Travels with Jim & Geri

Three week auto tour of Britain in 1997

We flew for 9 hours and 50 minutes from San Francisco to London on May 8, 1997. We were upgraded to Upper Class!

We spent our first three nights at the Elgin Villa B&B in Bath

The view from our third floor room looked toward downtown Bath

The weir on the River Avon just below the Pulteney Bridge

The famous Sally Lunn's House in Bath

Construction on the Bath Abbey was started in 1499. It has been the parish church of Bath since 1572.

Another view of the Bath Abbey

The north side of the Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey Interior

Bath Abbey window

Roman Bath in Bath, England

Rape seed oil is growing in this sea of yellow.

Visiting Stonehenge was one of the highlights of our trip.

The Wells Cathedral

Detail of the front of the Wells Cathedral

Well worn steps in the Wells Cathedral

Tintern Abbey next to the River Wye in Southern Wales was founded in 1131.

Geri at Tintern Abbey ruins

The Royal Forest of Dean is in the Wye Valley in South Hereforshire

We picked up our Ford Escort in Bath and dropped it off 16 days later in York after driving it 1,856 miles.

The Dean Heritage Center is the museum of the Forest of Dean

We relaxed by a fireplace in the Forester's Cottage

The sheep didn't seem to be worried while we were watching them.

These cows are outstanding in their field

We spent one night at the West Deyne B&B in Stow

Ivor and Joan Cave were our hosts for one night stay at the West Deyne B&B in Stow-on-the-Wold

Jimbo the sleepy old cat

Tea and biscuits were served to us shortly after we arrived

Stow provided a place to park your wife.

Medieval-built St Edward's Church is a Church of England parish church, serving Stow-on-the-Wold. The north entrance is framed by two Yew trees. Parts of the church were built in the 1300s.

One of my favorit pictures taken during the trip

Farmers provide a way to walk through their fields while denying their animals the same privilege

These four geese objected to our intrusion into their territory.

Yvonne, our host, did our laundry for us!

Britain 1997

Downtown Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds

Geri's favorite house

Britain 1997

Geri at Warwick Castle

This high speed ferry took us from Holyhead in Wales across the Irish Sea to Dun Laoghaire and back. Each crossing took about 95 minutes.

This train took us from Dun Laoghaire where our ferry docked to Dublin and back

We toured Dublin on this hop-on hop-off bus.

Buses in Ireland have an Irish Setter on the side instead of a Greyhound

Entrance to the Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon Castle in western Wales

We visited a shale mine in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales

The south end of Lake Windermere along A592

The Dove Cottage was the home of Willam Wordsworth from 1799 to 1808.

We spent a couple of night at the Stoneycroft B&B near Keswick

The road near Stoneycroft B&B

The view from our room at the Stoneycroft B&B

Jessice was one of the kitties at Stoneycroft B&B

There was a steep drop off from this very narrow road

A lovely scene in Buttermere a few miles from the Stoneycroft B&B

England's farmers provide an easy way for walkers to get over fences without proving the same opportunity for their animals.

This sheep appears to have been playing in a paint ball game

Castlerigg Circle

Loch Fyne in Scotland

Oban, Scotland waterfront

We spent two nights at the Barriemore B&B in Oban, Scotland

The Oban, Scotland waterfront

The view from the Barriemore B&B in Oban

We road this ferry from Oban to the island of Mull and back. We were bussed across Mull from Craignure to Fionnphort where we caught a small ferry that took us on to Iona.

Iona Abbey

Iona's "downtown"

Highland cattle. We call them shags. The Commando Memorial is located approximately 1 mile NW of the Spean Bridge at the junction of the A82 and the B8004."In memory of the officers and men of the commandos who died in the second world war 1939 - 1945. This country was their training ground."

The Commando Memorial is located approximately 1 mile NW of the Spean Bridge at the junction of the A82 and the B8004."In memory of the officers and men of the commandos who died in the second world war 1939 - 1945. This country was their training ground."

Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness

A primitive stone cottage on the Culloden Battlefield.

Blair Castle is a little north of Pitlochry. It dates from 1269.

We had the grounds of the Blair Castle pretty much to ourselves since we arrived shortly after opening.

It was an incredibly peaceful and beautiful place to stroll through the woods.

We spent one night at the Craigroyston House in Pitlochry.

The view from our room at the Craigroyston House in Pillochry, Scotland.

This was our B&B in Edinburgh.

A view of Edinburgh from the Castle

The Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh was closed for a Church of Scotland function so we didn't get to go inside.

A building in Edinburgh

We stopped at the border between Scotland and England.

A reminder to drive on the "wrong" side of the road

The long "driveway" leading to Sewing Shields Farm B&B

Sewing Shields Farm B&B

A path behind the Sewing Shields B&B

Behind the Sewing Shields B&B

The view from Sewing Shields Farm B&B

Hadrian's Wall

Ruins of a Roman fort along Hadrian's Wall

Two little black faced lambs

We stopped for lunch at Toytop Park

Our B&B in York

A gate to York

Britain 1997

We were on a river cruise in York when this picture was taken

York Minster

York Minster interior

Saint Paul's cathedral in London

We visited Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard ceremony. It is the official London residence of the Quenn.

Britain 1997

Big Ben in London

Westminister Abbey in London. Since 1066 all but two sovereigns (Edward V and Edward VIII) have been crowned here.

Town of London

Geri mounted her steed in the Tower of London

Geri chatted quite awhile with this Beefeater at the Tower of London

The Four Bronze Horses of Helios was created by sculptor Rudy Weller in 1992. It is near Piccadilly Circus in London.

Geri has her right foot in the Eastern hemisphere and her left is in the Western hemisphere. The camera was facing due south.

Britain 1997

These photos were taken during a three week trip through Britain in May 1997. All photos were taken with two point and shoot cameras using color negative film. The negatives were scanned with a Nikon Coolscan V ED and processed with Photoshop before uploading.