We left Finchley with three more pet sits ahead of us.
Our final pet sit would be a return visit to Liskeard in Cornwall. We’d opted to rent a car to make traveling to and around Cornwall more convenient, so the other pet sits were chosen to fit around the route we’d drive from London to Cornwall.
We’d researched car rental prices and found collecting a car from an airport location to be about 50% cheaper than anywhere else. Heathrow airport would work best for us so when a pet sit in Englefield Green became available we applied – and got it!

If like me you’d never heard of Englefield Green it’s a large village in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, Southeast England. It’s not far from London or Windsor which was perfect for us!
There wasn’t much to Englefield Green, apart from a grand old church, war memorial, a few shops, and a bus stop but it was a pretty place to wander around – more on that later!



Now I bet you’re thinking hmmm, Runnymead, why does that sound familiar? Well, Runnymead is where the Magna Carta was first issued in June 1215. The Magna Carta was the first document to declare that the king, and his government, were not above the law. It sought to prevent the king from exploiting his power – I googled it!
Anyway, enough asides! Close to Englefield Green was Egham. We walked down the road to Egham a couple of times. It really was down! Egham sits at the bottom of a very long steep hill, which means Englefield Green is all the way back up!!
There wasn’t much to Egham either. Just a few grocery stores, charity shops (where I bought a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of London in an attempt to understand the city’s geography), a handy bench, and some wonderful mosaics representing the Magna Carta.





We did pass the impressive Strode’s College on the way back.

I know, I know enough about the history stuff! You want to see the pet pics!
Introducing Nikita!
He was a sweet, shy boy who liked being around us, I think just for observation but didn’t really want to engage with us.




These were the last pictures I had of Nikita before he went on his own adventure for an entire day! Yes, during our sit of less than a week, we had a second cat go AWOL!


So quiet little Nikita who supposedly “always stays close to home” disappeared for the day. Our planned day trip was postponed and instead, we went on that wander around the village I mentioned earlier. There are a surprising number of houses, sheds, garages, and overgrown areas in Englefield Green. I spoke to lots of people too. As night fell I really was starting to worry – just one more search around the block. Finally, I heard the tinkle of the bell on his collar and found him cowering in a shadowy corner. Thank goodness!
The next day with a cat well and truly in situ, we ventured out on our day trip. Today was to be a Royal Windsor kind of day!



Windsor is much more than the home of the British Royal Family. These days it’s a good mix of the old and the new. The castle does dominate but it’s got a modern feel too and being on the banks of the Thames means there’s lots of green space, especially Windsor’s Great Park.






We didn’t get to the park on this trip – next time!
Just as Nikita was starting to warm to us it was time to leave! He doesn’t look too pleased, does he!

From Englefield Green to Heathrow was a short ride away and in no time we’d collected the rental car and set off for Cornwall. There would be a few fun stops along the way to break up the journey!
The weather was glorious and we passed through some gorgeous landscapes, including Stone Henge.

Our first stop was in Chard, Somerset. After a few hours of driving, we stopped off at the Golden Fleece Guest House.

It was perfect for one night and offered lovely countryside for us to stretch our legs on a fresh evening walk.







Best of all – fabulous full English!



The day didn’t start with great weather but we set off early nonetheless as we had just enough time for a quick detour before meeting our next hosts.
We were heading to the location of that famous scene from the French Lieutenant’s Woman. We were to visit Lyme Regis.
This place brought back so many memories of when I first passed my driving test and nowhere was too far for a weekend day trip!












With heavy legs, we made the steep walk back to the car.
“Google take us to Honiton!” Google took us the most scenic route it could find I think. I was NOT impressed with the narrow winding roads – I should mention at this point that I swore a lot at the car! It had no power and I spent much of this journey, and others, in first gear! Grrr! In hindsight, and having calmed down, it did serve us well and I’m grateful but there were moments!!!
The sight of the gates of our destination brought a huge sigh! We had made it!
And a sight it was! We would spend the next 2 nights in the most grand place!







Our hosts were fabulously chilled and introduced us to their aging dogs – Safi and Kiwi.




And their peacock! Yes, a peacock. This would be different!



The peacock’s food was a mix of small pieces of wholemeal bread, peanuts, and its most favourite…grapes! At night it would find an outdoor roost but during the day we were instructed to open the garage door so he could spend time in there.
He’d already shed his magnificent tail feathers but despite that, there was a colourful array of feathers to collect every day.


Kiwi was very elderly; blind, deaf, and very wobbly on her feet. She instinctively knew when it was dinner time though and could manage a little run!
As it was, Safi had us all to herself on walks and during the day. She loved company, getting muddy, and the river!




In addition to the dogs and the peacock, there were various interesting breeds of chickens (they all laid slightly different colour eggs) and 2 goats – they had their own personal carer, not us! Phew!



And best of all was watching the robot cut the lawn! It worked every day and when its battery was low it could find its way back to the docking station for a recharge. He, I call him he, was regularly viewed from the window and kind of became part of the family!
The two days we had in Honiton sped past. Next stop Liskeard, via Plymouth!
On a sunny day in August parking in Plymouth was an adventure in itself! But we did find a space and had a few hours to wander. I’d never visited so this would be interesting!



It took us a while to find our bearings but we soon found the interesting harbour area with all its hustle and bustle.



There was a tangible buzz in the air at the harbour and we discovered why. A beautiful tall ship was docked there. A Darwin200 ship to be precise. In the name of global conservation, the ship was following the voyage Charles Darwin took aboard HMS Beagle two centuries ago.
It was the perfect spot to eat our fish and chips!




From the little we saw we liked Plymouth. We couldn’t help thinking though – what did we miss?















Our time was up and we had to push on to Liskeard! Our hosts wanted to see us before they caught the ferry to France and Oz and James were waiting!
Fab blog and pics again Lulu ????
Loving the comments! Thank you, Clare <3 xx