An expensive morning at Costco Seville

 We had a slow morning as we could not arrive to early in Quinto Do Lago and with the one hour time change we had a late breakfast in the Hotel which was the Hilton Garden in Seville and our  room overlooked both a cement distribution center and Costco.

We left the Hotel around 12 pm and headed over to Costco with the plan to buy some cheap fuel but their were so many cars lining up it would have taken ages so we went inside the store instead and did all out purchases from steaks to wine to grapes and Jennifer even bought some new trainers, bang went 500 Euros, However we are stocked up for the next month. So following a hot dog and drink of water we left Seville and headed West to Portugal and I must say that the roads were clearly built by Surrey County Council as they were appalling with so many poor road surface and potholes.

Part the way thro the journey their was a small Police team looking at a motorhome which had seemed to be in a lone crash with the offside completely ripped off, heavens knows what was going on here. We turned of the main motorway to Lisbon in the direction of Almancil which frankly is a crappy looking place and on to Quinto Do Lago which is the complete opposite with amazing houses and gardens. 

We checked in at the |Lakeside Country Club at about 3.30 pm and were given a room which would allow Noel to easily use his mobile scooter and then unpacked the car and shopping and after finishing most of this followed by a shower and a Costco chicken salad for dinner washed down with a well earned glass of wine.

We both read for a while and then headed to bed at about 10.00 pm as we were both quite tired. Tomorrow will be for a little bit of shopping and rest day

From Salamanca to Seville

 Following our rather tiring previous day and a nights sleep we were both feeling a lot better this morning and ready for the day. We went for breakfast in the main and was surprised how busy it was and after a light breakfast and not a bad cup of tea. Its a shame that some hotels, including this one, do not have tea making facilities in your room. Its like the American based cruise lines they also wont allow kettles as it might be a fire risk and yet all other non American registered vessels seem to have no problems.

We topped the fuel tank before leaving Salamanca and headed South with the weather bright and sunny and with temperatures ranging between 14C and 20C dependent upon our location and height above sea level. We had a mixture of flat plains where you could see for miles and then several range of snow topped mountains and very interesting scenery. We stopped after a couple o hours at a service area for a cup of coffee and a light snack and use of the Loo's before continuing  to Seville where we arrived at the Hilton Garden Hotel at around 15.30. The Hotel is very convenient for us to visit Costco tomorrow morning before heading off to the The Lakeside Country Club in Quinto Do Largo.

The Hotel is in a mixture of residential and industrial area and when we look out the window we see lots of apartments and we are ight next to a Cement mixing plant.

We both agreed that we should have spent more time in Salamanca and perhaps may route back that way as its a most interesting city which we did not experience

This evening we are planning to eat in the Hotel restaurant as its very convenient and we don't have to drive in to Seville to find a suitable alternative restaurant. 

So tomorrow it will take us about 2.5 hours from Seville to Quinto Do Largo and must remember that Portugese time is  same as UK whilst Spain is one hour ahead..

A day at sea

 Before I start about the way we spent he day, I must mention that we had booked what they call priority Disembarkation fir which you pay extra with a view of getting off first. What they don't tell u is that due to the way the handle this you ar the last people to board which is a bit irritating.  I guess its due to the fact we are on a truck deck where all the trailers have to be tied down first before letting us on. Anyway then we found that the lift for some reason would  not come down to deck 3 and first of after waiting awhile Jennifer said she would o up to the 9th floor and wait for me to arrive in the lift only it never came .

Eventually I gave up waiting and with two heavy bags I just about made it to the 9th Floor , puffin and panting all the way up which Jennifer could hear from a distance.. Hey Ho .

