Today we are planning to head south(ish) passing through Sheffield (to collect some Ivorine for knife handles) and then on to Nottingham to meet up with Eric and Joy.
We start off by heading westwards (as you would) so that we go past the ruins of Fountains Abbey. When we got there it was too early for them to be open so we we just saw what we can see from the entrance way. When we came here on one of our cycling holidays 'when I were a lad' I think we could freely wander in and look around but now you have to pay and there are strict entry times. Progress.
After FA we continued west into the southern Yorkshire Dales and some very impressive countryside. Rain squalls kept hitting us from the west but there were enough sunny intervals to make it interesting. We passed throughnthe pretty village of Pately Bridge in Nidderdalee, about halfway between Ripon Grassington. At Grassington, we turned to the south heading down to Bolton Abbey - another victim of The Reformation - but we didn't go in to see the Abbey.
Continuing south we headed for Keighley but then got a bit messed up and missed our road to take us down through Halifax. We ended up going through/around Bradford which was very slow and then on to Halifax where we were able to pick up a road heading towards the M1. I should say that I tried a few times to call the guy at the cutlery company in Sheffield, eventually leaving a message for him to call me back. When he did call me back it turned out that there was no-one at the place until Thursday/Friday and they didn't really have any Ivorine at all so I would not be able to get the Knife handles that I wanted. Grrr!
Anyway we headed towards the M1, and lunched at a place called Midgley along the way. I called Joy and Eric to let them know our expected timings and we headed down the M1 towards Nottingham. This wasn't quite as straightforward as it should have been as there is major work going on which kept the speed down to 50mph but we got to Nottingham in reasonable time and had no difficulty finding Eric and Joy's place near the Uni.
I should also mention that Garth had lent us his Gps which I had taken out to check a few days ago. Unfortunately, when I went to get it out to get it I couldn't find the Gos unit itself, only it's charging and mounting harness. We had to make do in the end with the Gps on Dominic's Android phone but it did the job. We will have to empty the car out to find the missing Gps. Pity it doesn't have. Gps locator on it!
It was great to catch up with Eric and Joy during the afternoon. One of the things they have been fighting is a light rail system which has taken away part of their garden but the battle is now over and construction is well under way. This runs along the back of their garden with the Uni on the other side. Of course there is all the construction noise that they have to deal with too.
Eric took us on a tour through the Uni later while Joy had someone in for a dance class. In the evening we walked out to have a nice meal at their favorite Indian Restaurant which is not far away. A very pleasant way to spend the evening.
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Hexham to Ripon
First a recap on last night. We headed back from Hexham to Ryton to meet Brian and Sheila and Alan and Delma at The Silver Giraffe restaurant in Ryton. Brian and Sheila were already there when we arrived and Alan and Delma arrived soon after. It was great to see them again after 40 or so years. Conversation flew thick and fast as shared memories were revisited.
One of the things that came out during our conversation mis that Brian has been researching (mostly) the Lancaster family history and has been able to go back to the 15th century when one of the ancestors was, I think, a border reiver named Fingerless Willie (or perhaps it was the other way round?). The reivers were lawless plunderers who made life hell for families living on both sides of the Scottish Border so perhaps we now belong to Australian convict 'royalty' even if we di arrive a bit late ;-). Anyway, he is going to send me the info which will be very interesting to go through. Apparently the Batey side of the family is harder to do because of a name change from Hislop to Batey at some stage. I'm not sure why but got the impression that it was to avoid some military duty or something at some stage. Perhaps we will find out more later.
After dinner we all decamped to Alan and Delma's place in Ryton where the conversation continued until 11:30 or so. Since Dominic and I had to drive back to Hexham we called a halt to proceedings and took our leave, dropping Brian and Sheila at their home in Lemington on the way. All in all a very successful and enjoyable evening.
Today we left Hexham after breakfast and followed our return route of yesterday back as far as Alston and then on to Penrith in Cumbria. We crossed a highish pass (Hartside) along the way - about 620 meters and the western side of that would make a great training ride (bicycle) as it starts quite low at Melmerby and rises for about 10km at a fairly steady gradient.
