Historic towns – Travels with Ali

The Best of Bath, England

Arriving at the “Hampton by Hilton” around 5pm, we searched vainly for a parking spot just to unload the luggage. I knew there wasn’t a carpark but I thought at least there would be a bay to unload, alas no! So after checking in, leaving the car in an unauthorised spot, we were told where the nearest carpark was. Not too far but far enough in the rain. Of course it was one of those carparks that you have to download an app, one which wasn’t available to us with our Google Play registered in Australia! Also these machines didn’t take credit cards, so poor dear husband came trundling back to the hotel looking for coins. Even the hotel reception didn’t have any. So off to the shop across the road he went to find some coins. I tell you what a palaver. As nice as this hotel was, some serious errors have been made in regards to the parking.

We were staying in Bath just for the night to catch up with a very dear friend, one who we hadn’t seen in 12 years. We had a wonderful evening at The Ivy with so much to chat about. The Ivy restaurants are an upmarket chain across the UK and are all beautifully decorated.

After a fantastic night’s sleep in the most comfortable bed we have ever slept in we were ready for a day’s sightseeing.

Some of the books I read last year featured Bath, mostly Georgian romances! Bath was the place to visit for the summer season. As we wandered around Bath I could imagine all the assemblies, tea parties and dinners that took place in the grand old homes that we saw.

I couldn’t say that Bath is a pretty place as most of the buildings are in need of a good wash and then perhaps the beauty of the architecture would show through.

The imposing gothic Bath Abbey, founded in the 7th Century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th Centuries.

After walking around the town itself we strolled down to the Pulteney Bridge built in 1774. It is a beautiful stone bridge with shops on either side and is a Grade l listed building. The River Avon was in full flow after two major storms and plenty of rain.

Next up on my list of places to see were The Circus and The Royal Crescent, where I imagine all those Georgian heroines were seen swanning about in their frilly gowns and bonnets awaiting their various beaus. If you wanted to see a certain lady you had to leave a calling card at the desired residence, there was no swiping to the left in those days. If a lady was seen stepping out with a man unchaperoned that would be her blacklisted as being loose and immoral. You had one chance and you had better not waste it.

This still looks impressive to this day, imagine how it looked hundreds of years ago with fancy horse and carts and not cars, how much more genteel. A row of 30 houses and one of the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the UK today.

No 1 Royal Crescent is now a museum, sadly closed the day we were there. From the photos I have seen it would have been nice to see inside.

It was now time to head back to car and continue our journey home to Essex. We saw so much in our four days away, it’s surprising how much you can pack into a few hours here and there! We definitely clocked up thousands of steps which I suppose went someway to reducing the calories from all the good food and wine we had consumed.

~ Passing through Plymouth, UK ~

After checking out of our cute B and B in Hope Cove,Devon and saying goodbye to our dear friends and also Storm Eunice we headed off to Plymouth. Not before walking straight into Storm Franklin though! Below is a little video selfie on the seashore trying to get to the car.

The drive is just under an hour to Plymouth and we had planned to spend the morning there before driving onto Bath for the night. I can’t say I ever remember going to Plymouth so didn’t have any expectations. We were both pleasantly surprised by this wonderful little town so full of history and quaint cobblestoned lanes brimming with pubs and shops.

There is a dramatic looking Royal Citadel in Plymouth where we would loved to have had a wander, but we didn’t have the time to take in all the glorious detail of this gothic piece of architecture. Built in the late 1660’s to defend the coastline against marauding ships and pirates.

Above are photos of the streets and alleyways that we walked through.

Old and quirky buildings

This mural fascinated me as I could see it would have been quite stunning when first painted. It is located where the The House that Jack Built is and it is over the entrance to a wonderful selection of shops and cafes. I did some research on this mural and apparently there was one underneath this one that caused quite an outcry, showing 88 naked bodies. The mural today depicts “The Last Judgment” and “Dante’s Inferno” by an artist called Robert Lenkiewicz who has since passed away.

G and T anyone?
The Book Cupboard
Artistic Street names

I really enjoyed walking up and down these streets that didn’t seem to have changed for hundreds of years. The brickwork of the houses were so unusual.

As it was another dreary day we headed back to the car and drove out to look at the lighthouse and Drake’s Island.

Smeaton’s Tower lighthouse, originally built on the Eddystone reef in 1759, but was taken down in early 1880’s due to erosion. Most of the structure was moved stone by stone to where it stands today. It stands 72 feet high and is open to the public on weekends.

Looking over the wall down below stands the Tinside Lido. An art-deco style structure built in 1935. Apparently voted in the top ten of Europe’s outdoor pools. Only open during the summer months and is fully accessible to people of all needs. I have to say I was surprised about this little nugget of information as to me it looks quite derelict and in need of major renovation!

Drake’s Island currently uninhabited and has been since 1989. It was to open again in 2020 as a luxury holiday resort but due to Covid this has been put on hold. There is a wealth of knowledge about this island available at Drake’s Island. I would love to visit one day and soak up hundreds of years of history.

Plymouth is definitely a place I would come back to and maybe spend a night or two, have a walk around the Citadel and enjoy dinner in one of the many restaurants we passed by.

Off to Bath next!

More on the Historic Trail of Country Towns, WA

Continuing on with our road trip to Kalgoorlie, we left Northam around 10 a.m. after breakfast. Our first stop today was a small place called Meckering.

Meckering

The most famous thing about this town is the earthquake in 1968, with a magnitude of 6.5 and injuring 28 people. We stopped to look at one of the houses that suffered, the remains have been left as a memory. I don’t suppose for a minute that Mrs. Snooke would have imagined an earthquake in this rural town.

