up, as she had been fully submerged into the river. She stayed behind with her sister and our tour leader on the support boat to clean herself up, get changed and recover from the experience. A little later, the support boat caught up with us, and the three of them re-joined us.

It wasn't much later before sunset. And as the boats did not have lights we needed to stop sailing for the evening. We pulled up at another riverbank on the western bank, and began to get sorted for the evening. We re-joined our other travel companions and chatted over dinner.

Many hours of great conversation went by, discussing our experiences and before we knew it, it was already pretty late, with a busy day tomorrow.

The boats had a blanket wrapped around them to give us some privacy, but it made it pretty difficult to find our way around! I managed to grab my bits, sort out the blankets and settle in for the night. It was a bit cold, but pretty peaceful, and I got a better night's sleep than I expected.

We awoke to a pretty chilly morning, and this is when the second disaster on the Nile occurred. One of the younger Canadians had been sorting through her stuff ready for the day when she suddenly heard a plop... she looked over and realised that her bum bag containing her passport, money and phone had dropped over the edge of the boat and into the river, sailing submerged under the water downstream.

Cue panic, for the second time in 15 hours... The felucca began untying itself to sail down the river and see if it could locate the bag, before the support boat joined. But sadly, to no avail. The bag and it's contents were lost forever...

After returning to the one remaining static boat, everyone moved their belongings onto the support boat where we enjoyed breakfast. The sun was starting to rise and I was finally feeling some warmth for the first time in hours!

We then made our way across the river where we were picked up by a coach and began heading north to Kom Ombo, where there is a double temple - dedicated to two Gods, Sobek and Haroeris. The former of which being the Crocodile God.

We took a look around the temple in the morning sun, before heading next door to the museum full of mummified Crocodiles, in Sobek's honour.

After a short time at this odd museum, we made our way back past the tat sellers and onto the coach, to continue to the final major stop on this Egyptian Adventure - Luxor!

After a busy few first days, today would be more relaxing. Getting up later for breakfast we took our time heading for the station to take the train to today's sightseeing destination - Pompeii.

The train started off not too busy, however after stopping at the first few stations the train quickly filed with people. By the time we arrived in the town of Pompei, it was going to be a struggle to get off - although we weren't the only ones. Eventually making it out of the station with half the train, we crossed the road to enter the archaeological site of Pompeii, upon which the town revolves.

It wasn't cheap to enter Pompeii, but it was a must. We began by heading up the main street towards the forum, where there were views of Vesuvius through the ruins it created in 79 AD. From here we headed north through the well preserved streets, where the crowds emptied out and we were able to enjoy streets to ourselves.

Streets of Pompeii

Inside the Villas

After exploring the north of the former town, we headed back towards the main street, looking inside some of the villas with preserved frescos before heading south towards the Garden of the Fugitives, where some bodies of those who tried to escape became fossilised.

We then made our way towards the eastern side of the complex, taking a look inside the gymnasium before heading into the amphitheatre, where a photoshoot of a rather unattractive girl was being carried out by her mother who was dressed in red from head to toe - a hideous sight.

After this hilarity we made our way back through the complex, taking a look in more villas before reaching the Bathhouse.

Eventually leaving Pompeii, we took the half hour train ride back through the tunnels of the peninsula to Sorrento. We then chilled in our hotel room before heading out for dinner and a final walk around the town on our last night of the trip.

After taking an early flight out of Luton on Saturday morning, we flew in to Barcelona Airport arriving around lunchtime. Although Reus was much nearer, there were no flights from Luton and this also meant we could have a weekend in the Catalan capital on our return. Annoyingly however, to get from the airport to the hotel, a series of unfortunate delays and irregular journeys meant the journey took four hours.

When I had booked the holiday, staying in this hotel was a no brainer, however when I came to book it, it had been removed from booking.com. Hurriedly checking the hotel's own website I found there was nothing wrong, and that it was in fact cheaper booking direct. A blessing in disguise!

In fact, when I was about to confirm the booking, it asked me if I was a member of the hotel's club. I wasn't but I was told that if I became one, I could access the 10% discount! Checking that there was no cost associated with this, just a simple registration and the receiving of newsletters, I joined and then entered my membership number into the system. On the next page it re-totalled and had given me a 15% discount! Even better, so I booked then and there before the price changed!

When we arrived at the hotel they asked me if I was a member of their club. I replied yes, and she smiled and told me that as I was, we would find something special in the room. Having been here three times previously I knew the rough layout of the hotel, and when we went towards the room I found it was already an upgrade, as it was pool side rather than road side, despite not paying £40 extra for the privilege. When we got into the room, there were two water bottles, what a nice bonus!

Next thing, a knock at the door, the maid was there with a gift in hand. I looked blankly and she double checked we were the right room. "Yes, it's for you" she confirmed. I took the gift and went back inside the room to examine. A small box of chocolates and a voucher for a free cocktail at the bar each! Not bad when I'd only signed up for a 10% discount in the first place!