We didn't actually enter Penrith but crossed over and proceeded to Ullswater which is very beautiful. At the bottom of Ullswater we went over the Kirkstone Pass? to Windemere. After Windemere which is also very pretty we headed back eastwards to Kendall where we stopped for a coffee and comfort break. Kendall is quite a nice place but their one-way system makes one think it was laid out on a board with a piece of badly-knotted string. From Kendal it was off into the Yorkshire Dales via Sedbergh and along through many very nice valleys with very narrow road crowded out with stone walls and farm houses and farm buildings. We stopped at Hawes (Wallace and Grommit) favorite to lunch at the Wensleydale Cheese Factory. The village was quite crowded with trippers. From here we started to see an increasing number of signs about Le Tour which comes up this way after the Grand Depart. There are two stages in Yorkshire before the tour heads south. Leeds to Harrogate which passes through Hawes and Ripon as well as many other places, and York to Sheffield.
After Hawes we continued our journey along the Ure Valley ending up for our overnight stay in Ripon. After calling in at the Info Centre to arrange accommodation at a B & B we went and did our first lot of laundry at a Laundromat. This turned out to be owned and operated by a Nepali guy and his Indian wife. His original home was in Pokhara, Nepal but he saw much of the world in the army and ended up in the Uk. We had quite a long chat with him about Nepal.
After checking in to our B & B, we went around town looking for a suitable dinner venue and ended up at a Chinese restaurant on the Market Square.
We haven't quite planned our route for tomorrow (Wednesday) except that I want to call in to Sheffield to pick up some replacement knife handles, and then we need to be in Nottingham in early to middle afternoon to meet up with the Foxleys.
Today was the warmest we have had maxing out at 16C, although there was a bit of a shower while we were at the Laundromat.
One of the things that came out during our conversation mis that Brian has been researching (mostly) the Lancaster family history and has been able to go back to the 15th century when one of the ancestors was, I think, a border reiver named Fingerless Willie (or perhaps it was the other way round?). The reivers were lawless plunderers who made life hell for families living on both sides of the Scottish Border so perhaps we now belong to Australian convict 'royalty' even if we di arrive a bit late ;-). Anyway, he is going to send me the info which will be very interesting to go through. Apparently the Batey side of the family is harder to do because of a name change from Hislop to Batey at some stage. I'm not sure why but got the impression that it was to avoid some military duty or something at some stage. Perhaps we will find out more later.
After dinner we all decamped to Alan and Delma's place in Ryton where the conversation continued until 11:30 or so. Since Dominic and I had to drive back to Hexham we called a halt to proceedings and took our leave, dropping Brian and Sheila at their home in Lemington on the way. All in all a very successful and enjoyable evening.
Today we left Hexham after breakfast and followed our return route of yesterday back as far as Alston and then on to Penrith in Cumbria. We crossed a highish pass (Hartside) along the way - about 620 meters and the western side of that would make a great training ride (bicycle) as it starts quite low at Melmerby and rises for about 10km at a fairly steady gradient.
We didn't actually enter Penrith but crossed over and proceeded to Ullswater which is very beautiful. At the bottom of Ullswater we went over the Kirkstone Pass? to Windemere. After Windemere which is also very pretty we headed back eastwards to Kendall where we stopped for a coffee and comfort break. Kendall is quite a nice place but their one-way system makes one think it was laid out on a board with a piece of badly-knotted string. From Kendal it was off into the Yorkshire Dales via Sedbergh and along through many very nice valleys with very narrow road crowded out with stone walls and farm houses and farm buildings. We stopped at Hawes (Wallace and Grommit) favorite to lunch at the Wensleydale Cheese Factory. The village was quite crowded with trippers. From here we started to see an increasing number of signs about Le Tour which comes up this way after the Grand Depart. There are two stages in Yorkshire before the tour heads south. Leeds to Harrogate which passes through Hawes and Ripon as well as many other places, and York to Sheffield.
After Hawes we continued our journey along the Ure Valley ending up for our overnight stay in Ripon. After calling in at the Info Centre to arrange accommodation at a B & B we went and did our first lot of laundry at a Laundromat. This turned out to be owned and operated by a Nepali guy and his Indian wife. His original home was in Pokhara, Nepal but he saw much of the world in the army and ended up in the Uk. We had quite a long chat with him about Nepal.
