Overseas Adventure Travel
Idyllic Great Britain: England’s Lake District, the Scottish Highlands & Orkney Archipelago
6/6/2025 to 6/27/2025
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Page 1 – Days 1-2 in Chester
Page 2 – Days 3-5 Wales & Lake District
Page 3 – Days 6-8 Lake District & Edinburgh
Page 4 – Days 9-11 Edinburgh & Orkney Islands
Page 5 – Days 11-13 Orkney Islands & Inverness
Page 6 – Days 14-16 Inverness
Tour Day 3 - Overland to Wales
This was the day we would be visiting Wales. The town of Chester is just a few miles away from the Welsh border. Tom was excited about our tour since he is from Wales and wanted to show off his country. The countryside was getting hillier as we got deeper into Wales.
Our first destination in Wales was to the Conwy Castle. It was built between 1283-1289. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered to be "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe." We first saw the massive castle gleaming in the sun from the bus. It would be the best photo I would be able to get of the full castle showing its eight large towers.
When we arrived, we climbed the steps of the walled city of Conwy. We walked along the wall enjoying the views. We were so lucky to have another beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the 60’s.
We exited the wall in a parking lot near one side of the castle.
We met our guide, Rhihan, who was an amazing guide. She brought the castle to life for us.
We walked up to the base of the castle that was built on a stone mountain. It was most impressive looking up at it.
Rhihan took us around to a different side where we would climb up the steep ramp to the castles entrance level.
We stopped where she pointed out where the draw bridge would come down to let people into the castle.
We were enjoying taking in the views of the castle’s exterior and grounds as we continued moving up the ramp.
When we arrived at the top, we stopped to look out from the castle. We could see the town of Conwy in the distance and the wall we walked along earlier.
We walked into the first courtyard. This was some castle!
Near the drawbridge entrance was a wooden statue of a guard. It was a very popular photo opp.
I couldn’t stop taking photos of this beautiful castle. As we moved through the castle, we had different views of the towers and castle features.
We moved to a narrower area of the castle. Just an amazing structure.
There were some steps that led to the prison tower. I had to see this! Tom showed me the way to where there was a view looking down into a large round room with tall walls. This was a mass prison cell.
In a different area there was a deep cistern with water at the bottom. It did look a lot like the prison cell.
We moved through the castle looking at different rooms and features of the castle.
We entered the King’s Chamber, where there was a metal frame of a king’s head attached to the wall. It was difficult to see the head’s features at first until you get the right angle.
We then walked outside the wall and looked at the bridges crossing the River Conwy. The road bridge on the left was one of the first road suspension bridges in the world being completed in 1826. It is now just for foot traffic. A new road bridge was built in 1958 to the left of the suspension bridge. The rail bridge on the right was completed in 1848.
We left the castle and headed down to the port area for our free time. We could see the castle in the distance.
Tom told us that the smallest house in Great Britain (as confirmed by the Guiness Book of Records) was right next to the tower ahead of us. We walked closer to the small red building that was built in the 16th century. The house has a floor area of just 59 square feet (10’ X 5.9’). It was in use until 1900 when the house was declared unfit for human habitation by the council. The last tenant was a 6’3” fisherman who couldn’t stand up in the house.
We walked down to the wall next to the port.
We next walked into the main town where we would meet the bus. Tom pointed out some shops to check out in the cute town. The shop that interested us the most was the ice cream parlor. It was outstanding ice cream!
The meeting place in town was at a bronze statue of Llywelyn the Great, a Welsh prince.
On the way out of town, we passed through one of the city wall’s gates.
On the way to our next destination, we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant. The only item we were offered was the Welsh Rarebit. It was a small lunch but tasted good.
We next went to the Snowdonia National Park. It is in a glacial valley and is very popular with hikers and nature enthusiasts. We were going to take a walk up to a glacial lake. The entrance to the trail looked very nice.
The trail was so pretty with the flowing water, wildflowers and just gorgeous scenery.
It wasn’t long before a light shower started. With the rain and trail getting steeper, Cathy decided that she had enough climbing and headed back. I assumed it couldn’t be much further up the mountain. Bad assumption! I could still see that the rest of the group hadn’t made it all the way up yet. I continued walking toward the top. It was a beautiful walk.