Back to the day when their not much to do and we were in the lounge most of the time to have breakfast , lunch and dinner.  The food for most of the residents was fine except for me due to my NO garlic, onions etc. and all the dishes they had both. So for breakfast it was easy I had ham and cheese on bread and then  for lunch I had a selection of cheese and bread rolls and then for dinner the staff magicked up a sea bream fillet which I had with white rice washed with a glass of red. most enjoyable. We had read books and listened to music to fill the time and the sea was very calm and with a nice sunset which I just missed

An then off to bed as we are due to get up around 05.45 UK time as the ship arrives in Santander at 0700 and they have to have everybody and out of their cabins in time for breakfast. So at five minutes to 0700 they called for drivers on car deck 3 only , that's us, to go to the car and wait to be called forward and by 0715 we were off the ship and heading to immigration where they have the new system to get out of the car and give fingerprints and take a photo, and then stamp the passport. ridiculous.

However being the first of, with perhaps ten other cars we were out on the road withing fifteen minutes and heading South although the Lexus SAT NAV appears to be out of date and we ended up going wrong way and so stopped and turned on TOM TOM and then everything was fine. 

It took us about 3 hours and 45 minutes to get to Salamanca and checked in to he Parador de Salamanca at around 12.30 and then went for lunch in their cafe which was great.  Following this we went for a rest in the room which lasted longer than expected as we were both very tired and although original plan was to visit the old town of Salamanca we decided that ret was more important. Around 6 pm we went for a cup of tea in the bar and then back to the room for a quiet restful evening.

So tomorrow after breakfast we head off to Seville for the night.

Portsmouth here we come

 A morning of packing the last few items in the car and doing all the usual chores of checking tyre pressures, fill up windscreen washers etc and we will be ready to leave home early evening and it takes about one hour and twenty minutes to reach the Port, subject to no getting any delays.

We are sailing on the Brittan Ferries 'SALAMACA' ferry and its strange that after we arrive in Santander on Saturday morning and head south our first nights stop will be in Salamanca.

We expect to board the ship around 11.00 and head to our cabin and get a good nights rest.  We have booked a Club Cabin which also provides access to a special Club lounger where you can get food through most of the day plus drinks and in a very comfortable atmosphere

 

We will spend a few hours here each day to pass the time with reading or watching videos. They have near the coffee stand two brass taps protruding through the wall , one is marked RED and the other is marked WHITE
YES , you guessed it, its wine. 

So will update the BLOG once we reach Salamanca.

Time to travel again

 Well, the last six months or so have been quite difficult what with my younger sister passing and Jennifer having breast cancer and all that entails and Noel ending up in A & E due bowel blockage as result of his LARS problem. But finally we seem to be past all that and need a break.

Last year we visited Portugal, The Algarve actually and a small town  called Quinto do Larg which is not far from Faro . We fixed this holiday with Brittany ferries where you take the car ferry to Santander and then drive down thro Spain until you enter Portugal. We had a very nice time last year although the weather was not was was expected, however we leave again tomorrow for the similar trip departing Portsmouth around 23.30 and arriving in Santander at 0845 on Saturday morning.

We leant our ;lesson time by doing the drive in two days with one night stop and as a result missed a visit to Costco Seville as they are closed on Sunday. However this time we have booked two nights en route, one night in Salamanca and the second night in Seville. Both Hotels are booked and so after leaving the Hilton Garden Hotel in Seville we will pop down the road to Costco for some shopping and then head for our apartment as we can check in from about 4pm.

Today was quite busy preparing all the stuff you need to take for a four nights, which includes two nights on the ferry and getting the car cleaned and ready for packing up all the stuff we take. Noel has a small fold up Mobility Scooter which although rather small still takes up a third of the trunk , however it is all in except for the last minute stuff which we shall take to our cabin onboard the ferry.

The weather toady in West Byfleet is really great and very warm for this time of year and so we hope we get similar in Portugal although he forecast for the first few days is not that great, but its what it is.

So the blogging will start from tomorrow of our trip along with a few photos which we use as a reminder of our trips.

Time to go home

By 0900 we were up, dressed, packed and had breakfast and left the Premier Inn in Cockermouth and headed off for our 5-6 hour drive home. This Premier Inn was pretty good and would stay again and a lot cheaper than other much vaunted Lake District Hotels.

