Please excuse me as I look back here and catch up on some interesting places and travel days I missed posting at the time….

Travelling from Leicester to Chilton Trinity 24th May, we decided to detour to Oxford and Avebury. A little out of our way but both worth a visit.

Oxford is one of those places that if you love books, learning and architecture you can’t but help be drawn to and for me it was one of the places we visited that made me truly feel that I was fulfilling life long dreams during this trip.

We parked outside Wadeham College and went for a walk around passing the Sheldonian Theatre, the covered market, Brasenose, Hereford and Trinity Colleges.

I think it’s Semester break as we see few actual students but we do see a few open Colleges with busloads of visitors and think perhaps these may be future students?

As we walk around I feel the timelessness of this place and how it would be so much fun to be part of this community.

We even see a student protest which is to be expected :-). This one supporting our planet so no argument from me. It’s interesting to note that climate change regularly appears on the news over here; both UK and Europe and seems to be widely accepted as an ongoing issue we must attend to!

The covered market is bustling and I even buy an Oxford T Shirt and also few bits for dinner later.

The streets of Oxford are lively and the architecture continues to astound me. I feel privileged to be here and grateful again to Rob for helping me make this trip a reality. Thank you my love!

Avebury

Rob and I had visited a few stone circles by now and Avebury is considered as one of Britain’s best sites, over 4,500 years old and some say better even than Stonehenge. I reserve my opinion on this until we visit Stonehenge, planned for a few days later…

Situated in the Kennet Valley near Wiltshire, Avebury certainly doesn’t disappoint!

Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in the world. Wikipedia

The three circles span a large area. It’s so big in fact that it’s impossible to get it all into one photo unless of course you have a drone! A great walk though, through green fields skirting the village. The village of Avebury has a tearoom and museum so is also okworth a visit. You could easily spend the whole day here.

We arrive Chilton Trinity tired after a busy day. Our accommodation for the next few days is a small cabin in a park, similar to what you would find at a beach side park. Small but with all the necessities.

Monday 27/5/19

Saturday, we had a slow day in our Cabin and only ventured out for a Sunday Roast dinner at local pub, the Malt Shovel. Rob can be seen here drowning his sorrows over the Lions 1 point loss to the Freo Dockers…

The next day, Bank holiday Monday in Somerset. A lovely sunny day, we decided to do a longish walk.

The Quantock Hills is a range of hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England. The Quantock Hills covering only a small area, 19 kilometres long and 6 wide were declared England’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, being designated in 1956, and consist of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land.

Rob found a 7 mile (13.2km) walk for us to do and along the way acted as my guide, so romantic, reading me the history of the area including anecdotes about Coleridge (writer) and Wordsworth (poet) who were good mates in the late 1700’s and spent about a year in the area.

The walk was a loop from Holford Village bowling green going up and past the Holford Combe House Hotel which had a 130 year old water wheel last in use in the 1950‘s and into the first Combe (deep narrow valley).

The walk meandered, steadily upward through a leafy laneway towards Holford Combe and the Dingly Dell.

Fun fact – my “guide” told me that parts of the 1991 Robin Hood movie starring Kevin Costner were filmed in this area.

Climbing steadily and looking up the hills on either side, through beautiful forest, this area reminded me of the last day of our Overland Track walk in Tasmania 2016; so green that you almost feel like you are walking underwater.!

Still climbing upward we came to one tree frog hill and could finally see the Quantock Moors.

It was really interesting to see how quickly the landscape changed from the temperate lush greenery to the starkness of the heather and gorse of the moors. The weather changed too, across the top of the moors we head a strong Easterly accompany us as we walked.

We turned right on pack way towards Higher Hare Knap with an outlook to the channel.

We then walked down again into Shepherds Combe then up again along Lady’s edge following a stream all the way up until it disappears.

Further up we get to Bicknoller Post which marks the meeting way of several pathes. Fantastic views towards Minehead and Exmoor and the Bristol Channel from here.

On the way down Lonstone Hill we passed areas of moor that had been burnt, a process known as “swaling”.

We arrived back in Holford about 2.5 hours after setting out.

Brilliant walk!

17/5/19 Friday -18/5/19 Saturday

We left Wirksworth Friday morning and headed to Leicester to visit Rob’s friends Fi and Rob.

Before we left we popped into St. Mary’s as Rob wanted to find “T Owd Man” an early medieval carving of a miner, that was “borrowed” from Bonsall in the mid 1800’s and never returned. A small tile; only about 20 x 30cm, it took a little while to find…

St Mary’s also has some very beautiful lead lighting.

Back on the road and on the way to Leicester we stopped at Bolsover Castle in the North East of DerbyShire.

Holding a commanding position the castle has stunning views across DerbyShire. Built in the 12th Century the original Norman fortress has changed many hands and been extended and added to to through to the 16th Century and is now a Grade I listed building.

The surrounding Castle or fortress is mainly in ruins but the little Castle built as a “party palace” has some incredibly maintained interiors.

The views from the fortress walls high over DerbyShire were second to none.

This beautiful tree was roped off as there was a family of owl nesting.

After leaving Bolsover we made our way to Leicester to Fi and Rob’s, friends of Rob.

We had a lovely evening with Fi as Rob had a function on and the next day we all went for a lovely walk to Bradgate Park.

Bradgate Park is a public park in Charnwood forest in Leicester and it covers 850 acres. When we arrived a group we’re gathering, on horseback and in period costume! We saw them again later about half way through the walk.

