The Girl Who Waited… for Matt Smith

I have sat here for a while now trying to come up with a more imaginative title to this post than the one I have chosen but my heads still spinning from the last few days, not to mention the long day I’ve had trying to get my dissertation proposal completed! I’d like to apologize for my absence from blogger, and more importantly, from my blog - I’ve been super busy as I head into my final year of University, boo :-(

So yes, I’ve had a very exciting few days! I turn 22 years old (AAH!) on Wednesday, so me and mum decided to head to Cardiff Thursday and Friday for some shopping, sightseeing and in hope of seeing some Doctor Who filming.

Once I’d survived the drive in the most torrential rain I have ever driven through, I noticed sadly that it was pretty clear from online sources that there was going to be no filming happening that night… (Just my luck- the day I decide to drive down there was nothing going on:-( ). So me and mum decided to make a night of it anyway, I took her sightseeing around the Bay and we had a lovely meal and a few cocktails in Eddies Diner. But when I logged onto Twitter that night I started to see a few mysterious tweets from a few different sources about something Doctor Who related happening the next day…

Friday morning arrived and both me and mum woke up early, had a quick walk around the Bay in the sun and headed off into the city centre on the train to visit the castle (I’ve always wanted to go in there!)

Here, the long corridors surrounding the castle grounds were used as the location for scenes in Doctor Who Series 6 ‘The Almost People’ and ‘The Rebel Flesh’.

Apart from this, Cardiff Castle was also a great addition to our day out and the views were stunning. Me and mum both paid for an Essential Ticket which cost a student like myself £9.50 and for an adult like mum £11.00. Included in the price was a chance to watch a film about the history of the castle (which we never had the chance to view because of our own time restraints) and we also received an audio pack which explained various parts of the castle as you walked around. You can find out more about Cardiff Castle, here: http://www.cardiffcastle.com/

  Luckily, whilst I was at the castle, I happened to check Twitter and saw that Matt Smith was currently down at the Doctor Who Experience in the Bay, making an appearance to unveil some of the new exhibits from Series 7. From here, mum gave me an ultimatum – Stay in the city to shop for my birthday or risk it all by jumping in a taxi to see if there was a chance of meeting the main man himself…. inevitably I chose the latter.

 Within 10 minutes of waiting outside the Experience, my luck was in as out of the front main doors walked writer and producer Steven Moffat and Executive Producer Caroline Skinner. I asked for a picture and they both agreed straight away, even after my mum had a bit of trouble with the camera, telling Moffat that he had blinked! (Embarrassing – but very ironic!) They were both very lovely- a pleasure to meet! 

From here, the weather took a turn for the worst as me and mum battled to stay warm in the cold and windy conditions for the next half hour. Matt Smiths Chauffeur turned up at 2pm and headed around the side of the building, behind huge gates – I didn’t think I had a chance of seeing him let alone meeting him, but I kept hold of my picture and sharpie pen just in case. 

But then luck struck again as a security van pulled up, blocking the gates and all Matt’s chauffeur could do was whip his car around the front of the building, right next to me! A scuffle from a few security men later and mum whispered ‘I think I can see Matt through the glass’ - sure enough, there he was, heading straight for me out of the front doors. 

Seeing as I was the only one there, I shouted him a few times to get his attention as he headed for his car and he turned and walked straight over. All I could think at this point was that I had just demolished a egg and cress sandwich, both mine and Matt Smiths favourite... bad move Kelly, bad move. From here, I can’t really remember much else, it was a complete blur, but he signed my picture, apologized for covering my face with his signature and posed for a few photos – yes, mum had to take a few *again* exclaiming ‘I hope to god they turn out’ – how embarrassing! With that I thanked matt tremendously for stopping and I wondered off as he retrieved his Doctor Who script out of the boot of his car and was driven away. What a dream come true, I'm a very lucky lady!!

Mum rounded off our day with an evening meal at Eddies, and I treated myself to a 50’s style cola bottle! We sat in the booth used from Series 6 (which is now decorated with pictures from the episode on the wall).

What a fantastic two days! I never would have expected to bump into Matt Smith, but what an amazing treat for my upcoming birthday! I don’t think anything will ever be able to top that as a present :-) You can read my review of my Doctor Who Experience visit HERE and my first encounter with Matt smith HERE. To find out more on what Matt Smith was up to at the Experience, visit the BBC news page HERE

Thanks for reading

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Bad Wolf Bay, Neath Abbey, Barry Island and More!