Jennifer took the first stint of about three hours and we stopped for a break at services on the M6 Toll road and took advantage of a Costa Coffee ham and cheese toastie before heading back south again. The traffic so far had not been to bad but we were aware that earlier in the day the M40 had been closed but now by the time we reached the South of Birmingham its was cleared and so a straightforward run home with the M25 busy as usual.

So, Thoughts on our trip, Would have been a lot better had both of us of not been under the weather although Jen is much better as I still have a cold which wont seem to go. The scenic views are something else and I am most impressed with what I saw but as usual there are to many people and cars to make it really great. Yes I would certainly like to return and try out the famous Carlisle to Settle train journey which we had booked already for the 15th October but for reasons explained earlier.. Hopefully next year we can do the same trip with better health and weather.

The not so nice part of the Lake District

It as rather misty in the morning and Noel felt a little better and so wee decided to g for a drive along the coast near Whitehaven (haven is not a good representation of where we went) Along the sea side road there were factories and all sorts of stuff including a New Balance Shoe Warehouse? . Many of the houses were extremely old and were in poor shape and some with obvious signs of serious damp. The Illegal Immigrants are treated better than this?? its a national disgrace  that this continues with the Labour bunch of loonies ( I cannot bring myself to call them a Government)casing absolute chaos to this country which many of us love dearly and our parent’s fought for.

For a light lunch we popped in to a large Tesco which had a café and so we both had a hot cheese and ham toastie in the most uninviting conditions, not surprising very few people were using it as at 1245 there was only six people there with chairs for about 40 . We took a slow drive back to the Hotel in the grey overcast weather but was surprised that so much money was being spent on the roads in the area, the A66 is almost up to French Road standards , unless it wa the French that were doing the work?

The rest of the afternoon we took it easy as Noel’s temperature had returned and late in the previous day when looking for our next stop we decided that with me being ten degrees under and the weather not as forecast that to spend another few nights in hotels was pointless and so we have decided to return home tomorrow. We enjoyed a quiet evening and the tv only had a few channels mostly about death and destruction on the road with Police chasing people and then an hour in A & E Department in Barnsley, what we did notice during this one hour program, not one non white patient or Doctor was visible which we thought rather strange as if you go to our local hospital its almost impossible to find a white person, Ah well .

Ando so to bed…

Tour of the lakes

The weather was not as promised and instead  of sunshine we got mist and cool weather of around 10 degrees centigrade however as we had planned to visit the lakes that is exactly what we will do. But first a visit to ALDI to purchase some water and some sandwiches and other bits and pieces to eat later.

Yesterday evening Jennifer had spent some time planning a route that she thought would be most interesting and it certainly was and en-route we visited the following lakes in the following order, Crummock Water, Buttermere Lake, up and over Honister Pass down in to Borrowdale and continued down to Derwent Lake and ending up in Keswick.   we stopped in Keswick for a coffee and it was quite crowded and surprised at the number of Burke’s on show. We walked around town for a short while but quite frankly with so many people there it was not the best and so back to the car. 

On the way back to the Hotel we then passed by Bassenthwaite Lake on the A66 and finally reached the hotel at about 1500 hrs. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and Noel sleeping as his cold appears to have returned and with a few Paracetamol and also some Loperamide for company the afternoon passed away quietly.

We did take a few photos en route and they will be added to the Smug Mug photo album later in the week.

Tomorrow hopefully the weather will be a bit better and we will then continue our exploration of this very attractive area of the UK

From Douglas IOM to Cockermouth- Cumbria

It was an early start to the day as the ferry is leaving at 1000 and you have to be there at least 1.5 hours in advance and so at 0650 we were up and having that required cup of tea and showering and getting ready for breakfast.