As we walked we passed Deer, Old John (a folly), 500 year old oak trees and the ruins of Bradgate House.

We had a lovely morning and it was such a nice visit. Rob is very fortunate to have such wonderful friends. We left Leicester for Manchester late in the afternoon after a long delicious lazy lunch as we were travelling to Dublin, Ireland first thing the following day, Sunday.

Tuesday 4/6/19 Cool and Cloudy with sunshine

My intention was to blog everyday and to some extent I have been as I journal everyday. Internet connections, wifi availability and some times phone battery have hampered my efforts however and I have fallen behind with my posts.

I’m so excited to have finally arrived in my beloved Scotland; a lifelong dream, that I just have to share it so I promise to catch up with earlier travels, including the days in Ireland very soon but I just have to share this today!

Ron I travelled up from Dover to Carlisle on Sunday and then after visiting Carlisle Castle and Hadrian’s wall yesterday, we arrived in Scotland at about 6:30 last night.

We are staying Fascadale Croft in West Lothian, which means we are situated approximately halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh which is ideal for exploring the central Scottish belt. Our Croft is very comfortable, probably the best BnB Rob and I have found to date and very good value!

Today we visited Linlithgow Palace, Blackness Castle (where some of Outlander was filmed) and Hopetoun house. Our first full day has been a brilliant day, the weather is cool but we had no rain until we just arrived home earlier this evening.

Linlithgow palace

We parked near the loch to walk around to the castle you can see in the background and the greeting party arrived to meet us! Swans, ducks and other water birds started swimming towards us. It was quite surreal and a very sweet moment.

They were expecting food of course and we’ll trained they were too but we were a an empty handed disappointment!

The palace was outstanding! Four towers in tact and I felt like a child exploring tunnels, walkways and the rooms of Kings and Queens gone by.

I counted over 110 steps in each tower. Who needs a Stairmaster when you can go exploring instead 😄.

Each of the towers branch off at five different levels and the outer walls are a maze of tunnels and rooms.

The lower levels were for the servants and guards and as you go up there are halls, bedrooms, a chapel and even a very tiny room at the the top of the highest tower.

The central courtyard also had a very decorative fountain.

On the second level there was a display of items found when restoration excavation works where carried out. Most were pottery but one of the cases held the remains of a child’s shoe.

Blackness Castle

On the Firth of the Forth sits the ship that never sailed… A medieval fortress that was more recently used as a setting in “Outlander” tv series.

Hopetoun House

17th century stately country estate. We decided not to go in as only a very small portion is open to the public. Very impressive from the outside I must say!

Queensferry Crossing

One of three bridges that cross over the Forth. I caught the cable stays in the afternoon sunlight and it reminded me of thr sails on a ship, stunning!

Rob and I have had a brilliant day. Couldn’t have asked for better for our first day in Scotland!

16/5/19 Thursday

Exploring the Peak District was on the agenda today so we set out for Stanton Moor that had a walk that also took in the Nine ladies stone circle.

The day was lovely and sunny with a gentle breeze and when we came to this pretty glade I could appreciate why this place had been chosen as a gathering place in times past.

We have seen a few stone circles now and burial mounds also. Relics from pagan times they are much more prolific than I had thought.

Stanton Moor walk was lovely with many tracks Criss crossing.

I think we took a wrong turn as this is what the track became for a while…

Ahhh, that’s better, I think were right now.

I love how the landscape can so quickly changes on the moor from heather and gorse to temperate forest, complete with fungi!

This rock is known as the Cork Stone, another megalith.

We found this rocky outcrop so we scrambled up for a better view. Rob, King of the Mountain!

Looking out across Stanton Moor, so beautiful.

After we finished our walk we were looking for a refreshment so we visited nearby Bakewell. While we were there we had to try the famous Bakewell pudding, not to be confused with the Bakewell tart! Sorry no picture and I must say both Rob and I were underwhelmed by it. A concoction of puff pastry filled with an almond custard and a ting of pink, perhaps rose water?

To be fair it may have been better warmed up.

On the way back To Wirksworth we visited another stone circle – Arbor Low, a Neolithic stone circle and henge.

We finished the day with a lovely meal at local French restaurant Le Mistral. Mussels for Rob and the daily special Baked Chicken for me but of course we shared. Yum!

On the way home I snapped the sunset, heading up our street. It’s 9:00pm and twilight will linger for about another hour which means you can pack a lot into each day!

Wednesday 15/5/19

Wirksworth is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire. It contains the source of the River Ecclesbourne. The town was granted a market charter by Edward I in 1306 and the market is held still today on Tuesdays in the Memorial Gardens. 

Wirksworth town is a series of steep intricate lanes, alleyways and steps. It seems the town has been built into the very valley walls!

Its past fortunes were built on lead mining, a key commercial activity dating back to Roman times, quarrying and textiles – introduced by industrial pioneer Sir Richard Arkwright at Haarlem Mill, considered by some to be the mill in George Eliot’s novel The Mill on the Floss.

Wirksworth town circuit, about 12 kilometres in length gives you great views as it circles the entire town with new and historical featured along the way. After breakfast Rob and I set out to explore.

From Cosy Cottage we walked up a nearby laneway that was very steep. To give an idea of how steep, following is a photo of Greenhill street looking down towards our cottage.

