This trip started with three ambitions: ride the Snowdon Mountain Railway, walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall across England and again climb Ben Nevis. These ambitions happen to be achievable in three different parts of the U.K.: Wales, England and Scotland respectively. These geographies became the rough outline of my trip which was conducted in phases as outlined below.
The list below is in chronological order. If you’re curious to learn about any segment of my trip then just click on any title below. If you want to see the trip in its entirety then click the first title and subsequently click “Next” at the bottom of each page to progress to the next page. If you’re interested in the three ambitions listed above then click here. If you’re not interested in any of this then be off with you(!) and thanks for your time.
Wales Phase:
- Smoothly Trans-Atlantic: trip from the U.S. and visit to Bath
- Ancient Stonehenge: Salisbury, Stonehenge, revisiting Bath and Bristol
- To Cardiff and Wales: started in Bristol and later toured Cardiff Castle
- Beach Cities: Swansea and Tenby: museums and natural sites on the coast
- Getting into Cardiff by Bike: pedaling the city on a rental bicycle
- Mixed Bag in South Wales: short trips in and around the city of Cardiff
- Miscellany Around Cardiff: sites around Cardiff’s Millennium Centre
- Transition and Rest: south to the north of Wales by train plus Liverpool
- Untangling the Llanberis Knot: northwest of Wales and prepping my hike
- Another Day Tying Up of Loose Ends: hanging out around Liverpool again
- A Stunningly Beautiful Ride up Snowdon: at last, ride up and hike down!
England Phase:
- Transition Time with Family: a bit of Liverpool and off to family in Leeds
- An 84-mile Walk Across England: walking along Hadrian’s Wall with Dallas
- Two Loops Around Newcastle: using feet and Metro to really see the town
Scotland Phase:
- Two Engineering Wonders and a BritRail Pass: and lots of bridges too!
- Edinburgh Overwhelms … Again: traipsing around one of my favorite cities
- Ben Nevis Pulled Me In: again I returned to climb the U.K.’s highest peak
- Around and Around Glasgow: not on foot, I spend a lazy day sightseeing
Before returning home I wanted to visit family and spend time in London:
- A Wonderful Family Interlude: return engagement to my British family
- Churchill is my Hero: meandering Westminster with a focus on Churchill
- Run Away from Tube Strike: out of town to Dover and Canterbury
- Now THAT’s a castle! Windsor: the U.K.’s largest and with the most heart
- My Classic Farewell Embrace of London: walk-till-you-drop goodbye tour
I’d like to say I love visiting the U.K. but if I did then it would be incomplete.
Still absent from my knowledge is Ireland, an island I’ve never even set foot on.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I feel its gravitation pulling at me already.
I think that I need to stop resisting and visit Ireland next, don’t you?
I do! 😎
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