This journal is written daily, usually after a day of driving and sightseeing, so the spelling and grammar may not be the finest because it was written when I am/was tired. The photos have had the basic Tony Morganti Lightroom treatment.

Wednesday 6 May 2015,
Arrived at Adelaide Airport at 7:00am for our 9:15am departure to Singapore. Check in with Singapore Airlines was easy. Customs and Emigration didn't open until 7:30am and so breakfast in the Lounge was delayed for nearly half an hour. The flight from Adelaide to Singapore was a 7 hour flight on an A330 - 300. Watched 3 movies (American Sniper, Still Alice and McFarland USA). Arrived in Singapore at 2:45pm local time. Booked ourselves into the 6:00pm free 2 hour tour of Singapore. This is either run by the Singapore Government or Changi Airport. Either way it will kill a few hours of our 8 hour wait here. Our Swiss Air flight leaves for Zurich, Switzerland at 11:15pm.
 

The bus tour of Singapore was short. We had two half hour stops to take photos and look around at sunset. Then a quick pass of Chinatown and then back to the airport by 8:00pm. The outside temperature was about 30˚C and 80 percent humidity. It was enough to make us drip with perspiration.

Thursday 7 May 2015,
Arrived in Zurich at 6:00am local time after a 13 hour Flight from Singapore. Our flight to London left an hour later. We arrived in London just after 8:00am local time. It took about 20 minutes to clear Emigration and Customs. We eventually found out where to catch the shuttle bus that took us to Europcar car hire. We were given a white automatic Toyota, but on closer inspection it have a flat battery and wouldn't start. So we were upgraded to an automatic Mercedes B180 - CDI. This car took a bit of getting used to. There is no T bar, instead there is an arm where we have our turning indicators, which selects drive, reverse, park etc. Twice today while doing a left hand turn, I used this control by mistake, putting the car  into neutral as we went around the corner. So power on out of the corner resulted in massive engine revs and nothing more.

We finally left London at about 10:00am and headed for Salisbury.

Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire

Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire

The Nave of Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire

Local man, Leo in Lacock, Wiltshire

We found a car park within walking distance of the cathedral, paid our ₤2.50 and spent about an hour and a half exploring the Cathedral and surrounds. We then headed off to Lacock, met a talkative old fellow named Leo who was standing outside his house having a cigarette. We wandered around and took some photos. There is a lot of restoration work being done.

Lacock, Wiltshire

Ayesbury, Wiltshire

We then drove to Ayesbury but only stopped long enough to see the stones outside the village. We had a quick glimpse of the stones in the village as we drove through. Finally we drove to Stonehenge. Did a self guided tour and took a lot of photos.

Stonehenge, Wiltshire

Stonehenge, Wiltshire

At about 5:45pm we made the half hour trip to The Bath Arms at Longleat, had dinner at the pub. I tried a "half" of Sharp's Doombar Rock Cornwall beer. It was warm, flat and hardly resembled what we call beer. We to bed about 9:30pm. We were not very impressed that our room is on the top floor and we had to carry our luggage up the narrow stairs. Particularly as we are only staying here for one night.

The Bath Arms, Longleat

Our hire car

Friday 8 May 2015,
We finished breakfast and were on the road by about 8:45am. We headed straight to Looe via Exeter and Plymouth. The journey took just over 3 hours. The fancy Mercedes hire car kept flashing up a warning message that there wasn't enough pressure in the back passenger side tyre. It seemed to think there were three passengers in the back seat and also three suitcases in the boot and hence the back tyres needed more pressure. We finally found the tyre pressure table and increased the pressure in the rear tyres to the recommended 44 psi.
As we drove the weather started to close in and eventually it began to lightly rain. We arrive in Looe at midday and it was threatening to rain. I vaguely remembered Looe from my visit about 40 years ago. We walked over the bridge and beside the harbour. We had scampi and chips for lunch (₤12.50 for two) and then headed off towards hotel, The Old Ferry Inn, in Bodinnick.

