Day 38: Oct. 11, 2018 - Home

We rise to a fine October day in Winchester. This is our last day in England and we get it started with a fine Full English Breakfast cooked by our host Alex. We thank him for the dining suggestions of yesterday and then chat a bit with him about what we have done on this trip since leaving London. He nods, commenting that we really did get a good taste of the high points of Wessex.

Our Host Alex and Amy at the Breakfast Table

We finish our breakfast, pack the car, return the parking permit to Alex and are off for our last bit of driving. Next Stop: Heathrow. We bid adieu to our last abode of the trip, …

10 St. James Villas, Winchester

We set the airport location into MapMe and I decide to go straight through town on our way to the M3. We pass the Chesil Rectory, site of last night’s wonderful dinner. We blithely proceed on our route, then somehow discover that we are on the wrong side of a river. MapMe fails us again! Some humorous detouring later and we are on the M3, heading northeast.

About 45 minutes later, we are close enough to Heathrow. We stop at a service off-ramp and fill the gas tank to return the rental car "full". I look for a machine to put the credit card into and don’t find one. Asking the clerk inside, he explains that you just fill up the tank and bring the card into the shop afterward to pay. Are they that trusting here in the UK? Upon considering why the procedure is so much different than in the US, we notice signs warning potential evil-doers that the station is covered by CCTVs. Here in the UK, if you fill up your tank and don’t pay, you won’t be on the road very long as the video record and the license recognition system will allow the police force to quickly apprehend you!

We get back on the road and face ever higher levels of traffic. We must cope with that and some challenging signage at the Airport before we pull into the Europcar lot and return our rental. The rest of the trip home is unremarkable except to note that the Heathrow Terminals have no restaurants. Once you pass through security, the only options for food are Coffee shops and Magazine Stands vending pre-made sandwiches and such. We will get better food on the airplane, but we realize our vacation really is ending.

We land at SeaTac and have no problems at either Immigration or at Customs. An Uber trip takes us home and the multi-day struggle to adjust to an 8-hour different time zone begins.

We have been abroad for 38 days. We had a glorious stay of 4 weeks in London, some of which we shared with our family. We had a good road trip to Sussex where we saw some amazing sites. It really was a great trip. We start wondering. “Where to next?”

Day 37: Oct. 10, 2018 - Winchester

Today, we move to our last destination, Winchester. The days are counting down and this next city is our last before we board a great silver bird to return to Seattle.

It is another fine Autumn day as we prepare for our departure. We head downstairs for another lovely English breakfast. The Cathedral Hotel is a fine place to stay when visiting Winchester! We pack up and head downstairs to check out.

The Cathedral Hotel (left)

We decide that Amy will stay here with the bags while I fetch the car and return to the hotel to load up. As I redeem the car and exit the CarPark, I discover that it is not as simple as I thought it should be. The exit ramp from the CarPark empties onto a highway that takes me away from the downtown. Before I know it, I am several miles south of the city and heading the west!

It takes me about 10 minutes to turn around and head back into town. Amy has become worried and is texting me, wondering where I am. There are moments of concern, but I get it straightened out and finally make it back to the Hotel.

We hit the road for the 30 miles drive to Winchester. There are no further complications until we enter the town. The streets get more and more narrow as we approach our destination. We reach an archway, which I realize is the King’s Gate. We go through it and there are lots of people walking around. I thought we were headed to our BnB, so we consult MapMe. Oops, we set the app to take us to the Winchester Cathedral – we have just gone through a gate that has a sign: only vehicles with Cathedral business are allowed through this gate!

We quietly, but quickly, backtrack out from the locale of the Cathedral. Back north of the Cathedral, we find the correct road to our locale for tonight, a BnB on St. James Villas. We check in with Alex, our host. He shares some suggestions for lunch and dinner, and we head out to explore the town and tour the Cathedral. Our first stop is The Wyckham Arms for a bite to eat.

The Wykeham Arms

This pub has been selected as the best pub in Britain for 2018. It has a nice backyard area, and after ordering sandwiches and drinks, we head out to the back. Amy has ordered the Brie and Cranberry sandwich and I have ordered the smoked Chicken, Bacon and Avocado. The afternoon is warm and sunny. Sadly, there are several guests back here that are smoking, but we reposition ourselves to avoid most of the smoke. The food arrives and we can understand why this pub earned the honors for 2018. We enjoy lunch, then head to the Cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral is not as grand an edifice as the Cathedral in Salisbury. But it has a deeper history. Winchester is the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Wessex, one of the Seven Kingdoms in Medieval times. The Cathedral was important at this time due to it being the site where some Kings had their coronations.

