Group Returns from British Isles Trip
By Suzanne Camp
A group of 13 participants from Leon and Wakulla Counties joined thirty-five other people from Texas and Missouri on a 17 day adventure to the British Isles. The trip began in Ireland where we first went to Bog Village, an old village which allows visitors to visualize how people lived in Ireland in the 18th century. There were houses with thatched roofs where the people lived, as well as workshops and tools from that time period. The residents of that time burned peat that they gathered from the peat bogs to heat their homes.
Later that day, we explored Bunratty Castle (pictured at left). Originally, Vikings had resided at this site. In the late 1200’s the first stone castle was built here. It was destroyed and rebuilt by various warring parties over the years. The present castle was built here in 1425.
The following day, we saw Ross Castle and took a bus tour around the Ring of Kerry which had green mountains with lush greenery, creeks and waterways. Along the hillsides, there was an abundance of wild rhododendrons with pink blooms, a yellow shrub called gorse, and loads of wildflowers. Sheep and cattle were often seen grazing on the hillsides which were very, very green. There is an Irish saying that there are 40 shades of green in Irish hillsides. We certainly enjoyed lots of green views. The mountains were covered in green. It really was a pretty country. (Pictured at right: Cassi McFarland, Lauren Staudenmaier, Taylor Blanton and Suzanne Camp on Irish hillside.)
On day three, we enjoyed a visit to Blarney Castle and the surrounding area. The castle was originally built before 1200 AD, but was destroyed in 1446 and was later rebuilt. Some rooms are intact and others are in partial ruins. Blarney castle is known for the Blarney Stone, a stone which legend says if kissed, will give the gift of eloquent speech. In order to kiss it, one must lie down on his back, bend over upside down and kiss the blarney stone. (Pictured at left: Bob Blanton kissing the Blarney Stone.)
There were many neighborhoods in Ireland with houses with thatched roofs. What was remarkable was how beautifully landscaped and maintained the yards were. The yards were all small, but every yard we saw appeared to be perfectly manicured, free of weeds, and full of blooming flowers. We saw lots of poppies, red hot poker plants, salvia, geraniums, and several other plants that we couldn't identify.
We went into Trinity College Library in Dublin and saw the Book of Kells, which is an old version of the four gospels with pictures drawn on it by monks from the early Middle Ages. The intricate drawings by the monks from many centuries ago are incredible. The students really enjoyed seeing the vast collection of the very aged books in the library.
Another interesting stop along the way was a walk down into Crag Cave, which is an underground cave with many stalactites and stalagmites. We climbed down into the dark, murky cave to witness the interesting natural features below the ground.
To travel to Wales, we took an Irish Ferry, which looked more like a small cruise ship. We were all so tired that most of us just chose to sleep on the ferry. Once in Wales, we visited the ruins of Beaumaris Castle, which was surrounded by a moat (pictured at right). We walked through dark walkways inside the castle and climbed up to the top of it and had a great view of the surrounding countryside. We stopped in a town whose name is so long, that none of us can spell it, or even pronounce it. I cannot imagine being a child from that town and having to learn how to spell it! The name is (really!)
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!
In Scotland, we went to a cute little village called Glencoe Village (pictured at left). The houses were all so neat with beautiful little yards that were bursting with colorful blooms from flowers so carefully planted. Each house looked as if it belonged on a post card. We went to Loch Ness, which is a really long river, or Loch. We saw no signs of Nessie, but we did experience an interesting show in the museum which told the history of the legend of the Loch Ness Monster and all the efforts which were made to verify or deny her existence.
In another town in which we stopped along the way, some of us took an energetic hike. We saw some giant trees along the way that were hundreds of years old. We went to Stirling Castle and took a tour. It had some fine tapestries on the walls. We rode by several other castles or palaces and then toured Edinburgh Castle where we saw the crown jewels, the grand banquet hall, and toured several rooms inside. While we were there, a wedding was taking place in the chapel and we were fortunate enough to see the bride and groom, and listen to a Scotsman in a kilt playing the bagpipes for the wedding ceremony.
After the castle tour, we had free time to walk around Edinburgh. We did some shopping and toured the Art Gallery of Scotland where they had the work of many well known artists such as Monet and Van Gogh. We spent the night in a hotel in McDuff, Scotland which was across the street from the marina. The rocky shore was pretty, but the signs saying that there was oil pollution in the water kept us out of it!
The last country we toured was England. We started out in Chester, England, a walled city. We went to Rydal Mount, the home of poet William Wordsworth's family from 1813 to 1850 (pictured at right). We toured the house and surrounding gardens. The lovely gardens surrounding the home were landscaped by Wordsworth himself. He wrote much of his poetry in this house and on the surrounding grounds.
We traveled to York and briefly toured a magnificent old cathedral, York Minster, which is the largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. We then walked in the rain to a shrine for a martyr, Saint Margaret Clitherow.
We next drove to Stratford on Avon and toured Anne Hathaway's Cottage (William Shakespeare's wife) and gardens (pictured at left), as well as Shakespeare's birthplace. The cottage contained the marriage bed of Shakespeare and his wife which was a canopy bed which kept the insects from falling from the thatched roof onto anyone sleeping.
The following day we went to Bath, England where we saw the ancient Roman baths (pictured below), ancient artifacts, parts of columns, pottery, and Roman coins. It was amazing what still remains of civilizations from so long ago.
After some free time for lunch and exploring in Bath, we went to Stonehenge. They no longer let you go right up to the stones, because people were vandalizing them, but you can get within about 75 feet at one point.
Our last three days were spent in London. We saw Buckingham Palace and the changing of the Guard. Nelson Mandela was in town, but we didn't see him. While we were walking to the palace, right beside us, a big delivery truck crashed into a policeman on a motorcycle. We didn’t think he had survived, but later learned that he survived with some broken bones and a punctured lung.
We went to the British museum and spent an hour there and saw mummies in the Egyptian exhibit, some ancient Greek statues, ancient stone carvings from Iraq and many other interesting things. We walked around Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus. We walked by the Queen’s residence, Buckingham Palace, as well as Prince Charles’ and Camilla’s residence.
We rode the London Eye, which is like a giant, enclosed 30 minute ferris wheel ride which gives you a fabulous view of the city. After the ride finished, we took a river cruise on the Thames River where the guide pointed out many of the magnificent sights to see, and identified the bridges under which we traveled, such as the Tower Bridge, as well as the buildings we saw, such as the Tower of London, the clock tower containing the bell affectionately known as Big Ben, the Parliament Building, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Of course, a trip to London would not be complete without a ride on the underground (subway) and a double decker bus. A great time was had by all.
If you think a trip like this would interest you, you’re in luck. We have begun signing up participants for next year’s trip, so if you’re interested in joining us, sign up this month. Next year’s trip will be a 13 day adventure to Italy, Greece and Turkey. Three days of the trip will be a Greek Island Cruise. To see a detailed itinerary, go to www.eftours.com/IAG . The student cost for this is $3712 and the adult cost is $4282. To sign up, contact group leader, Robert Wallace at
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or 877-3111, Suzanne Camp at
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or 926-1550 or Bob Blanton at
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or 671-4737.
Click here for an amazing British Isles trip photo gallery by Suzanne Camp!
This article originally published on July 6, 2008.
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