We had a lively crossing of the Irish Sea last night before slipping up the Bristol Channel and mooring at Avonmouth.

There was a lot of tug activity whilst we were having breakfast, I suddenly realised that we were entering the port via a sea lock. It’s considerably larger than the ones we’ve been using on the canals with Prime Thyme !

Once that excitement was over it was onto a coach to Wells, to see the Cathedral and Bishops Palace gardens.

The interior stonework and stained glass windows were outstanding, but the little details bought it to life.

I took 200 plus photos in here, but can’t upload them all ! Then onto the Bishops Palace and Gardens via a drawbridge over a moat. This has some well trained swans who ring a bell for food.

The garden contains 5 natural springs or wells, giving the city its name. Very lush and very green, a lot of fellow travellers were very appreciative of it, and all the plant names I was able to give them.

After a quick but extremely interesting visit to these 2 sites it was time for lunch at the Swan Hotel and a little shopping at a camera shop and the Edinburgh Wollen Mills. The later had a shopper with a lovely Chihuahua, Diamond, who enjoyed his cuddle with Hazel so much he tried to climb into her jacket to come home with us. We had to reluctantly say goodbye, and promptly got Coopers medical bill when returning to the ship !

Ireland lived up to its expectations today, it’s green because of so much rain….

Our today was a short drive thru town, then onto Curraghmore House, seat of the Marquis of Waterford. The house has been under stewardship for over 800 years, with the current Lord still in residence.

After we successfully negotiated security, there had been a major music festival the previous night, we de bused and headed to the Shell House along with the Head Gardener.

Set in the gardens, think park rather than flower beds, it was a small house with its interior completely covered by shells.

By now the rain had really set in so we retreated to the house and an excellent guide who told stories about all the Marquis. Unfortunately no photography was permitted, a pity with all the antiques on show. Fine China, furniture and especially paintings featured prominently with Gainsboroughs, Reynolds, and Stubbs strewn about the most elegant but well worn rooms. The excitement was too much for one visitor who collapsed midway, luckily there was a doctor in our group . Unfortunately an ambulance had to be called, Hazel didn’t like his colour at all.

Our tour concluded with a drive back to the ship along the Copper coast, but the weather had closed in precluding any scenic shots. We’ve taken consolation by having Afternoon Tea in Horizons, the steward assures us there are no calories ! We have cocktails with the Captain and the speciality restaurant Toscana still to look forward to today…..

We had a smooth getaway from Prime Thyme this morning, but Terminal 5 was extremely busy. Coming from 5 quiet weeks of narrow boating it was all a bit overwhelming ! Our flight to Dublin was scheduled at 10:45, then 10:35 and finally 10:30. So we were quite surprised when getting ready to board to be told there is no Captain or flight crew currently available but we hope to fly “some time today” !!!

Eventually our crew appeared via Vienna, and terminal 3, so we arrived at 3pm rather than 12 noon. As the ship sailed at 6 it wasn’t a problem, but fellow travellers missed the start of coach tours, etc.

After waiting a while in the transfer coach for another plane it was an easy embarkation, and soon found our ‘old’ cabin 7037. The same one as on Regatta last year.

A quick pink G & T in Horizons to watch the sail away, and skilled Pilot transfer, was followed by dinner in the Grand Dining Room with a couple from Canada. As usual the food was superb, but sampled in moderation. We shall follow our usual practise of using the stairs only, to negate the afternoon teas, etc. A good start to the cruise, we will not need rocking in our bed tonight….but are going to get a gentle roll instead.

It’s always sad having the last run of the year, but a shower first thing allowed me to chamois off the boat and wax it. Penny dropped on to say bye and we finished off a few last minute jobs.

Then it was time to start up and head upstream to the New Inn at Send, and jolly nice it was too !

Scampi & Fish and Chips, peas ….not mushy.

All too soon it was time to head home, it took 2 attempts to wind the boat, a strong side wind and canoeists didn’t help ! Then back into the Marina, finish with engine and strike the colours ! Fitting winter mooring ropes and cratch cover finish off this seasons boating. Gareth and Colin will service the boat and winterise it when appropriate. Penny will keep an eye on her whenever visiting Iris, a real comfort to us.