We walked up and up eventually turning on to a lane and continuing up we came to StarDisc which is close to where The Wirksworth Circuit starts.

StarDisc is a 21st century stone circle and celestial amphitheatre created by Aidan Shingler. It spans 12 meters (40 ft). Carved into black granite is a star chart that mirrors the northern hemisphere’s night sky. The surface of the stone circle is inscribed with the constellations, their names, and a depiction of the Milky Way. Contrasting with the star chart is a perimeter of silver granite on which 12 seats are positioned. The seats denote the months of the year. Dark skies sensitive lighting illuminates StarDsic powered by our nearest star the Sun. Courtesy StarDisc Org.

We had a lovely sunny day for our walk and at the StarDisc I was able to find my birth sign constellation Libra which we don’t see in our Southern skies. 😀

The surrounding vistas of the countryside were pretty good too!

From the StarDisc we walked across the road and onto the public footpath marked with the circuit mark then across fields and roads, passing many quarries which are everywhere in this district!

We had a great walk!

Tuesday 14/5/19

Today we packed up and left the Yorkshire Dales, we have really enjoyed this area and are excited to now be heading for the Derbyshire Dales, which is South of Yorkshire.

Another bright sunny day today and on the way we planned to stop and visit Rievaulx Abbey at Helmsley, which was recommended by one of the staff at Whitby Abbey and is well worth a visit if you get the opportunity.

Interestingly we spoke to one of the staff who told us that her cottage has Rievaulx stone in it, so this practice seems to have been widely adopted.

After we left Rievaulx we made our way South and along the way spied a castle at Helmsley.

We decided to take a look and found a 900 year old castle turned Tudor mansion!

Behind the castle was an estate so we drove up for a look and found Duncombe Park, a very fine example of an historic house and still owned by the Duncombe family. Would have been great to view but no time today unfortunately as the day is getting on. Interesting how it’s the things you stumble across some days that grab you.

The drive to Wirksworth in Derbyshire was enjoyable and didn’t take too long. Our accommodation at “Cosy Cottage” a tiny 3 story dwelling looked comfortable and functional so we headed out o explore…

Monday 13/5/19

Our last day in the Yorkshire Dales and a beautiful sunny day. Rob and I decided to travel back into Richmond to see the Castle there, as we had missed it on the way in as it had been too late. TIP – last entry at heritage sites is a 1/2 hour before closing, usually at 5:00pm.

The day took a twist due to the following photo. Can you spot the two boys on the roof?

I spotted the two teenage boys larking around on the roofs of adjoining houses while taking photos of the surrounding town and market place. I stopped watching after a few minutes as I was concerned they may fall!

When we left the castle and returned to the car, we found it surrounded and parked in by four police vehicles! We quickly found out that the boys had pushed over a chimney which had crashed into the market place about 10 metres from our vehicle. The police had then given chase and now had one boy in custody with the other still giving chase!

I felt compelled to assist so spoke to the nearest officer, offering my photo. Officer Amy seemed more interested in our holiday and mentioned it again later in reply to my email with the photo, which she remarked would be very useful! I hope the boys don’t get into too much trouble!!!

We went and had coffee while we waited for the police to leave. Costa coffee has the best cappuccino we have found as a lot of cafes use auto push button machines but Costa uses espresso machines and the coffee is quite good!

When we were able to leave we set out for Middlesham Castle. The ruined castle commenced in 1190 is best known as the childhood home of Richard III, although he actually spent very little of his reign there. After it was allowed to run to ruin in the 1700 and like many other castles and Abbey’s we have seen, much of the stone was removed and used in other local village dwellings.

Driving from and back into Richmond we passed Catterick Garrison a large military base. On the way back we were swooped, quite literally by a Boeing chinook helicopter. Too quick and fast to get a photo but a thrilling to experience!

Back in Richmond we parked and took a lovely walk to Easby Abbey and back, enjoying a Jersey Ice Cream along the way.

On the way home we stopped at the local pub which we had been passing for the last few days, curious about the name we got chatting with the publican Mick who had no idea where the name originated. We had a fun hour though, sharing stories of spiders and snakes 😄.

Cracker of a day!

Sunday 12/5/19

We had looked at quite a number of ruined castles by now so I had been looking for one that was “more operational” and as luck would have it, I found a brochure for Bolton which is two thirds intact, birds of prey and wild boar demonstrations and had guest historical tour guides on this weekend so off we went.😄

Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England. It has never been sold and is still in the ownership of the descendants of the Scrope family.

Apparently Mary Queen of Scotts was held prisoner at Bolton for six months in 1568.

 In January 1569, Mary was removed from Bolton Castle for the last time, being taken to Tutbury in Staffordshire where she would spend much of the 18 years before her execution in 1587.

Fun fact – In fortified castles, internal stairs were set in a clock wise direction so to advantage the right handed defender and equally disadvantage the right handed attacker!

Costrell holy water vial from 1100’s

Shot with edge (used shot) thought to be from the battle of independence on 2/7/1644 found on master moor outside York.

Rob and I had so much fun at Bolton Castle. The tour with Dave was excellent with lots of history and interesting anecdotes, the coins, shot and Cottrell are his own too.

Colin in the armory was a hoot too. Both men very passionate and patriotic about England!

On the way out we visited the boar too but didn’t stay for the feeding…

Forgot to add this picture. A beautiful example of Yorkshire Moors.

