Our time in the UK was running short and it was time to beeline from Scotland back to London. For many UK residents, this is a un-thinkable trip however for us Aussies, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to spend 2 days in the car. Thank goodness we had booked a hire car with unlimited mileage!

Scotland farewelled us with grey skies and rain. It made for a very moody drive as we faded out of the spectacular scenery of the Highlands down towards Glencoe.

Due to accommodation availability, we zig zagged across the South of Scotland to some accommodation in Stirling. There were a few surprises for us in this part of the world. First, one for Mary, the Pineapple House.

Built as a folly for enjoying the views, the pineapple was a symbolism of wealth and was representative of exotic places. Tropical fruits were not commonly available when the structure was built in 1761 and this grand toast to the sweet pineapple is a reflection of the family who had extensive glasshouses to grow tropical fruits. Left to the care of the National Trust, this building is sadly not open to the public.

The next surprise, was for Rob, the Falkirk wheel. This engineering masterpiece is a boat lift which connects two canals (the fourth and clyde and the Union canals) as part of the Scottish Locks regeneration of canals to connect Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is a modern answer to a former existence of a lock flight (think like flight of stairs) which once connected the lochs. The wheel lifts boats 24 metres up to the next canal in a smooth and fast turn of key. It is the only lift of it’s kind in the world.

Day two of our long drive saw us cross the Scottish border and back into England. We couldn’t cross past this part of the world without making a stop at the famous Hadrian’s Wall. This wall was begun by the romans in 122BC and run the entire width of England, with a significant portion still in tact today. The wall had a series of turrets, castles and forts along the way, many with extensive ruins which you can explore.

The Roman’s eventually abandoned the wall, but it’s remnants stand testament to their advanced society. Leaving behind the traces of early heating systems and sewerage. It was truly amazing to see the beginnings of many inventions we still use today.

From The Wall, it was pretty much rubber to the road until we reached the Cotswolds. With our car hire running out, we had little time to spare in the picturesque region but managed to squeeze in time for a cream tea by the river Avon.