The Doctor Who Experience, leaving Cardiff and arriving at The Lighthouse

It's 5pm and we've just arrived at West Usk Lighthouse in Newport. Today has been a rather wet day and we got soaked to the skin after leaving the Doctor Who experience in Cardiff, so arriving at this quirky place really brightened things up.

Arriving at West Usk Lighthouse

Having been to the Dr Who Experience in the morning we were in store for more, more, more Doctor Who.

Check out who's hiding by the staircase...

But don't be afraid of those daleks because help is at hand - look who's landed on the roof!

There's also a hot tub on the roof and a quiet roof garden. This place is perfect for couples looking for a quirky getaway. We were in a family room, again quirky and comfortable. There was a real mix of old and new, of vintage and modern, a totally eclectic style. Staying at this place made me want a lighthouse of my own to live in!

West Usk Lighthouse - family room

West Usk Lighthouse - This converted to a bed for the boys to sleep on.

Back to earlier today. This was our shortest journey (around 30-40mins from Cardiff to Newport on the non-motorway route) and check-in at West Usk isn't until 5pm so we had decided to make the most of our time in Cardiff spending most of the day there.

Breakfast at St David's hotel was like a well-oiled machine. As we were visiting in the midst of the Extreme Sailing event in Cardiff Bay, there were lots of the sailors and Extreme sailing staff staying at the hotel and so breakfast was busy. Yet there were plenty of staff on hand to make sure everything was topped up and we had all that we needed. There was a buffet style hot and cold breakfast available which we all enjoyed. I had also had the best nights sleep - the beds were sooo comfy. You can read more about arriving at St David's Spa in the post I wrote up yesterday (day 6) here.

The comfy beds at St Davids Hotel and Spa, Cardiff

By the time we had packed our bags and checked out, we got to the Doctor Who Experience just before noon. It was starting to get busy so we had timed it just right.

The guided bit of the experience was incredible and being in a room surrounded by Daleks screeching 'exterminate' at you was surprisingly terrifying even though you know it is not for real. We weren't allowed to take photos in that part but we made up for it afterwards taking loads of pics of everything else.

We loved this LEGO Dalek

The Daleks are my worst Dr Who 'monster' as they instill fear in me at the sight of them each time they appear on the programme. The boys most fear the Weeping Angels so I covered their eyes as we walked through the room full of these chilling statues. I suppose technically they should have kept their eyes open and not blinked but I managed to get them through safely.

After the 'experience' bit, there is a huge area like a Dr Who museum with lots of displays showing all things Dr Who from past and present.

I found it funny seeing what the original 1966 cyber men looked like.

I was also glad to be able to get my final 'fix' of Matt Smith who is 'my' doctor. He is the one that has been the best doctor for me and although I always say this and each new doctor grows on me, this time I truly believe there will be no other doctor quite like Matt Smith. The 'experience' had Matt Smith as the actor playing the doctor and Peter Capaldi exhibits had not really been introduced with the exception of the new sonic screwdriver and a few posters.

The T-shirt reads 'I miss my mad man in a Box!'

Loved this TARDIS dress!

The short stretch back to the hotel was enough to get us soaked in the rain. As much as I love Cardiff, I don't love the rain.

Getting soaked in the rain!

We had our lunch at the Tempus restaurant at St David's Hotel and then we ran out of time to do anything else in Cardiff. I would have loved to visit the National Museum again which we had visited when we visited Cardiff in 2011. I love the city centre in Cardiff so would have loved to go there, and the techoquest in the Cardiff Bay area looked like fun. I guess we will just have to visit Cardiff again sometime and make sure we stay longer than just one night.

A late Lunch at Tempus at St David's Hotel

My joints are aching from the rain (big downside of arthritis) so a soak in that hot tub might just be on the cards this evening.

At the halfway mark (7 days in, 7 more to go) we have lots to be thankful for so far on our road trip... Good health, no getting stuck in any bad traffic, journeys have been ok considering just how difficult they could be with the 3 kids, and my back has been holding out ok without too much back pain.

Off to get a bite to eat for the evening, Then we'll be settling the kids to sleep in probably the most unusual place any of us ever have or ever will sleep in... A lighthouse with a dalek on the stairwell and a Tardis on the roof.

I'll leave you with a few more of my favourite pictures from today...

A really warm sunroom at the top of the lighthouse was the perfect way to warm up after all that rain. Stunning views to boot too.

 Both vintage and quirky...We love West Usk Lighthouse!

 

A couple more pics from the Doctor Who experience...(I told you I took lots of photos!)

 And we loved these cute Chef bears at St Davids Hotel. Reminded me of my Brilliant Chef!

Written up on Monday 25th August 2014. This was day 7 of our #52sleeps road trip. Find out more about our road trip here.