Plymouth and Cornwall, England October 10, 2026

We started our touring this morning at Plymouth Harbor and the Barbican, the oldest remaining part of the town. Plymouth was almost completely destroyed by bombs in WWII as it was an important harbor. This small area was spared.

The Mayflower set sail from here on September 6, 1620. There are steps and a memorial commemorating that trip. Captain Cook also sailed from here.

The Mayflower memorial 

Plymouth Gin distillery, supposed to be well known 

I've never seen a metallic painted car before, and definitely not a pink one. This Audi really stood out.

There was a rowing club out in the harbor.

We stopped in the village of Looe in Cornwall County for lunch. This was a tin mining area, and Cornish Pasties are the local food. I had a traditional one with steak and vegetable filling. It was good and very filling. The seagulls were eyeing my food. He waited patiently, so he got some crust. 

This castle looking house was on a hill with other regular houses. Strange!

Looe beach

Cornwall scenery

Back in Plymouth I took a picture of this bombed out church facade. They left it as a memorial to the people who died during the WWII bombings. The building behind it kind of looks like wings.

My first ever experience "putting the kettle on". Every hotel room has had one with an assortment of teas and instant coffee. This hotel had instant hot chocolate, too.

I'm hoping it will help my sore throat and cough. The first week on the bus everyone was fine. Week two some people started coughing. By now, pretty much everyone, including us, is sick with a cough, sore throat and runny nose.  I think the germs just keep spreading around. 

Cardiff, Wales to Plymouth England October 9, 2026

We left Cardiff in the rain headed to our first stop, Bath, England. Peter Gabriel of the band Genesis, and also the band Tears for Fears are from this area.

The Romans built bathhouses in Bath over mineral springs that were supposed to have healing properties. They still exist today as a museum where you can taste the water.

The entire city of Bath is a Unesco World Heritage site. Most buildings date back to the 1700s. An abbey was built about 500 years ago, and the first king of England was crowned here. It is a breathtaking building!!

The oldest building is Sally Lunn's Eating House, 1680.

Jane Austin lived here for six years and wrote two of her novels during that time. There is a museum dedicated to her.

Typical street

Huge tree in square 

Another church 

Monastery ruin

Pulteney bridge built 1794 with shops on top

This square is the most exclusive in Bath with apartments selling for $5 million.

Our next stop was the small town of Glastonbury, where there is an old monastery ruin. They claim King Arthur and Queen Gweneviere are buried there. Probably not!

This town has an interesting vibe with lots of shops dealing with crystals and supernatural stuff.

Clarks Shoe company was started in England about 200 years ago. 

We drove through Dartmoor National Park and stopped in the little village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs. This little village has a very impressive church.

Our stop for the next two nights is Plymouth. 

Our route for today. 

Wales October 8, 2026

Yesterday we took the ferry from Ireland to Wales, drove through northern Wales, where the Welsh language is still quite common, and then back into England to Liverpool. 

This morning we left Liverpool, driving back and forth between England and Wales for two hours. Eventually, we were in Wales for the rest of the day.

There are 3 million people in Wales and 9 million sheep. We saw a lot of sheep! Tom Jones and Bonnie Tyler are from Wales.

Lots of beautiful scenery. 

We stopped in Builth Wells for lunch. Buffalo Bill Cody brought his show to Wales in 1904, and did a show here. These giant Redwood trees were planted in his honor at that time and are still standing.

We found a local bakery, and I tried a lemon tart. It was good, but very sweet.

More scenery in Brecon Beacons National Park.

Wales had many coal mining communities for hundreds of years. In the 1980s, the government shut down almost all of the mines, as it wasn't profitable anymore. However, they didn't have an exit strategy for all those people losing jobs, so it created a lot of hardship for many. 

We are spending the night in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. 

Cardiff has a castle that is about 900 years old. I have a hard time getting my mind around the age of things here, and what life must have been like. I can say with 100 percent certainty that I don't want to live in a castle. 

Part of the wall surrounding the entire property in the middle of the city 

This building had the coolest dragon statue on top.

Dragon statue on left and city hall clock tower in middle referred to as Baby Big Ben

Aneurin Bevan, a Welsh politician, was the founder of the National Healthcare system in 1948, which is still being used in the UK today. 

In the evening, we went to a pub originally built as a home in 1380 for dinner and entertainment. We had leg of lamb, which was delicious. 

The pub with a thatched roof

Our entertainment was by Amanda Whiting, the top harp player in Wales. The harp is the national instrument of Wales, and she performs worldwide. We were so lucky she chose to play for us. It was beautiful from classics to modern pop music. Her harp cost 35,000 pounds or over $46,000 US dollars. 

Our route through Wales today.