Our holiday started with a flight into and a few days in Dublin. We had been looking forward to visiting Ireland for years, and Dublin was a great place to start, especially as cousins Colin and Jeanette flew over from England and met us there!

Also known as Brú na Bóinne, Newgrange is an ancient tomb, estimated to have been built approximately 3200BC. We took a coach tour to get us there, and the guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.

The Coach Tour also took us to the legendary Hill of Tara, home to Faeries and other mystical beings!

A day on a Hop-on/Hop-off included a visit to the Guinness Factory, which was really cool!. There are 6 or 7 levels to factory that you work your way up through, ending in a bar where you can have a Guinness!

Used as a location in several Game of Thrones episodes,The Dark Hedges is a spooky place. When we visited there was a light drizzle and a little mist, which made it feel even weirder!

The Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland. The day we were there it blew a gale, which I suspect is situation normal for the area. Spectacularly beautiful spot, well worth the effort to get there.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (locally pronounced carrick-a-reedy) is a famous rope bridge near Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede. Unfortunately the weather conditions had the bridge closed the day we visited 🙁

A very quick stop in the Capital of Northern Ireland, which looked very beautiful from the little we saw. Definitely worth a longer look!

Wicklow is the county town of County Wicklow and the capital of the Mid-East Region in Ireland. Very pretty town.

A quick stopover in Rosslare Harbour, which is one of the Ferry Ports. Not a whole lot to see or do here.

We noticed this quaint abandoned Church and Cemetary on the side of the road, and had to stop for a look around.

The Hook Lighthouse (also known as Hook Head Lighthouse) is a building situated on Hook Head at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford, in Ireland. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world and the second oldest operating lighthouse in the world. The guided tour is really well done and worth the money.

The Most Haunted House in the UK (So they say!) Unfortunately the house is closed most days, including the day we were there.

Home of Waterford Crystal. Dani went in for a look while I had a rest and a coffee in their cafe :)

The one and only Ferry crossing on the whole journey!

The grounds around Blarney Castle are just beautiful, and would take a couple of days to explore completely, I suspect. We saw the Blarney Stone, but declined to kiss it on hygiene grounds.

Once a stately home, now Bantry House is open to the public (for a fee, of course!)

I Stumbled across this little gem whilst researching, and was glad we made the effort to visit. Only a small collection, built by a family over many years, I really enjoyed chatting with the owner whilst taking my pictures.

It was a wild and wet day when we drove to see the Cliffs of Moher. It turned out to be way too misty to see much, but the surrounding area was just stunning.

Muckross House is a very stately home, on a beautiful grounds. There is a lot of history to explore here.

Bunratty Castle is a restoration of a very old Irish Castle. It gives a very good idea of life in medieval times.

We thought it would be funnier.

A few pictures taken driving between towns in County Cork, Ireland

A drive along the coast and through some quaint villages in County Kerry

Our last night in Ireland was an overnight stop in this delightful village, with a fantastic pub meal!

First stop in Scotland was the Capital, Edinburgh. We loved it, a city full of interesting places and stories.

Visiting the famous Edinburgh Castle was a must-do, and there proved to be a lot to see there. The Cannon being fired was a bit special, I wonder how many heart attacks it generates each year?

A Walking Tour is always a good way to see a new City, and we were lucky enough to have a fantastic guide (Max) on this one.

The Creepiest Tour in all of Edinburgh!

The Edinburgh Royal Mile stretches away from Edinburgh Castle for a Mile, and has a great assortment of History, Architecture and Shops!

Lots of stuff to see, the museum has a wide range of exhibits, including Dolly the Sheep!

Small Collection of cars, including tribute to James Bond, 007. Not really worth the bother unless you happen to be close.

The newest bridge over the Firth of Forth re-opened just a couple of weeks before we arrived. Pretty spectacular, and very nice of them to finish it before we got there!

Dunnotar Castle is a ruins on the Scottish Coast. Spectacular spot! Note that you can walk out to the ruins, but have to pay to go in.

Beautiful Hotel next to a running Salmon Stream. They even have their own graveyard for guests who complain! The history of the property is linked heavily to the Knights Templar.

This stunning castle and surrounding grounds is really worth a visit. Knowledgeable staff are available in most areas to answer questions and assist.

