UK Trip: Day 9, Northumberland Coast and Scotland

Monday June 20, 2022

Most of the day was spent driving to our new rental house in Scotland, near Edinburgh. We packed up our things from the old rental house in Leeds and drove and drove. We stopped at a Costco in New Castle Upon Tyne and ate lunch. We bought the family meal deal—garlic bread, a large pepperoni pizza, and a 1-liter Pepsi—for only £13. Gabe got a hotdog.

We drove some more to the Northumberland Coast. We stopped at Seahouses where we got out to walk around and take some pictures. We also stopped in a little shop where I bought some candy, jam, and a travel eye mask/pillow for Elisa.

Bamburgh Castle was between the road and the sea.

Then we drove and drove and drove to our new rental home outside of Dunfermline, Scotland, less than an hour from Edinburgh. Our new rental house was spacious, clean, and new. It also had a playground for the kids to play on that included a zip line. The kids enjoyed playing on it. Our room was really big and nice.

We had a nice view from the backyard.

For dinner, Erik ordered Indian food at an Indian restaurant, called Khushi's. While we were waiting for them to fill our order, we stopped by a Tesco for some groceries. The parking lot was under the store, so there was an escalator that went up to the store. We had to bring the cart up the escalator. How weird. After picking up a few things like milk, jam, chocolates, we dropped the groceries off at the car and walked to the restaurant to pick up our food order. The meal didn’t come with rice or naan, so we bought some while we were there.

Going back down to the parking garage in Tesco.

Walking the narrow streets of Dunfermline.

Picking up dinner at Khushi's Indian Restaurant.

The food was really good; the meat was tender and fresh. I ate more than my share. For dessert Erik ordered mango kulfi (sorbet), which came in a ceramic container that I guess we get to keep! I read a book the rest of the evening that I found on the shelf. The sun didn't go down until after 10pm. I never realized how far north Scotland is.

Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Rogan Josh for dinner.

UK Trip: Day 8, Father's Day, Castle Coombe Village and Chavenage

Sunday June 19, 2022 - Father’s Day

We packed up our things in the morning to leave for another rental house in Leeds. Most of our day was spent in the van driving, but we did make a few stops along the way. Our first stop was Castle Coombe Village. We had a bit of trouble finding a parking spot, but we eventually found one. We didn’t stay too long; we mostly walked around the graveyard and took a few pictures.

The village architectural style is Cotswold.

Then we drove and drove to the Chavenage House. We stopped at Wild Carrot Cafe and had a few expensive snacks. There was a random dog that kept begging us for scraps. It also had rocks for a floor, which I thought was weird. The Cafe was next to the Chavenage House, which is a historic and very old house. The house wasn’t open to random nobodies like us, so we just took a picture outside the gates.

Then we drove and drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon to where Shakespeare’s birthplace is thought to be. There were mostly shops and a few cafes. We stopped in one called the Food of Love. I ordered a tuna sandwich, it was alright. Gabe ordered a berry crepe and happily inhaled it. Ian ordered a hot dog that wasn’t a hot dog but a sausage. Erik had a bacon and brie toastie, which is just a grilled sandwich. Also, bacon in the UK is just fatty ham.

A re-creation of Shakespeare's house

Then we drove and drove and drove to Leeds, where our new rental home was. This one was pretty nice; it even had a separate apartment that Grandma and Grandpa stayed in. The shower was weird (as in hard to figure out how to work) and so was the room with a toilet and no sink!

Erik and Grandpa opened their Father's Day presents.

This house had a piano!

Looking through our window at the neighbor's house.

UK Trip: Day 7, Wales - Cardiff Castle and Gower Penninsula

Saturday June 18, 2022

We drove and drove all the way to Cardiff Castle in Wales. This was the only day of our entire trip that it rained. There was some sort of festival going on, but we were there to see the castle. First, we parked and then walked through a big mall. We were hungry, so we stopped at New York Deli and ate some sandwiches—Ian had a hotdog.

We had the Reuben, but they were out of rye bread and put cole slaw on it.

We paid for some wristbands to see not only the castle but the Roman wall, a Welsh military museum (which we briefly set foot in), and the fortress. The Roman wall wasn’t that interesting, though the relief sculpture beside it was, even if it was made in the 1980’s.

Walking through the castle gate

The castle wasn’t as fancy or big as Windsor, but it was just as interesting. I especially liked the bass relief wood sculptures. Then we went to look at the fortress. We weren’t sure if it used to have a roof or not. There were several levels that we could climb some very steep stairs. I’m surprised we were allowed at all; the stairs were so old and steep. It made for a great view though. After the castle we went into the gift shop and bought Gabe a couple of horrible history books and of course, a magnet.

Erik imitated the French soldier from Monty Python.

Then we drove and drove to the Gower Penninsula, Rhossili Bay, and Worm’s Head overlook. We didn’t stay for more that 5-10 minutes, just long enough to take a few pictures since it was so cold, windy, and rainy. Then we drove and drove and drove back to our rental house, but not before stopping at The New Inn for dinner. It was definitely a nicer place to eat than the Star Inn. I ordered a pumpkin and goat cheese tart with a rather large salad for the side. So far, it was the best thing I had eaten on our trip. It was savory yet slightly sweet. After dinner we drove the two miles to our rental home, finished the rest of Harry Potter 3, and went to bed.

Worm's head is the island in the background.

Erik ordered sea bass and scallops, but they were out of scallops.