We take the guided tour, beginning with the spacious …

... interior of the Nave.

Among many stories about the Cathedral, we hear one from the recent past. The siting of the building was unfortunate, as the southeast corner of the building is atop a water-soaked region. Over the centuries, the building has been sinking. In the early 1900’s, an attempt to stabilize the ground beneath the Cathedral, and arrest the sinking, was made. A diver was hired, William Walker, retired from the Royal Navy. He worked diligently for 5 years to place cement under the flooring. Working submerged in water and with no light, the effort was successful and there is a lovely appreciation in this corner of the Nave to Walker and his team, including a statue with Walker in a replica of the diving suit he used.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the tour, we exit and walk to High Street, the center of the pedestrian mall. We find The Ivy, one of the suggestions for dinner. We continue to saunter east and encounter …

... a Statue of King Aelfred.

The King was crowned in this city in 851 CE. A little further east is …

... the Chesil Rectory.

This is our other dining possibility. The building has a very long history. Completed around 1450 CE, this is the oldest commercial building in use in Winchester, In 1554, Queen Mary’s lavish wedding to King Philip of Spain almost bankrupted the city of Winchester. In gratitude, and to help allay the financial burden, the Queen gifted this building to the city. It looks like a very interesting place to eat, so we book it for dinner. We return to St. James Villas to rest up before dinner.

Having recovered from our forays into the Cathedral and the City, we head to dinner and are delighted to step into the very low-ceilinged first floor dining room. It is amusing to watch taller diners walk around stooped-over to avoid bumping their heads. After Cocktails (French 75’s), we share the Hoxton Bakery Breads. For her main, Amy has the Goosnargh Chicken, essentially a deconstructed Hot Pot, and I have the Cobley Wood Farm Lamb. A delicious and authentically Gournet English last dinner for us in the UK.

Sated, we return to the BnB. Another really good day!

Day 36: Oct. 9, 2018 - Stonehenge and Salisbury

We rise to a lovely Fall morning in an idyllic location, our own private Manor House with attached Gardens. It isn’t really like that, but it sure seems it. We prepare for the day and head downstairs for a delicious, full-English breakfast.

Spread-Eagle Inn Courtyard

We pack, check out and load the car. We then go for one more short walk in the Stourhead Gardens. Now this is the way to start a day!

Pantheon Across the Lake

Returning to the Spread-Eagle Courtyard, we get into the car and set MapMe to our next destination, Stonehenge. It’s only a half hour drive away and we make it with no fuss from MapMe. Last night, Amy decided that it would be a good idea to get a timed entry slot, just to be sure. It was a good idea! The line to buy tickets on the day-of is fairly long and we queue up in the much shorter Prepaid line. Time spent is minimal and we are ready to visit the Stones. We decide to forego the bus ride and instead take the 2km walk through the sheep fields.

Path to Stonehenge

We pass some lazing cows just after our first glimpse of the Stones:

First Glimpse of the Stones

After we arrive at the main viewing of the Henge, we listen to the audio guide as we walk around the Stones.

Stonehenge from the South

It may sound like a bit of a bummer that one can no longer walk to and touch the Stones, but it actually improves the ability to see the stones. It is easier to have sight-lines without other tourists getting in the way. The photo-ops are better/easier.

This is an astounding site. I’m so happy that we are here and able to see this place that must be one of the most well-known sites in the world. It’s out in the middle of the Salisbury Plain (aka nowhere) and yet over a million people come here every year. It is really well preserved; the National Trust is doing a great job here.

We opt to take the bus back to the Museum/Admission site. We walk through the stone age abode re-creations houses and visit the museum. We also have lunch; Amy has the Hot Pot and I have a Cheese and Onion Pasty.

All done with Stonehenge, we get back to the car for the 20-minute ride to Salisbury. We check in at the Cathedral Hotel and park the car in a nearby CarPark. We then head to the Cathedral.

Salisbury Cathedral

We enter the Cathedral and are awe-struck!

