Alan, Beverly, 
Sally, Mike

Crooked House

Punts on the River Cam

Trinity College

Trafalgar Square

Cabinet War Rooms

Tower Bridge from
Tower of London Wall

White Tower

Changing of Guard at 
Crown Jewels

Roman wall near the 
Tower (from 200 AD)

Westminster Abbey

Mensa at Getti: Jules,
Steve, Janine, Chris, me, Steve, Simon, Francis, Michael, Richard, John

Prince Albert Memorial

St Paul's Cathedral

Buckingham Palace

New Globe Theatre

New Globe Theatre

St Paul's & Thames

The Clink

Hampton Court 
East Entrance

Chartwell - back 40

Brighton Pier

H.M.S. Victory

Winchester Cathedral

Dartmoor National Park

Plymouth Harbor

Pilgrim plaque

Steam house ruins

I K Brunel Rail Bridge

Royal Citadel, Plymouth

Glastonbury Abbey

Royal Circus

Brecon Beacons

Worcester Cathedral

Shakespeare Birthplace

Broadway

Chipping Campden

The Dirty Duck (the inn, not Beverly)

Warwick Castle

The Iron Bridge

Chester

Chester Cathedral

Caernofon Castle

Welsh moors

Horseshoe Pass

Thirlmere

Hadrian's Wall

Glencoe

Culillin Sound and the Hebrides

Loch Ness

The Glenlivet

Beasties

Balmral Castle

St Andrews Clubhouse

Scottish Evening

Edinburgh Castle

Holyrood Abbey

National Gallery

Abbotsford

Abbotsford

York - Shambles

Great East Window

Belvoir Castle

Mathematical Bridge

Kings College Chapel from the River Cam

Picadilly Circus

Criterion Theatre

Flew from Cedar Rapids through O’Hare to Heathrow Airport, rented a car, and drove to Sudbury, Suffolk to visit Sally and Mike.  It had been many, many years since they lived next door Northern Ireland.  It was wonderful to see them again and to be able to catch up with the status and activities of our respective families.
 
 

Sally & Mike showed us many of the local sights for a couple of days.  Today we went to Lavenham and toured the Lavenham Church, visited a small textile museum, enjoyed the picturesque old houses, and wandered around the old Swan Hotel.  The hotel was obviously a favorite haunt for men from the nearby airfield and had many mementos from WWII including signatures of many of the fliers on the walls of the bar.
 
 

Visited the ruins of the Abbey of St Edmund, an 11th century abbey in Bury St Edmunds.  It was here that the 25 Magna Carta barons met in 1214 to discuss their letter to the king. 

Spent the rest of the day in Cambridge.  We visited Kings College (founded by Henry VI in 1441), St Johns College (founded 1511 by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VIII), and Trinity College (founded by Henry VIII) and had a delightful walking tour in the area of the colleges and then along part of the River Cam where we saw some of the “backsides” of the colleges as well as the punts (boats) on the river.
 
 

Packed up and, after a very nice lunch at Browns in Cambridge, took our leave of Sally & Mike and ventured once more onto the motorways where everyone seemed to be going the wrong direction <g>.  Thankfully, it was Sunday and the traffic was not too bad as we endeavored to find our hotel.
 
 

Made our way to the National Gallery and greatly enjoyed the collections.  The gallery is on Trafalgar Square so we naturally gawked  at Nelson’s statue like any good tourists.  This memorial commemorates Admiral Lord Nelson’s big victory over the French Fleet. 

Took a stroll towards Parliament and Westminster Abbey.  On the way we passed the Admiralty Arch, Whitehall, and St James Park.  The wheel in the background of Whitehall is the Millennium Ferris Wheel which is 450 ft tall and doesn’t stop as it picks up passengers.  Visited the Cabinet War Rooms, twenty-one rooms buried deep beneath a protective layer of concrete that were used during WWII by Churchill and his staff.  After gaping at The Tower of Big Ben for a bit, we took the tube (subway) back to our hotel. 

