Making Mums dream come true

A day to make Mum's dream come true to go on the Orient Express. Well, you are only 60 once aren't you. An early start at Bristol Temple Meads with the board saying 'Charter Train'...that will be us. We were glammed up and ready for a very special day. Our butlers greeted us onto the train and we sat in our arm chairs. The details were amazing and since watching the Orient Express TV show, I even looked at all the screw fittings because they all face the same way. The toilets were unlike any train toilet I've seen. It was so special I took a picture of it. I loved the mosaic floor.

We headed south. Aunty and Cous Cous were waiting for us an waving. Unfortunately, on the other side of the train to us and sods law, but our butler took our breakfast order just as Aunty and Cous cous were outside so we missed them! Champagne belini's to start and some croissants, then smoked salmon breakfast. We whizzed along and before we knew it, we were passing our old flat in Exeter. We waved to the flat. Then over the Tamar bridge into Cornwall and onto Par.

Our first stop was Bodmin Jail. It was rather surreal to be walking around a jail all glammed up. It was absolutely freezing inside. The stories were grim and talked about hanging, torture and force feeding suffragettes. Back on the coach, our next stop was Port Issac, aka Port Wenn. Since we booked the trip, Ali and I have binge watched the entire collection of Doc Martin DVD's. We have now watched every programme so visiting Port Issac was a perfect day as Mum and Dad are super fans too.

We walked around Port Issac, a quaint village that must be taken over when they are filming because it's tiny and pretty much every where you walk, you see another building in the show. Louisa's cottage, the school, the chemist, the surgery, the pub, the Doc's small house alongside 'squeezybelly alley'. That is genuinely what it's called and you can see why, it's what you have to do to walk through.

We had pictures in front of the famous door of the surgery and then a Cornish pasty sat at the school gates. It's quite a climb back up the hill and back on the bus to the train because dinner awaits. A wonderful dinner and cheese course on a huge board that straddled the alley.

What a phenomenal day. Mum's face was a picture. Happy 60th Mum.