We’ve really enjoyed our move to Cartbridge Basin, a very nice marina with good short and long term cruising possibilities.

The river beckons to me, but I’ll have to resist its siren call till next year. Heathrow, Ireland and a big boat tomorrow !

From this entrance you can travel right up into Scotland via the Wey, Thames, Grand Union and other canals ! There are over 2500 miles of continuous waterways to explore….

We had a very relaxed day yesterday, going thru only 1 lock. I managed to vanish some weathered timber, whilst Hazel applied the Mr Sheen. It works well on the American Ash interior of PT.

Once we lost our first shady spot we moved onto another just upstream of the New Inn, then another at High Bridge near the Marina.

A squirrel kept us entertained with his antics in reaching beech nuts. Later on in the afternoon the temperature and humidity soared, with thunder and lightening in the distance. Making a dash for the Marina we tied up 10 minutes before the storm broke. Cooler temps made life more comfortable, as did a proper shower ! Today we will start packing, with a final run to the New Inn on Saturday.

With another warm day forecast we cast off from the meadows and went straight thru Millmead Lock. It’s only a short run to then moor up at the bottom of the high street. A lot of the buildings along this part were looking tired, but most have been done up, even the old Guildford Boathouse looks good now.

Guildford was still relatively quiet and cool this morning, so we split up in an effort to save time before losing the shade. I managed to find a Gail’s Bakery with their Pecan and Cinnamon Crumb cakes, yum, and a Hasselblad 90 degree viewfinder for one of my old cameras from the second hand camera shop. Whilst Hazel successfully negotiated a shoe shop, chemist and Mark & Spencers. Then onto Dapdune for their services and the B&Q moorings for Halfords and autoglymn polish.

Then onto Stoke Lock, which had a shady mooring for lunch and prawn sandwiches from M&S…….and very nice they were too !

This afternoon we have gone thru Bowers Lock and are now moored up downstream of Send Church Bridge. It’s a lovely shady spot with a bit of breeze to keep things cool. It’s an easy run back to the Marina tomorrow, then packing and a final meet up with Penny for a meal before flying onto Ireland.

Well they forecast a scorcher, and we’ve got one. 32 degrees at the moment, thankfully we are back in the Guildford Meadows under some shady willow trees.

Rather than just sit all day we decided to go to Godalming, hoping to get there and back before the heat of the afternoon. Unfortunately I was a bit lethargic this morning, and most of the locks were against us, so we both boiled !

It’s a pretty run up to Godalming, just 3 locks and plenty of twists and turns. At Farncombe Boat house we met up with Gareth, our mobile mechanic, thankfully no alternator break downs this year. As usual there’s a little list of “to do” jobs for him and his dad, Colin. We also topped up the diesel, ready for winterisation, on one of the hottest days !

Godalming Wharf is the southernmost point of the continuous inland water way system, so it’s always feels a job well done getting there. Thankfully it was in the shade for a while, so a bit of shopping and lunch were in order. Once that sun came round it was time to move on, and Guildford has the most shady spots, so back we go.

St Catherine’s Lock is only 3’, but was set against us and had no shade. We both wilted and struggled to push on, and were relieved to put in the mooring pins and turn the engine off. It’s not too bad sitting alongside the boat, but Hazel is being nibbled on by all sorts of insects ! An easier day tomorrow I think is in order.

I love Triggs Lock, so much so we went thru it twice today……Actually I had forgotten my wallet in the car when we went shopping yesterday, so we nipped back to the Marina to get it….

It was no great hardship, Triggs is one of the easier locks, and the reflections in the river were perfect.

It was a good thing we hadn’t done one more lock, because Bowers can be difficult going upstream with heavy gates. The ladder in the lock is well placed though, so I climbed out and gave Hazel a hand.