By now it was 5pm, with dinner in just an hour and a half. We had wanted to make use of some of the facilities, but as we had arrived much later we didn't have time. So instead, we popped out to the supermarket to stock up on wine and snacks. After a short rest and a look around the hotel facilities, it was then dinner time. We had been excited about the big buffet dinners and they did not disappoint. A massive selection of food on offer, from chips and pastas to rice and noodles. Soups, salads, different types of meat, pizzas, breads and to finish off - cakes, fruits, ice cream, sweets, and tonight, a chocolate fountain.

Taking little bits of everything on offer we filled up until we ate too much. Popping back to the room we enjoyed a quick drink of wine before heading out for an evening walk.

When we arrived at Port Aventura train station, the closest one to the hotel, we found there was no machine to buy our ticket on return. Therefore we decided to walk to Salou station, only five minutes further walk to check if we could buy a ticket there.

After walking down a small back street we eventually got to the station. With a ticket machine, we decided to buy our ticket for our return to Barcelona on Friday now, as with just a few trains per day we didn't want to miss the correct train or have to walk further than necessary with all our bags.

After sorting this out, we then made our way on a short walk to the promenade, where as it was Saturday night, there were numerous water fountain light shows taking place by the beach. After watching these we had a stroll before making our way back to the hotel.

The following morning we went down for breakfast to find yet another big buffet of food. With bacon, eggs, sausages, breads, omelettes, pancakes, fruits and yoghurt and even champagne, there was plenty on offer. After filling up for the day we went back to the room to change into our swimwear for our first day of relaxation. We started by going to the roof terrace for a bit of sun lounging as well as sitting in the Jacuzzi with views of the nearby area, including the rides of the PortAventura theme park where we would visit tomorrow.

After sitting in the slightly chilly water for a while, we dried off and headed downstairs to lay by the pool. After sunbathing for a while we then attempted to swim in the outside pool, which again was a little too cold to be enjoyed.

After heading back to the room we had a few snacks for lunch before heading back out and heading towards the beach for some sunbathing and swimming. The sea was warmer than the outdoor pools, but today it was a little bit rough so after a fair amount of bobbing, we dried off and went back to the hotel via some of the shops.

With a few hours before dinner we decided to spend a little bit of time in the indoor pool, which was a lot lot warmer. Spending a bit of time swimming, we then had a rest in the warm Jacuzzi before enjoying the sauna and steam room.

After spending most of the day in the water, we then went back for a shower in time for dinner. Again, a full buffet, this time with fajitas instead of burgers at the live cooking.

Tonight the hotel entertainment was a Celtic-Flamenco fusion, and so we decided tonight would be the night we would enjoy our free cocktails, whilst sitting by the pool watching the show. Although it involved far more Celtic than it did Flamenco, it was still an enjoyable piece of culture.

After what felt like a busy day of relaxation, the following day we got up nice and early to make it to the theme park in time for opening, hoping to avoid the queues. Having bought the tickets in advance, we exchanged them for the real tickets before entering the park and going on the first ride - Furius Baco, a launched roller coaster. Although I enjoy thrill rides, Chris wasn't so keen, but nevertheless we both went on this first ride which ultimately neither of us enjoyed as much as we thought.

We then hurriedly made our way to the back of the park, in the China section to ride the two big roller coasters overlooking the entire area. Chris didn't fancy them, and so I made my way into the queue for the first one - Shambhala, expecting to be gone ages. But with a single rider system in place, I pretty much jumped the queue and in no time was already riding the coaster. Waving down to Chris and my bag, next thing I was enjoying views of the whole coastline at over 80mph. Coming back down to the ground, we reunited, as I then joined the queue for the next ride, Dragon Khan, which although busier was still relatively quick to queue for.

We then began our walk around the theme park, doing a loop and stopping at interesting rides en route - including a mine train and a hall of mirrors. We then got to a spinner ride, which seemed much more gentile than expected, and after riding another spinner ride not long after we needed a bit more time to recover. Despite the theme park now having been open for several hours it was still relatively quiet with many shops not (yet) open.

It was now time for the water rides, enjoying the log flume, rapids and log boat ride getting reasonably wet, but refreshing as the sun had now come out. Finishing the circuit, we walked towards the back of the park again, heading for Angkor, a water shoot boat ride, where neighbouring boats battle to soak each other with guns.

By now we had done a big loop of the park and after seeing the queue for Shambhala had increased substantially we decided to end our day at the theme park here, and head back to the hotel - we were coming back the following day anyway. After getting back we rested before going up to the roof top Jacuzzi again, now finding that over the course of the day the water had heated right up making it far more enjoyable to sit it.

After having a rest we then went to dinner. Having our fill once again, we quickly made our way down to the beach before it got too dark to have an evening stroll. After walking 14 miles today our feet were aching, and so we eventually made our way back to the hotel to sleep.

