A single-engined Cessna takes us on a flight of about 50-miles. Firstly following the Atlantic coastline, we pass over our hotel as we head south along Bodie Island. At the southern tip of the island, the Cessna circles Bodie Island Lighthouse, then heads north along Roanoke Sound and over the largest sand dune in the east called Jockey's Ridge. The view from the air provides an excellent appreciation of the narrowness of the barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound. A unique experience: a flight from the birthplace of flying.

Bridge to Roanoke Island.

Comfort Inn.

Lunch: the soft crab sandwich is served with crisps.

Brodie Island Lighthouse.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, built in 1870, is the tallest in the United States at 208-feet. Due to erosion, the historic lighthouse is to be moved, having been jacked up 6-inches this morning in preparation for a 2,900-feet move that will take 23 days on a specially built roadway.

For our evening meal we have chosen to go to the heavily-advertised Port O' Call restaurant. Although its advertising states that "you gotta love a place where what you eat is more important than what you wear", it has all the hallmarks of fine dining: sofas, tablecloths, antiques. There are far less customers than we saw last night at Awful Arthur's, but we have an excellent meal in this large, saloon-styled restaurant: calamari (shared); lovely bread and croissants; salads (2); swordfish with baked potato and vegetables (2); caramel cheesecake (J), key lime pie (D). The fish and sweets are particularly good. The evening ends with a very pleasant sunshine.

(Day 12: Monday, June 7th): Today's schedule is to drive 230-miles across North Carolina to its capital, Raleigh. We rise at 6:45am but, after breakfast, stroll on the beach near the Comfort Inn before departing at 9am.

After driving only 17-miles we reach Fort Raleigh at the northern end of Roanoke Island. The Fort Raleigh National Historic Site tells the story of an attempt to set up a colony on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I's in 1585. But, by 1590, all the colonists who had settled on Roanoke Island had disappeared without trace. The story is told in a theatre setting (below).

The adjacent Elizabethan Garden.

Our drive across North Carolina takes us to the small,

pretty village of Edenton with its historic Cupola House (below) on Albemarle Sound.

From Edenton the landscape becomes undulating as we continue westwards to the Hampton Inn at Crabtree, Raleigh - arriving at 4:30pm. A branch of the Golden Corral is almost next door to the hotel, and that's where enjoy the good value buffet.