Canberra to Okehampton

We've discovered that it's a ridiculously long way to the UK. The trip over with our friends at Qantas was quite nice and the service was great, but sleep proved elusive so the in-flight entertainment got a bit of a beating. Had to get off at Dubai (local time 11:30pm, temperature 35 degrees) for about 2 hours freedom from seats 55A and 55B, and waved goodbye to our seats forever at Heathrow at 5:30am.

We have a hire car for the next three weeks - a silver Audi A3 diesel. Nice to drive, but like all diesels a bit under performing on big hills. A brief moment of panic when our GPS failed to pick up any satellites, but all is good now. We got to Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey) nice and early and took our tour through the house and gardens. Very impressive. We then hit the road again to Stonehenge, which is probably most impressive when seen from the A303. We also got a close-up look and some nice sandwiches there before the long drive to Devon.

We got to Okehampton by 4pm, by which time we both felt pretty tired and unhygienic. A brief stop for groceries and then to our accommodation in a villa on a nearby farm. Fantastic location with an old stone farm next to us, and Dartmoor virtually on our doorstep. A very nice pub only minutes away which sells the best Somerset cider Phil has ever tasted, with nice traditional pub food too.

An early night? You bet. We both passed out by 8.