I WOKE UP shortly after 8:00 am and went down for a full breakfast. The three of us walked up to the cathedral and castle so they could see them while I went to the information shop for National Trust and other possessions in the area. I was also able to change some travelers' cheques across the yard in the souvenir shop.

Soon they were done, so we came down to the house to get the car, then we drove to Doddington to see the hall. Unfortunately, it didn't open til 2:00 pm so we decided we'd try to return later. We drove to Melton Mowbray which was an absolutely enchanting town - very, very old. There was a small market set up in the street for its being Bank Holiday Monday. We walked through the stalls and up to the church which didn't seem to belong to such a small village. On the way out, I stopped in a room where tea and food were being served so I bought a few scones as it was already lunch time.

By now the rain was coming down in torrents so it was great to be in a car! We drove through the forest, over the hill then to the base of the next hill where we parked the car. From a distance, Belvoir Castle looked good. Inside, it was unbelievable. I have never seen anything so ornate. It was not unlike what you'd imagine Versailles to be like.

There were huge gothic arches, ancient portraits of the numerous Dukes and Duchesses of Rutland, in the dining room were immense candelabras and a punch bowl 0f sterling silver - 1900 oz of pure silver which in 1638 cost £616! Brass, oak, marble, statues, tapestries. Photos, though, weren't allowed. Presently, the tenth Duke lives in quarters at one side of the castle. Entrance fees (£2.20) help with the upkeep.

On the way back we stopped by a field where I caught a good view of the castle through the mists. I got wet, too. We stopped for a few minutes where I bought the scones and bought the last three. We continued back to Grantham and found our way to Belton House, home of the Earl of Brownlow up until three years ago when the property was donated to the National Trust due to costs. Today he lives in Jersey and 'commutes' to Paris.

Though not as elaborate as Belvoir, Belton was still fantastic. I felt the library was the highlight within the house with some books 300 years old. There were maps, dictionaries, encyclopediae, physics books, math books; a total of 41 shelves. Looking out the front 'yard' was the road where the carriages would have drawn up. A long grass strip led to the distant front gates. In the rear was a very formal garden with a family/servant burial ground, a church, rows of manicured trees and hedges, more daffodils, a conservatory, fountains, fields, paths. Unreal!!!

The present Earl's father was a friend to Edward VIII and during the time of the abdication, Edward stayed with his friend, the Earl. It was the Earl who brought Lady Simpson to Edward when she'd been away in France. There are numerous photos showing them all on the grounds. Edward was born June 23, 1899.

While we were there, we saw application forms for the National Trust. Being under 23, the membership is only £8 per year. Being a National Trust possession, we would get the admission price back if we were to join. So, it would only cost £5.80. Then the member is admitted free of charge into any National Trust possession. I figured I'd be in at least one more, most likely many more of them, it's a good cause, the information would be useful for anyone else, and it's not expensive anyways. I'm now a member!

We left the home and walked to the car and to our dismay, we saw the keys in the ignition and the doors locked. I went to another car and asked for a coat hangar but they had nothing. But, we learned the man's wife was from the Lake Champlain area in New York state. I went to another van and they had one so I quickly had the door open.

We drove back to town where we stopped for fish and chips. We left the car at a car park and walked down to the river to eat. We spent little time there as we wanted to get to the cathedral for 7:30 pm. Back at the car we found someone had boxed us in. After some clever moves on my part, the car was out and we were back up the hill. Then we ran to the cathedral.

There was a special event which we caught the second half of. A guest organist was putting on a recital. That is the way to be in a cathedral. No sound but the resonance of the immense organ. I was awestruck.

Once it was over we were going to take an alternate route back to the house when we saw an arch over the road. I took a closer look as it seemed a few centuries old. Two thousand years old. It was the main gate to the old Roman town. We just fell upon it. We kept along a promising-looking road and sure enough, we came to the remains of a tower. Then we came upon the remains of the Bishop's Castle which was only 700 or 800 years old. Not a bad day.

By then it was cold so we returned home for tea and to see Davis (second seed) defeated by Johnson (16th seed) in snooker. I had a bath, packed for tomorrow (hopefully 115 km) then hit the sack.