In the evening, we traveled to the Red Lion & Pineapple to eat and to chat with a few Mensans.  In addition to the "brilliant" conversation, we got some good tips for our sight-seeing efforts.

Red Lion - Jules, Steve, Peter

Red Lion - Bob, Francis, Beverly

 

Started off the day with the Tower of London and a good thing, too as there is much to see there.  The oldest continuously occupied fortress in Europe, it was begun in 1066 by William the Conqueror with additional construction by Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I.  The White Tower is the most prominent structure in the Tower facility and there are still armaments displayed as they were when a portion was utilized as an armory.  The building used as a museum for the Royal Fusiliers was, unfortunately, closed for renovation.  The crown jewel displays are a key tourist destination in the tower.  Aside from a stroll over to the Tower Bridge, the Tower pretty much took up the day but it was time well spent.  The picture below was my first effort at stitching together files and didn't have focus set right.  Oh well.

Outside wall of Tower of London

Took the tube to Westminster Station and walked to the Tate Gallery.  After enjoying the displays there, we chose to try a bus ride back to Westminster Abbey.  Westminster Abbey, of course, is one of the premier tourist destinations and that is surely deserved.  Founded in 1050 by Edward the Confessor and expanded by other monarchs, particularly Henry III.  The site of all coronations but two and the final resting place of over 5000 people of significance in English history.  Visiting it is a distinct history lesson.  Next door is St Margarets church. 

Had another opportunity this evening to meet more Mensa folk.  We started with good conversation at the Grape St Wine Bar, walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner, and finished at a pub.
 
 

An included part of our tour was a half day bus tour of London led by a local guide Mick (John Steed).  We were provided a thorough tour of downtown London with stops at St Paul's Cathedral, St James Palace, and at Buckingham palace for the changing of the guard.  There has been a cathedral dedicated to St Paul at this site since 604 AD.  After it burned in the great fire of 1666, Christopher Wren began building his masterpiece.  The rebuilding took 35 years being finished in 1710.  It was a symbol of resistance during WWII as Hitler failed to destroy it during the bombing raids.  Volunteers stayed on the roof during raids to ensure that no fires which began could spread.  Buried here are such notables as Wren himself, Van Dyck, Nelson, Wellington, Constable, etc. 

We stationed ourselves on the street near Buckingham Palace and got to see, in succession, the Irish Guard, the Coldstream Guard, the Scots Band, and the Scots Grenadiers marching to take part in the changing of the guard ceremony. 

After the bus tour was finished, we elected to visit Shakespeare's New Globe Theatre.  This is a recent reconstruction near the site of Shakespeare’s old theatre which burned in 1613.  Construction used Elizabethan techniques and materials including real thatch.  Unfortunately, no productions were available for us as work was ongoing in preparation for a future production. 

The river walk along the Thames allowed a nice view of St Paul's plus we passed by the Anchor (a pub dating to Shakespeare's time), The Clink Prison Museum (that’s where the term came from), Southwark Cathedral, and Sir Francis Drake’s ship, The Golden Hind.  Interestingly, we had gotten to tour the Golden Hind several years earlier when it visited the coast in California.
 
 

Ah, the real start of Globus Tour GA (Britain in Depth).  You can also click on the map below to make it larger.

Leaving London, we stopped at Hampton Court Palace, begun by Cardinal Wolsey in 1514 and confiscated by Henry VIII in 1525, was a royal residence until about 200 years ago.  Much of the building was done by Henry VIII (see west entrance) and William & Mary (see east entrance).  The architect for William & Mary was Christopher Wren. 

Next stop was Chartwell, Winston Churchill’s home from 1922 until his death in 1965.  This is a lovely estate and many of his paintings are displayed in the house as well as in his studio.  The National Trust has restored the house to it’s 1930's style.  Stayed the night in Brighton at the Hilton Metropole, one of the old posh seaside vacation hotels.
 