Breakfast was quick couple of slices of toast before settling the Hotel bill and then leaving at around 0755 for the 15-20 minute drive to the ferry port. Well we got there really early and were the first car plus there was a couple of vans and |I hoped, in vain, that first on meant first off, but No.  We had to go through security check including opening the front bonnet and asked a few questions about did we have guns, nuclear weapon or any hostages to which we said Of course not.   We then hung around for about 80 minutes as the number of cars increased and eventually we were allowed to board the catamaran which is the quicker of the two ways to UK for the IOM.

So by arriving first we were put at the top end of the boat which means we were to be the last off. The vessel was quite busy with lots of walk on passengers with lots of young ladies no doubt going to Liverpool for the famed nightlife, but we could be wrong but the vessels was quite busy and rather noisily and so any ideas of additional sleep fell by the wayside. We arrived in Liverpool at 1225 and although we were the last to leave it only took less than ten minutes so no complaints.

We hit the road going North to Cockermouth where we have booked to stay in Premier Inn for three nights whilst exploring the lakes. The journey was very nice indeed with lots of hills and the sun was mostly shining and we passed by a couple of smaller lakes and eventually arrived at the Hotel and checked in.

As we had both been on a diet for the last few days we decided that read meat would be good and we located Blocks Steakhouse in the town ad we both had the Sirloin and agreed it was excellent and so a good place to know.

The back to Hotel to plan out next few days travel before moving to Settle where we travel on the famous Carlisle to Settle train said to be one of the most beautiful train journeys .

And so to bed

A walk around Douglas IOM

The weather is not so great today and mostly overcast and so we had a slow morning. Following breakfast Noel charged the car and then Jennifer went for a swim in the large pool which she enjoyed very much.

As previously mentioned the author of this BLOG has not been to well over last few days what with a cold, knee hurting and some general problems in the colon area which has made life a bit difficult over the last few days. LARS is a problem that I have to live with and sometime in a week its fine and then at other times its not good at all. So Noel took a rest in the room whilst Jennifer  went for her swim.

By about 13.30 we were both getting a little hungry and Noel was not looking for a big meal just something that would not cause a problem like a baked potato and so shortly afterwards e headed offr the the main town of IOM called Douglas. In the summer and warmth it would be nice but in a grey day at 14 degrees and with a wind bowing it was not the best.

Parking in Douglas was a little difficult in the main town as there is a DISC requirement which we did not know about but eventually we found some seafront roadside parking which was free for up to 16 hours but the only problems was it was over a mile outside of the main town. So we unpacked Noel’s scooter and headed of in to town and looking for a café where we  could get something to eat, not to much but just something to tied us over. We came across a cafe which did jacket potatoes and we dived in and together with a cup of tea it filled the space.

Afterwards we walked in to town which we thought looked a bit shabby and  clearly with lots of immigrants, most of the serving staff in the Hotel appear to be from the Philippines . By this time were both feeling a little cold and with concern it could rain and we were well away from the car and so we headed back and loaded the scooter in the car and then drove back to the Hotel for a nice warm room and a cuppa.

The plan is to have a nice quiet even9ng in the room and we need an early start as our ferry leaves at 10.00 and we need to be there about 90 minutes before and so it will be get up at 0700, pack and load the car, followed by a quick breakfast and then down to the ferry port.

The ferry will take us to Liverpool and its a catamaran and so will only take two hours rather than the four hours on the regular ferry even for a shorter journey. Once we get off the ferry In Liverpool we are heading to the Lake District and starting of in a place called Cockermouth. See you to tomorrow

Time to do the North part of the Island

We enjoyed a quiet morning and also discovered the the Hotel had a charging point for EV and so we could charge the car from about 0945 for a few hours. Sitting in the lobby we looked at maps and talked about the next stage  of our travels and we wish to see as much of the Lake District that time will allow and also Noel fancies going on the Settle to  Carlisle railway ad so we need to have a hotel either near Carlisle of Settle , but we went for settle. So then we needed a Hotel for three nights after we get off the ferry at Liverpool at Saturday lunchtime and many hotel were asking outrageous prices and the we came across Premier Inn who were offering a sensible price in a place called Cockermouth and so we have booked three nights there from where we can explore as much of the Lake District as we can.