Interior of the Cathedral

Stonehenge in the morning and this building in the afternoon? Is this great or what? We take the guided tour of the Cathedral. The second stop is a clock that was installed about 1386.

730 Year Old Clock

We continue on the tour, hearing about the building of the Cathedral. The history is way in the past and is hard to get a good understanding of. But the interior is spectacular. There is a Font, recently installed (2008), that is very beautiful:

2008 Font

After finishing the worship space proper, we proceed to the Chapter House. This octagonal room hosts one of the four surviving copies of Magna Carta (and the best preserved). Sadly, no photos of the document are allowed. Several exhibits in this room display the relevance of Magna Carta to the present day. We thoroughly enjoy our visit to the Cathedral and heartily recommend the tour!

We head back towards the center of town, taking a path along the river. We find the Town Square and stop for a pint. Refreshed, we return to the Hotel. We rest a bit and at dinner time, head out to the Giggling Squid, a Thai food chain that we have seen before (in Bath).

We have a delightful dinner of Thai food, then return to the Hotel. A wonderful day!

Day 35: Oct. 8, 2018 - Bath and onto Stourhead Gardens

We rise to a fine day.

View Out Our Window

Breakfast is from 8 to 9, so we shower and dress and head downstairs to enjoy the meal with two other couples staying here. One of the couples is from Australia and the other is from nearby, just outside Brighton.

Breakfast is delicious and the conversation is enjoyable. We have a few more minutes before we need to be going, so head back upstairs to rest just a bit. The Historical Walking Tour begins at 10:30, so we head out to the town square at 10:00.

Bath Cathedral at the Town Square

Our Guide begins the tour by explaining about the Baths and how the Romans built a leisure spot here, the only location in Britain of thermal springs. Over the years, the Baths have been a reason for rich people to come here and take the waters with hope of improving health.

He proceeds to tell us about individuals who have promoted the city over the years and how they have fostered the success of Bath. Bath is now one of only two cities that are, in their entirety, World Heritage Sites. The other city is Venice. (Okay, it’s three if you count Vatican City.)

The tour is enlightening and fun. There are lots of stories about how things have improved and then gone downhill over the centuries. Our Guide also tells us a bit about Georgian Architecture and how it was promoted here in Bath. Typical examples include …

the Royal Circus ...

and ...

the Crescent.

Balance and symmetry are very important.

If you ever get to Bath, I recommend the Walking Tour. It is sponsored by the Mayor’s Office and the positions of Guides are very competitive. It is an honor to be awarded the position and the Guides are forbidden to accept tips.

After the walking tour, we look for a spot to rest our legs and ingest some sustenance. We walk around a bit and the resto that draws us in is Café Rouge. Amy has a sandwich and I have a bowl of onion soup.

After lunch, there is one more important location here in town I need to see: the location of the filming of the death of Javert Javert (Russell Crowe) in the recent hit movie Les Miserables. Yes, it was filmed here at the ...

Pultney Bridge.

Downriver from the Pultney Bridge.

(Yes, we've heard the joke: if only they had placed this scene earlier in the film and saved us all from that much of Crowe's singing.)

We are happy to find the location. We head up the hill to find our car. After a few moments of panic, I find it and we drive to Hill House to collect our luggage. With a few regrets, we leave for our next destination. I hope we return to Britain soon and I hope we can manage to include another visit to Bath and Hill House.

Our next location is Stourhead (Stour rhymes with scour) Gardens. It’s a short drive from here, but MapMe is intent on making our short drives longer than they need to be. We get it sorted out and in another half hour, we are entering the Estate and Gardens. Next is our little bit of confusion about where we are staying. We have booked a room in the Spread Eagle Inn. This Inn is on the Estate, so we should have just driven to it and checked in instead of driving to the Gardens entrance and parked there. (Those staying on the property have admission to the estate included and are allowed onto the grounds without any fuss.)

We walk down to the very small village and check in and soon after are walking the estate.

The Stourhead family originally owned the 2,650-acre estate for some 500 years. In the early 1700’s, the family sold it to Sir Thomas Meres. His son sold it to the wealthy banking family, the Hoare’s. They demolished the original manor house and built a fabulous new one and filled it with art and books. The last Hoare to own the estate gave it over to the National Trust in 1946.