 

Started the day with a visit to the Royal Pavilion.  Built by George IV in the late 1700's when he was Prince of Wales as a retreat.  This Oriental/Indian/Gothic/Georgian palace was his fantasyland and party place.  It remained a royal retreat until Queen Victoria sold it to the city of Brighton. 

On to Portsmouth where we visited the Maritime Museum and toured the HMS Victory, Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship. 

Next was Winchester Cathedral.  This 900 year old cathedral is the longest medieval building in Europe at 556 ft.  Stayed the night in Southampton.
 
 

Started bright and early to arrive at Stonehenge at opening.  We were fortunate since the area had been closed recently due to foot & mouth.  This ancient monument is just as impressive in person as it seems in pictures.  Begun some 4500 years ago it is believed to have taken 1000 years of arranging and re-arranging before it was completed. 
 

Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Continued southeast through Devon and into Dartmoor National Park viewing beautiful scenery including the bleak moors of Hound of Baskervilles fame. 

Stopped for lunch in Widecombe-in-the-Moor and ate at The Old Inn, a 14th century inn. 

Next, to Plymouth where we spent a leisurely time exploring the Barbican before checking into our hotel.  Plymouth, a major seaport, was largely destroyed by air raids in WWII but there are some historic sites remaining such as the spot where the Pilgrims set sail in 1620.
 
 

Spent the day exploring the Cornwall area of extreme southwest England.  St Michaels Mount is a small islet of the coast near Penzance (of Pirates of Penzance fame) with a large Benedictine Abbey.  It once had a chapel built by Edward the Confessor.  It is thought that it has been associated with Christianity since the 5th century.  Speculation also exists that this is the site of King Arthur’s Avalon. 

Stopping at Lands End provided spectacular views of the rugged coastline and ocean. 

On the way to St Ives, we didn’t meet a man with seven wives but we did see some ruins of old steamhouses, lots of stone walls, great scenery and spent a nice interlude in the town and along the shore.  For lunch we had pasties which are a Cornwall specialty consisting of a pastry shell with diverse fillings such as fish, meat, potatoes, etc.

Crossing the river Tamar into Saltash, we saw an old rail bridge designed by I K Brunel.  In Saltash, we took a boat cruise of the Tamar ending in Plymouth Harbor.  Saw lots of boats, ships, and nice views of the harbor including a harbor-side view of the Royal Citadel. 

Upon disembarking we stopped at a pub for drinks before returning to the hotel (see John, our driver and Huw, our guide).
 
 

Traveled through Glastonbury, home of the Glastonbury Abbey and Glastonbury Tor.  According to legend, Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Saints Patrick and Augustine all came here and that it is the resting place of the Holy Grail.  Also, The Tor is believed to have been King Arthur’s Isle of Avalon. 

On to Bath where we passed some impressive row houses (townhouses) laid out in circular arcs.  The Royal Crescent was designed by John Wood, the younger, and the Royal Circus was designed by John Wood, the elder (my ancestors and Graham's, no doubt). 

Next stop was the Roman Baths.  In 1880, workmen inadvertently uncovered these remains.  A good example of the amazing engineering of the Romans.  These baths were probably in use for about 400 years.  A brief stop in the Pump Room allowed us to sample a glass of the mineral water from the spring (yuck). 

In the evening we dined at Kemeys, Wales’ oldest inhabited manor house. We were treated to some traditional Welch fare as well as entertainment by the family (Eifion, Betty, and Diane as well as the harpist Lois).  Stayed in Cardiff this night.

Dining at Kemeys

Entertainment at Kemeys

 

Leaving Cardiff, we headed north through "The Valleys" whose iron and coal were the raw materials for the Industrial Revolution.  On through Brecon Beacons National Park.  The barren peaks are thought to have been the home of King Arthur's mountain stronghold.

