Corrs Abroad: Scotland

Kudos to the Andertons for being brave enough to go on vacation with us. It was a fabulous trip with just a few minor hiccups. Joeanne, David and Tyler arrived late Wednesday and spent the next couple of days walking around and getting acquainted with our cute village of Crowthorne. We decided to get a head start on our trip and leave Friday afternoon instead of Saturday. Boy am I glad we did. Instead of taking us 3-4 hours to reach our first destination it took us 6. Now I should mention that by this time my throat was so sore that I could hardly swallow and I didn't sleep well the previous night b/c of chills. I was determined to power through with the maximum dosage of ibuprofen to help me. We decided to make Bolton our first stop because of its proximity to the area from where the Andertons originally came way back when. We ate dinner at the Anderton Arms and settled in for the night at the Holiday Inn in the great city of Bolton aka known as an "urban battleground" according to one of the reviews we read. We did not verify that review as we went straight to bed. The next morning we found what used to be the Anderton's homeplace but is now a hospital. It was lovely and their coat of arms cans still be seen above the door. From their we headed north. I should mention that by this point Christopher's throat was sore and he began with the chills. We carried on in true British fashion and made our way to Hadrian's Wall. The wall was built in AD 122 under orders by emperor Hadrian to keep the Barbarians from attacking England. The wall is 84 miles long and the piece we climbed to bordered quiet countryside with lots of sheep and cows. I have never seen so many sheep before as I did on our drive. I never got tired watching them and listening to them baah. Christopher, Harry and Joseph only made it partway up to the wall but the rest of us walked through sheep and cows to reach the top. It really was a lovely view. From there we kept driving and finally arrived in Edinburgh. By Sunday Christopher was miserable and I was still in denial that I was sick. David and Joeanne had set up a private guided tour through the Old Town which the Andertons and Kate and I attended while the boys stayed at home. David, Joeanne and Tyler continued to tour Edinburgh while Christopher and I took turns going to the hospital. It Jubilee weekend and it was a Sunday so most everything was closed. The doctor verified we had strep throat, gave us antibiotics and sent us on our way. Monday we left Edinburgh for the day and drove along the coast. It was beautiful day and a very pleasant drive. Joseph came down with a fever but it actually made him very agreeable and he didn't mind sitting in his car seat as much. We reached St. Andrew's in Fife and again Christopher stayed in the car while David, Joanne, Tyler, Kate and me toured the Castle and the Cathedral. The Castle has been there since the 1100's and is now mostly ruins. It sits high along the beach looking out onto the North Sea. A little further down is the ruins of St Andrew's cathedral. It also was built in the 12th century. Tuesday we drove to Stirling and visited the impressive Stirling Castle. Its buildings date from the 15th and 16th centuries while some from the 14th century still remain. We had to make a hasty exit because by the time we toured the Castle Kate started running a fever and felt awful. So the Corrs headed back to Edinburgh and the doctor and left David, Joanne and Tyler with the Toyota to finish the tour of the area. Wednesday we left Edinburgh and headed to Augill Castle located just north of the Yorkshire Dales. It hink this was the highlight of the trip for Kate and Harry and a very relaxing evening for the adults. Everyone seemed to be on the mend and we got to STAY IN A CASTLE! We ate dinner and they even fed the children early so we could put them to bed and enjoy our dinner later,. It was definitely a treat. I will have say we couldn't believe that amount of campers and horse drawn carraiges we saw as we drove through the otherwise charming town. They were everywhere. It was later that we found out it was the annual convention of Travellers. Over 40,000 of them congregate each year in the neighboring town of Appleby. I couldn't believe how many there were or the amount of trash that was left behind. Thursday we drove a little way through the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It was just beautiful. Friday we sent the Andertons off into the Cotswolds and we spent the day recuperating and unpacking. Saturday we said goodbye and they Andertons headed back to Powhatan, VA.