At last it is time to say our goodbyes to the Dales and head towards London.  It was sad to say goodbye to our lovely B and B… Perfect location with gardens that were abundant with lush flowers, beautiful sitting areas and idyllic riverside views.  One last shot of the girls in the garden…

 …. And the whole gang as we get set to head for Derby.

The drive was lovely through the Dales… One last look at these pastoral scenes before we hit the big highways heading to Derby and London beyond.

  We dropped Ian and Suzanne off at the rental car agency there where they were picking up a car and heading off to R and T’s to help prep for the big party on Saturday…. We will miss them greatly, but know we will see them again soon back in Canada! It sure was a great ride together over the past couple of weeks!!!

Dan and I decided we would do a quick visit to Coventry Cathedral enroute to London.  I had seen this beautiful monument to reconciliation many years ago, and Dan had remembered me talking about it… It was a very moving stop…

 The cross behind the altar is made from charred beams that were found in the wreckage after the firebombing during the Second World War … The new ( and controversially modern) cathedral was erected with the entire back of the church made up of etched glass, so that everyone could see everyday the destruction from hate and the potential of reconciliation… Quite an amazing site.

We were on our way after getting a quick snack for lunch…my intrepid driver getting us here safe and sound!

We got to our hotel around 5:15, checked in, unloaded our bags and then took the car back to the rental agency.   Once there, we had a choice of riding the shuttle around to a terminal at Heathriw, and then paying for a bus to take us to the hotel… Or we could walk!  Well, 5ish km wasn’t going to scare us away on such a nice day so we took chance and found our way back to our hotel ( with a little help from imaps)…stopping at the pub next door for dinner…

Back to the hotel for an early night, then a day of exploring in London!!! One more big day of walking and exploring before we get on the plane for home Saturday morning!!!  Should be lots to tell you tomorrow, but for now we just say goodnight!