Saturday 11/5/19

Barnard Castle in the town of the same name is about 10 minutes drive from Newsham the village we are staying in for a few days.

Barnard also has the Bowes Museum which we visited twice, Thursday 9/5 and again on Saturday.

Barnard Castle was founded in the 12th century and provides gorgeous views of the Tees Gorge; which remarkably is the colour of Tea, and I found out later that it’s coloured this way due to the peat that grows in this area.

The ruined mediaeval castle is also on the fringe of the busy market town, affectionately known as Barney’s so is easy to access.

Bowes Museum was a big surprise. It is a private museum created by Josephine and John Bowes. It captured my imagination as Josephine could not have children and she and her husband, both avid lovers of the Arts, set about collecting some 15,000 works including paintings, textiles, ceramics and local historical items in just over a decade with artistic work from El Greco and Francis Goya.

A big attraction is the Silver Swan automaton which was favoured by the Queen Mother who was also a patron.

The museum has three floors and your pass is annual so you can revisit. I fell in love with the romance of the Bowes couple I must say, obviously devoted to each other and their life’s work. I read that John Bowes stopped looking for Art for the Museum shortly after Josephine died so he was obviously grief stricken. Very interesting historical family story too with close ties to the royal family.

We missed the Silver Swan on our visit so we returned on Saturday to see it and Also the the 1st floor that we missed on our first visit.

After the museum Rob wanted a haircut so we visited a traditional Turkish barber we had seen earlier. Rob got a great haircut and also had his ears “flamed” and the inside of his nose waxed! Ouch!

We then did a walk from Barnard to the Egglestone Abbey. Along the way we chatted with a two people walking there dogs, Candess and her dad Nigel and their dogs. Great walk with friendly conversation. Candess also helped me identify some of the flowers we saw and the dad gave us directions to a great local ale house – Firkin Ale. They also ended up walking all the way to the Abbey with us and then all the way back to town to the bar!

Everyone has been so friendly, it has been really lovely. Mind you I have been careful to say G’day as much as possible which immediately identifies you as an Aussie. 😀😀😀

Friday 11/5/19

Day out to Robin Hoods Bay.

Weather wise it started as a beautiful sunny day and the drive across to the East Coast from Newsham, about 1 hour 45mins was lovely.

Whitby Abby was grand, ethereal and amazing. Just thinking about how they carried out such detailed work in those days is mind boggling and makes me want to read more history, particularly about Henry VIII.

Whitby itself looks to be a thriving seaport, split by the River Esk with Gothic Whitby Abbey on the East Cliff. The Abbey was apparently Bram Stoker a inspiration for Dracula” and the is an original sign first print copy of the book in the museum at the Abbey. The museum newly opened in March this year so we were fortunate to see it.

I wish we had longer to walk around and explore the town to find it’s hidden gems which I’m sure are there including Captain Cook’s memorial and Museum as he lived in Whiby for a time but we wanted to go to Robin Hood’s Bay today also so off we go.

Robin Hoods bay is a picturesque old fishing village with a long history of smuggling and delightful with a steep descent from the cliffs to the village centre.

We discovered a cluster of houses in the centre of town, that wound up the cliff face and that you could wander from top to bottom through a maze of twisted cobbled streets and narrow alleyways passing rows of cottages with quiant names and colourful tubs of flowers. Many were self catering so it would be a magical place to stay for children I think. It certainly captured my imagination.

We did part of the last days walk from Whitby to Robin Hoods bay, walking a loop on the Cleveland/Cinder Way. A lovely walk along the cliff tips on a probably our best day weather wise so far. On the way back we stopped on a seat to have a late lunch and enjoy the view of the North Sea.

On our return to Robin Hoods Bay we had a quick stop for a pint at the smugglers bar. Rob had the Black Death and I had a cider.

Suitably refreshed we walked up the cliff again via the cottages maze as I’ve come to think of it and then back in the car and off to Scarborough.

The days are long here with a twilight that extends to nearly 10pm so we decided to stay out later today. Unfortunately though most Heritage sites close at 6pm with last entry half hour before so we arrived at Scarborough Castle too late. We did enjoy a walk around the castle perimeter though and the views across Scarborough Esplanade and the coastline were well worth the drive.

Wednesday 8/5/19

I had bought Squirrel food for the red squirrels and staff at the hotel suggested 7:00 am as the best time to feed them, so we got up and downstairs early for this purpose. The day was set in with rain though and very chilly so after spreading the nuts and seeds I sat waiting in the drizzle for an hour – not great for my persistent cold and no sign of squirrels either but thank goodness for Rob and the cup of tea he bought down for me. I did see some little birds – tits I think but not sure.

After a lovely breakfast, perfectly boiled eggs with toast soldiers for me, full Cumberland for Rob, we grabbed our packs and headed back downstairs. As we came into the lobby I noticed that people were at the windows in a sitting room off to the left and to our delight two squirrels were enjoying the food I had put out earlier. So cute!

Rob and I then enjoyed about twenty minutes observing and photographing the squirrels. We also got chatting to a lovely English couple too which is always nice.

Shap

In the car and off again we travelled to Shap. The C2C comes into Shap via the Abbey so that was a must see and to our surprise we ran into three Americans – JJ, Marg and Gray, we had met walking on Day 1 St.Bees to Cleator. We had a lovely chat, catching up on their walk for a few minutes and Marg shared some Gingerbread with me from the little shop in Grassmere (closed when we were there) which was very kind.

we then drove onto Kirkby Stephen were we made a stop to go to the Post Office; hope everyone is receiving our postcards. The day is really cold and wet so our visit was brief. We visited the local Church which was beautiful and had an original Loki stone, then a quick walk through the market. Feeling really cold we decided to grab a hot Cornish pastie; which was amazingly good and a pie to warm us up, then onto Richmond for some groceries before heading to Newsham.