The grounds are absolutely huge and they are so beautiful! Amy has been worried about not seeing any fall colors this season, but all is right with the world as we get to see lots of color here (early in October). There are a number of interesting highlights around the grounds, but the focus of magnificence is …

The Estate House

The artwork inside this house is stunning and we could have spent many hours looking at the pictures. But it is late in the day and we had already walked all over Bath. (We went through the house kind of quickly.) Just a sample, though, here is an inlaid cabinet in one of the rooms:

Inlaid Cabinet

And here is a small section of the library, showing the largest of the thousands of books on display:

Amy in the Library

We exit the house and continue on the Garden Path. We walk for what seems like a couple of more miles. Some of the features we come upon:

The Lake

The Pantheon

The Temple of Apollo

I came across some trivia: some of the scenes from the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice were filmed here.

We are done walking for the day and head to our room in the Spread Eagle. We rest up until dinnertime approaches, when we descend for drinks in the pub. Most of the people here are staying at our Inn or across the streets in B&B units. In other words, there aren’t too many people around.

We finish our drinks and sit down for dinner. This is a really interesting situation, to be staying at this nice little hotel in the middle of this grand estate with very few other people around. We feel very privileged. For dinner, Amy has the Sirloin and I have the Ribeye. Tasty! Satisfied, we head upstairs to our room after a very nice day.

Day 34: Oct. 7, 2018 - On to Bath

We rise to a new day, much dryer than yesterday. I didn’t get a great night’s sleep due to my lingering cough/cold, so I’m glad we aren’t in a hurry. After sleeping in a bit, we get ready to face the day and head out in search of coffee. We find it in the ubiquitous Starbuck’s.

We enjoy the coffee and pastry, then head out to explore Exeter a little bit. This was a walled city, a thousand years ago, and it has that typical core of streets that are suitable for walking and not wide enough for automobiles.

We find the city wall, more than a thousand years old.

Old City Wall

We continue along the Wall Path and while passing a couple of people, I hear them talking about trading cards of Association Football (not NFL) players. They mention DeAndre Yedlin! Are my ears deceiving me? I butt in and ask if that is what they said, and get proof:

DeAndre Yedlin Trading Card

I try to explain that Yedlin is American and comes from my city/area, but I don’t think these people care all that much. They didn't even know that Yedlin is American!

We continue on our apparently aimless path and come upon the jewel of the central city...

Exeter Cathedral

This being Sunday, we do not go inside the Cathedral.

Having gotten a good taste of Exeter, we head back to the Car Park and reclaim our VW Polo. We return to the Hotel to collect our bags and head out of town for Bath.

We have another unfortunate session with MapMe; it seems to have trouble quickly updating us when it senses that we have gotten a little off the intended path. Somehow, we find our way back to the desired road and we are back on track for Bath. We find Hill House and park on the sidewalk of the narrow side road while we check in.

More hospitable hosts than Harry and Douglas would be hard to find. We talk about what we want to see and Harry suggests the Historic Walking Tour, as well as 4 or 5 other things we might want to do. Most importantly, we ask him about a good Pub to watch the Man City v Liverpool match that starts in a few minutes. He explains that Bath is more of a Rugby Town, but suggests the Assembly Room. Harry and I hop into the car and he finds me an on-street parking place that we can use in conjunction with the permit he lends us. I wish I could have Harry in Exeter! We walk back to Hill House, then Amy and I head to the pub for the match.

We have decent drinks while we watch. I ask one of the other patrons which team he favored and he explains that he’s more into Rugby. (What did Harry say about Bath and Sports a while back?) The match is a bit of a snoozer and ends 0 – 0, but only after Riyad Mahrez spectacularly fails on a PK called against Van Dyke in the closing minutes of the match. Liverpool escapes with one point.

We then depart the Pub in search of dinner. We decide on comfort food as I have not felt that well all day. We find Ask Italian and have pasta. Quite decent, though at the lower end of the scale for Bath and its culinary reputation. We trudge up the hill to our lodging for the night and collapse after a tiring day fighting with NavSat and narrow streets.

Day 33: Oct. 6, 2018 - On to Exeter

We rise to rain. No running for Amy this morning! We are moving to Exeter today, about 2 hours up the road. We have our last breakfast in Penzance, check out of the Hotel, pack the car, and are on our way to Exeter via St. Austell.