The path was mostly stone, but due to their unevenness, I had to keep my head down to keep from tripping. I was so glad I had brought my walking stick on this tour.
After about a half hour walk, I finally reached the top. It was a beautiful lake, but I wish the fog had lifted more.
At one side was a small bridge. I liked the view looking down at the flowing stream.
On our way back to Chester, we took a different road that showed us more of the beautiful Welsh terrain.
We stopped at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct for a comfort stop. We were able to see many canal boats. Tom recently spent a week on one with friends on a vacation. He raved about how enjoyable it was.
The aqueduct was built in 1805. It is an 18-arched stone and cast-iron structure. It is a narrow canal and just wide enough for the canal boats. Only one side had a railing. I would not feel comfortable standing on the upper deck while passing over the bridge.
We very carefully walked out onto the aqueduct pathway. The view was great! It was a long a way down too.
A canal boat was coming through the canal, so everyone was trying to take photos of it. It looked like they were having fun. So were we.
We were glad to be heading back to Chester. It had been a very full and active day, a most enjoyable day. The group dinner was held at the Yard restaurant. It was a good meal with mushroom soup, pasta Bolognese and a chicken dish.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the city of Chester and were looking forward to going to the lake district the next day.
Tour Day 4 - Lake District and Yorkshire Dales
We left the hotel around 9:00 AM heading to Yorkshire Dales. After an hour and a half, we stopped at the Little Farm Shop for a comfort stop. Tom told us to try the Eccles Cake. He also said that they had good Scotch eggs. I never heard of the Eccles Cake, so we had to try it. It was pretty good.
I tried Scotch eggs when I was in Yorkshire in 2016. I heard so much about them on the British TV shows we watch and couldn’t wait to try them. The one I got was absolutely terrible. One bite and done. I felt compelled to give them another try. They are hard boiled eggs with a sausage coating. Two things I like a lot. So, I got one. This one was very good! I’m glad I gave them a second chance.
We were riding through some beautiful countryside. We loved the stone walls, sheep and green everything.
Our ride ended at the town of Kirkby Lonsdale where we were having Sunday dinner at a local restaurant, the Sun Inn. The meal was one that our group would talk about for the rest of the trip. The chicken was so moist and tasty and the vegetables perfectly cooked and seasoned. I have never been a fan of Yorkshire pudding, but this one with their gravy was very yummy.
After lunch, we walked through the quaint town.
They were having a band competition in the town square.
Their market cross was quite attractive, but there were too many cars around the structure to get a good photo of it.
After our free time in the town, Tom offered to take us to see the Devil’s Handprint on the Devil’s Bridge. This is the story of the bridge:
According to folklore, the impression is said to be the handprint of the devil, who built the bridge in exchange for the soul of the first person to cross it. The story involves the devil being tricked when the woman throws a bun across the bridge, causing her dog to cross first, thus outwitting the devil.
It was an optional walk, but how could we pass up that opportunity? It was a nice walk to a different part of town.
When we arrived at the bridge, we all got a kick out of the warning sign on it. Apparently, it is a valid warning since some people do like to jump off it, even though several have been seriously injured. One 22-year-old died from jumping off it.
It is an old bridge having been built in the 12th or 13th centuries. It is only used for foot traffic now but is a popular meeting place for motorcycle enthusiasts.
Had Tom not showed us where the supposed handprint was, we wouldn’t have found it. When a hand is put in the print, it does appear like one.
We had to take a group photo at the bridge.
It was a about an hour’s drive to our hotel in Ambleside, the Wateredge Inn. The main building is on the left side of the road and three other buildings are on the right side.
We were thrilled with our room on the right side in with the cathedral roof. It was large with lots of drawers, a king-size bed and a wonderful view of the lake from our balcony.
The bathroom, although compact, had plenty of counter space, which we appreciated.
I walked down to the lake to check it out. There were several shops/restaurants down the beach, but we never had time to walk down that way.
The area behind the main building was also quite nice. It was a good hotel for someone wanting a relaxing vacation at the lake.
At 5:00 PM we met with a local Dry-Stone Waller. You know, the people that build and repair all the dry-stone walls we saw. He was a fascinating fellow and a real character. He taught us a lot about how the walls are constructed and showed us photos of some of the decorative walls that he had made. He also told us some interesting stories about his life. It was a good session. For some reason, I didn’t take his photo. I’m not happy about that.
