Back to England we go.....

We landed an hour late and then in Prestwick the signs were really bad, so we walked right out of the security area without getting our bags. So we sat around for about 25 minutes waiting for them to bring us our bags. When we went through Dublin we had to go through the passport counter first and then get our bags and go through customs, so I was really not a happy camper considering we got in late and then had to wait again. We finally got on the road and headed to our first stop, yep another castle. Caerlaverock Castle (http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertydetail/propertyabout.htm?PropID=PL_047&PropName=Caerlaverock Castle) was the last one on this trip and it was a nice one. I think all of these castles they charge kids to get into should have a playground, so the kids were very excited they got to get out an run around at the park and green rolling hills around this castle. We had lunch at the castle cafe, grilled ham and cheese and crisps all around, and then Danny and I went inside the open castle to explore a bit and take a few pictures. We joined the boys and headed out shortly thereafter.

We wanted to find a gift shop before we left Scotland and the kind people at the castle guided us to the largest gift shop right on the border, but unfortunately they did not have what we were looking for. But when we pulled up Danny was like a kid in a candy store, he was so excited to see a Highland cow up close and personal without being in the Highlands. While checking out the cows, Ryan got a little close to the fence and got the shock of his life literally, lol. We were all laughing quite hard, but Ryan didn't think it was too funny.

We headed to Birmingham England to stay the night, but were very disappointed with the hotel. I booked it online and the pictures of the place were nothing like the actual conditions of the place. i am not sure if they were redoing the rooms, but it was so run down and the people running it were not very friendly, so if you ever find yourself thinking of Birmingham, definitely think elsewhere because this city was like down town New York at night, very scary. On top of that we had a false fire alarm right after we had all gotten into bed. If you decide to do Birmingham go with Premier Inn.

We got going in the morning and had a big surprise in store for the boys. We pulled up to the Cadbury Factory and the boys still had no clue what it was. That is until the doors opened and all they saw was chocolate. I purchased our tickets and in we went. This factory rocked, they didn't just give us little sample bars of chocolate, at the entrance to the factory we were each given 2 full size candy bars. And thats not all, as we got to the part where the chocolateers did their magic, they gave us cups of fresh warm chocolate and let the boys write their name with chocolate. Then when we got to the part of the factory where the boxes of Cadbury Dairy Milk were coming off the line, we got another full bar of chocolate. If that wasn't enough after we let the boys play around on the playground for a bit, we went into the Cadbury Experience where we got to make our own creation. We got another cup of warm chocolate and one mix in. It was yummy, but boy was I tired of chocolate by this point. This factory was so awesome and very exciting for all, definitely recommend everyone who travels to England to take a few hours and hit up the Cadbury Factory for a great chocolate experience. We let the boys run around for a bit before we headed 1.5 hours up the road to Bath to set up camp for the night.

Newton Mill was our last camp for our trip and it was so beautiful and a great way to end the trip.We or should I say I set up our tent and then we all headed down to the creek to play. I hopped in for a brief and I mean brief second, the water was so cold , it hurt. Plus I did not have my flip flops, so the rocks didn't feel too hot either. Ryan found some little girls to play with and they headed down the creek for some fun, while daddy hopped in and helped Brayden meet up with them. It was so cute and fun to watch.

After we all got dried up, we headed down to the campground restaraunt and grabbed some dinner and watch the owl and bird show that was going on that night. Danny got me to try some pear cider and it was pretty good, definitely an option for me when we go out, since beer is not my thing. The boys both had pasta with meatballs, Danny had a burger, and I enjoyed chicken tikka, very yummy.

We finished dinner just in time to see the bird show and the boys really loved it, they each got to hold the smaller of the three owls. Danny really wanted to hold the hawk owl, I think that is the name, and he patiently waited his turn. The boys headed over to the park while we finished up and hung out a bit and then we all headed bak to the tent to play some Uno and call it a night. Camping has been the best part of our trip, we get lots of fun family fun during these nights.