We stopped along the way for a couple of rural photo stops

When we arrived, the geography of Bodinnick and Fowey became evident. Our map showed a maze of lines, which just added to our confusion. Bodinnick and Fowey are two small towns separated by an estuary. To get from one side to the other one has to take the ferry (₤1.70 per person each way). We took the ferry for the 100 metre journey across the estuary and spent time exploring the streets of Fowey. There was a cold wind blowing and a little drizzle. So the town looked a little dull. However the steep streets and the sounds of the gulls made it look like a movie set for Doc Martin.
The Old Ferry Inn is on a steep hill which overlooks the ferry. Our room is on the top floor and is accessed again by narrow winding stairs. The view from the two windows makes the climb worthwhile. The bed is comfortable and the windows can be opened to cool the room down if the central heating becomes over bearing. All in all it is a good room with every modcon we could ask for. There is free WiFi but that is only available down in the Lounge on the ground floor.
 

Looking down the street past our hotel towards the estuary, Fowey,

The ferry with our hotel in the background, Bodinnick, Cornwall

Fisherman on the estuary, Cornwall	The main street of Fowey, Cornwall
Yachts on the estuary taken from Fowey, Cornwall	The view from our hotel window, looking towards Fowey, Cornwall

We had an early dinner at Pinky Murphy's cafe and headed back to the ferry and our hotel.

Saturday 9 May 2015,
It was light at 5:30am. It was raining and looked as though it was going to rain all day. I sent a couple of emails to friends telling them it was raining. By the time we had finished breakfast at 8:45am the clouds were breaking up and there were a few patches of blue sky visible.
At about 9:00am we set off to Tintagel, the legendary birthplace of King Arthur.
 

Looking from our Hotel room across the estuary to Fowey, this morning.	Verdant pastures on the way to Tintagel, Cornwall
Verdant pastures on the way to Tintagel, Cornwall	Looking up at The Keep as we approach Tintagel castle, Cornwall

We arrived at the township at 10:15am and pulled into the car park. The sign at the entrance said "parking all day from ₤1.00." As we pulled in the driver in, the car next to us warned us the sign was misleading. It turns out motorbikes could park at these reduced rates, but cars had to pay the standard ₤1.00 per hour. We paid for two hours and walked down the steep hill to the entrance to the castle ruins. Our English Heritage membership gained us free entry. We crossed the bridge and up the stairs to the top of the small island. The top of the island is more or less flat and has an area of about 100 - 150 acres (my guess). The clouds had gone and we had nearly perfect blue sky and luckily no sign of rain. The weather here changes by the hour! There are quite a few sheep grazing up there. The sides of the island are cliff faces and virtually unscaleable. This would have been a great place to build an easy to defend settlement in the early days. There were a number of buildings still being excavated by archeologists.
 

The Keep, Tintagel Castle, Cornwall	The Island Courtyard and Great Hall, Tintagel Castle, Cornwall
The Island Courtyard and Great Hall, Tintagel Castle, Cornwall	Sheep and lambs perilously close to the cliff edge, Cornwall
The Island Courtyard and Great Hall, Tintagel Castle, Cornwall	The Island Courtyard and Great Hall, Tintagel Castle, Cornwall

After nearly two hours we made our way back to the car. On the way we bought Cornish pasties from a local bakery (₤2.95 each) for lunch. I had always thought Cornish pasties had no meat in them, just vegetables, but all the shops in Cornwall seem to sell pasties with beef in them.
After lunch we set out for Padstow. I saw a turnoff to Port Isaac and vaguely remember Tony Gill telling me that was where the Doc Martin TV series was filmed. So we had a change of plan and headed for Port Isaac. We arrived at about 1:00pm, were given a free all day parking ticket, by a young lady who had no further use for it and set off down the hill to the old village. Not surprisingly, it looked just as it did in the TV series. Only the names on the shops etc were changed.