After checking in to our B & B, we went around town looking for a suitable dinner venue and ended up at a Chinese restaurant on the Market Square.
We haven't quite planned our route for tomorrow (Wednesday) except that I want to call in to Sheffield to pick up some replacement knife handles, and then we need to be in Nottingham in early to middle afternoon to meet up with the Foxleys.
Today was the warmest we have had maxing out at 16C, although there was a bit of a shower while we were at the Laundromat.
Newcastle/Tyne Valley
Couldn't publish this yesterday as the wifi at the hotel was abysmal.
Before leaving the hotel this morning I checked my email and got the good news that my Florence accommodation is sorted out. Apparently they had lots of students to accommodate so that they even had to work on Sunday (molto cattivo!).
Leaving Newcastle today we headed west towards Hexham, our first priority being to find somewhere to sleep tonight. At Hexham we drove through the town and spotted the County Hotel which offers accommodation but we drove a bit further to see what else we could find. Since we didn't see anywhere more obvious than the County Hotel, we went back there to check the availability of rooms. They didn't have a twin room but could offer us two doubles but we couldn't check in yet as it was just after 11am. Anyway, we booked the rooms and then back into the car to continue westwards on an exploratory drive. After heading along the main road (A69) for a while we turned off at Haydon Bridge and then headed north up towards Hadrian's wall. We ended up on the road which parallel's the wall and stopped at Once Brewed Park HQ which is right beside the Once Brewed Youth Hostel. My long ago memory of the Once Brewed YHA is that they had a shed out the back which housed an old piano which Evelyn and I angled away on. There were a lot of dope out on the road - many cyclists as well as motorists - because of it being a Bank Holiday.
After our stop at Once Brewed we continued west and, after joking the A69 again turned off to the village of Brampton where we got a fresh sandwich from the Spar shop to eat a bit after on. From there we headed south on the A689 heading towards Alston. This took us through the North Pennines which are a sort of cross between farmland and moorland. There does not appear to be. Lot of soil to sustain good grass growth and the increasing altitude probably does not help either. We found a place to stop by the roadside to eat our sandwiches and have a break. The places down here seem to be very isolated although not too far away from major places like Carlisle in miles.
After lunch we continued towards Alston, along the way moving between Northumbria and Cumbria as the road wriggled through. At Alston, we headed northwards again towards Hexham. Since thus took us close to Allendale we detoured through there as I had vague memories related to the name but when we got there nothing triggered any more memories, although the village itself is quite pretty. An easy drive from Allendale back to Hexham and then we checked into The County Hotel, which is where I am writing this now.
We drove through some magnificent countryside today and expect to see a lot more tomorrow. We also saw several pheasants crossing the road, and also the odd one that became instant pate. Some road signs warned "Caution Red Squirrels" but we didn't see any so there was no need to fear an attack from them. Perhaps the Curse of the Were Squirrel is real!
Before leaving the hotel this morning I checked my email and got the good news that my Florence accommodation is sorted out. Apparently they had lots of students to accommodate so that they even had to work on Sunday (molto cattivo!).
Leaving Newcastle today we headed west towards Hexham, our first priority being to find somewhere to sleep tonight. At Hexham we drove through the town and spotted the County Hotel which offers accommodation but we drove a bit further to see what else we could find. Since we didn't see anywhere more obvious than the County Hotel, we went back there to check the availability of rooms. They didn't have a twin room but could offer us two doubles but we couldn't check in yet as it was just after 11am. Anyway, we booked the rooms and then back into the car to continue westwards on an exploratory drive. After heading along the main road (A69) for a while we turned off at Haydon Bridge and then headed north up towards Hadrian's wall. We ended up on the road which parallel's the wall and stopped at Once Brewed Park HQ which is right beside the Once Brewed Youth Hostel. My long ago memory of the Once Brewed YHA is that they had a shed out the back which housed an old piano which Evelyn and I angled away on. There were a lot of dope out on the road - many cyclists as well as motorists - because of it being a Bank Holiday.