Back into England and the Wye valley to visit the 11th century Hereford Cathedral.  It is home to the Mappa Mundi, a world map drawn on animal skin about 1290.  On to Worcester where we toured the Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory and the Worcester Cathedral.  Worcester is also the birthplace of the composer Elgar (you know, the "Pomp  and Circumstance" guy).

On to Stratford-upon-Avon where we visited Ann Hathaway's birthplace.  This thatched roof house with its lovely gardens are a favorite tourist destination.  It was here that we had the "official" group picture taken.  Also toured Shakespeare's birthplace.  In the town center, we were lucky enough to find two like-minded souls.  Stayed in Stratford-upon-Avon for the night.

John, Alan, Joe, Margaret, Earl, Arlene, John, Huw, Barbara Beverly, Graham, Carol, Nancy, Frank, Pat

 

Spent the morning wandering through the Cotswolds area villages with their lovely cottages made of golden Cotswolds Stone, many with thatched roofs and well tended gardens.  Some of the villages we visited were Chipping Norton, Morrton-in-Marsh, Bourton-on-the-Hill, Broadway, and Chipping Campden.

Spent our free time in Stratford walking along the Avon.  Saw the famous Dirty Duck Inn (orginally The Black Swan), and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Off to Warwick Castle, widely considered England's finest medieval castle.  Lots of displays of historical interest including the dungeon with all the various torture machines.  Many displays utilizing wax figures of period characters.  Just so happens that it's operated by Tussauds.

Traveled to Lower Quinton where we had dinner at the College Arms.  This inn is owned by the nearby Magdelene (pronounced maudlin) College.  Stayed in Stratford-upon-Avon again tonight.
 
 

On to the Midlands where we stopped at the town of Ironbridge.  Amazingly, there is an iron bridge here spanning the Severn River that is the world's first cast-iron bridge built in 1779.  This area was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution with the discovery of a more efficient smelting process.

On to Chester, a walled city dating to Roman times.  Lots of shopping in what seems like an outdoor mall.  Visited Chester Cathedral, the site of a Benedictine Abbey founded in 1092 on the site of an AD 902 church.  The cathedral got a Gothic facelift in 1250 as well as later makeovers.  Also viewed a Roman ampitheatre, unearthed in 1960, and a Roman garden surrounded by the stumps of Roman columns.

Passed back into Wales and into the beautiful Ruthin (pronounced rithin) Valley where we stayed at Ruthin Castle for two nights. 

Ruthin Valley (handled the focus better this time)

One evening while staying at the castle, Huw treated us to a walking tour of the castle grounds and related much of the history including the period during the late 1800's and early 1900's when the castle was a favorite party place (as in wild parties) of the Royals and other of the country's elite and fun-loving people.

Ruthin Castle

Older Section

Sitting Room

Followed the coastal road past Conwy Castle to the small village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwillllantysiliogogogoch.  Reportedly, the longest-named village in the world.  Next came the walled city of Caernarfon.  The Caernarfon Castle is the site where Edward I presented his infant son, Edward II, as the Prince of Wales (He had promised a prince born in Wales and speaking no English).

Rolled through Snowdonia Nat Park and its rugged Llanberis Pass into the Welsh Moors.  Stopped in Llangollen with its bridge across the River Dee.

Made the challenging climb (for the bus) through Horseshoe Pass and back to Ruthin for the night.
 
 

Today , we traveled through the Cumbria Mountains and into Lake District National Park with the beautiful lakes, stone walls, and lots of sheep.  Passed through Windemere and stopped for lunch in Grasmere, home of William Wordsworth.  While eating in a small teahouse, we were entertained by a small bird dining on crumbs off the tables with no fear whatsoever.  Also stopped briefly in Thirlmere.

Went some way out of our path to be able to see a good section of Hadrian’s Wall (most of it has been carted off for other buildings.  The wall was ordered built by Roman Emporer Hadrian in AD 122 to keep the barbarians of the north out.  Originally 15 feet all and 8 to 9 feet wide, the wall took 8 years to build and stretched for 73 miles across the island.

