Thursday, May 27, 2010

Our London Trip - Part Two

Harley Davidson has a "Fly and Ride" program, where you can fly to different places and rent a bike when you get there.  We decided this would be a great way to see the country side, so Wednesday of our first week, we headed out to Guildford to get started.


Everybody at Guildford Harley Davidson was wonderful and we were on the road in no time.  The motorcycle we had is a bit bigger than our Road King Classic, but Bob soon adjusted.  He also had to adjust to driving on the left side of the road.  He did an excellent job.  I did my best to sit still and shut up so he could concentrate!

Guildford is in Surrey, and we rode across Hampshire and Wiltshire into Somerset.  What beautiful countryside!  We stopped for lunch at a place called The Pelican Inn.


Now, I don't normally take pictures of food, but I thought this lunch was really pretty.  It's a cheddar and onion "jacket" with salad.  Delicious, too!


The plan was to ride through Exmoor National Park the next day, so we stayed at Cedar House, a bed and breakfast just east of the park.  I posted a photo of the house at this post, but here are some pictures of the grounds.




We walked down the hill between the hedgerows to The Dragon House for dinner. 


I experienced my first Guiness from a "surger".  The pub didn't carry Guiness on draft, so the beer is poured from the can.  The glass is set on the surger in a bit of water, then ultrasonic pulses are sent up through the beer making a creamy head as if it's fresh from the keg.  I was skeptical, but the beer tasted wonderful!


After a good night's sleep and a full English breakfast (with excellent coffee, by the way) we hit the road again.  Our first stop was Dunster, a cute little town with a fabulous old castle.  Another tourist was nice enough to take our picture.



We were parked by the Yarn Market, built in the early 17th century when Dunster was a centre for the woollen and clothier trade.


I finally decided I was going to try to take pictures from the back of the motorcycle as we rode along.  That's when we saw the best scenery.  Here's a selection from the day's ride:







We stopped for the night at a great little inn in Wilmington, Devon called Home Farm Restaurant and Hotel.  The main building was originally a 16th century thatched farmhouse.  However, our bathroom was newly remodeled with a jacuzzi tub that felt fantastic after a whole day on the bike. The bottle of wine helped, too :)





After another English breakfast, we headed back toward Guildford again.  More beautiful scenery, of course, but get a load of this landmark we got to see on the way:


We turned in the motorcycle, bought some t-shirts, and plunked our gear on the sidewalk to wait for a taxi to the train station.


Wish we had a train system like this in the US.



Back at Waterloo station; just a short tube ride to Katie's flat and fish and chips for supper!

If you're interested in more photos, here's the Part Two Photo Album.

6 comments:

Margaret said...

That's so cool about the fly and ride program! Only problem is I'd never get on a Harley. lol! I love all the pics! I'm so envious of you!! Thanks for sharing with us!

Deb said...

I've never heard of that fly and ride program. I'll have to ask my BIL if he's heard of it because he is a diehard Harley fan. Love all your pictures - I would love to see that part of the world. And that Cheddar and Onion Jacket sounds intriguing! Is it like a stuffed potato?

Faye said...

You guys look like you had the time of your life!~~ Thanks for giving us all a peak~~~ Faye

Unknown said...

I would love to include some of this in the newsletter!!
Karen

Lois said...

Looks like you'd a wonderful time! Great pictures.

Anonymous said...

Hi...just discovered your blog through another blog and loved your photo tour of London and Paris. Lucky you. Very nice stitching purchases. Thanks for sharing with everyone.