Port Isaac, Cornwall	"Doc Martin's House & Surgery," Port Isaac, Cornwall
Port Isaac, Cornwall	Port Isaac, Cornwall
Port Isaac, Cornwall	Captain Newland, Port Isaac, Cornwall

I have a photo competition coming up in a few months time for which the set topic is "Rust." There was rust everywhere in Port Isaac and I took plenty of photos of rusty anchors and chains etc. for future use.
We left Port Isaac at about 3:00pm. The GPS in the car took us down nearly every "goat track" in Cornwall to get us home. Some of these roads were only one car width wide for hundreds of metres, with 2-3metre high hedges along each side. Much to my surprise every road we have been on ("goat tracks" included) have been sealed and in excellent condition. No dirt roads in this part of the world!
 

Looking across fields from the carpark, Port Isaac, Cornwall	Narrow "Goat Track," Port Isaac to Bodinnick, Cornwall
Another narrow "Goat Track," Port Isaac to Bodinnick, Cornwall	Farmland just outside Bodinnick, Cornwall

We arrived back at Bodinnick at about 4:15pm and had Dinner at The Old Ferry Inn.

Sunday 10 May 2015,
There was fog over Fowey when we woke this morning and it remained overcast everywhere we drove, but there was no rain. We checked out of The Old Ferry Inn at about 9:15am and took our luggage down the narrow winding stairs from the top floor to street level.
We set the GPS for Bath and headed off. We left Cornwall the same way we entered it, through a dirty great big tunnel, which I guess is the way the Cornish tin miners would like it; through a mine shaft. We crossed the Tamar Bridge (₤1.50 toll) at Plymouth and headed towards Exeter. We ended up on the M5 which was quite a change to some of the roads we have been down in the last few days.
Before we reached Bath we changed our minds and headed to Glastonbury and Wells in Somerset. We missed Glastonbury the first time through and ended up in Wells instead. After mistaking St Cuthbert's Church for the cathedral we eventually found the real cathedral. It was pretty impressive but nothing on Salisbury Cathedral. Note to self: Concentrate!
 

St. Cuthbert's Church, Wells, Somerset	Wells Cathedral, Somerset
Vicars' Close next to Wells Cathedral, Somerset	The Chain Gate (1460) next to Wells Cathedral, Somerset

We had a freshly baked roll and some cheese for lunch and headed back to Glastonbury. We climbed the Tor, took a few photos and came down again. On the way up and down we chatted with a number of other climbers. I am amazed and how friendly the people in England are. Leo in Lacock was a delight to chat with as were all these people climbing the Tor. There are people in other parts of the world where we have traveled who would have just ignored us.

St Michael's Tower atop the Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset	St Michael's Tower atop the Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset
St Michael's Tower atop the Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset	St Michael's Tower, Glastonbury, Somerset

 It was about 3:00pm and so we headed to Bath. We took photos of the Circus and the Royal Crescent. We drove past the Roman Baths, not realising the road was closed, and managed to take some unobstructed photos.
 

The Circus, Bath, Somerset	The Circus, Bath, Somerset
The Royal Crescent, Bath, Somerset	The Baths, Bath, Somerset

We filled the car with diesel, and nearly died at the price. 45.12 litres of diesel at ₤1.219 per litre came out at ₤55.00. I have seen diesel as low as 118.9 per litre and I will have to be more diligent the next time I go looking for bargain priced fuel.
We then headed for The Village Pub in Barnsley which is where we are staying for the next two nights. Our room is up only one flight of stairs which makes a pleasant change. Our room is beautiful and has free WiFi in the room. The only window overlooks the gravel covered carpark at the back, and so there is no view to speak of.