No trip to Scotland would be complete without a visit to at least ONE Whisky Distillery! As a long-time fan of Glenlivet, this choice was a no-brainer for me, and other than not being allowed to take pictures inside it was excellent!

We stopped to take a few pictures of the windswept Highlands.

First brought to our attention as a pivotol focus of the Outlander series, the history behind Culloden is really interesting, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of walking the fields and absorbing the visitors centre.

As we started our journey South through Scotland, we stopped for a look at this very pretty cathedral in Inverness.

Possibly the most famous piece of water in the world, we searched high and low for the monster, but to no avail!

The Loch Ness Visitor Centre is well worth a visit. It provides visitors with lots of information about Loch Ness and the Monster, and challenges you to form your own opinion on the truth of it all.

Perched on the banks of Loch Ness, this Castle Ruin is very popular with tourists!

We didn't have time to travel on the Steam Train at Fort William, but popped in to take a few pictures at least.

Neptune’s Staircase at Banavie, near Fort William just north of Loch Linnhe, is kept by Scottish Canals. It is the longest staircase lock in Britain, lifting boats 64 feet (20 m). It consists of eight locks, each 180 feet (55 m) by 40 feet (12 m), and it takes boats about 90 minutes to pass through the system.

Stunning Hills above Glencoe!

Probably the most breath-taking set of rapids and falls I've ever seen.. just beautiful!

Definitely one of the best presented and pristine castles in Scotland, the Armoury room just has to be seen to be believed!

Our last night in Scotland was spent in a little room out the back of a pub! Bit of a come-down after Mary Culter House, but the pub food was pretty good at least.

Last stop in Scotland... The destination of lovers... Gretna Green.. Nobody looked happy, go figure!

Driving into England, we stopped a few times for pictures as we drove through the Lake District, and down the side of Lake Windermere.

Really nice Motor Museum, with loads of historic automotive trivia and bric-a-brac. Features a very cool Donald Campbell Speed Record display in a separate building.

An overnight at this beautiful Manor was very pleasant. It was a bit difficult to find, even the GPS was confused!

We encountered a 'little bit' of fog driving through the Dales, which meant we saw nothing :(

Long time fans of the writings and TV shows of the legendary James Herriot, we couldn't possibly pass up on the opportunity to visit this tribute to his life and work. We were NOT disappointed, it was very cool!

One of the largest and most important Cathedrals in Europe, York Minster is definitely worth a look around for the beautiful architecture and art.

Another place of Legend, we all grew up hearing tales of Robin Hood and his home in Sherwood Forest. The tree reputed to be the meeting spot for Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men still stands in the forest, which is a really serene and beautiful spot.

A few pictures taken during a half day at the British Motor Museum, which is a really great exhibition that includes the Jaguar Collection and Lady Penelopes' Thunderbird Car!

A visit to the Donington F1 Collection proved much more interesting than I expected, as the collection contains MUCH more than F1 cars. Very much worth a look!

Overnighting at a B&B in a town called Woolavington, we awoke to a view of beautiful church and graveyard.

We stopped at Minehead and took a look at the historic Train Station there.

Next, we drove down to the deep south of Cornwall, to the delightful Penzance. We didn't get a lot of time to explore, unfortunately.

Advertised as the most haunted Jail in Britain, Bodmin is more a tourist trap than an authentic historical experience.

Another stop at a delightful Seaside town, and Dani finally got to sample Cockles, which she loved!

And on to Torquay, home of Fawlty Towers! We arrived late and with awful weather, so didn't get to see too much.

Unfortunately we were (again) pushed for time, so weren't able to explore the complex at Beaulieu, which looked pretty interesting. The village is just georgeous, however!

Another overnight, in Portsmouth this time. Seems like a really nice place, we liked it!

First stop for the day was Bognor Regis, another famous holiday destination. It was pretty much deserted, but would have been swarming with holiday-makers just a few weeks earlier.

The day we arrived in Kent there were high wind warnings, and it was blowing a gale! All the sea frontage walk ways were closed, and we were just about the only people silly enough to be out. The ocean breaking over the sea walls and the Channel Tunnel was just spectacular!

Back-tracking a few miles, we stayed overnight in a little Inn in Folkestone. Very quaint, especially the bathroom! A drive down to the harbour and a walk out on the ferry terminal gave us the opportunity to view the cliffs of Dover from a distance, and take some great pictures of the angry seas!