So after enjoying our first night in the lodge after spending much of the previous evening in the hot tub, we decided to venture out for our next few locations on a sunny Saturday morning.

About 10minutes away from where we were staying was Craig-y-nos Castle hotel, which was used in David Tennant’s episode Tooth and Claw. This was where Queen Victoria and the Royal Party arrived at Torchwood House, and the Queen later founded the Torchwood Institute. It is a beautiful building surrounded by exquisite views, altogether a lovely visit. Parking is found alongside the front of the building or in the car park, straight through the front gates. Any pictures I have used are courtesy of the BBC.

Next, we hopped back into the car and travelled down to Neath. We had trouble finding the location as we could not find a suitable postcode for the site, so relied on road signs to guide us the way. As it turned out, the site was parallel to the main dual carriageway, and if we had peeled our eyes a bit better we would have noticed it straight off. 

The site is free to enter, and another beautiful location. Parking can be found right outside the ruins. We were lucky the weather was lovely and I was able to take pictures which really emphasised the sites beauty. The exterior of this location was used for Series 6 – The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People.

  

We also found the wooden door to the inside of the one remaining room of the Abbey, but unfortunately for us, it was locked. This room had been used numerous times in Series 5 - The Beast Below as the ‘Tower of London’ and Vincent and the Doctor, when Vincent battles the monster in the crypt. It was also used in Series 6 The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People as the chapel, where the gangers were created.

We headed back to the lodge from here to get an early night, ready for our big drive the next day.

When we woke up on the Sunday, we hopped in the car early and headed to our first location, Dunraven Bay, also known as Bad Wolf Bay. I have to admit, I was so happy to be here, I had been looking forward to this location the most, however, the tide was in when we arrived so we were unable to climb onto the beach. I had worn wellies for this part of the trip, but I must warn you, I found myself slipping over on the uneven, wet rock surface as I ventured across for a better view. For all those of you who are looking to go here, I would stick to the allocated path; it could be rather dangerous otherwise.

We parked at the top of the hill, which is miles cheaper than the car park next to the beach, you just have to endure the steep walk back up to the car after (I struggled)! To get here, I recommend you follow the signs to Southerndown Beach, as the signs then switch to Dunraven Bay.

The episodes which have been filmed here, to my own knowledge are: Series 2 – Army of Ghosts and Doomsday, where Rose says goodbye to the Doctor. Series 4 – Journeys End, where Rose leaves the Doctor with her family once again. Series 5 – Time of the Angels, where the TARDIS lands at the crash site and Matt Smith’s Doctor meets River again, Series 6 – The Almost People, where the Doctor takes ganger Jimmy to meet his son on the beach, and the cast of Series 7 have been spotted filming here late February, early March this year.

You can find more information on this location, from the Doctor Who Locations website, HERE 

Next, we drove off to Dyffryn Gardens, just down the road from Barry. This was the hardest location to find, as we took an early turning and the Sat Nav could not locate itself back onto the correct road, but we got there eventually! The building was closed for construction work, so we were unable to go through the gate but took photos from afar. The episodes filmed here were: Series 2 – Girl in the Fireplace, a few Torchwood episodes and Series 4 Forest of the Dead, as the hospital Donna is transported to from the library, and where River is saved by the Doctor. This building also featured in one of my new favourite programmes, Stella, with Ruth Jones

We then drove on to Barry, and Barry Island. It was free parking in Barry Island on a Sunday at this time of the year which was lucky for us. We had a quick walk around, saw the sites from Gavin and Stacey; the beach and arcade where Nessa worked, and the train station used in Doctor Who Series 1, The Doctor Dances and The Empty Child, with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and John Barrowman and Captain Jack.

 Then we went into Barry and found the houses used in Gavin and Stacey:

 So that was the end to our Doctor Who South Wales trip, we both had a lovely time and thought it was a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend together. I love going to look at locations like these; you get to learn a lot about the history of a lot of the sites, along with re-enacting shots from your favourite episodes. As well as this – there’s always some walking involved, so as a bonus, it keeps you fit and healthy!

I’d love to go back to these places, and if anyone has any recommendations of anywhere we missed, please let me know, I’d love to go back down there!

Oh, and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all those mothers out there, I personalised my mums card a bit, needless to say she loved it :)

I've got a busy week this week with assignments, university, work and then Cardiff on Friday for the Doctor Who Convention at the weekend... I can't wait, is anyone else going?

 Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend, blog to you all soon x

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