Great Britain Trip 2022 – Day 1
It’s Sunday July 10th, 2022. Over the next two weeks, I will be visiting Great Britain with my three sons. The last time the Franklin men took a trip together was in 2019, when we all travelled to San Francisco and the wine valleys, a trip we all loved.
Today was a long day with a 500 mile drive from London to St. Andrews. We landed in London at 6:30 a.m., drove Northeast to York, where we stopped to walk around and had lunch. We then hugged the Northumberland Coast until we got to Bamburgh castle, where we spent some time walking the beach and sand dunes. We then drove past The Renaissance Club, where the Scottish Open was finishing up, through Edinburg, Scotland, and on to Lower Largo in Fife, where we arrived at 10 p.m., and where we would spend the next two nights while attending two practice rounds at The Open at St. Andrews.
Elizabeth will be in Boston for the next two weeks taking care of James while his dad is with with us in Great Britain. And she is so happy to spend two weeks with James and Bridget, who is also looking forward to Lizzy’s stay.
When we arrived at Heathrow, we got through customs very quickly, picked up our rental car at 8 a.m. and started our drive from London to Scotland. We were originally going to stop in Durham to visit the great cathedral there, but called an audible and stopped at York instead. I am glad we did. York is a city with Roman origins, with impressive Roman walls and also has an amazing cathedral, referred to as York Minster, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. York also had beautiful medieval streets that were fun to walk. I would suggest that York could be an excellent home base for several days from which to take day trips.
After lunch, we headed up the Northumberland Coast, referred to in Great Britain as an AONB (“Area of Natural Beauty”) to Bamburgh Castle. The oldest part of this castle dates from the sixth century when the kings of Northumbria built a mighty escarpment towering 150 feet above the North Sea. And since that time, it has been enhanced and enlarged over the centuries, becoming home to English and Viking Kings alike. Surrounded by incredible natural beauty, Davis, Jack, Carter and I agreed that it might be the most impressive castle we have ever visited. In addition, the hiking along the Northumberland Coast looked amazing. I want to come back here and hike some day.
After our visit to Bamburgh, we drive another 2.5 hours into Scotland, through Edinburg, and into Fife, our home for the next several days, while we attend The Open.