Merok Cottage Newsham

Up til now we had been using pre booked accommodation for the walk. As we now had a car we decided to book a cottage in a central location towards the end of the C2C walk so that we could do day trips aound. This would mean I could cook which would also give us a break from pub food! 😄

Rob found Merok Cottage in Newsham.

When we arrived on this cold afternoon it was a very welcome sight. As you can see above it is very comfortable. Rob immediately set a fire and I whipped up a creamy chicken carbonara and started a beef stew too. The Rayburn (like an Aga) provides heating for the house and is always ready to cook on. It reminds me of the black stove we had when I was growing up, except it was wood fuelled and the Rayburn is fuelled by oil.

So a great end to a cold day! A lovely bottle of French Bordeaux stle wine, hot pasta and a lovely fire followed by a comfy bed.

Tuesday 7/5/19

We left Patterdale for Haweswater our last pre booked accommodation on the walk. This destination was slightly off the C2C as at the time of planning, I was attempting to shift two long days of walking into three easier days.

Leaving Patterdale, we drove to nearby Glenridding as Rob had planned a walk around Aira Force, a lovely waterfall with another association with Wordsworth.

Some say he wrote “Daffodils” about this area and “Somnabulist” also, the sad poem about Lady Emma and Sir Eglamore… the first stanza for you.

“List, ye who pass by Lyulphs Tower
At eve; how softly then
Doth Aira-force, that torrent hoarse.
Speak from the woody glen!
Fit music for a solemn vale!
And holier seems the ground
To him who catches on the gale
The spirit of a mournful tale,
Embodied in the sound.”

Look it up if you have time, a beautiful poem.

A bit of a wet day but we were hopeful of a a good walk and it was really lovely.

After a lovely walk and lunch we were off to Haweswater via Shap, once again as the crow flies not that far away but to drive we had to go around mountains. We also decided to pop into Penrith as check in wasn’t til 5pm.

Monday 6/5/19

We travelled from Grassmere to Patterdale today. By road it takes more travel as we have to go around the mountains, not over them 😂 and we visited a few places on the way.

We stopped at Ambleside and did some washing while we had breakfast and then we travelled on to Windermere.

Along the way we got sidetracked by a sign for Townend historical house. So lovely to be able to side track on a whim I must say, to have the time to do so is really lovely and we spotted these houses also.

Townend at Troutbeck was built in the 1600 and was in the Browne family for eight generation’s up until the last, George Brown in the early 1900’s. It is now in the care of the national trust and the house is open for tours once a day. The barn is still in use by the resident caretakers.

The garden has a lovely range of plants and flowers used in years gone by and some still in use today no doubt. There were also a few examples of “recipes” from a family cookbook that I just had to snap.

After leaving Troutbeck we travelled on to Windemere, a really lovely destination. Very busy today by the lake for the bank holiday today but still very chilly and rainy too.

The streets of Windemere are very quaint with some lovely examples of cottages. Most towns have a marketplace which the streets stem from – bit like a wheel and then there are random alleys and laneways, some of which have the cutest shops and old pubs.

We then walked down to the lake for a walk and got completely sidetracked by all the birds, swans, ducks, mandarin ducks and more.

So friendly and well fed from hand feeding. Of course we had to join in and had the best time. So beautiful.

Windermere is lovely and on of my favourite places in the lakes district so far.

Driving on we arrived at Patterdale, our next night of pre-booked accommodation, a very small town in a valley.

This is town we would have arrived at if we had continued walking down from Grisedale Tarn from Grassmere from the hills below.

We stayed at the YHA and walked into town for dinner at the White Lion. Had a lovely chat to a local – fun fact, nearly everyone we have spoken to so far, knows someone or has a relative in Perth!

Sunday 5/5/19.

Internet has been very intermittent up til yesterday 9/5.

Our accommodation at the Travellers Rest was very close to the C2C trail so Rob planned a circuit walk called the Great Tongue up to Grisedale Tarn and about 1/2 way to Patterdale.

Travellers Rest Hotel.

Grisedale Tarn is at an elevation of 600metre so it was all up! A lovely walk though, that starts with public footpaths past houses then farms with a stream running on the left. As you head past these you come to a footbridge and the bridle path gives way to a track and as you rise higher the views back towards Grasmere were well worth the effort and it was lovely to see all the baby lambs too.

This Waterfall marks the top of the tongue and a Cairn marks the alternate route which we took on the way back.

Abit further on after quite a few stone stairs and as you reach a stone wall and step through, Grisedale Tarn appears with Helvelyn in the Background.

We stopped for a break at the Tarn and then walked on past Helvelyn towards Patterdale, then doubled back and did a lap around the Tarn before heading home.

This is Rob about a 1/3 of the way round. If you look carefully you can just see a line which marks the path around the tarn.

On the way back we took the alternate route down the stairs and then on the Northern side of the tongue.

Looking back down the Valley towards Grasmere.

Lovely sheep but where is the path? Very different route with no clearly defined path on the way down…

Tadpoles in a puddle!!!