We have also booked the train from Settle to Carlisle and back for next Wednesday and so will be looking for a suitable Hotel near or at Settle. From there we hope to explore some of the Yorkshire Dales.

So that's what we have arranged for the next few days and then this afternoon e left about 2.30 and did a trip of around 40 miles from the middle and over the top of the island, the weather is a bit grey today but still it was worth it although for photos not so clear.

We arrived back at the Hotel at 17.00 and had a rest and discussed whether we should go to the restaurant or finish of the very nice prawns leftover from yesterday and also excellent baps.  In the end we decided to have the prawns and baps and all being well try the restaurant again tomorrow

A drive around the Southern part of the Island

 

Well it looks like a nice day with a little bit of sun shining thro the clouds except the author of this blog was feeling to good with perhaps and cold and also problems down below resulting in a horrible nights sleep, not the first time this has happened and probably wont be the the last.

So Noel decided he would have the morning in bed after a two slice of toast breakfast and ignoring all the other goodies and he was able to catch up on the  blogs and also start to consider where we go next after landing at Liverpool Docks in two day time. Well after a long rest and I think the lady wife was also have some issues and maybe its something that both of us have eaten in the last few days which caused the problems for us both.

We left the Hotel around 14.00 and headed south along the coast stopping to take photos and also driving thro the small villages and enjoying the drive. We eventually took a route over the centre of the island and went up some pretty steep hills which gave us some nice views . The traffic was very light and you can tell that most of the action is around Douglas the main city which was quite busy. On the way back to the Hotel we stopped to pick up some rations for the next couple of days as our first nights experience in the restaurant was not the best.

In the evening we jointly spent some watching You Tube stuff at the TV is of the older type with no additional HDMI sockets which would not allow us to watch our own programs, ah well let hope the next one will have the right type of TV.

Noel was not up to going to the restaurant tonight and so earlier we had purchased some prawns and baps which we enjoyed.

Finally at just before ten o'clock we called it a day and went to bed hoping for a better health day

Time to move on to the Isle of Man

Following an early breakfast we headed back in to town to purchase some sandwiches from Booths and the on to locater the house where Jennifer ise to live many years ago. But all changes with time as the house which previously sat by itself on the road surrounded by farmland an fields is no part of Garstang. The house is now called Richmond Hill, it would appear and has been completely rebuilt so unable to recognise from the time it was built some time in 1954.

From here we took a slow route to Heysham and in fact diverted to Morecambe where Jennifer's gran used to live although we did not look for her house. WE sat on the sea front for a while and then at about midday headed off to Heysham docks where we are joining the car and truck together passenger ferry to Douglas Isle of Man.

We had to wait around for about an hour before we could drive on board and I must say how large this vessel is and it takes about 1000 cars and 700 truck trailers plus all the passengers so its pretty big. We went to the lounge and had a relaxing seat overlooking the sea and it took just about four hours until we arrived in the Port of Douglas where it was raining.

As we arrived at around 5pm and with about 1000 cars of so getting off the ferry the local streets were blocked with cars and in the small streets it was quite chaotic.

Finally we left the town and headed off to our Hotel with is on a golf course and of course it had a large car park and nice views, even though it was raining.

We checked in at about 6.15 and then sorted a few things out and went for dinner and of course Noels list of what he can and cannot eat caused a major discussion with the kitchen and waiting staff and so I went and joined in and we agreed they would do sea bream in paupiette style ( in paper) and then some green beans and fries which they even forgot until I gave them a gentle reminder. Jennifer had the lamb which she said was good and overall it was OK although has been suffering tummy problems for the last couple of days and being careful was most important.

We returned to room and relaxed for a while and we were both in bed by ten pm as we seem to be affected by a bug which is not making life easy.

And so to bed