A visit to Graystark Hall Orphanage

 Valentines weekend had been planned months in advance with a cheap and cheerful £12 hotel sale. However, the whole stay was pretty much weather-dependent and after the amount of snow, wind and rain the UK had been getting over the previous weeks, we really weren't sure whether we would ever make it down to Cardiff. 

 Thankfully, Saturday arrived alongside the sun beaming high in the sky so off I drove with Luke down to Wales, location stops in hand. 

Bottom Image: Courtesy of BBC

 Our first location was Troy House, Monmouth. We by-pass the town on the way to Cardiff so how we have missed the stop in the past is beyond belief. A cheeky 5 minute detour off the beaten-track later we arrived. 

Bottom Image: Courtesy of BBC

 Cast your minds back to Doctor Who Series 6, and the second of the two-parter Day of the Moon. Canton Delaware and Amy Pond head off to the children's orphanage in search for a missing girl. Here, Amy is later taken by the Silents once she finds the little girls room.  

 I would recommend that those who wish to stop at this location in the future take extra care, unless you have a flashy 4x4 car or are prepared to walk from the main road. My baby Clio unfortunately got battered and bruised through the dirt track leading to the mansion, which is surrounded by farmland and a fully operational working farm. Therefore, the route was full of potholes, pools of water and all sorts of gravel, stones and mud. My bad. I don't think I will be venturing along there again! 

 Anyway, following me totally mastering the slightly off-road driving experience we finally reached the gothic gates, hopped out of the car and landed right into the horrifying squelch of... mud - A lot of it -And in my best shoes. Yes, a top tip if you fancy heading to the spot: PACK THOSE WELLIES! A quick jump out of the car and a few snapshots later then amounted to two dogs hurtling towards the gates from the inside barking like crazy. I suppose it made a change from the eerie silence. We did consider ringing the bell and asking if we could have access to the inside of the grounds for some pictures, but the dogs really startled us so we headed off. 

Note - the amount of mud covering the ground behind me!

 We stopped at two further Doctor Who locations during our little weekend getaway. The next was Fields House from Blink and the final spot, a filming location from Fathers Day. I will try my best to put together posts on both of these as soon as possible! In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful week and are starting to get over them horrid Monday Blues!

If you fancy heading to Troy House, Monmouth:

• Drive carefully and watch out for uneven surfaces/potholes which could seriously damage your car.
• Park close to the main road and walk down to the house (takes approx 5-10 minutes).
• Wear wellies/boots.
• Be aware of the guard dogs. 

Note: The Clio is now all well and good, and since our trip has been cleaned inside and out. Sustained minor scratches to the front of the car - it was all worth it!

To find more about this historic building, you can head to the wikipedia site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_House  *slaps her University Higher-Educated wrists*

With thanks to http://www.doctorwholocations.net/  :-)

Thanks for reading

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Followed by a mad man and his blue box... The Mailbox, BBC Birmingham

...And I am certainly not complaining! (Sadly, yet to find that mysterious mad man!)

 On Friday 8th February me and my partner headed to the Britain's Got Talent live auditions in Birmingham (blog post to follow), when we decided to stop off and check out Birmingham's very own BBC headquarters, located in the Mailbox.

 We were both first-time visitors to the building, and after perusing around some of the shops we located the BBC entrance. At this moment I acted like a squealing, excitable little child after spotting the TARDIS behind the glass window and, failing to compose myself, sprinted towards the door. 

 Unfortunately, the TARDIS doors were bolted shut - (obviously the doctor knew I would be making a visit and took extra precautions!) Nevertheless, there was a photo opportunity to be had, and a supply of Doctor Who character masks begging to be worn! However, resisting temptation of becoming an Ood, the Empty Child or even Amy Pond for the day, I sported the au naturel PluckyKelly look, see below :-)

Is that my mad man running up the stairs I see...?

 After a quick browse in the BBC store - where you can find all your BBC favourites, and a whole section on Doctor Who/Torchwood goodies (see more HERE) we headed up the stairs. BAD IDEA. Because located at the top of the steps and guarding the first floor, was a menacing Dalek.

