ITINERARI England

Després de 7 anys fent els viatges fora d’Europa, aquest any hem passat l’estiu a Gran Bretanya. Agafant vols i dies diferents, però a finals de mes comença el nostre viatge junts des de Bournemouth.
La primera setmana la passem a Poole, on els Fulton (una família molt amable i agradable que un de nosaltres ja havia conegut) ens ofereix poder estar a casa seva una setmana mentre van de vacances, a canvi de cuidar-los en Dylan (el gos) i regar una mica les plantes i l’hort. Així doncs, mentre la Fiona, en Collin i l’Alexander estan a Canaries, nosaltres ens quedem a casa seva. Una bona manera de començar el nostre viatge. En realitat, no ens movem massa del barri residencial on estem instal•lats i des del primer dia seguim els horaris i complim amb algunes costums que ens semblen molt angleses, així que sopem a les 6 de la tarda, dos cops al dia passegem en Dylan, anem a córrer fins a la platja i voltem sense pressa per la zona per fer una birra o un tè. Quan marxem de Poole, lloguem un cotxe i comencem la nostra ruta pel sud. Primera parada, Portsmouth, on coincidim amb la Noe i en Joe que coneixen molt bé la zona. La ciutat és curiosa, té una geografia molt particular i amb les explicacions d’en Joe, podem descobrir l’origen de moltes coses. Quan baixa el sol, anem a una mena de placeta a la punta del moll que és un agradable punt de reunió per fer unes “pints”. Al cap de poca estona, coneixem la Sally i en Peter (família d’en Joe) i tots 6 passem un vespre ben agradable, al restaurant Jamie’s (que s’està fent lloc entre la restauració mundial), la nit acaba entre converses i fent la darrera copa al jardí de casa seva. L’endemà, fem un bon esmorzar al Tenth Hole i tastem les gustoses Jacked potatoes. Després d’unes compres i alguna volta, deixem la ciutat. La nostra conducció per l’esquerra no és tan complicada com pensàvem i ens movem pel país, amb tota tranquil•litat. La següent parada serà al The Shoe, a Exter, per fer un fantàstic dinar abans d’arribar a Ghillingham: petit poble sense massa encant, però convenientment situat. De camí veiem Stonehedge entre un dens trànsit de cotxes, fet que ens fa decidir no tornar-hi, la foto ja la tenim! Visitem Mere, concretament Stourhead, més meravellats per les hectàrees de jardins que pels interiors de la gran casa d'època. Passegem per Shaftesbury, petit poblet d’interior amb vistes a tota la zona rural, i també Salisbury, amb molt més moviment i gent. Carreguem maletes al cotxe i ens parem a Bath, on fem una breu visita i veiem una ciutat ordenada i plena de turistes. Dormim a Saltford, i des d’allà anem a Bristol que no té res a veure amb la ciutat anterior, potser no tan bonica d'entrada, però en tot cas més viva: passegem, visitem el Mshed Museum, busquem algun rastre de Banksy pels carrers i amb la Sam i en Tim anem a veure el Clifton Bridge, fet per Brunnel el 1864! Tornem a la carretera i entrem a Wales!!!

After 7 years travelling further Europe, we spent last summer in the UK. We flew in different days and flights, but our trip together started at the end of the month in Bournemouth airport. 

We spent our first week in Poole where the Fultons' (a kind and nice family that one of us had already met) offered us to stay at their house in exchange for taking care of Dylan (the dog) and the garden. So, Fiona, Collin and Alexander went to Gran Canaria and we spent the week in their house; an excellent beginning!

We were in a peaceful neighbourhood and we didn't go too far from it, we enjoy getting use to the English routine. So, we had dinner at 6 (long hours before we usually do), we walked Dylan twice a day, we went jogging until the beach and we went around having a tea or a beer in some locals.

After a week, we hired a car and we left Poole, that was the beginning of our route through the south of England.

First stop: Portsmouth, where we met Noe and Joe who know the area perfectly. It's an interesting and special city because of its geography and Joe helped us to understand much better the place and its origins. When the sun went down, we went near the pier to drink a beer, at a pleasant gathering place. After a while, we met sally and Peter (Joe’s family) and the six of us had a nice evening at Jamie’s restaurant (owned by a famous well-know chef). The night ended up having a drink at their home's garden. Next day, we had some tasteful Jacked potatoes for breakfast at the Tenth Hole and after that, we went shopping and we left the city.

Driving on the left side was not as difficult as we expected, so we drove  without worries everywhere. We sttoped to have a great lunch at the Shoe, in Exter, before getting Gillingham, a village not as charmingly, as convenient.

In our way to the village, we got stuck in a traffic jam near Stonehenge. So, we took a picture of it from the distance and we decided we wouldn't come back next day. We visited other places in the area, as Stourhead  in Mere  (a country villa with gorgeous gardens), Shaftesbury, and small village with great countryside views and Salisbury, more alive and busier.

We picked up our bags and got into the car again driving until the tidy and clean tourist city of Bath. We slept in Salford and from there we headed Bristol, a place complete different from the one we had seen the day before, a plece not as nice and clean as Bath, but more intense and alive. We visited the Mshed Museum, we looked for Banksy street graffiti’s and we met Sam and Tim who showed us a new neighbourhood  where there is the Clifton Bridge (made for Brunnel in 1864).

We hitted the road again and we arrived in Wales!!