What I Did on my Summer Vacation: Part 5

Background: After having just about as much "excitement" as we could handle trying to drive a houseboat around Lake Powell in 2011 (details here), we decided to go low-tech in 2012 and did 2 short walking tours in the U.K.  First we spent 3 days walking in the Lake District, crossing mountain passes to get from one night's lodging to the next.  Then we spent 4 days walking along the Ceredigion Coast of Wales.  We averaged about 7 miles and 2 hours of rain each day.  ;)  

For the next week or so, I'll be posting pictures and stories from this trip.  

Today's Theme: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Okay, Really it's Just: Trains

"I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early."  

~ Yogi Berra

Our only real unplanned adventure on this trip came from the train ride that we took from the Lake District to Wales.  

I had made our reservations online months earlier and we actually had reserved seats.  However, upon boarding, we discovered that the baggage rack in our car was full.  

No problem - we just walked through to the next car and stored our luggage, before returning to our seats.  And then we settled down for a 3 hour ride...  

When our train pulled into our station around dinner time, we popped into the next car to collect our things...  Or, at least, we tried to do so.  But the door connecting the 2 cars was locked for some odd reason.  

And we soon found out why.  It was to prevent people from falling out onto the tracks - because the car that had started the journey connected to our car, was not there anymore!  :(

Yup, apparently at some point during our journey, our train had split into two trains - one carrying us to our desired destination and the other winging its way to some completely different part of Wales, with our luggage.  ;)

No problem - we talked to ticket agent and assorted calls and radio messages went buzzing around and we were assured that at some point someone would get our luggage transferred onto some other train that would eventually come to the right station - sometime...  

Seven and a half hours later, around midnight...  

...we were finally reunited with our luggage.  :)

Now that's not to say that our train experience was all bad.  We met the most adorable little two-year-old Welsh girl named Nell.  

Nell didn't speak a word of English, but she loved all things technology, and was soon taking pictures with my camera.  :)

A picture of her Mom:  

And one of me:  

I think Scott made the best subject:  

She even managed a self-portrait:  

So, you've seen the pictures of sheep, mountain valleys and passes, the coast, the flowers, the train and some of the people and animals that welcomed (or tolerated, as the case may be) us during this year's summer vacation...  

I'll leave you with one last shot - from the room of one of the B&B's where we stayed.