 After checking defences and ensuring the Dalek was restrained, I braved a photo, had a quick nose around the multiple studios through the glass windows, grabbed a tours leaflet and made a hasty run for it with Luke. We had survived.

Me looking exceptionally short next to the Dalek

 So after a rather restless afternoon running away from Daleks, searching for that mad man and trying to find our way into the city centre, me and Luke finally made it to the ICC, ready for the Britain's Got Talent Auditions. I will include all the details and lots of pictures of my evening with Mr Cowell in my next blog post :-) 

 In the meantime I was wondering whether any of you had been on the BBC Midlands Today Tour at the Mailbox? If so, would you recommend a visit? Drop me a Tweet or Email  - details of these HERE.

 Overall, my trip to the Mailbox was not the first time I had come across a lonely Time Machine. Back in November when I attended the Dirty Dancing Tour at Cardiff's Millennium Centre with mum, I was astonished to find the TARDIS sat in the foyer, being ignored by the surrounding crowds...

So do I believe someone out there is following me? No, of course not! But if the Doctor was to open them ancient blue doors, I'd travel the stars alongside him any day. 

*The Doctor. In the TARDIS. Next stop: Everywhere*

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Got the (Tardis) Blues...

Hi everyone, I'm currently snowed under with a Doctor Who Dissertation Project... wait a minute... a DOCTOR WHO dissertation project?!

That's right, I've gone completely stark crazy. I'm jeopardising my love for Doctor Who for a blimmin' University project.

You see, life with my Doctor Who dissertation is like this...

...Whereas my old life, was like this... 

 So I'm currently about to start the literature review for my project (Eeekk!). And have re-watched hours of the Science Fiction drama to analyse a few of the characters I have chosen to focus on... along with the writers, producers, directors... etc. I think its pretty fitting to be investigating into Doctor Who during its 50th year anniversary, and lets face it, would I rather be studying anything else?!

 Please feel free to comment with any motivational words of wisdom and who knows, you may even make it into my acknowledgement page ;-)

 I'm on the final stretch of University life now, with just over 3 months left in lectures until I delve into the big bad world! I'm currently juggling my Dissertation with all of my huge pile of planned assignments, plus I am also trying to find time to write out applications for work experience placements in the media sector. 

 I'm also thinking of volunteering at my local animal shelter in the near future - probably after University as it will be a big commitment - and was wondering whether any of you had any experience of this or anything similar and could pass over some friendly thoughts or advice? 

 I'm off out and about over the coming weeks, starting with watching some of the live Britain's Got Talent Auditions next week, a weekend in Wales (where I'll hopefully do some location hunting), and I have lots of pre-paid concerts and gigs lined up over the coming months! 

Please don't hesitate to use any of the methods on the contact me page to get in touch and share your views.


 Don't forget - Doctor Who is back on our screens on Saturday 30th March - BBC One. 

Thanks for reading, blog to you soon :-)

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Jenna Louise Coleman to attend Convention

Jenna Louise Coleman
Image: BBC

I've only attended two conventions before. The first was Memorabilia Birmingham back in November 2011, where I met Arthur Darvill -Blog Post Here- and the Doctor Who Convention, Cardiff in March 2012 -Blog Post Here- . Both had a brilliant atmosphere and were a fantastic day out - From here, I vowed to attend many more cons.

So when I saw through Twitter that Jenna Louise Coleman, the Doctors new companion, was due to attend Collectormania 19 in Milton Keynes, I snapped up some photo opportunity tickets straight away! It is her first and only announced convention this year currently!

You too can buy your photo session tickets with Jenna from HERE - limited availability - be quick!

To find out information on the event, view the latest news or to see which other guests are attending, head over to the Collectormania website HERE

The event is from Saturday 25th May - Monday 27th May 2013 at the Milton Keynes Dons Stadium.

Happy New Year everyone! 

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and especially enjoyed the Doctor Who Christmas special 'The Snowmen'. 

How good was Jenna Louise Coleman as Clara?! And as always, a superb performance from Matt Smith, in my opinion. The chemistry on screen between the Doctor and his new companion is phenomenal. I just can't wait for Series 7 Part 2 to begin! 

