What a cool summer this has been. There have been lots of good rains, cooler temperatures and plenty of sunshine. We’ve had it all.

My gardens have been filled with wildlife activity with loads of gold finches and ruby-throated humming birds emptying four feeders a day. It’s loads of fun watching these tiny birds buzz and zip all over the place. There's been a bumper crop of squirrels around the feeders during the day and by nightfall, deer and
raccoons.

Bats flit around in the evening. Chipmunks stuff their faces. Morning doves, as I write, are outside the window cooing. Life is good.

However great it could be, I simply had to travel. In summertime the freedom of the road called.

From planes to tubes to trains to a motor home we went for three weeks of adventure and all sorts of new places to see and things to learn. After flying all night, Greg and I arrived in London at 7:15 a.m. Jet lag had a good hold on us but we spent our first day taking the tube and then a train to reach our rental motor home that afternoon.

After a 10-minute lesson on how to drive on the left side of the road, it was another hour to our first caravan park and some much needed rest.

From then on, it was great. The first few days we traveled through Wales and its roads that were narrow with hedge rows on either side in some areas and stone fences in others and no shoulders to speak of.

The drivers were very thoughtful all over Great Britain—patient and helpful. The people were sweet everywhere we went, the food was interesting and delicious. I was a good sport; I had the black and the white pudding made from herbs oatmeal and dried blood. I also had haggis made from sheep intestines. I did my part and tried the full English breakfast.

Fortunately, pubs were everywhere and they all served fish and chips with Guinness—one of Greg’s favorite meals. I enjoyed the stews, myself.

In Wales, we visited the Snowdonia area's mountains and beaches. This northwest corner of Wales is scenic and has so much history. It's filled with ancient villages, abbeys, castles and beautiful stone fences. Sheep were always on the hillsides. We traveled the coast, Barmouth to Holyhead, where we parked the camper for four days.
Then, a walk on the ferry and an hour later, we were in South Dublin.

In Ireland we drove a small rental car south to Waxford. It rained a lot so we took up residence for the night at Cedar Lodge; the wonderful gentleman host guided us on how best to get across the island to the west coast. That lovely drive offered Kilkenny, castles, rivers and the Cliffs of Maher. At Roscrea, we toured our first castle—1000 years old, built by the Normans.

Twice we crossed the beautiful river Shannon but did not get to stop. A sweet inn at Lisdoonvarna near Galway was our second night's lodging. There were lovely gardens just outside our room and live Irish music in the village.

Back in Wales, we toured Conway, a city with a very large, ancient, encircling wall. We walked along the top of the majestic wall looking down on the sea and the town.

Next, we crossed Wales into Northern England, where we enjoyed the Lake District's countryside filled with lakes, waterfalls, stone fences, large trees, fields of sheep and high country hiking.

Further into Scotland it was loch country. Loch Lomond led us to Oban and a tour of a scotch distillery, much like Jack Daniels here in Tennessee.

On the very pretty Isle of Mull we toured a wonderful garden and took a private tour with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to see a pair of rare fish eagles as well as seals, dolphins, oystercatchers and black winged gulls.

From there we visited the Loch Ness area where we stayed at Fort Williams for two nights and climbed Ben Nevis, Scotland’s second highest mountain. There, close to the top, a total whiteout cloud moved in and as we were climbing in scree, we decided to head back down with little visibility. The climb down wore us out good enough, taking days to recover. Following that, we drove across the Cairngorn Mountains and enjoyed the scenery of large heather- and fern-covered bolds.

With a week left, we drove through some Cotswold country with its pretty stone houses, villages and the River Thames. We stayed at the village Loch Lode near w the mouth of the Thames. In a nice country pub there, we met a nearly 70- year old gardener, named Geoff, who advised us to visit the village of Avebury on our way down to Stonehenge. We were certainly glad we did. The stones, stone circles and burial mounds along the way gave Stonehenge a more complete feeling.

Stonehenge itself was enclosed in a fence with a paved path around it. Add on the few hundreds of people that circled it and it was less spiritual than expected. Nonetheless, it was fascinating to be standing with something so very old.

While in London, we did it all: the double-decker bus tour, the River Thames float, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey. I’m not sure how I’ll ever top this experience.

Now, fall's coming. The hawks are already migrating. Go outside, see the birds and enjoy the fall flowers.

 

Sherlene Spicer shares her travels in remote and nearby areas through her writing and photography. She has traveled the world documenting plants and birds and has worked as a guide for the Cumberland-Harpeth Audubon Society for 15 years. She lives with her husband Greg Geenhow on Boy Scout Road in Williamson County and can be reached, whether at home or adventuring, at 615.406.3575.