Ring Around the Country, Part 4

Friday, June 1, 2018

We had a great time in Bath, but now we have 2 days to get to Eastleigh, where we will base as we go to Matterley Basin for the FIM MXGP race on Sunday.

 We started by going through the beautiful Cheddar Gorge.

 Sheep on the hill

 Then it was south on the Motorway.  Check out this truck. They are so tall and narrow, freaks us out

 We then went out to the coast, to Tintagel, where legend has it, Merlin lived in the cave by the sea and King Arthur was born here. This is one of the oldest buildings in town, once used as the local post office.

 The castle, now ruins, is located on a small island.  At least an island at high tide. Parts are also on the cliff next to the bridge

 You can't get to Merlin's cave anymore, due to storm damage

 Of course, if we're looking at something outside, the weather has to crash

 We took the steps up, but the path down

 Then we were off to Porthleven which is located on Mount's Bay in the south west part of England. The weather didn't clear up, so we didn't stay long, plus it's time to find a place for the night.  These guys are nuts, it was cold out there!!

 The church on the left is located right on the edge of the sea.

We went up the road to Helston, where we found dinner and a room for the night. 

Saturday, June 2, 2018

The next morning we were on the road by 8:30, headed east.

 First things first.  This is a list of items usually included in what is called a full English Breakfast.  Bubble and Squeak is usually made of the leftover potatoes and vegi's that are cut into small pieces and fried together.  It get's it's name from the noise it makes when cooking.  Black pudding is a type of blood pudding.  I've tried both. Black pudding is ok, but I'm not a big fan, but B&S is great stuff.

 Yes, I'm using a paper map, hard as that is to believe.  My GPS is having battery issues, it won't hold a charge and the power holder is not functioning. So I'm using a combo of new and old school methods!!

 This area is so beautiful

 Our first stop is Yeovil, my Granddad's home town. We are not aware of any relatives still is the area so I came to the St John's Church in town.  It was built in 1380-1400 so I'm sure it was here in the early 1900's when Granddad lived here.

 When Granddad left here and ended up in the Prairies of Canada, he must have wondered about his decision making process...

 From Yeovil we headed south to the Weymouth Bay.  It's just what it sounds like, the mouth of the river Wey.

 Sailboats in the distance

 The bad weather miscalculated where we were going, cause they missed us!!

 Typical photo of Wayne, checking out the water, in case he wants to go swimming!

Our next stop was in the New Forest National Park, at the village of Lyndhurst.  We took a break from the driving to get out and stretch our legs.  Then it was off in search of a grocery store outside Southampton on our way to our hotel in Eastleigh. After checking in, we hit the Launderette. Not much different than our laundromats, other than price.  About $7 USD per load to wash and $4 to dry.