Our time in England is quickly drawing to a close. We had planned to go to Dublin during the school mid-term break, but plans starting falling through. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to squeeze in one last trip before we move, we shifted gears and I ran to the library for some travel books. With less than a week to plan, I mapped out our Southern Road Show. These three books were my right hands as Ryan drove us across theca country while I played the role of navigator. It was a fantastic trip! The Cornwall district is beautiful! So there are lots of photos to come . . .
To us, driving one or two hours, one way, for a day trip is not a big deal. But for many of my British friends, they have family who live less than two hours away whom they don't see very often because, relatively speaking, it's a fairly long drive. This country is very small, after all! So many of my friends were surprised at how much driving we packed into five days, but it really wasn't bad at all.
The first day held our longest driving stretches. Two hours to our first stop: Bristol.
Rooke recently learned in school about Issambard Kingdom Brunel, an engineer responsible for many of the bridges, tunnels, and ships built in the UK during the 19th century. So we carved out time to see one of the bridges Mr. Brunel designed and built.
Then we drove to the George Muller museum house. George Muller cared for thousands of orphans in Bristol in the 19th century, trusting God completely for financial provision, never making appeals for money. It was great to learn more about his life and deep faith. The museum was housed in one of the houses where orphans were helped, and active ministry still happens there today.
The grounds were beautiful.
Then back in the car for the longest stretch of the trip. We drove three hours straight to Mawgan Porth, where we were rewarded with a beautiful beach and a coastal walk along the cliffs to stretch our legs with breathtaking views.
We stayed in a different hotel each night. The kids loved anticipating what the set-up would be and figuring out where everyone would sleep. We've not had much experience all sleeping in the same room, so I wasn't sure how it would go. But I am thrilled to report that all four nights everyone went to sleep without any problems. Bridgette was the biggest surprise of all, laying down in her pack-n-play and listening to the bedtime story without fussing at all. It made the trip SO much more enjoyable.
We stayed our first night in Newquay at a B&B that was a five-minute walk to this beautiful beach with some great rocks to climb on. After taking in the views (and snapping some photos), we climbed around for a long time. Rooke was especially adventurous and sure-footed.
From Newquay, we drove to Godrevey Beach and Lighthouse (seen in the distance below), which is part of St. Ives Bay. The tide was way out, so we played in the sand. Gretchen is our beach babe. I've always said she was made for the islands, and this trip confirmed that!
We drove into St. Ives for lunch. Aside from needing more spaces for parking, it was a lovely town and we enjoyed our lunch from the market stalls and a walk around.
Cornish ice cream in Cornwall - yum!
Last stop of the day was St. Michael's Mount, a medieval church and castle that is now home to the St. Aubyn family! I loved seeing my sister's name in print all over the place!! The extremely old and impressive fortress is located on an island that is accessible by a stone path when the tide is out. We had to ride in a boat out to the island and took in the amazing views once we'd climbed to the top. The kids were given a quiz to complete and turn in for a medal that helped us keep up a good pace (thank you, National Trust!). Then we drove on to our next hotel to rest up for another day of exploring.
