Take a hat

Over the Purbeck Hills Its been a wet Winter  Swanage is a bit of an old fashioned seaside resort. It is a regular biking destination which normally means a ride over the Heath from the Sandbanks Ferry to Corfe and then a trip down Sandy Hill Lane to Swanage. Today the Sandbanks Ferry was closed for maintenance so I opted for the Number 50 bus from Bournemouth to Swanage, free with my bus pass, and then a walk to Corfe. The hilltop walk over the Purbeck Ridge is pretty special, wild, windswept and empty. To get there it is simply a matter of walking east along the beach until the steps near the end of the bay. From there you hug the coast to Ballard Point and then cut back North and follow the markers. On your right is Studland Bay and Poole Harbour, on your left Swanage Bay. Ahead is wonderful Dorset countryside and, even on a dull day, you can see for miles. A bit strange being back in UK after our recent travels, still feel bit of a tourist. Had lunch in my favourite bak...

Life at the top - 19th November 2012 Sky High -View from the Peak Going up the slope to the peak Safely to the top! After a good sleep we jumped back into 'The Flying Pan', for eggs, bacon and beans before walking to the Peak Tram Station, about half an hour away.  The Peak Tram, like the Star Ferry, is a bit of an institution in Hong Kong. The tram cars take you up to the Peak via a ridiculously steep track in under 10 minutes. It costs about £5.50 return including the Sky Terrace. All sense of perspective is lost on the way up and buildings look to have been built at ridiculous angles.  Could have done without the long queue, but it gave us time to read about the history and it was a really good ride up. In early colonial days the Tram had three classes. Third class was for non-resident civilians and animals - that would be us then! Tourists - Peak performance Nice View on the Peak Nice humble abode on the Peak The route to the panorami...

Hong Kong 18th -20th Nov 2012 Hong Kong Island from Kowloon After an overnight flight from Auckland on ANZ we landed at the new Hong Kong Airport. Well, new to me anyway. The last time I landed here the Airport was at Kai Tak and you could almost look into the windows of flats alongside the runway.  A fast train sped us into Hong Kong Station where we jumped into a taxi for our Hotel.  The train cost $160 (£14) and the taxi $30 (£3).  The driver did not know our hotel or the street it was in which was a worry.  I suppose Wellington has another name in the Chinese language.  After asking directions he got us to the Butterfly on Wellington.  We were at the scruffy end of the street next to a market.  The Hotel was nice inside though.  It was 25 storeys high but there were only three rooms per floor so it resembled an upturned pencil.  The first thing I did was check out the fire escapes.  There were two staircases, one each side. ...

The Finish of Our Tour Down Under in Victoria - November 2012 Our Aussie Tour Down Under  When you look on a map your realise what an enormous country Australia is. We only travelled a small corner of the State of Victoria but we were determined not to hurry and we did not want to spend too much time at the wheel. We could have quite happily stayed much longer in many of the places we passed through on our short trip. There was plenty of variety in terms of scenery, vegetation and wildlife. Did not see any snakes or vicious spiders but I bet they saw us!  Back over the Tasman to Auckland - 15th to 17th November Melbourne Airport is a busy old place. Good job we were there nice and early. We always seem to get caught out by the darn departure cards. We waited in a queue for ages and could have occupied part of the time completing the card. Unfortunately we only received the card after we had checked in. We then had to hurriedly complete them 'on the hoof'. Grhhh! Anywa...

From the Ocean to the Airport - 14th November After all the wonderful, sometimes quirky, places we stayed it was somehow appropriate that we should end our trip in a concrete cell. Plain white sheets, white walls and a swipe card for entry. We were at the Melbourne Airport Ibis Budget.(A$114/night) - clean and convenient. Inverloch Surf Beach Earlier in the day we had stopped at the Inverloch Surf Beach and then headed back towards the City. Our lunch stop was a Cafe in Baxter from where we carried on into suburbia before joining the bayside coast at Frankston. We had a look at the beach which was OK but we had been well and truly spoiled by the Prom and Inverloch. A very helpful Lady at the Tourist Office copied a map of the Airport and of Moorabbin where we were going to visit an old colleague. We drifted slowly up the coast with plenty of time to spare and took the Beach Road, the famous weekend cycle route. Blackrock and Sandringham were stop off points along the way. Parki...

Last day at the prom - 13th November On the rocks - Squeaky Beach We did not know about Wilsons Promontory before this visit so, obviously, it was not originally on our itinerary. What a delight we would have missed! It's a National Park about 90 minutes from Inverloch. The route there is via a good country road. We quite like driving past the paddocks bordered by Gum Trees. Once into the Park it is all Native Bush. They have had a few bush fires but it is evidently growing back. Severe flooding has also caused damage so some areas were closed when we visited. There are camp sites and cabins at Tidal River. It would certainly be good spot to stay and go walking. The beaches are 'to die for'. We only had time for some short walks but we saw Kangaroo and Wombat and a variety of different birds.  The Kookaburra is a personal favourite. We ate at the Cafe in the camp. We both had a gigantic box of Fish and Chips, and sat safely inside. Three Aussie student blokes sat out...

Heading East to Inverloch - 12th November Seaside in Cowes, Phillip Island After a quick look at Phillip Island in daylight we headed eastwards towards Inverloch along the Bass Highway. At Wonthaggi we turned South towards Cape Paterson and followed the coast road. It's a bit like the Ocean Road only much quieter. There was a terrific wind from the West that nearly blew us over as we stopped at the Eagles Nest. Victoria certainly has a stunning coastline! Inverloch is a nice little Town and the helpful Tourist Office in Wonthaggi had fixed us up with accommodation in a street a short distance from the town centre. Birdies in Cowes Near the Eagles Nest Getting some air at the Eagles Nest Fossil hunting Inverloch - one of the beaches Into the wind on the Estuary Our garden Studio in a tropical garden Our new hosts had a small, but almost tropical, garden in Bayview Avenue. Within it was a comfortable annexe that was to be our residence for the...

Anyone for Tennis? - November 11th One of Torquay's many beaches Next day, after a hearty breakfast, we played tennis in the Torquay sunshine. Our host's were good players, we hit the ball OK but I struggled to serve. It was good fun though and was followed by a paddle in the sea. After lunch in Torquay Town we said our thanks and goodbyes and headed for Queenscliff and the 4 o'clock car ferry across the mouth of Melbourne Bay to Sorrento. Perfect calm and sunny weather made this a very enjoyable one hour cruise. It cost about £40. A very reasonable price really as it would cost that much in Petrol if we had driven round the bay in the Yaris. TW had announced that she wanted to see the Penguins at Phillip Island so we needed to step on the gas to get there before dark. We found time for some Fish and Chips at San Remo before arriving in good time for the Penguin march up the beach to their nesting area. Some of the Penguins travel 2 km inland through the Car Park so yo...