Into Scotland, we stopped at Gretna Green, the Las Vegas of Britain.  Restrictive marriage laws in England caused many to travel here to be married by the blacksmith.

Rode past Lockerbie, the site of the infamous Pan Am plane crash and to  Glasgow where we spent the night.
 
 

Passed Loch Lomond where we learned the difference between the high and low roads.  Also saw the home area of Rob Roy MacGregor.

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond

Rode through Rannoch Moor and into Glencoe.  This rugged area was home to the Clan MacDonald before they were set upon and nearly wiped out by the Campbells at the behest of the English.

Stopped for a photo op at Glenfinnan on Loch Shiel.  This was the site where Bonnie Prince Charlie rallied the clans around the Stewart standard to signal the rebellion of 1745. 

Then along the coast to Mallaig where we boarded a ferry (the bus too) for the Isle of Skye.  Toured Armadale Castle, the Museum of the Isles, and the lovely grounds.  This was a home of the MacDonalds and has a genealogy center for Clan Donald.  Returned to the mainland via the Skye Bridge.

Waiting for our ferry

Hebrides from ferry

View from Skye Bridge

Stopped for photos of Eilean Donan Castle, the restored 13th century seat of the MacMcKenzies.  One of the most used images in Scotland and, I believe, it was used in the movie Highlander.

Rode along Loch Ness on our way to Inverness where we stayed the night.  Only sight of Nessie we saw was a statue in a city park.
 
 

Passed through the Culloden Moor where Bonnie Prince Charlie met his downfall.  Stopped for a welcome respite at The Glenlivet distillery.  A tour and sample readied us for the remainder of the day.  Also got an idea of how heather looks thanks to a cultured bed at the distillery as it does not normally blossom until late summer.
 

The whole group but for three

Passed by some of Bobbie Burns' "beasties", a small breed of cattle who are very shaggy.  Through the mountains passed the area of Lecht, through the home area of Clan Gordon, saw some ruins of old stone crofts.

Stopped for a while at Balmoral Castle, the Queen's vacation residence in Scotland.  Liz wasn't there.

Through Blairgowrie and Dundee over the River Tay to St Andrews With nice views of the North Sea.  Walked across the 18th hole on the road which crosses it to take a picture of the clubhouse.

Crossed the Firth of Forth into Edinburgh.  The rail bridge pictured was built in 1890. 

Dinner was combined with a "Scottish Evening" at Jamies which included Bagpipes, a Scottish band, dancers, and the ceremony of the Haggis (naturally).  Stayed in Edinburgh for two nights.
 
 

Spent quite a bit of time at Edinburgh Castle and it was well justified.  This is an impressive structure built on the peak of an extinct volcano.  Saw Queen Marys chambers and the Scottish Crown Jewels.  The view of Edinburgh was taken from the castle wall.  The large black structure in the center is the memorial to Sir Walter Scott.

Visited the ruins of Holyrood Abbey and saw Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland.

During our free afternoon, we visited the National Gallery of Scotland.  The decor was nearly as impressive as the paintings themselves.  Also spent time walking along the Royal Mile and doing a bit of shopping.

The High Kirk of St Giles (also known as St Giles Cathedral) was the first church converted by John Knox to protestantism and is Scotland's principal church.

In the evening, we rode up to Arthur's Seat, the cone of an ancient volcano, had a drink at the Sheeps Heid Inn in nearby Duddingston, and dined at the St George Hotel. 
 
 

Near Melrose is Abbotsford House, Sir Walter Scott's home and repository of his extensive collections of books, armor, and knick-knacks.  Stopped briefly near Jedburgh Abbey (founded in 1138 by King David I of Scotland.

Made tracks through southern Scotland, Northumberland National Park in England, through Newcatle-upon-Tyne, and to York, England's most complete medieval city.  Founded as Eboracum by the Romans in AD71 as an administrative base for Northern England.  It was also important to the Saxons as Eoforwic and the Vikings as Jorvik.