We went to dinner at the hotel after the talk. We were offered a few different main courses and desserts that we chose a couple days earlier. I had the Cumberland sausage and Cathy had a chicken dish. The crumble with caramel sauce was a real winner.
Tour Day 5 - A Day in the Life of a Lake District Farm
This was going to be a glorious day with the sun shining brightly. After the previous day’s cloudiness, this was a treat. Looking out our window set the tone for the day.
The main building of the hotel looked so much better too.
I walked over to the lake to see the beauty that people come to the Lake District to see.
We were driving to “Our Day in the Life” experience. OAT does this on all their tours to help us to experience the culture of the places we visit. The scenery on the way there was spectacular.
We were visiting the farm of Gary and Hazel Miller. They are just a lovely couple and such a pleasure to be with.
They are very hard working and have found a way to be successful farmers. Having watched the Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm while we were in Yorkshire before the tour, helped us to understand the difficulties of farming in the UK. They must work to maximize their subsidies from the government and supplement what they earn from the farm products. One of the ways they have been able supplement their income is through these types of experiences they provide to OAT and others. This is their website where they discuss their farm and offerings: https://www.millerfarming.co.uk
The first area they showed us was their egg production building. Now this is a big operation. They normally have 5,000 chickens laying eggs. We were there the few weeks in between their old chickens leaving and new chickens arriving. It would have been nice to see the production line in action, but it was probably a good thing, since we understand that the smell in the building can knock you out.
The eggs come out on a conveyer belt in a different room. Every morning Hazel packages 4,000 eggs in 4 hours. She must cull out the bad ones while boxing the good ones. It is not an easy job, but she is very fast. She can control the speed of the belt thank goodness.
We next went out to see their cattle and pigs.
In addition to the normal pigs, they had some that are quite unusual and rare. We could tell them from the normal pigs by their faces.
They had goats and sheep too. The only crops they grew on the farm was hay for feed.
Gary demonstrated how to shear a sheep. He was very good at it. Unfortunately, wool isn’t worth very much anymore, but they must shear them. We were also told that lamb isn’t very popular in the UK and there isn’t much saleable lamb on a sheep.
They also raise bees on the farm.
The Millers are very into having natural areas on their property for wildlife. They have planted trees and shrubs to attract birds, animals and insects that otherwise wouldn’t have a natural habitat to live in.
After showing us around the farm, they prepared us a most delicious lunch. The sausage and chutney were standouts, but everything was great. The scones for dessert were the best of the trip. We are now spoiled for scones. Their fresh eggs and honey were great too.
After lunch, Gary took us out to a field to show us how his border collies controlled the sheep. He demonstrated the whistles and commands he uses to tell them where he wants the sheep to go. Watching the dogs was poetry in motion. We all loved the demonstration.
I liked the walking stick Gary used with a border collie on the handle.
We took a group photo with the Millers. We also met some other members of their family that help with the farm and allow them to have down time. The sad part of having this type of experience is that we know we will never see this lovely couple again. At least we were with them for a few hours. Tom told us that they do 52 of these types of experiences during the six-month tourist season every year. They made us feel like we were special. They are special!
The ride back to Ambleside was so pretty. I was surprised I was getting decent photos through the bus windows.
On the way back, we stopped at the town of Grassmere for a comfort stop and to see poet William Wordsworth’s grave. It was a pretty area. They also had a very popular gingerbread shop at the cemetery.
That evening we had reservations at a Thai restaurant called Doi Intanon in Ambleside. Another couple Sam and Marcie, joined us. Cathy and I both had some knee issues, so we wanted to take an Uber to the restaurant even though it was less than a mile away. We couldn’t get Uber to show up. They kept telling us that they were looking for a driver. We finally just called a taxi, which ended up being cheaper than the Uber.
The restaurant was in the old market hall building. It didn’t look like a Thai restaurant from the outside.
But it did on the inside and was very attractive.
Cathy and I shared a delicious Thom Kha Gai soup. I had Pad Thai and Cathy had a curry. Everything was great. The second of my independent restaurant choices was a winner.
We would only spend two nights in Ambleside, the shortest stay of the trip. We were heading to Edinburgh in the morning.
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