What calls us to this town is The Eden Project. The original idea was to imagine what the future of food production would be. It has become more of an educational mission to foster awareness of planetary issues, including Climate Change and habitat loss. It's all about learning how food is made, kids love this place.

But for us, it is really hard to find. MapMe is sending us around and around a wide area. The signage is pretty bad. Perhaps it is because this is more of a summer outing than a fall one? Finally, we find a sign to the Eden Project Entrance and another 10 minutes finds us parking the car.

We take the long walk to the bottom of a basin (and old clay pit) and there we see the grounds of the project including the Biodomes.

Rain Forest Biodome

Mediterranean Biodome

This is a very interesting place! The Rain Forest Biodome has different trees and other plants from every major Rain Forest. There are projects going on to study how the plants get along with one another. The Project has also provided plants to the British Museum’s Africa Garden.

Interior of the Rain Forest Biodome

Olives in the Med. Biodome

Interesting historical/media notes: The defunct Clay Pit on which the project was built was the location of the Planet Magrathea for filming of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The Project also provided location filming for the Die Another Day Bond movie.

I offer no judgements about this place with regard to its purpose/mission. Whether it appears to be working or not is not for me to say. I do find it interesting. After walking through the Rain Forest, we have lunch in the warmth of the Café just next to the Biodome. We then visit the Meditterranean Biodome, We then get back on the road heading to Exeter, We happily have no further navigation issues.

We find the …

... Hotel Mercure Rougemont.

We look for a pub to watch the Man U v. Newcastle match. After a challenge, we find the Exonian. The first half is over with Newcastle enjoying a 0 – 2 lead.

We order dinner. Amy has Chicken Goujons and I have a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. The match goes completely south as Man U score 3 goals, one in stoppage time, to take all 3 points and save Jose Mourinho’s job (for now). We head back to the Hotel and retire for the night.

Day 32: Oct. 5, 2018 - Lands End

We arise uncertainly. I have come down with a cold and I coughed on and off all night. I stopped coughing in the early morning and I feel better now, but am not 100%. I don't know how much activity I am up for in my current state. Amy has a nice run on the Promenade while I stay fairly lethargic.

Sunrise During Amy's Run

When she returns, I feel well enough that we decide that today’s destination is Lands End and, perhaps, other sites in Cornwall. I am a little fearful as this will be my first real test at the right-hand wheel of an automobile this trip in very rural country.

We get to breakfast late in the morning, but have a nice meal. We head out about 10:30 for the 10-mile drive west. Lands End is the westernmost point of England, akin to Key West for the Continental USA’s southernmost point. The driving is easy! We park in the large parking area just inland from the LE Hotel and a host of other activities (King Arthur’s Quest, Return to Jurassic Park, Trinket Shops, Ice Cream).

At Lands End

We walk both north and south along the cliffs. The overcast was thinning as we started walking, but the fog is now coming in a little thicker while we walk back to the LE Hotel. We find the Ice Cream Shop and indulge ourselves with servings of Cornwall’s finest. Delicious.

We have enjoyed Lands End and now we head back towards Penzance with 3 stops along the way. It is challenging driving along very narrow lanes, but all goes well, except for the fact that MapMe (the App on Amy’s iPhone) keeps getting lost (confused about where it really is).

Our first stop is the Minack Theatre. Created by Rowena Cade and opening in 1932, it is an open-air theatre with the Sea as its backdrop. The original production: The Tempest. Since then, the theatre has been improved and many more plays have been staged.

Minack Theatre

Thanks to Betty for the suggestion. It’s a really stunning place to view a dramatic production. I’d really like to see The Tempest here.

Our second stop is The Merry Maidens. This is a Neolithic stone circle just south of the village of St. Buryan. MapMe has a little difficulty finding the right road, but once we do, there are good signs and we locate the correct turnout and walk the few dozen meters to the stone circle.

The Merry Maidens

Yes, the stones are small; it isn’t Stonehenge, but it is ancient. The local legend is that these were Young Ladies who skipped Church on a Sunday morning and were turned into stone as punishment. Yeah, Right!

Our third and final stop is the Rock Pool Café, also suggested by Betty. It works out nicely as we are getting hungry. Situated in the town of Mousehole, it is easy to find. We pull into the parking area, find a nice spot on the terrace and order our food. We enjoy the views while waiting for our food.

