Thursday, 29 June 1978
Wet
To Windsor Castle. Rain.
Overnight at Farnborough after search for B&B.
Wednesday, 28 June 1978
Haircut at Stow (to Slaughter). Haircut at Cirencester.
Visited church. Went to Cheltenham. Elsie picked 7lb strawberries @ 30p/lb.
Broadway, Chipping Camden to Stow.
Tuesday, 27 June 1978
Cold, drizzle
Oxford – up tower to view city. Bought hamper £18.20. 2 blouses.
Went to Christ Church and heard evensong.
Back through Witney (photo).
Visited Blenheim Castle – garden and Churchill exhibition in morning.
Monday, 26 June 1978
Cold, windy, some showers
Through Hay-on-Wye. Back road came to a toll bridge (7p) over a canal. The WHITNEY toll bridge.
To Hereford and Worcester through rich rolling country to Stratford. Place full of tourist buses to see Shakespeare’s cottage that has been set up as a tourist attraction. Town very busy.
Down to Stow-on-the-Wold. Old buildings around a square. Meal at White Hart £8 [Ed. I had some great meals here when I visited in 2000]. Stayed with Mrs Heatt – very good H&C £3.50 ea.
Sunday, 25 June 1978
Cold, cloudy, occasional showers
Breakfast 9.00. Drove to Llyswen and bought skirt and heavy jumper – to be sent to Australia.
Onto Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre. A special centre for the use of visitors – cafeteria, picnic facilities, showers, rest centre. Very well set up with a wonderful view of the Beacons in the distance. Beacons – an unusual outcrop of red sandstone pushed up many years ago.
To Merthyr and to Abergavenny where [we] tried to find Llangua where Marion’s cousin lived. Inquired at bus depot – talked with the mechanic. Place was 11 miles out on the Hereford border. Passed through the place and came back. Went up a road for miles – came back – the place Elsie asked at turned out to be where Paddy and Tony Wollan lived. (5.00pm).
Stayed for tea. Tony had had a throat operation and has his larynx removed (12 months ago). His partner had had open heart surgery. Both families live in very large house (300 years old in parts) that used to be coach house. – 7 bedrooms upstairs. Dining and a couple of lounge rooms. Paddy showed us the large sideboard (£13) on a solid stone floor. The cellar and bar (of old inn) were below in another room down below they have a full size billiard table.
Back through Talgarth to Builth Wells.
Saturday, 24 June 1978
Drizzle all day, very cold
Shops at Betws-y-Coed – purse and woollen hat. Through Snowdonia National Park.
Large slate quarries at Llechwedd. Stopped at mills and several shops.
Mountains shrouded in mist all day. B&B at Builth Wells with Mrs Bruce. Very comfortable. £3.25 ea. £13 for the 2 nights.
Friday, 23 June 1978
Wet (VERY)
Set off to Mt Snowden. Very heavy rain as we went through the Llanberis Pass. Very rugged cliffs but could not see much. Saw the rack and pinion steam engine that goes up the mountain but cloud was very low.
To Carnarvon Castle. The walls very impressive but much restoration work has been done. In one tower an exhibition of the development. Built in time of Edward I between 1280 and 1320s. The city wall completed in 4 years.
Another tower has the story of the crowning of Charles as Prince of Wales. Special chairs sold as souvenirs – slate dias, slate chairs for the crowning.
Very cold and windy in the passageways. Lunch on the quayside.
Saw the 3 bridges of Castle Conwy – rail, suspension bridge (1833) and new road bridge.
Pouring rain. Back up Conwy valley. Looked at shirts – bought little purses in Llanberis.
Thursday, 22 June 1978
Through Peak National Park (Blue John Cave near Castleton – peat stone). Mountainous country. Confused on way near Chapel – in to Frith and Congleton and coming out of Wrexham.
To Betws-y-Coed in mountainous country. Rocky – stream through village.
B&B £3.75 / £3.50. Walk up the river side.
Wednesday, 21 June 1978
Drizzle and very heavy rain
Big breakfast.
Heaviest rain we have driven through. Rolling country to Skipton. Some climbing through the Yorkshire Dales.
Harrogate – a very large city. Difficulty in finding the Tourist Info Centre so that we could find Grove Road for Elsie to visit her aunt in Convalescent home. Molly (94) very excited to show us her room and the home. Uses stick but manages 2 flights of stairs quite well. Took a couple of photos.
To York and looked at the cathedral. Very light sandstone. Visited the undercroft where they put cement foundation to support one of the towers that was moving. Stainless steel pins 63ft long go through the concrete. Now a museum as they uncovered Roman foundations.
Couldn’t find [a] B&B [so] heading to Sheffield Royal Victoria Hotel (£25) without bath. You have to miss out sometime.
Tuesday, 20 June 1978
Breakfast at 8. Early start.
Gone about 4 miles when we discovered we had left this book, maps and papers in the bedroom.
Returned and joined a traffic queue of about 3/4 mile into Stirling. Picked up the motorway and fast travelled to Gretna Green. Bought some jumpers £75 each.
By passed Carlisle and headed for the Lakes District. Lake, bare hills with sparse trees. Trees along edges of lakes. Suddenly came upon Keswick a large bustling tourist town. Cars everywhere. Difficult to park. Had our rolls in a national park wooded area near the lake.
At Windermere walked a little of the town and then drove down to the wharf area. People everywhere walking the streets. Many people coming off and around the area where the excursion boats leave.
Pretty drive through the tree lined roads to Kendall and to Kirkby Lonsdale – a neat little town – narrow streets and a square and lots of eating places. Stayed with Mrs Bradshaw. The Parko’s and Batto’s had left there that morning. They had come back and had 2 nights.
Excellent accommodation £3.50 each.