The Wettest Summer in 100 Years . . .

We're back in England and everyone we run into keep apologising for the horrid weather we've been having.  Apparently England is in the midst of its wettest summer in 100yrs and it has been the wettest June on record!
But we can't let that stop us getting out and about and enjoying the time we have left here before we head towards the sun on The Continent (aka over our side of the world as Europe).
"It's not rain, it's liquid sunshine" is Glenn's saying of the moment.

As we drove down the tiny little country lane into Low Park Wood Caravan Club Site set amidst hundreds of forest trees alongside a river, and as the sun started to filter it's warmth through the canopy, we knew we were in for a great couple of days.

Our pitch at Low Park Wood Caravan Club Site.

Our time here was spent basking in the glorious sunshine.  We walked down traditional English Public Footpaths, across fields (some with huge cows), beside rivers and aquaducts (no longer used for water but filled with wild flowers and raspberries).  We walked into the little village of Sedgwick and picnicked along the way, on our way back to camp we stopped on a rocky beach beside the river and skimmed pebbles.

The Public Footpath across the river towards the village of Sedgwick.

Feeling like giants walking through Sedgwick.

A visit to the Lake District would not be complete without a trip to Lake Windermere - the largest lake in England - and so we piled into Swifty and headed to the lake about 12 miles up the road.
A very large town, exclusive and expensive looking, we drove down to the Ferry where we found a motorhome friendly carpark (a rare find in England we can tell you). We caught the Ferry as pedestrians over to the other side of the lake for 50p each and walked around the lake for a while, stopping to have some award winning local pies for lunch.  This side of the lake was beautiful and with minimal traffic or people it was the perfect place to walk or ride around the lake and take in the surrounding forests and lakeside.

The Forest Footpaths.

Our special picnic spot where we ate the award winning local pies.

The amazing trees spread throughout the forest around the lake.

Lake Windermere.

South of the Lake District and near the Welsh border was one of our favourite spots - the Forest of Dean.  Our campsite for the next four days was called Christchurch.  It was a big, open, and in some spots very muddy field surrounded on four sides by the forest.  We were surrounded by a true mixture of campers - lots of families camping together, Silver Nomads, cycle tourists, mountain bikers, Dads with their kids for the weekend.  It was a fabulous ecclectic campsite.  The forest itself was amazing.  We walked for 10.5km one day (without telling the kids exactly how far we had gone) through the forest, along ditches filled with tadpoles and down to the river at Symonds Yat Rock where we watched canoes paddling over the rapids.  Just near our campsite there were wonderful log cabins for hire - something we would love to do one day (although it's a little far to come for the weekend from NZ!)  It was here at Forest of Dean that the girls saw their first rainbow in Britian.

The walking/riding paths through the Forest of Dean.

Three of the hundreds of tadpoles we came across in a ditch alongside the path.

The river at Symonds Yat.

Forest of Dean.

After all the forests and walks it was time for some kiddy stuff and so we headed to Watford and the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour . . . it was incredible and after 4 hours we didn't want to leave - only it was closing time.  From the minute we walked through the doors, collected our Audio Guides and were ushered into the Cinema room the excitement from everyone there was palpable.  Once the Cinema presentation concluded, the curtains opened and we were faced with the "real" doors to Hogwarts.  We were all dumbstruck, starstruck, blown away.  To walk into the Great Hall was an experience that everyone - Harry Potter fan or not - should get to experience.  Not to mention exploring the costumes, wigs, props, sets, common rooms, potion room, Dumbledore's office, the Dark Arts, mystical creatures, Hagrids Bike, 4 Privet Drive, Diagon Alley, the arts dept, the sketches, paper models of Hogwarts School and the huge resin model of the enitre Hogwarts campus.  Photos won't do it justice (although I will post a few) it is something you need to see for yourselves. 

Taashi - Harry Potter was magical.  I loved seeing how they made all the broomsticks fly with the green background, big arms gliding, bucking and thrashing the broomsticks around.

Tilly - Harry Potter was totally wicked and magical.  When we first entered was the most exciting part because we hadn't seen anything and we were so excited and then the doors to Hogwarts opened.  It was cool.

Glenn - Incredible detail.  The number of props, 3000 wands, 3000 Hogwarts robes.  The bit that stands out was the sketches, artwork and models.  From the concept to paper models to resin models.  Awestruck.  You think you realise how much work goes into this sort of thing but I didn't realise the extent.