After our stop at Once Brewed we continued west and, after joking the A69 again turned off to the village of Brampton where we got a fresh sandwich from the Spar shop to eat a bit after on. From there we headed south on the A689 heading towards Alston. This took us through the North Pennines which are a sort of cross between farmland and moorland. There does not appear to be. Lot of soil to sustain good grass growth and the increasing altitude probably does not help either. We found a place to stop by the roadside to eat our sandwiches and have a break. The places down here seem to be very isolated although not too far away from major places like Carlisle in miles.
After lunch we continued towards Alston, along the way moving between Northumbria and Cumbria as the road wriggled through. At Alston, we headed northwards again towards Hexham. Since thus took us close to Allendale we detoured through there as I had vague memories related to the name but when we got there nothing triggered any more memories, although the village itself is quite pretty. An easy drive from Allendale back to Hexham and then we checked into The County Hotel, which is where I am writing this now.
We drove through some magnificent countryside today and expect to see a lot more tomorrow. We also saw several pheasants crossing the road, and also the odd one that became instant pate. Some road signs warned "Caution Red Squirrels" but we didn't see any so there was no need to fear an attack from them. Perhaps the Curse of the Were Squirrel is real!
Sunday, 4 May 2014
Berwick to Newcastle
Wet road and light rain when we woke up this morning. Perhaps that is what caused me to fall out of bed in the middle of the night? By the time we had breakfast and were ready to head for the railway station the rain had stopped so it was just a slow drag up the hill - about 1 km - to be there in time to get a ticket for the 10:13 train, which didn't arrive until almost 10:25. Anyway, only about three-quarters of an hour to Newcastle and then straight onto the metro to the airport to pick up the car.
Rather than go straight to the hotel we headed west to Corbridge and then back east along the Tyne Valley. I though that I had found the lane at Riding Mill where Aunty Vi and Uncle Joe were but after driving up it I am not 100% convinced. We thought to look for somewhere to stay on Monday night so head down from Crawcrook to Wylam but there wasn't anything obvious around. Back through Crawcrook we went up Mount View to have a look at the old place. Not much has changed externally except some of the backyard walls have been torn down to open up the yards, and some have been reduced in height.
After that we headed for Ryton to try to find Mrs Summerside's daughter Ann. After a while looking around and asking people, we found out that the Ryton address we have is actually Crawcrook - actually the road down to Wylam!
When we fronted up to Ann's fron door she was very welcoming and we had a good long chat and cup of tea with her and her husband, Colin. Actually, I don't think Colin could get a word in edge ways. It was good to catch up with them before we headed back to Newcastle to our hotel.
After a couple of phone calls we have firmed up to be in Nottingham on Wednesday afternoon to stay with Eric and Joy Foxley, and then to Hook, Hampshire to stay with the Wilkinsons. That gives us a couple of days to see a bit more of the countryside on the way down.
Reflections on The Walk
Some pluses from the walk:
- Very friendly people - at least, until we got nearer to Berwick when only 50% returned our greeting.
- Bird life and wildlife along the way, including Pheasants, Magpies, and lots of small birds. Also rabbits plus a lovely big hare which went lolloping across the field outside our B & B at Fenwick, then took off like greased lightning.
- some very interesting towns and villages along the way.
Minuses?
- Darned sea mist which obscured the seascape on the first three days.
Rather than go straight to the hotel we headed west to Corbridge and then back east along the Tyne Valley. I though that I had found the lane at Riding Mill where Aunty Vi and Uncle Joe were but after driving up it I am not 100% convinced. We thought to look for somewhere to stay on Monday night so head down from Crawcrook to Wylam but there wasn't anything obvious around. Back through Crawcrook we went up Mount View to have a look at the old place. Not much has changed externally except some of the backyard walls have been torn down to open up the yards, and some have been reduced in height.
After that we headed for Ryton to try to find Mrs Summerside's daughter Ann. After a while looking around and asking people, we found out that the Ryton address we have is actually Crawcrook - actually the road down to Wylam!
When we fronted up to Ann's fron door she was very welcoming and we had a good long chat and cup of tea with her and her husband, Colin. Actually, I don't think Colin could get a word in edge ways. It was good to catch up with them before we headed back to Newcastle to our hotel.