Deal is a little fishing town just east of Dover where I used to go fishing with my Dad as a teenager. It has hardly changed, and brought back many memories for me. We would have stopped for a look in the castle, but sadly Deal suffers the same fate as most english towns, in that parking is next to impossible. It must cost them billions in lost tourism.

As we turned north and started to make our way back up, first stop was Ramsgate. Again, we couldn't find anywhere to park or we would have explored and stayed for lunch. It looked to be a very pretty town.

We stopped by Canterbury to see the Cathedral, but it was covered in scaffold :( We walked around the town a little, very attractive place.

A quick trip through the Dartford tunnel under the Thames, and we headed towards Clacton-on-Sea to visit some relatives! Clacton is a brilliant little spot!

Chelmsford was a place which resonated from y past, so we popped in for a visit and found a very nice church there.

A day out on the Norfolk Broads was an absolute delight. Luckily we took Captain Arnie (The Staffordshire Terrier) along to navigate the perilous waterways! A very memorable day with great friends Jeanette and Colin (and Arnie!)

Next stop was a couple of days with the very hospitable and thoroughly loveable Beth and Ash at Walton-on-the-Naze, where we enjoyed some long walks, and brilliant ecology experience in the bays off Walton, and even went 10-pin bowling!

Pictures taken on the afore-mentioned ecology trip. Watch out for the Seals!

Next was a visit to cousin Jacqui and her husband Terry, who we had a fantastic time with! We visited an uncle (Clive) who is 93, and absolutely amazing! A quick trip past the house where our family lived before coming to Australia was a blast too!

A trip with Jacqui and Terry to Old Leigh-on-Sea (which I often visited on my Pushbike as a kid) showed us that the place has changed very little over the last 50 years, and is still a really pretty spot.

A walk along the sea-front at Southend, however, showed lots of changes. Some major landmarks (like the Golden Hind!) were gone, and only a small strip of amusement arcades remains. The Kursaal is still there, but is now a 10-pin bowling alley. Still loads to see and do there though, and we enjoyed a sea-food platter for lunch - just brilliant!

After a teary farewell to Jacqui, we hit the road again again for our final drive - into the heart of London where we would spend our last few days in the U.K. We dropped our luggage at our hotel in Bayswater, then returned the hire car. It was a lovely day, so we took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel via Hyde Park. That such a huge and beautiful park can still exist in the middle of London is just gob-smacking.

Leaving Hyde Park, we entered the streets of London and the famous Sloane Square, where we stopped for a breather!

A few pictures taking whilst walking between destinations in London. London truly is one of the greatest cities in the world, it has it all!

We missed out on a visit to the London Eye last year as we ran out of time - so we got in early this trip! AMAZING views of London from the eye, and it was eerily quiet and smooth. Great experience!

A half day in the famous Covent Garden Markets was well spent. Fantastic atmosphere, loads to see and do. We even stumbled across the East India Company!

Passing by the Supreme Court Building, we noticed that visitors were allowed, so we went in for a look!

Our visit to the beautiful Westminster Abbey was cut short when we discovered that visitors weren't allowed to take photographs. Considering they charge a heap to go in anyway, this is just nonsense.

Took a few shots of the Houses of Parliament as we walked past.

Same story as Westminster, no photos allowed. I was also surprised to discover that what used to be a mausoleum (if memory serves me correctly) underneath St Pauls has now been turned into a Cafe and Gift Shop??? Doesn't sound very sacred to me..

The British Museum is a wonderland, where we spent a day walking back into history. A really amazing and deeply interesting place.

We finally made it to the Palace and a Changing of the Guard! What happened to all their pretty red coats, I ask? The place was packed, can only imagine how busy it would be in peak tourist season! Very cool!

After watching the Changing of the Guard we walked back into the city through St James Park, which is just beautiful. We couldn't believe the size of the Ducks, they must eat well!

Whilst in London we stayed in Bayswater, which turned out to be a brilliant spot. Lots of great restaurants, close to the tube etc..

I grabbed a few shots of the amazing London Underground! And sadly, our trip is done and we have to go home. It was all amazing - I hope you have enjoyed the pictures!