Rock Pool Cafe

Amy has a cranberry and brie sandwich. I enjoy a crab sandwich. Both are very tasty. We are now only 3 miles from the Queen’s Hotel, so we hop back in the car and are relaxing in our room in no time.

After our day on the Cornwall peninsula, we opt for the Promenade Restaurant at our Queen’s Hotel for Dinner (again). Amy has the Hake and I have the Roast Lamb. Delicious as usual. We retire well fed. It has been a good day.

Day 31: Oct. 4, 2018 - St. Ives

We arise to a misty fog. Amy has not run in 4 weeks and is happy to exercise her right to exercise. I sleep in. Shortly after she leaves, I feel guilty and get up to shower and get dressed. I descend to the lobby to read while waiting for her to return.

View at Breakfast in Penzance

She returns after running about 2.5 miles. Together, we enter the restaurant and enjoy a sumptuous English buffet breakfast. Lots of meat, scrambled eggs, baked tomatoes and mushrooms. Yummy, and of course we eat too much. After breakfast, we return to our room and Amy showers and gets ready for today’s destination, St. Ives.

There is a train at 10:00, but we don’t think we can make, so just take our time both at breakfast and as we walk to the train station. We must walk faster than we think, or have lost track of time, because as we approach the station, the train is there and it is only 9:55. We buy our tickets with cash, board the train and within 2 minutes are headed back to St. Erth, where we transfer to the local to St. Ives. I don’t know why, but I chuckle at the fact that we didn’t try to make the train and we still managed to be on time.

The neck of the Cornwall peninsula is only 5 miles wide here, so by the time we get to St. Erth, where we transfer to a dedicated St. Ives train, we are almost to the north side of the Cornwall peninsula. The St. Ives train starts a couple of minutes after we board and in less than 30 minutes total, we disembark and walk into St. Ives.

St. Ives Inner Harbor

This is a quaint and ancient tourist town. We walk all around, starting with the pedestrian path above …

Porthminster Beach

… to the east of the harbor, going through the Harbor and Market areas, passing the coast guard station and walking past …

Porthmeor Beach.

Here we come across the fabled Tate St. Ives, a museum of Modern Art and Modern Art History. It may seem odd that the Tate has a branch here, but it stems from this area’s St. Ives school of art (an ad hoc community of artists from the 70’s) and a wealth of Cornish artists works being in the Tate collection. The museum opened in 1993 and has been going strong ever since.

We enter and spend an interesting hour wandering the dozen or so exhibition rooms. After the Tate, we head back towards the center of town and stop in at the Barbara Hepworth sculpture gallery, adding to our enjoyment of the town. She created many interesting sculptures on display here.

A Hepworth Sculpture

We are getting hungry, so we leave the Hepworth Studio and head down the hill into town, stopping at the Lifeboat Restaurant for lunch. Amy has a steak and gem ale pie and I have Cod & Chips. There is too much food, but it is all tasty. We stagger out the door and head back toward the train station.

We take the low road, figuring we will miss the next train, so we don’t hurry. That’s OK with us, as some sitting time will help us recover from all the walking we have done today. Just as we turn the corner and view the station, we see the train heading in. We hurry to board and make the train without having to wait at all. Today the gods of transportation are smiling on us! We get off at St. Erth and have a 15 minute wait for the train from Paddington into Penzance (the same train we took yesterday).

We debark at Penzance Station and walk across the courtyard to the EuropCar where we pick up our wheels for the next 8 days, a VW Polo. We ride back to the hotel, grateful that the roads are a bit wider than I remember the roads in Ireland being 6 years ago. I keep telling my self “drive on the left side” and no major mishaps occur.

We relax for the rest of the afternoon. For dinner, I want to go to the Admiral Benbow Inn, perhaps the most famous restaurant in the world of fiction. It is here that Jim Hawkins meets Billy Bones and begins his adventure to Treasure Island. The story is fiction, but Robert Louis Stevenson knew of this Inn and set the first part of the story in it. Amy tolerates my desire.

Admiral Benbow Inn

The interior décor is charming, all kinds of nautical items. I have Rum and the Fish Pie while Amy has Fish and Chips. The food is tasty! We enjoy the historic atmosphere and return to our hotel stuffed. Another really good day in the UK.