After a couple of phone calls we have firmed up to be in Nottingham on Wednesday afternoon to stay with Eric and Joy Foxley, and then to Hook, Hampshire to stay with the Wilkinsons. That gives us a couple of days to see a bit more of the countryside on the way down.
Reflections on The Walk
Some pluses from the walk:
- Very friendly people - at least, until we got nearer to Berwick when only 50% returned our greeting.
- Bird life and wildlife along the way, including Pheasants, Magpies, and lots of small birds. Also rabbits plus a lovely big hare which went lolloping across the field outside our B & B at Fenwick, then took off like greased lightning.
- some very interesting towns and villages along the way.
Minuses?
- Darned sea mist which obscured the seascape on the first three days.
Saturday, 3 May 2014
Last day of walking - Fenwick to Berwick-on-Tweed
The story so far.
- On 27th April we journeyed by bus and taxi to Ellington where we overnighted at The Plough Inn.
- On 28th April we walked from Ellington to Cresswell and thence up the coast to Warkworth where we overnighted at Aulden B & B.
- On 29th April we walked from Warkworth to Craster and overnighted at The Cottage Inn, Dunstan.
- On 30th April we walked from Craster (Dunstan) to Seahouses and overnighted at the Malabar B & B.
On these three days of walking there was heavy sea mist so the availability of viewable scenery was very low.
- On 1st May when we got up it was very cold and raining so we took a bus to Bamburgh, and after hanging around there for a while we took another bus to Belford where we overnighted at The Old Vicarage.
- On 2nd May it was fine and sunny for our walk through farmland and forest to Fenwick where we overnighted at Aidanfield B & B.
- On 3rd May we started off from Fenwick to walk to Berwick-on-Tweed.
The day started off cold with frost on the lawn at our B & B but nice and sunny. Leaving there we had to cross the A1 (carefully) and then down through farm lanes and farmland before crossing the main railway line. At pedestrian railway crossings they have a phone where you have to ring a signal station to check that it is Ok to cross - good idea.
A bit further after the railway line crossing we came to the start of the causeway over to Holy Island. We cam across a woman that we had met in The White Swan Hotel, Lowick while having dinner the night before. (Aside: Since there is nowhere to eat in Fenwick, and probably other places around, the hotel at Lowick operates a by request pick and drop off service for people who want to dine there - quite a novel and innovative idea.)
Anyway, the woman walker that we met up with was resting her blisters before making her way to Holy Island to spend the night there.
From the causeway the route follows the coast behind dunes and alongside a golf course. The path is also part of the National Cycle Network so we saw lots of cyclists along the way. One pair of cyclists we saw a couple of times and then, as we had just entered Berwick looking for our Hotel, we met them again and had quite a good chat with them.
The last part of the walk took us through Spittal on the south bank of The Tweed river before crossing the old, one-way, bridge to the old town. We were very pleased to get to the Queens Head Hotel where our bags were waiting for us in our room.
(it turned out that's our hotel was just around the corner from where we were talking to the two cyclists - very handy.)
- On 27th April we journeyed by bus and taxi to Ellington where we overnighted at The Plough Inn.
- On 28th April we walked from Ellington to Cresswell and thence up the coast to Warkworth where we overnighted at Aulden B & B.
- On 29th April we walked from Warkworth to Craster and overnighted at The Cottage Inn, Dunstan.
- On 30th April we walked from Craster (Dunstan) to Seahouses and overnighted at the Malabar B & B.
On these three days of walking there was heavy sea mist so the availability of viewable scenery was very low.
- On 1st May when we got up it was very cold and raining so we took a bus to Bamburgh, and after hanging around there for a while we took another bus to Belford where we overnighted at The Old Vicarage.
- On 2nd May it was fine and sunny for our walk through farmland and forest to Fenwick where we overnighted at Aidanfield B & B.
- On 3rd May we started off from Fenwick to walk to Berwick-on-Tweed.