So we are all sad that Christmas and New Year celebrations are over, but at least we can start looking forward to the year ahead, and at what 2013 has to offer...

IT (was) CHRISTMAAAAAS!!!!! 

Had someone been peaking at my Christmas list...?

My Santa-Cat, Alfie

Did Santa bring you any cool Doctor Who related goodies down the chimney?? 

I received these amazing "Police Box" gloves, which my partners auntie knitted for me, they are awesome, I think you may agree - I just had to share :-) I also gave in and purchased the Tardis style dressing gown for my partner, he had been hinting at it for months!

My partner also purchased some Doctor Who pyjamas for me off the website etsy. They were created and shipped from America, so although he ordered a few weeks before Christmas, the seller was slightly late posting the item out so I was a few days late receiving them! It was worth the wait though, they are a perfect fit and are very comfortable :-) I am ensure of the exact seller my partner used, but I have found a seller who designs the same trousers - HERE

I have a few posts lined up which I have been thinking about over the festive period. Hopefully I can get these up over the next few weeks and I also have lots of trips planned over the coming months which I can't wait to share :-) 

Many Thanks for your continued support over 2012, all the comments/views/follows on here and my PluckyKelly Twitter are really appreciated. I love discussing my love for all things Doctor Who, and, well just about everything with you guys. Feel free to leave me a comment or contact me on twitter.

Here's to a successful 2013!

Thank you for reading

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Farewell, Glorious Ponds

*Warning- Spoilers on the Pond’s departure*

My third and final post from my South Wales trip back in October contains probably one of my favourite locations, from the Series 7 Part 1 finale, ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’, where we say goodbye to Amy Pond and Rory Williams.

The Tardis was located to the left of me in the top photo, when filming The Angels Take Manhattan.
Courtesy: BBC

Amy sits on the grave located bottom right on the top pic. Courtesy: BBC

When checking out the Doctor Who Locations website for filming spots near where we were staying, I really wanted to visit a site which had something to do with the Ponds’ departure. They have been my favourite companions, who I have grown to love dearly and I have to admit, it was very upsetting to see them leave.

So when I found out that the graveyard used in the final scenes were filmed not in New York where the episode is set, but in Llanelli, 40mins down the road and near the Toby Carvery we were heading to for Sunday lunch, there was no excuse not to go.

Amy and Rory before their emotional farewell.
Courtesy: BBC

The journey down to Llanelli was pretty straight forward, and the weather was lovely! Searching for the graveyard once we popped the postcode into the sat-nav was simple to, although we did drive past it straight away as we didn’t expect the cemetery to be so easy to find.

We parked up on a housing estate and walked through the huge steel gates, where we found vehicle access and parking - for those who wish to visit. 
Out of respect, we kept our visit short and sweet, as I did feel a bit odd walking around a graveyard, but there were quite a few people cutting through on the public footpath that circled the cemetery and a number of locals walking dogs! I’ve always seen graveyards as spooky places, so I tend not to visit with family when they go to lay flowers, but this one was extremely gothic, I can see why it was chosen for such a powerful episode.

I wasn’t sure where the scene was filmed; I’d taken some screen shots with me for help but wasn’t having any luck. Whilst my partner went off for a walk around I sat on the bench for a few minutes and streamed the behind the scenes Youtube video for the episode on my phone. I glanced around but couldn’t recognise anywhere, but then as I turned and looked directly behind me everything matched up to what I could see on the screen perfectly. We took a few pictures on the grassy area near where the Tardis had stood and left.
 

After going home and watching the episode, low and behold the bench I had been sat on was included within the episode! How weird? It was an odd feeling to be there, where we see the demise of two much loved characters, but I’m sure they will go on to bigger things and become huge stars in their own right.

The Angels Take Manhattan Series 7 Part 1. Bench circled.

Sorry for how long this post has taken to go live, I'm once again up to my neck in uni work, but with deadlines next week I will soon be able to enjoy the Christmas period! Oooh, and I'm doing my dissertation on Doctor Who, how exciting!

Hope you enjoy the post:-) blog to you all soon!

