When my niece invited us to her wedding in London, I immediately said “Yep, we’ll be there” and started watching flights. They never did come down in price. It seems post covid there are far fewer deals to be found. Oh well. I booked return flights for my husband and son and decided to make the flight worthwhile for me by booking my return from Dublin 5 weeks later. When I booked it I had no idea what I’d do with the extra time but knew I’d figure it out. And I did. 😉

A week in London with the family! England, here we come!

So, after a busy week of wedding things and touring London with family plus a bonus visit with a friend I’d met on a South America trip, I was ready to venture on my own. First stop. Wales.

I’d booked “Discover Wales” with Rabbies tours as it had a nice itinerary and worked with my dates plus has a maximum of 16 people. I don’t like big bus tours and being shuttled around like cattle. Neither did I want to drive. Public transit doesn’t get you to the hidden gems and a guide can be a goldmine of information. Rabbie’s looked like a good choice for me. It turned out great! (https://www.rabbies.com/en/england-tours/from-london/5-8-day-tours/discover-wales-5-day-tour)
The meeting point is a little difficult to find as it’s tucked inside the Victoria Coach station and there appear to be 2 Greenline stantion 3’s. That’s why I like to be early. I often get lost. It’s a talent that I embrace as I find lots of interesting things when I have no idea where I am 😉 In this case it was apparent that it’s a common problem as the fellow I asked knew where the Rabbie’s stop is and pointed me in the right direction.

Burford, England
May 2023

Jack picked the 12 of us up promptly at 9 am and we immediately set off. The first stop was Burford, a gorgeous little town in the Cotswolds. The main street had portions lined with wisteria and John the Baptist church had an interesting story of the most disliked man who ended up buried INSIDE the church thanks to his manipulative wife.

Hay on Wye

Next we stopped at Hay on Wye, the world’s first book town. Of course there are several bookstores and there was book festival going on.

Elan Valley

Then came a scenic drive through the Elan Valley, one of Jack’s favourite places. Jack told stories most of the time so the drive was never boring, not that it could be with such amazing scenery. He also had a music play list for every occasion. Our final destination was Aberystwyth (pronounced: Ab ber IST with)where he dropped us off at our various accommodations. I dropped my bags and set of exploring, finding a Sainsbury for the meal deal then had a picnic at the waterfront. Twas a wonderful day!
Rabbie’s booked my room for me but you can book your own if you like. I stayed at the GwesTY. It was very comfortable and the full Welsh breakfast was amazing.

Jack picked us each up at our various places by 9 am and we set off again. Jack had more history, stories and assorted music to share.

Our first stop was the sea side village of Barmouth. Unfortunately there were no dolphins but I had a nice chat with the young woman watching for them. Volunteers take turns observing their behaviour, should they choose to show up.

The drive is gorgeous no matter where you are in Wales. The narrow lanes are lined with spiraea bushes, lupines, foxglove, buttercups, queen Anne’s lace and sometimes even bluebells. Sheep graze everywhere and sometimes cause traffic jams. Seascapes are wide expanses of beautiful beach or craggy, rocky outcrops. All is green.

Our next stop was Harlech castle. It’s got a lot of history and is very photogenic.

Aberystwth

We carried on with a stop a nice little waterfall and a stop at Betws-y-coed where we heard the story of the dog, Gelert (click here to read the story) before heading back to Aberystwth for the night.

There I walked all over the town checking out h the castle and walked the beach that goes on for miles.

Thursday. Today’s stops included Tally abbey and the church next door It’s pretty much just ruins now but impressive none the less. The church is different in that the pews are in boxes.. Odd

One of my favourite stops was in Llandielo. The castle Dinefwr (din neh fer) included a really pretty hike. First it was up hill about 20 minutes to the castle that was gorgeous and had amazing views and then Elisa and I walked back the long way through the deer forest to the estate Newton House where we met the others again.

Tenby

Stops at a few more places including where Dylan Thomas did a lot of his writing, Castle Laugharne, and lots of winding roads before our destination of Tenby. Again I dropped my bags and set off wandering. A Tesco meal deal on the beach was perfect end to a great day.

The next day Jack had more in store for us. I love that the itinerary is somewhat flexible and the driver can take us to some of his favourite places. It keeps it fresh and I’m sure is more interesting for him too

Today Jack proved that Elvis was Welsh and took us to St David’s cathedral, a woolen mill plus a couple more places and droped some of us of at Pembroke castle. There I enjoyed bits and pieces of a kids’ tour including the “knights’ school” Sir Larry and Sir Womyn (yes she was a woman) taught the kids a rhyming way to chop of arms, legs…you have it. It was hilarious and reminded me of something from Monty Python.

That night in Tenby we enjoyed a meal together as it was our last evening.

The Cotswolds

As we headed back to London there were still a few places to stop. St Faganas national museum of History was fun and even with almost 2 hours there I couldn’t see it all. The village of Castle Coombe in the Cotswolds was adorable and nice walk about

I really enjoyed this tour with Rabbie’s which is a good thing as I’ve booked 2 more. 😉

I got spoiled by the nice hotels though and had to come back down to earth and take the tube to the hostel bed I’d booked at Publove at Exmouth Arms. It was fine. The bed was comfy and the bathrooms clean.

The next day I was to take the train to Edinburgh. With all the strikes I was a little concerned. Thankfully the cancelations were for the 31st and the 3rd of June. My June 1st route was fine. Nice for me. Not for those who’d booked those dates!

Onward to Scotland. That’s the next post.