Meckering dates back to 1898 with a population of 225, today it’s not much more at 265.

We had chosen the worst day to travel with dreary grey skies and constant rain, my dear hubby wouldn’t leave the car!

Cunderdin

A very brief stop in Cunderdin for a coffee at the Ettamogah Pub. A traditional country pub designed on the ‘Etamogah’ cartoons by the infamous Ken Maynard. Etamogah means ‘Place of a good drink”.

We couldn’t wait to get back in the warm car after a coffee in this very cold pub!

Merredin

Merridin was next on the trail and fortunately it’s on the silo art trail. The art on this silo was created by urban artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers and extremely impressive.

Time was ticking by now and we really needed to get a move on if we were to arrive in Kalgoorlie before dark.

We stayed at the Rydges Hotel which is about five minutes away from the main town. It seemed to be the best hotel on offer and we had booked two nights here. Tomorrow we will be exploring Kalgoorlie and driving further afield to a ghost town and mine!

Some of the roads we travelled on were indeed under construction!

Touring Tasmania – Stanley

By the time we had reached our hotel in Stanley it was past 7.30 pm. The reception was closed so I headed into the bistro attached to the hotel. It was noisy, lively and full. One of the bar staff checked us in and gave us a key to our room. When I asked about the possibility of dinner, she said they were completely full and the only other option was the seafood restaurant down in the harbour. She kindly made a quick phone call and booked us a table, last orders were at 8pm.
Not sure of our bearings we drove the two minute drive!

A view of the setting sun through the window and hubby’s dinner

The Stanley Hotel where we were staying for two nights. We had a wonderful room with a sea view

The next morning we walked just a few minutes up the road to a lovely little cafe Touchwood, where we had breakfast with a sea view. Most places in Stanley would give you a sea view.

After breakfast and a walk through Stanley, we headed to The Nut. I wanted to take the chairlift up and hubby wanted to walk, but I said he had to come with me and could walk later!

The Nut Chairlift was designed and manufactured in Austria It traverses a distance of 250 meters, rising 95 meters. After a leisurely five minute ride to the top of The Nut, you can explore the plateau, soak up the incredible views and take advantage of the superb photographic opportunities. Source: The Nut Chairlift. The Nut is the remains of an ancient volcanic plug with a large, mostly flat surface that can be circumnavigated on foot (hence its original name, Circular Head).

**I think this is a crocus, growing out of the rocks**

Stanley is such a peaceful little town and so well kept. It reminded me of places in Devon and Cornwall with its quaint harbour, shops and cottages.

St. Paul’s Church 1887
Town Hall
A building from 1840
Joe Lyons’ Cottage – Tasmania’s First Prime Minister – 1932 – 1939

Down by the harbour

The lighthouse above was used in the filming of “The Light Between the Oceans”

Later that afternoon we drove out to Highfield House and also stopped at Anthony’s Beach. Hubby’s namesake!

We both loved Stanley and had a fabulous two nights here. I guess because of Covid many places have shut down, leaving limited options for eating out at night. We had dinner on both nights at Hersey’s Seafood and enjoyed the food and especially the wine!

Touring Tasmania – Sheffield, Town of Murals

I was very excited to see this town, a whole place dedicated to murals. I find murals very intriguing as there is so much to see in them. Like an outside art gallery. It is the mural capital of Australia and it is modelled on a similar place in Canada. As we were still driving…

by Alison March 26, 2021

Touring Tasmania – Richmond and Oatlands

After leaving Eaglehawk Neck we drove onto Richmond for the night, staying at Hatcher’s Manor. It sounds very glorious and also looked fabulous from the photos. The outside didn’t disappoint, but the rooms and restaurant could have done with a bit of renovation!

Arriving around 6.30 pm we had booked to have dinner in the restaurant there, so poor hubby didn’t have to drive anymore. A limited menu and wine list greeted us. I was invited to the kitchen to see what cold whites were on offer, sadly nothing Tasmanian, too expensive I was told.

Hubby choosing his after dinner drink behind the bar

Intriguing pieces around the property

The owner kept three horses on the property that he told us were just left there! He used to let them out of their field and have a wander around the property. Chomping and chewing their way around the flower beds.

The man of the manor and his horses

Leaving Hatcher’s after breakfast we made our way into Richmond for a quick wander and a coffee. We had a long drive ahead of us to reach Stanley that night, almost five hours not counting the stops.

This is the route we were taking today.

Richmond

This town has a population of just over 800 and is situated in the Coal River Region. It’s most famous structure is the Richmond Bridge which was built in 1823. It is the oldest stone span bridge in Australia.

Walking into Richmond itself we took a turn around the Gaol and had another history lesson. Richmond Gaol is Australia’s oldest colonial gaol, and has a great self guided tour on offer. It dates back to 1825. When you enter the different rooms the narrative starts. Sometimes it’s a bit startling hearing the screams, cries and pleas of the women prisoners. This was a mixed jail, where sleeping quarters were always overcrowded. There were also solitary cells for repeat offenders. Women were often repeat offenders attempting to escape harsh masters and preferred to live out their sentence inside a jail.

The local gingerbread house

Oatlands

I researched the drive over to Stanley to see where we could stop and what towns would be the most interesting. Oatlands was one such place and we had a quick stop here to see the windmill.

Callington Mill, a Georgian Mill built in 1837 and restored in 2010. This is still a working mill and produces quality flour.

A traditional stone wall cottage, I pretty much blend in!

We stopped at Ross for lunch, this was another very pretty historical town, but sadly not enough time to have a good look around. Next up was Sheffield, a town of murals. I took plenty of photos here, but that will be for another post!