The day started off cold with frost on the lawn at our B & B but nice and sunny. Leaving there we had to cross the A1 (carefully) and then down through farm lanes and farmland before crossing the main railway line. At pedestrian railway crossings they have a phone where you have to ring a signal station to check that it is Ok to cross - good idea.
A bit further after the railway line crossing we came to the start of the causeway over to Holy Island. We cam across a woman that we had met in The White Swan Hotel, Lowick while having dinner the night before. (Aside: Since there is nowhere to eat in Fenwick, and probably other places around, the hotel at Lowick operates a by request pick and drop off service for people who want to dine there - quite a novel and innovative idea.)
Anyway, the woman walker that we met up with was resting her blisters before making her way to Holy Island to spend the night there.
From the causeway the route follows the coast behind dunes and alongside a golf course. The path is also part of the National Cycle Network so we saw lots of cyclists along the way. One pair of cyclists we saw a couple of times and then, as we had just entered Berwick looking for our Hotel, we met them again and had quite a good chat with them.
The last part of the walk took us through Spittal on the south bank of The Tweed river before crossing the old, one-way, bridge to the old town. We were very pleased to get to the Queens Head Hotel where our bags were waiting for us in our room.
(it turned out that's our hotel was just around the corner from where we were talking to the two cyclists - very handy.)
Friday, 2 May 2014
Day 5 - Belford to Fenwick
As promised, today started out with sunshine and a bit of a breeze - good walking weather. After a light breakfast of muesli, orange juice, poached eggs and toast (me - Dominic didn't have the eggs) we set out for the 10 km walk from Belford to Fenwick. On the way through the village we picked up a few necessaries from The Coop - a sandwich for lunch for instance - and then headed more or less north across farmland. Just after leaving the village we encountered West Hall - a house built in the style of a castle and had even had a (mock) moat at one stage. We had been told about this by a couple we met in the pub yesterday while killing time.
The first part of the route was gently uphill and then more or less along a ridge before descending slightly to Swinhoe Farm - a riding school. This is just on the edge of a forest so the next part of the walk was through forest where pheasants were seen. During this stage I got an unexpected phone call from my cousin Alan who wasn't quite sure where we were. If we had been going to be back in Newcastle by Saturday he had though we might go to a home match of Newcastle United at their grounds right across the road from the hotel we had been staying at. Not to be however so we will see them for dinner on Monday night. While talking to Alan we heard the distinctive sound of a Woodpecker hammering away at a tree in the forest. From the one forest the trail crossed some open farmland again and we were looking for the side track to St Cuthbert's cave but somehow managed to miss it - ho hum!
After that the trail passed a pond which was populated by lots of. Noisy gulls on their nests. Then back into another forest where the path was. Wry boggy underfoot but quite pleasant otherwise. At one stage we passed by a very dark area of forest and I was imagining Mole and Ratty being set upon by the rascally Weasels. No sign of badger to help them out either.
After less than three hours walking we entered the village of Fenwick which is where we sleep tonight. If arriving before 15:30 we were supposed to call and let them know but we knocked on the door of the B & B on arriving and the Mavis let us into our room, although our bags had not arrived yet.
Our rom is very pleasant and overlooks the sea. Holy Island can be seen from one window. Our route out tomorrow takes us past the causeway over to the island.
Tonight our hosts will, apparently, drop us at a nearby pub where we can get some nosh. There is nothing in Fenwick - not even a corner shop?
The first part of the route was gently uphill and then more or less along a ridge before descending slightly to Swinhoe Farm - a riding school. This is just on the edge of a forest so the next part of the walk was through forest where pheasants were seen. During this stage I got an unexpected phone call from my cousin Alan who wasn't quite sure where we were. If we had been going to be back in Newcastle by Saturday he had though we might go to a home match of Newcastle United at their grounds right across the road from the hotel we had been staying at. Not to be however so we will see them for dinner on Monday night. While talking to Alan we heard the distinctive sound of a Woodpecker hammering away at a tree in the forest. From the one forest the trail crossed some open farmland again and we were looking for the side track to St Cuthbert's cave but somehow managed to miss it - ho hum!
After that the trail passed a pond which was populated by lots of. Noisy gulls on their nests. Then back into another forest where the path was. Wry boggy underfoot but quite pleasant otherwise. At one stage we passed by a very dark area of forest and I was imagining Mole and Ratty being set upon by the rascally Weasels. No sign of badger to help them out either.