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Bad Wolf Bay (Revisited)

Hi Guys - First things first, I've recently added two tabs just above this page, so my blog now looks more like a blog and not a mass of information dotted all around the place randomly. It should make your navigation of this page a lot simpler. 

The first tab includes all of my contact information, so if you need to contact me for any reason do not hesitate to send me an email or tweet me on Twitter (@PluckyKelly). The second tab contains a list of 'New Who' episodes from 2005-2012, linking you to any of my blog posts which contain locations I have visited which are included in these episodes. I aim to visit as many as possible over the coming weeks... months... maybe even years so bear with me as the list of links will continue to grow.

After the excitement my South Wales Odyssey Part 1 caused and the brilliant feedback I received from the blog post, and my blog as a whole I just couldn't wait to post the rest of my trip. Unfortunately, I have little time on my hands of late. Being back at University and in my third and final years means dissertation GALORE... I've been trying to fit everything around it but it just seems to be taking over my life! But Thank You for the feedback its been great! I've also changed my Dissertation topic, I'm now writing it on Doctor Who, of course! Hooray!

Bad Wolf Bay

Anyway, Part 2 of my trip sees me and my brilliant chauffeuring partner head back to Dunraven Bay, also known as the infamous Bad Wolf Bay. You can read about my first trip to the beach HERE.

I desperately wanted to go back to the bay, not only because of its beauty, but because since we last visited the Doctor Who crew have been back to shoot for the Series 7 Part 1 episode 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship'. 

It was a stunningly nice day mid-October that we chose to visit, and I planned the journey so that we arrived when the tide was out (around 3pm). We also parked down the bottom this time, right next to the beach so I did not have to endure the horrendous walk back up to the car like our last visit. Luckily for us, the beach carpark was overcrowded so we were able to park for free further up the road. 

I will warn you that dogs are allowed on this beach, and there were a fair few of them running around, so those with small children please be aware. I should also warn you that the beach is very hard to walk around. It is a pebble beach with huge rocks, stones and only a small allocated pathway down to the sea. I saw endless mums with prams that were finding it extremely difficult and virtually impossible to navigate around the beach. 

However, I found trying to make my way to the sea great fun, as I tried to navigate my way over rocks and stones for better views (I could tell I was probably getting tutted at by all the other holiday makers!) I finally found my way to the sand and stood still for a moment, reminiscing when Rose said goodbye to the Doctor...twice - both were two of my favourite Doctor Who moments. (Army of Ghosts/Doomsday/Journeys End)

My chauffeur *Ahem*... I mean Luke took a seat on one of the rocks for a bit so I decided to wonder off. I was heading for the cliff-face itself, where the iconic scenes from 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship' and 'The Time of the Angels'/'Flesh and Stone' have been set. Once reaching the edge of the rocks I climbed up onto the platform-type level and sat for a while, pondering life and admiring the bays beauty. The sun was beaming in the sky and I took some stunning images from my spot. 

I honestly did not want to leave this spot, but after a while I saw Luke walking to usher me back to the car... and I suppose I was hungry, I hadn't eaten after all my adventuring during the day! I reluctantly headed back to the car, vowing that I would return to this beautiful location once again in the near future. 

 So that's it for Part 2 of my trip, sorry to tease you! Only one more post left and that's my South Wales break completed. Part 3 will contain the spot where we said our last farewell to the Pond's. *Warning* May be pretty devastating for criers. 

Enjoy, blog to you soon!

                                   

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Hungry Earth/Cold Blood Location and Sky One's Stella

So I've decided to split last weekends adventures in South Wales up a bit in terms of the blog, otherwise I will be  bombarding you poor people with too much information and pictures all at once. 

Before I start, I just want to say a BIG thank you to the Doctor Who Locations website and everyone that contributes to the site - I wouldn't find half of the places I travel to, or even know about them, if it wasn't for this site. So... THANK YOU! http://www.doctorwholocations.net/

So here it goes - I woke up on my first day in South Wales to beautiful skies and a stunning view from the lodge, grabbed my list of location spots, switched on the Sat-Nav and headed off on the road. 