After Stoke we moored up on the outskirts of Guildford and re provisioned from Lidl. A lot cheaper than Marks and Spencer, and a lot easier carrying shopping back. On our return an elderly couple walking on the towpath admired our boat ad we started chatting. He was an ex Solent sailor, missing boating and intrigued by ours. As they were heading back to Dapdune I invited them onboard and we cruised to the Wharf. They thoroughly enjoyed their short trip and I could see a gleam in his eye when he stepped off !

Time for afternoon tea, really lunch, and use of their services including an excellent second hand bookshop. As it was getting in the high 20’s we pushed on thru Millmead Lock and found a lovely shady spot in the meadows. Tomorrow Godalming, and a less frantic start to the day.

It’s a beautiful sunny day at Cartbridge Basin, after 2 days looking at gardens it’s time to get back on the water.

But first there’s a few things to do…..fill up the water tank, and potable water cans, which we use to drink from. The tank is used for showers, washing up, etc. Then an engine bay check, oil and coolant levels plus a visual inspection of all ancillary components.

Then make sure all batteries are charged up before disconnecting the shoreline, ready the windlass’s and prep centerline. Finally undo mooring lines after warming up the engine and exit the Marina.

It’s a warm day already, and lots of boats with guests have left their berths, it’s going to be busy. So let’s find a shady spot for lunch, and possibly an overnight mooring. We go through Triggs Lock and find the perfect spot with tall trees either side. Only an hours cruising today, but we’ve got 4 days to get to Godalming and back. Plenty of time, and it’s supposed to be SLOW boating.

Watching Monty Dons garden design series on TV I noted his visit to Painshill in Surrey. After our visit to Wisley yesterday I checked the GPS……only 17 minute drive away ! It was actually 17 minutes to do the last 2 miles this morning ! Yes we crossed the M25 with its notorious roadworks so had to contend with feeder traffic, slip lanes, roundabouts and traffic lights.

In the midst of this chaos we discovered a little piece of paradise, designed by Charles Hamilton between 1738 and 1773. He had done 2 grand tours and wanted to recreate the romantic pictures of them at the time. This was a complete breakaway from the formal designs at that time and started a whole new garden style culminating with ‘Capability’ Brown’s masterpieces.

Walking up a hill from the entrance there is no indication of what’s ahead until reaching the top…..a long lake with gently sloping sides strewn with temples, follies and bridges. Our path was a basically a figure of 8 around it, with numerous detours.

The Gothic Temple provided panoramic views, or as Charles Hamilton wanted pictures of views like a work of art. Descendng down a zig zag track to the water a tiny bridge gave entrance to the Crystal Gotto, containing thousands of hand made crystals.

Carrying on we passed a ruined Roman Arch, a water cascade at the Lakes Head and then into woodland and a waterwheel.

The water wheel provides the power required to lift water from the River Mole running alongside and provide a gentle flow thru the lake. An elegant and cost effective solution to a problem ! Our walk now left the lake heading upwards along an Alpine Valley clothed in greensward and conifers. Around a corner now loomed the Gothic Tower, where I left Hazel and did a detour towards the Hermitage.

Apparently the resident hermit wasn’t truly committed, being spotted at the local pub, but it’s a lovely shady spot today.

The Gothic Tower was 4 stories high with an extremely steep and narrow spiral staircase. As a reward for the truly committed a small shop at the top provided refreshments, Hazel being pleased when 2 ice creams magically appeared out of my camera case when rejoining her.

Further onwards now to the Elysian Plains, with of course a Temple to Bacchus. It was amazing how the simple planting of mainly trees and shrubs gave totally different feelings to each area. Some of the trees, especially the Cedars were magnificent.

We were now on the downward leg and finally heading back. The guide book said 2 hours to do our walk, I think we were nearly 4 with a couple of refreshment stops and hundreds of photo ops !

Back now to the middle point in our figure of 8, and the horse box trailer for a cool drink, then along the lake edge again.

By now we were both sore from 2 days walking, but it’s good practice for the upcoming Irish Tours ! A great day around a magnificent property that was derelict until 1986. A lot of hard work had been put in, and I can see why Monty Don had to include it in his series. Tomorrow we will head back onto the water, for a rest and final trip to Godalming. We are due some warm weather, so shady spots will be in demand.