The Minster, the tallest building in York and the largest Gothic cathedral in Britain, overshadows much of the city.  The present structure, erected between 1220 and 1470, was preceeded by the Roman Fortress where Constantine the Great was hailed emporer in 306 and the Saxon cjurch where King Edwin converted to Christianity in 627.  It has been estimated that half of all medieval stained glass in England is here.  The great East Window, constructed from 1405 to 1408 and depicting the beginning and end of the world in over a hundred small scenes, is the largest single medieval glass window in the world.

Shambles St is a shopper's paradise and yes, this is the origin of the word for disorder and confusion.

Stayed the night in nearby Harrogate.
 
 

Into the East Midlands to Leicestershire where we stopped at Belvoir Castle (pronouced Beaver), home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland.  It houses one of England's finest private art collections.

We return to Cambridge.  Since we had previously had a good opportunity to gawk at the beautiful buildings, we chose to hire a punt along with Joe and Margaret and enjoyed a leisurely ride along the River Cam.  Got another look at many of the buildings and bridges from a different vantage point.  The Mathematical Bridge was built in 1749 without the use on a single nail or bolt.  A meddling Victorian took it apart to see how it worked and was unable to reassemble it without using steel rivets every two inches.

On the ride to London, we were treated to a poem written for the occasion by our Bard-on-board, Joe.  To understand some of the references, you needed to be on the tour.  If you're curious, ask someone who was.
 

Bitten in depth

Huw our guiding light G, lob-us with facts as we foreign folks hear his lyrical wax - we try to look back to the roots of our being eyes opened wide to the sights we are seeing. From around the Glob - us a baker’s dozen new friendships are found (and maybe a cousin) the U S and Oz Aotearoa too GA four twenty-seven has really come through

At the tail of the day John - after delivering us is keeping the shine on the Glo-bus - windows are sparkling paintwork is too the work isn’t done ‘til the Volvo looks new. As we near the end of a great Britain tour we needed more days rather than fewer the apple of travel has left a sweet taste and once we have bitten - to the core we will haste. Joe Bell, May 2001

Back in London, we had dinner at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese and attended a production by the Reduced Shakespeare Company at the Criterion Theatre on Picadilly Circus.
 
 

Home again, home again and none too soon.  All in all, a wonderful tour.  Amazing how, in such a brief time, a small group like ours can get to feel like family.

Lavenham Church

Abbey of St Edmund

St Johns College

Kings College

Admiralty Arch

Whitehall and the
Millennium wheel

Tower of Big Ben

Armor of Henry VIII

White Tower Armory

Beefeaters in front of 
the Chapel Royal

Westminster Abbey

St Margarets Church

Beverly & Mick

Victory Arch

Big Ben & House of Lords

Coldstream Guards 

New Globe Theatre

Golden Hind

The Anchor

Hampton Court - West entrance

Chartwell

Hilton Metropole

Royal Pavilion

Winchester Cathedral

Widdecombe

St Michael's Mount

Land's End

On the way to St Ives

St Ives

River Tamar

John & Huw

Royal Crescent

Roman Baths

Hereford Cathedral

Ann Hathaway Cottage

Kindred souls

Chipping Campden

River Avon

Royal Shakespeare Theatre

The College Arms

Ironbridge

Roman Ampitheatre

Llanfair
 

Llanberis Pass

Llangollen

Lunch in Grasmere

Thirlmere

Gretna Green

Glenfinnan - Loch Shiel

Armadale Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

Heather

Lecht

St Andrews

Firth of Forth

Ceremony of the Haggis

Edinburgh

Holyrood Palace

St Giles Cathedral

Abbotsford

Jedburgh Abbey

York - Minster

Belvoir Castle

500 yr old Chestnut & our punter, Ellie

Bridge of Sighs

Ye Old Cheshire Cheese

Criterion Theatre