The following day we headed back to the theme park. Getting up a bit later we still arrived at the theme park less than an hour after opening, but with the weather being much nicer today we found it was substantially busier. Again we headed for the back of the park, and I rode Shambhala again, before we looped the park once more going on rides we found enjoyable, as well as watching a few of the shows and finishing off by taking the train around the park.

Staying much later in the park today we made it back with less free time before dinner. After a very busy few days, we had a much more relaxing evening, just enjoying dinner and then resting at the hotel.

On the Wednesday we decided to head over to Tarragona, the larger town up the coast. Heading up on the train from Salou station, we began by walking from the station in Tarragona along the coast and uphill towards the Roman amphitheatre. With nice views from the road itself we decided not to pay to go inside and instead carried on walking towards the main street, before exploring some of the old Roman town. We then headed down to the main roundabout in the town centre, and after missing the initial bus we wanted, made the following one not long after.

We took this bus just outside of the town to the Ferreres Aqueduct, a huge Roman Aqueduct built around 2000 years ago used to supply water to the Roman town of Tarraco. After walking along the top of the aqueduct we then made our way towards the next bus stop heading south. Although there was a bus stop right outside the complex, this was only on one side of the road. In order to take the bus back, we had to walk a mile to the next housing area for the next bus stop heading south.

Once we had taken the bus back into the town, we swapped to a long distance bus at the main coach station, and headed back to Salou. Stopping to get some more refreshments at the supermarket, we headed back to the hotel, before we changed and headed back to the beach for some swimming. Today the sea was much calmer, and after an hour or so we headed back to the hotel to chill before dinner.

After another evening of chilling, the following day, Thursday, was our last full day at the hotel. Like Sunday this would be spent relaxing around in the hotel or by the beach. With the water outside getting vastly warmer in the afternoon, we spent the morning having a wander around the promenade and getting souvenirs. After walking along the beach, we then headed back to the hotel and headed to the outside pool before swapping to the indoor pool. After a little while we then headed towards the roof top Jacuzzi once more, where we met a Welsh lady who told us all about her life in the Valleys.

I then headed back down to the indoor pool, to make use of the sauna once more, before we changed for our last dinner at the hotel. Our last evening by the sea was spent walking along the promenade and watching one of the water fountains lit up.

After almost a week, the first part of our holiday was almost over. On Friday morning we made the most of our last breakfast, lashing our pancakes with chocolate sauce and having a glass of champagne, before going back to the room to repack our suitcase and backpacks.

Up until now it had felt quite sad, however after checking out of the hotel and walking towards the train station, it now felt quite exciting again. We were about to go on a weekend's holiday to Barcelona!

Despite having seen mouse statues in Lithuanian sea side towns, and art villages in rural Germany, I had still never seen Stonehenge, Cardiff or Bath. Therefore whilst I was in the midst of visa approvals I had decided that I would take a visit to the West country on a nice weekend during the summer, similar to my trip to North Wales a few years back, stopping in a few places for a few hours before heading to the next. Keeping in mind the school holidays as well as the weather forecast the weekend chosen was the last in July, and together with Chris we set off early on Saturday morning towards Stonehenge.

Hearing it was best to prebook our tickets in advance we looked to be arriving on time. However despite the satnav telling us that we were only two minutes away, with a dual carriageway merging into single lanes, and everyone wanting to slow down for a photoshoot of the rocks themselves it ended up taking us 45 minutes to finally arrive!

Once parked up at the new visitor centre we then took a short bus ride to the rocks themselves for some photos, surrounded by half of China. After taking in the sophisticated neolithic structure and grabbing a bite to eat we then continued our journey on to Wookey Hole.

The caves at Wookey Hole included a guided tour, and after raving it up with our glow sticks we entered to observe the stalagmites and -tites as well as the erosive features.

Our next and final destination of the day was Cheddar Gorge, where we walked up the side of the gorge to gain views over it as well as of the Bristol Channel and South Wales, before heading back down and stopping for a coffee inside the Gorge.

After resting up we then drove up the Gorge itself for some stunning views before heading to our hotel in Portishead for the evening.

Arriving at the hotel we checked in, had dinner and then took a quick drive to the coast before heading back and chilling with a bottle of wine after a long day.

After some rural attractions, the following morning we headed towards Cardiff, stopping at Cardiff Bay and viewing the waterside regeneration before driving through the city centre and then into the valleys, stopping by the house of my great grandmother.

Cardiff Castle

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Heading back to England we then took a brief visit to the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol before our final destination on this busy weekend - Bath.

After taking a look around the Roman Baths we then headed for a walk around the city looking at the architecture before our final drive back home.

A long and tiresome weekend but a great one - helped by the weather, but also by being able to drive around to enjoy the sights without getting bored!