Great walk – about 13km’s 😅

We arrived back at the hotel about 2pm, had a lovely Sunday Roast lunch – Chicken for me and Beef with Yorkeshire pud for Rob and a bottle of Montepulciano.

Tuckered out we relaxed for the rest of the day, I did some writing and planning too 😄.

Awesome day!

Saturday 4/5/19

We left YHA Borrowdale and headed to Grasmere via Keswick. The mountain scenery continues to astound us and it was close to freezing, about 3 degrees when we set off about 8:30am and there has been snow overnight!

We stopped to take this photo in front of Borrowdale hotel, Rob’s face tells the picture of how cold it was but otherwise a beautiful day.

Keswick is gorgeous but a bit busy, especially today, part of the bank holiday weekend. We also found out that they have “Light the lakes” on Sunday night, where hundreds of walkers walk up “Scafell Pike” and the trail is lit by their lights. I wish we had found out about it as it sounds like a really special thing to do.

Courtesy, Light the Lakelands festival flyer, 2019.

Keswick village, taken from Hope Gardens on the foreshore of Derwent water.

The flowers are out despite the cold.

Derwent Isle in the middle of the lake. This photo is the reverse of the one taken from the village – absolutely stunning area!

Keswick market, bustling on a Saturday long weekend. Lots of sweets, clothing and food stalls.

Lunch at the Oddfellow arms, Keswick. Rob found this pub by watching the locals. Both meals, Beef and Ale stew and Haddock, Peas and Chips were under £6, about $11.00. My first taste of Yorkshire pudding! So good on such a cold day!

Castlerigg standing stones, just outside of Keswick. surrounded by peaks – a very special place.

I’m totally blown away by how close everything is here, so much to see and all of it so close.

Fell in love with this stone bridge, again in Keswick.

We arrived Grasmere mid afternoon and immediately set out for a walk, we followed this lane, public footpaths around the village as it follows the C2C. Our hotel, travellers rest is the white building on the left of the photo.

Grasmere is another lovely village and home to William Wordsworth’s Swan cottage which is currently under restoration.

We visited his memorial which is in the Church surrounded by a daffodil garden, his favourite, (not yet in bloom). A lovely and fitting resting place for a man who left the world with so many beautiful poems…

“I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

And all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodills;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze…” from, I wandered Lonely as a Cloud, William Wordsworth.

Hoping to do a walk tomorrow. 😄

Friday 3/5/19

Maryann writing. Another night at the Ennerdale Country House and Hotel having cancelled YHA Black Sails due to my head cold. Feel quite unwell but hoping it’s just a bad cold and now dosing up with Cold & Flu, Honey & Lemon Tea plus lots of rest. Rob has been wonderful and so supportive despite the abrupt change to our plans and I feel very grateful to have him by my side on this journey. His kindness and loving attention has stopped me from feeling too low about missing our the full walk and we hope we can still do parts of the walk.

As Rob pointed out we have 31 weeks out of 32 to walk and driving the lakes we can see so much more.

Today was amazing! The lakes district is so beautiful. As much as possible we have followed the two days of walking we have missed, from Cleator to Ellendale Bridge and then to Borrowdale in the middle of the Lake District.

Ennerdale Bridge.

A view over Ennerdale Water.

Driving up and away from Ennerdale water, looking back down the valley. The air is clear and it is so quiet.

One of the many beautiful country roads we drove on.

The roads are all very narrow, in some places just one lane wide, so a lot of care is needed when driving and you have to constantly lookout for other cars.

Loweswater, another lake between Ennerdale and Buttermere.

Buttermere, a tiny village in the hills. We stopped for a cup of tea at Skye Farm tearoom and three of the working dogs came out to say hello. One little guy, a terrier I think, was so old he could barely walk more than a few steps at a time. A cold day he hobbled into the sunshine then sat and refused to move, even when a car came in and had to turn around as there was no parking.

Buttermere Tarn and Honister pass. So beautiful and we wouldn’t have seen half of this if we had walked so am feeling a bit better about the change of plan today. Still full of cold too…

YHA Borrowdale, our accommodation for the evening. After check in we walked down to the local pub, the Scarfell.

Public footpaths over here follow meandering paths through fields, laneways and roads and across properties, this one was typical through the little village of Seatoller.

The pub had a charming fire and like most other public places was dog friendly 😄.

Rob and I had a lovely meal including a serve of “dripping chips” Yum!

Then a chilly walk back to the YHA, hot chocolate and some chat with other walkers on the C2C, then bed.

Thursday 2/5/19

Rob writing. Maryann woke Thursday still feeling unwell so I decided to change our plans to allow her to rest and recover. We were both disappointed but with more bad weather coming we thought of hiring a car so we could continue to accommodation we had previously booked as possibly the best course of action.

We investigated other options “packhorse” who will carry your bags but Maryann was not up to walking far and will need a few days to recover. So missed out on our night at the blacksail yha and it was 4 bus changes and 6 hours to our next booked accommodation at Borrowdale.

So car hire we did but nothing available til Friday so that mean’t another day in Cleator.

To make the most of the time here we caught a bus into Whitehaven just before lunch.