Fields of Rapeseed brighten up the countryside, Gloucestershire

The Village Pub, Barnsley, Gloucestershire

Dinner was at 6:00pm and we both had Black Angus beef pies, with spinach and mashed potato. It is the first time I have actually liked spinach. I tried a "half" of Premium Cotswold Lager which was server cold  and had bubbles. It was very pleasant. I next tried the Butty Bach Premium Ale from the Wye Valley Brewery. This was served at room temperature and was flat (no bubbles.) and rates quite poorly on my scale of things.

Monday 11 May 2015,
We finished breakfast and were on the road by about 8:30am. The waitress serving breakfast suggested we visit Bibury, which is just up the road. She also said we should get there early before the crowds. She said there were a lot of Japanese tourists in the area. Bibury was beautiful with its solid stone buildings and the stream that flowed slowly past which is partially covered with duck weed.
 

Houses in Bibury, Gloustershire

Houses in Bibury, Gloustershire

 From Bibury we traveled north West through Coltswold Hills and through the small villages of Ablington, Winson, Calcot and then Coln St. Dennis. We then headed back to Cirencester.
We then decided to drive to Oxford which was only about an hour away. As we approached Oxford the countryside became quite plain in comparison to the Cotswolds.
 

Narrow boats on canal, Oxford, Oxfordshire	Narrow boats on canal, Oxford, Oxfordshire
Punts on the river taken from Magdalen Bridge, Oxford, Oxfordshire	Punts on the river taken from Magdalen Bridge, Oxford, Oxfordshire

We past numerous Colleges as we drove around, hoping to recognise some place we had seen in the TV series Morse or Lewis. But nothing was familiar. We saw a number of punts on the river, but the water was mirky and sort in green colour and not conducive to going for a ride. After driving around Oxford for awhile doing battle with the buses, cars, cyclists and pedestrians we decided to head back to the calm of Barnsley.
From here we once again headed off into the Cotswold Hills and drove through Daglingworth, through all the Duntisbournes (Rouse, Middle, Leer and Abbots) then to Winstone and Miserden. The roads were narrow (goat tracks) but paved. Many had 5' high dry stone walls on either side of them. The workmanship of these walls was unbelievable. The farming country behind these walls was mainly for dairy cattle, horses and sheep. Occasionally there would be a vast area of bright yellow rapeseed set in the green landscape. I thought is was canola but it is actually rapeseed. Canola was created through plant-breeding in order to get rid of two undesirable components of rapeseed.
I'm convinced William Wordsworth got it all wrong when he wrote his poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." There were no daffodils just rapeseed!
 

I always like history to be correct.

Rapeseed fields in Cotswold Hills near Bibury, Gloustershire	Houses in Bibury, Gloustershire
Road in Cotswold Hills near Duntisbourne, Gloustershire	Dry stone wall in Cotswold Hills near Duntisbourne, Gloustershire
Field near Duntisbourne, Gloustershire	Stone walls and roofs in Cotswolds

When we got back to the hotel I found that I had left my camera SD card in my laptop computer. I wasn't too worried as the Canon 5D Mk3 uses two cards, a SD card and a CF card. I have mine set up so that JPGs are stored on the CF card and Raw files on the SD card. I use the Raw files with Lightroom and hadn't bothered to look at the JPGs. Today's photos should at least have been stored on the CF as JPGs. When I checked I found that the card had been corrupted somehow and I couldn't access any JPGs for our trip so far. I downloaded a program that would restore them. It worked wonderfully well. As well as finding this trip's photos, it found photos from our trip to Morocco two years ago, it found photos from the Port Fairy Folk festival and it found photos from the Olive Branch in January of this year. Although it must have been formatted two or three times the files were still there!
Confident that I had recovered my files from today's photo shoot, I now found that I was required to pay US$80 if I wanted to "save" them. I paid the money and saved my photos. Lesson learned about corrupt files and formatting cards!
For dinner we had the same Black Angas Beef pies but I washed it down with some Butcombe Brewery, Bohemia artisan, Czech style Pilsener, and some lion, Pride of the Cotswolds, Complexed, Balanced, refreshing beer (room temperature and flat) by Hook Norton.