I traveled to England and Scotland with my boyfriend from May 4-15th, 2014.  We flew into London and spent a few days there.  Although I had been before, you can never really get enough of this beautiful city or see everything. It would take a life time to do that.   That first day, we walked from our hotel down to Primrose Hill and Little Venice.  There was a beautiful view of the city from the top of Primrose Hill.

Our first full day in London was spent touring several iconic  tourist spots from the Big Red Bus.  We made stops at Tower Bridge, Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, and Picadilly Circus.

After a quick dinner at the hotel, we grabbed our cameras and headed back downtown via the Underground.  Our goal was to take some pictures of Tower Bridge at night.  I think we accomplished our goal!!

The next morning we hopped back on the Underground.  We really mastered it after a couple of days!  We went straight to Buckingham Palace.  We got there just in time for the changing of the guards.  We did not plan it; we were just extremely lucky!!

After the Changing of the Guards, we took the Underground to St. Paul’s Cathedral area to meet Will’s niece and nephew for lunch.  We had a delicious lunch at Madison Restaurant where we enjoyed a gorgeous panoramic view of the city.  After lunch, we walked around St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Our last view of London was from the Eye.

From London, we flew north to Newcastle.  We visited with family in Newcastle which is where my boyfriend grew up.   We got to see many of the most popular sites in the surrounding area with the best tour guides ever!!  One of the top destinations I had on my list was the Farne Islands.  My goal; some amazing pictures of Puffins.  I was delighted to see several Puffins and as well as many other amazing birds and seals.

On the way back to Newcastle, we stopped to photograph Bamburgh Castle from multiple vantage points.    We also had to stop so I could take photographs of a gorgeous field of rapeseed.  I first saw the bright yellow fields from the airplane.  The yellow color was so intense, it didn’t seem natural.

The next day trip was to Durham, just a short drive from Newcastle.  Durham Cathedral was the highlight; founded in AD 1093, Durham Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site  and one of the finest examples of Norman architecture.

One of the other things I really wanted to do on this trip was to visit Scotland.   We didn’t have a lot of time so we planned to drive to Edinburgh, just 2 hours from Newcastle.  We weren’t sure exactly what day we would go, but then we heard that the Red Hot Chilli Pipers were playing in a free concert in Princes Street Park on Saturday.  SO, Saturday it was!  We drove almost the entire distance in rain, but it all cleared up by the time we got there.  What luck!!

Before the concert, we had time to explore the city, primarily along the Royal Mile.  We toured Edinburgh Castle, located at the end of the Royal Mile.

We drove back to Newcastle and decided it was finally time to explore this beautiful city.  We went to the city centre and along The River Tyne.  There are so many beautiful bridges, including the modern Millennium Bridge.  The city is a mix of new and old and lots of Kittiwakes nesting on the bridges and buildings.

Our last big day was spent hiking along Hadrian’s Wall.  Hadrian’s Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain, begun in AD 122 during the rule of emperor Hadrian. A significant portion of the wall still exists and can be followed on foot along the Hadrian’s Wall Path.  Hadrian’s Wall is very close to the Scotish border, but is actually entirely within the borders of England.  It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.  What an amazing experience this was!  We only hiked a few miles of it but were in awe of how much work it was to build, especially in AD 122.

On our very last day in Newcastle, we stayed close to home (actually Blaydon) and explored the local park.  We also went out to see the “allotment”, a garden plot just acquired by our family member.  I teased him; it looks more like shanty-town!  What a fabulous trip overall!  I can’t wait to go back.