After less than three hours walking we entered the village of Fenwick which is where we sleep tonight. If arriving before 15:30 we were supposed to call and let them know but we knocked on the door of the B & B on arriving and the Mavis let us into our room, although our bags had not arrived yet.
Our rom is very pleasant and overlooks the sea. Holy Island can be seen from one window. Our route out tomorrow takes us past the causeway over to the island.
Tonight our hosts will, apparently, drop us at a nearby pub where we can get some nosh. There is nothing in Fenwick - not even a corner shop?
Thursday, 1 May 2014
Day 4 - Seahouses to Belford
Today dawned fine and sunny and we set out from Seahouses to Belford with high spirits and happy hearts. Oh no, wait - that was the dream I was having. It was actually cold and wet with the prospect of the walk to Belford being truly miserable so we exercised our executive rights and jumped on a bus instead.
Our first bus ride took us to Bamburgh which has a very imposing Castle - even through the freezing rain. We wandered around for a little while before finding a pub with brasserie where we could shelter and have a nice cup of coffee. After that we wandered along to the Grace Darling Museum which tells the story of Grace and her father, William's dramatic rescue of nine survivors from the am packet Forfarshire in 1838 after its engines had failed and it ran aground in the Farne Islands. History has focused on Grace but at least half of the credit goes to her lighthouse keeper father.
After that we caught the bus to Belford where we found a coffee shop where we whiled away some time with coffee and lunch. Afterwards we visited the local district History Museum which, although small, was quite interesting and showed some fascinating glimpses into how people lived in times past.
Needing to kill some time before we could check into our accommodation, we spent some time in the Blue Bell Hotel and chatted to some of the locals there. We were surprised when one of the obvious locals ordered a 'Nigerian Lager'. This turned out to be a Guiness. After visiting the post office to send some postcards, we fronted up to the Old Vicarage which is our lodging for tonight. Being an ex-vicarage it is right next to the churchyard so the neighbors should be quiet to tonight. The house was built in about 1680 and then later on, the father of one of the vicars didn't think it was grand enough so built a new vicarage and this one was sold off. Our room is nice and we are right sent to the bathroom. They also put on complimentary sherry etc should we be so inclined.
Tonight we intend to eat at the Blue Bell Hotel which is right next door - how convenient ;-)
Later - had a nice dinner at the Blue Bell, Dominic had Chicken Kiev and I had Scotsman's Chicken (stuffed with haggis).
Our first bus ride took us to Bamburgh which has a very imposing Castle - even through the freezing rain. We wandered around for a little while before finding a pub with brasserie where we could shelter and have a nice cup of coffee. After that we wandered along to the Grace Darling Museum which tells the story of Grace and her father, William's dramatic rescue of nine survivors from the am packet Forfarshire in 1838 after its engines had failed and it ran aground in the Farne Islands. History has focused on Grace but at least half of the credit goes to her lighthouse keeper father.
After that we caught the bus to Belford where we found a coffee shop where we whiled away some time with coffee and lunch. Afterwards we visited the local district History Museum which, although small, was quite interesting and showed some fascinating glimpses into how people lived in times past.
Needing to kill some time before we could check into our accommodation, we spent some time in the Blue Bell Hotel and chatted to some of the locals there. We were surprised when one of the obvious locals ordered a 'Nigerian Lager'. This turned out to be a Guiness. After visiting the post office to send some postcards, we fronted up to the Old Vicarage which is our lodging for tonight. Being an ex-vicarage it is right next to the churchyard so the neighbors should be quiet to tonight. The house was built in about 1680 and then later on, the father of one of the vicars didn't think it was grand enough so built a new vicarage and this one was sold off. Our room is nice and we are right sent to the bathroom. They also put on complimentary sherry etc should we be so inclined.
Tonight we intend to eat at the Blue Bell Hotel which is right next door - how convenient ;-)
Later - had a nice dinner at the Blue Bell, Dominic had Chicken Kiev and I had Scotsman's Chicken (stuffed with haggis).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)