15th of October, 2025 - Peterborough - London

The very lovely owner at last night's beautiful accommodation served me a breakfast that made my eyes water, but he told me I had a big day and a long flight ahead of me and I needed "sustenance", so I tried very hard to do it justice. I failed. But what a lovely gesture for my final morning in England.

I headed out this morning and started at Fotheringhay Castle. It's not so much a Castle as an empty mound of dirt, but I did see where Fotheringhay USED to be and consoled myself that where I was standing in the Castle footprint, Mary Queen of Scots had "probably" stood at some point in her 20 year imprisonment, so it felt good anyway.

The mound!





It doesn't hurt that the site is right on top of the River Nene, which claims to be the inspiration for "Wind in the Willows" and given how pretty it is, that's probably a fair claim.




Having seen both the Castle and the River in one, I proceeded into the city of Peterborough and sought one final Cathedral viewing. Peterborough itself is lovely and the Cathedral is enormous. It didn't have a guided tour on offer though, so I'm sure I missed out on a lot. I bought a guide book, but didn't take the time to read it while I was there, I only had an hour before I had to head off to get the rental car back, so what's the bet I get home, read the guide book and kick myself for missing all sorts of things?!

I did, however, get to pay my respects to Henry VIII's first wife, Katherine of Aragon, who is buried here because Henry didn't want a reminder of her anywhere near him in London (that's why she's not buried in Westminster Abbey). It still blows my mind that she is the stuff of Legend, but that I'm actually standing just a metre or 2 away from where whatever is left of her is under my feet. Ah-mazing.

I also paid respects (especially thinking of you when I did, Aunty Jude) to Edith Cavell. She was a nurse who was executed for treating soldiers on both sides, without discrimination, during The Great War, but because that level of compassion was disgraceful, she obviously needed to be put to death. What an amazing woman and incredible nurse that woman was.



Photos from the drive to Heathrow from Peterborough



And so finished my tour of England. All that was left was for me to drive the 3 1/2 hours to return the car and I am now sitting in the lounge at Heathrow waiting for boarding to open on my flight. What an incredible, wonderful, amazing trip I've had and I'm so grateful to each and every one of you for all the support and encouragement and love you've given me while I've been here. Sort of sharing it with you guys here, in the only way I can, has brought me so much more joy and allowed me to share what makes me truly happy. Thank you everyone. I love you. Next time you hear from me, I'll be back in Geelong. YaY (I think?). ♥♥♥





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