Ennerdale Country House & Hotel

Lolly shop Whitehaven

Lonsdale Castle whitehaven

We walked the streets of Whitehaven and harbour and bought a few supplies from the local stores – Aldi; a lot more choices than ours including alcohol and Home Supplies for a corkscrew for a bottle of French Wine (from Aldi) I found that needed a corkscrew! Lots of Australian wine on offer including Hardy’s, Banrock (Kay!) and Penfolds. After shopping we sat in the town square and had some lunch, Maryann feed most of her roll to a big fat Seagull!

We then walked a bit more visiting the Yellow Earl Bar, named after the Earl of Lowther. Quite a chap apparently, who inherited the family mining fortune which he then squandered on gambling, drink, women and bad business decisions. He always wore yellow and was quite a character despite leaving his family in debt they have never recovered from. The owner of the Yellow Earl, Mr McLean, enjoyed recounting the Earls many business ventures including founding the AA because his Rolls Royce kept breaking down and of course his many misdemeanor’s also!

Across the road was Michael Moon’s bookstore.

Maryann stopped to chat to Mr Moon about the curious store sign and 40 mins later and many stories about his books, we realised we had missed our bus and had to wait another hour for the next one so another lap of the harbour and then back to the Yellow Earl to wait as the day began to cool off.

Back to Cleator and to the local pub – The Brooke, for dinner and then back to the hotel for a long soak in the tub for both of us.

Looking on the bright side, a good day considering we had to change our plans, enjoyable and an opportunity to see Whitehaven and have experiences we wouldn’t otherwise have had.

It’s raining and did I mention I have a cold! A Frenchman coughed on me at Windsor Castle on Saturday and I started a cold that evening. I’ve been trying to ignore it ever since.

We had a good night’s rest, though, sleeping about 8 hours I reckon and after breakfast at St. Bees Beach Cafe we headed out for the first days walk, about 14 km’s, an otherwise easy distance for Rob and I, with the packs though and wet, cold weather we needed the wet weather gear from the outset and it ended up being a fairly tough day, especially for me.

This little guy was on the cafe window and you can see beyond the start of the walk, up and over the cliffs above St. Bees.

Me at the starting point, took a picture of Rob also but no one about to assist with a good shot of both of us.

It was a steep climb up the cliff from St. Bees and we missed all the good views out west to the Isle of Mann due to the weather.

Round the cliffs was very pretty especially seeing the baby lambs but I enjoyed the changing views further inland later in the day much more as they constantly changed and the weather was less extreme.

At least half of the walk was along the coast line and at times, with the wind blowing it was bitterley cold and eye wateringly strong. I was really looking forward to a break and a cup of tea at the Dog and partridge in Sandwith but when we got there it wasn’t open. We found a seat and rested but it was too wet to make our own tea so we didn’t stop for too long.

The rest of the walk was through fields, country lanes and public footpaths sometimes across working farms and took lots of turns, ups and downs. I was feeling quite unwell by this point and didn’t take too many photos.

About 2pm the sun came out and it warmed up which was great but I think I overheated a bit as I started to sweat.

I was really pleased to see Ennerdale Country House and Hotel at about 3pm and spent the rest of the day in bed.

Tuesday 30/4/19

Fast train from Euston Station to Preston (even tilted a bit on the corners) 😳. Then two small trains with another change at Barrow in Furness

Air BnB accom at the Hayloft has been very comfortable and we did a reconnaissance walk to the beach and picked out obligatory pebble to carry from the West Coast to the East to Robin Hood’s bay. You can see the cliff start to the walk in the background of this photo. So we are all set.

Sitting in the Queens Arms as I write, Rob has just ordered our dinner, grilled Sea Bass & Veg for me and Meat Feast Pizza for him with jalapenos!!!

Pics of the Abbey Chuchyard (dating back to Norman times) and St. Bees below.

When we walked up the street is was clogged with cars waiting to cross the train tracks at the bottom of the street. After dinner though the street was very quiet with no one in sight… Where is everyone you may ask?

The Answer, in the pubs which are well frequented by the locals Who are very friendly and curios about “walkers” as we are referred to.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow so our walk from St. Bees to Cleator looks like it will be a wet one!!! A big day awaits us.

Monday 29/4/19

Can you visit all of London’s best attractions in 36 hours?

Rob and had a good crack at it that’s for sure! After a whirlwind afternoon on Sunday we bought tickets for “The original red bus tour” which allows you to hop on and off at many tourist destinations.

There are three main routes – Yellow which is the original, Blue – Royal Route and Orange – Museum Route. We started from our hotel and after we walked a few minutes to Russell Square, got on at the British Museum on the Orange Route. At Leicester square we hopped off to try to get half price West End tickets but the Harry Pinter play – Betrayal that we had hoped to see was not available so we opted to see the Avenger’s movie at the Odeon Luxe instead. Tickets for the evening organised we walked over to Piccadilly Circus to hop on the Yellow line. Rob and I continue to be blown away at the old architecture at every turn, trendy but also with an underbelly.

Minutes from hopping on the bus again we arrive at Trafalgar Square which is very impressive with the National Portrait Gallery.

Then along Downing Street where I wasn’t quick enough to take a pic of the Royal Horse Guards but did get the Death memorial.

Over Westminster Bridge, York Road past the Eye, then Waterloo Bridge, Aldridge Street past the Royal Courts then Fleet Street to St Paul’s, we hopped off to explore and had a glass of wine at a bar opposite St Paul’s, a very nice place to sit back and watch the world go by. I also good deed after watching a guy try to take a selfie with a red phone booth. I waved at him offering to help then dashed outside to take his photo for him. Must have done a good job too, as I was then waylaid by a group of girls as I came back in, asking for the same help. 😄

Back on the bus we travelled across London Bridge and the monument which is the tribute to the Great Fire of London and then on to the Tower of London where we stopped for a tour. quite somber and a lot of people there.