Doctor Who - The Hungry Earth and Cold Blood

We were heading to the Church used in the Eleventh Doctors Series 5 Silurian two-parter The Hungry Earth and Cold Blood. I have looked at the church in the past on Google Maps, and knew it was in the area we were heading to explore on our first day, so I thought it was a great idea to head up to the location. The two episodes are based in Wales during 2020 and follow the disruption a drill is causing to the civilisation of Silurian's living deep inside earth. Read a full write-up of the plot, here:- http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/

When keying in the area code for St Gwynno's Church into the Sat Nav, we had a few problems, as it ended up sending us to a Golf Course, so I can confirm for future reference that the postcode that will take you to right outside the church door if you are interested in travelling here will be Brynffynon Hotel's postcode (which is just a few yards up the road) -  CF37 3PH . You can park outside the church on the gravel to the left or outside the hotel.

The church itself is very creepy and gothic looking on first glance. I mean, a church is not made to visually look inviting, but this one is pretty intimidating as it stands towering over you and is located in the middle of woodland and forest! The gates were open when we got there, but I have to admit it does look as if they are locked up -all you have to do it move the chain across and make sure you place it back when you exit (there are signs on the gate with instructions when entering). We walked around the church yard and I noticed a few spots used in the episodes straight away, namely the huge church doors and archway which are used in shot when The Doctor speaks to Ambrose at the end of Cold Blood. But also, the spot where the Tardis lands overlooking into the distance a large wooded area (where the drill was edited into shot for the programme).  

 However, my absolute favourite part of this location was looking ahead from where the Tardis was stood to the small raised hill in the distance. Here, during the storyline, Amy and Rory see what they believe to be their future selves waving back at them. And, of course, at the end of this two-parter, when Rory has been 'erased from time' Amy spots only her future self on the hill, still waving. 

All Images Courtesy of BBC

I really wanted to either head around to the hill myself, or get my partner to, just for the photo opportunity... but I was a scaredy cat and didn't want to be left alone! I have threatened to edit myself onto my photo of the hill.... I suppose there is still time...

Sky One's Stella:-

Heading off my normal subject slightly, I knew that the first Doctor Who location I wanted to visit was near where they shot one of my favourite television series of the moment- Sky Ones Stella, starring and written by Ruth Jones. So, I used this opportunity to see the sights and stop at some of the spots used. 

Looking online before heading off to the Valleys, I did notice how hard it was to locate some of the areas used in the series, so I thought I'd set the record straight for some of the sites. Stella's House is based in Ferndale in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. More specifically 'Elm Street'- head right down the bottom and its the second to last house on the right, painted red. From here, there's a stunning view down into the Valleys. Please be warned though that you will need to turn your car around to get back out of the housing estate as all of the other streets along are dead ends. Me and my partner met another couple who had also made the journey from the West Midlands for the same reason whilst we were taking some photos, so they kindly offered to take one of us together. 

Heading south from here, along East Road and into Tylorstown, you will pass a Red brick building on your left called "Welfare House", this is where Emma and Sunil's engagement party was held and has been used for other occasions during the series. 

The third and final place I (tried) to visit for Stella was where the bench was located overlooking the Valleys. I had a postcode for this area CF43 3HA, but me and my partner parked at the bottom of the hill and tried to walk up, to no avail. I, being the unfit one, thought I was going to pass out at any given moment and we just couldn't see anything we recognised ahead. However, after coming home and watching the series all over again, I can see that we were closer than we realised. The area behind me was used in the shot from the bench... its all just a mystery to me...

As I stated at the beginning of this post, I have a few more blog entries lined up and which are currently being drafted. They are from the same weekend in South Wales and include my second visit to Dunraven Bay (which doubles up as the famous Bad Wolf Bay, and used in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship in the most recent Series 7), and I also intend to write up my visit to the location where we said our final farewell to the Pond's. 

Sorry I couldn't include everything in one big post but I am currently splitting my time between work, dissertation overload and my not-so-social calender! I upload the rest of my weekend as soon as I can!

I hope you all enjoy reading my posts as much as I love going out and finding these locations, its a real buzz and I intend to keep on exploring!

Have a lovely weekend everyone, take it easy, write to you soon! 

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