Back on the bus we went past Big Ben which is mostly under wraps for refurbishment – apparently it was starting to lean!!!

We hopped off the yellow tour to cross to the Blue Royal Tour at Buckingham palace but backtracked to visit a pub we had passed called “The Royal Albert”, previously known as the Blue Coat boy (after one of the original schools). Second pic.

Disappointingly these cute pubs all have the same menu!!! This was our third… We decided it must be a chain. The Albert did have the original etched glass and moulded ceilings which made up somewhat though.

Refreshed with food, we walked back to Buckingham palace for a pic and then back on the bus.

Crowds everywhere today after the Marathon and apparently it’s a long weekend for Italy following Easter break…

Back on the bus we decided to hop off in Whitehall as we had reached overload.

We sat in Trafalgar square for a while, soaking up the atmosphere for a while then walked to another pub we had passed that looked like a local – Walkers in Whitehall were we enjoyed a glass of Cotes du Rhone red wine.

We then walked back to Leicester square for dinner at the Blue Moon under the Water and then we were off to our movie which was amazing….

We caught a London taxi home. Big day! About 15km walking.

Sunday 28/4/19

We travelled into London yesterday by bus. Very efficient and quick service and even with all the road closures for the London Marathon we made it into Hyde Park in less than an hour.

We than had to navigate the underground and thank goodness for Rob’s navigation skills as we used the underground to criss cross London for the rest of the day. If it had me navigating the network, we may have gotten lost!

We used the underground to travel to Goodge station and then walked about 300 metres to our hotel. Gower house and dropped our packs.

Our room is small but clean and will do well for a couple of nights.

We headed out again and used the underground to travel to Leicester square. We walked around and tried to get some half price theatre tickets but due to the Marathon there were limited offerings, will try again tomorrow. We then found an old English pub to have the obligatory pint!

Back on the underground we travelled to The Embankment station were we found we had come out at mile 25 for the London Marathon. It was a very festive atmosphere with lots of people about.

We walked over a footbridge and past The London Eye, then over Westminster Bridge with the view of parliament and then past Westminster Abbey and up to James St station.

History at every turn, our pocket tour today certainly does not do London justice but it is a lot of fun to see all these historic places, albeit briefly.

On the tube again to Tower Hill were we ran into the Marathon again and due to this we were able to walk over Tower Bridge via the middle of the road which was closed to traffic for the day. Hoping to return here tomorrow for a tour.

We then walked along the Queen’s walkway past the Shard and up to London Bridge with stunning views of the city all around. Up past the monument we hopped on the tube again at Monument station. 3 line hops later we arrived at Russell St with a pub, The Swan, round the corner! Dinner was a red wine and beef pie and a glass of Shiraz, then a short walk home. All up a fantastic day in London!

Lovely first morning in Stoke Poges. Rob and I went to bed on Friday about 9:30 after a lovely evening with Doreen and David. Doreen made a great chilli and we shared a bottle of Grant Burge Petit bubbles and another GB Miamba Shiraz. Full of good food we sat down to watch a football game between Liverpool and Huddersfield and promptly fell asleep!

We woke around 5am and after chatting for a while, sorting out chargers and gear we showered and dressed and went down for breakfast of tea and egg on toast. No jet lag to speak of, thankfully.

After a very relaxing morning, David and Doreen took us to Windsor.

Driving in England is a unique experience, as the roads are very narrow and there are lots of cars zipping around, so that will take some getting used to.

Windsor is very pretty, we parked behind a friend’s garage and walked down Blexley Street which has a lot of charming terrace houses. We had lunch at the Vansittart pub (sausages and mash for me 😄) and then cut through to Peascod Street where there are lots of shops, checked out the The Queen – a very old train engine that was used to pull the Queens train in days gone by and then we visited Windsor Castle.

Here’s a few pic’s. Look for the Fortescue coat of arms, diagonal white stripe on blue with gold trim.

David & Doreen

Heading into London today…

We flew Etihad on 25/4/19 with a short; less than 1 hour, stopover in Abu Dhabi which meant a total of 23 flying hours. The views from the plane between Abu Dhabi and London over Irag and Iran; I think we’re amazing

We planned to arrive in London and Stokes Poges in the afternoon so that we only had to get through the evening and then sleep to try and manage jet lag. This morning that theory seems to be working but we will see…

Stokes Poges is a beautiful village not far from either Heathrow or Windsor and David and Doreen, friends of Rob’s very kindly picked us up. The only delays were check in with Etihad in Brisbane; 1.5 hours and Border control; 1.0 in London.

After tea and Doreen’s excellent scones, David took us for a lovely walk to see Thomas Gray’s (poet) memorial as they have an Arbor; one of several that were built in the area around Thomas Grays original property, in their front garden.

We walked through side streets, public lanes, fields and then a road to visit the St Giles Church and Thomas Grays resting place.

Rob and I are already blown away by the history and age that you find at every turn and my first impression of England is that the air is the same, the sky is just as blue, people are friendly, it’s cooller and very green and pretty.

Oh and I found bluebell’s blooming… white ones too.

PS. Now sharing via Fb so it’s easier for everyone to see my posts too. 😀