England 2016 - From North to South

June 3 - Friday

We left Knaresborough around 9:00 am heading North toward Hadrian’s Wall.  On the way, we stopped by a landmark known as the Angel of the North to see my good friend Ray and his lovely dog Bross.  It was a very short meetup, but everso nice to see the two of them.  I’m sorry we missed Ray’s wife, Lyn, but she was home handling some remodeling contractors.  Maybe next time!

Ray and Bross

We found Hadrian’s wall with no problem, but my recollection of the Farmhouse restaurant location was a bit off.  We were both hungry, but ended up at Birdoswald Roman Fort and Hadrian’s wall, so we forewent lunch to take a few snapshots.  It was a lovely day (again), and we took some super photos.

Hadrian's Wall

While at Birdoswald, the cashier told us about a priory nearby called Lanercost that had a lovely café.  Off we went in search of!  The lady was so right, too.  The food was fabulous, it was a wonderful day, and we were able to sit outside in the sun and admire our surroundings.  I also made friends with a black lab who was begging for treats from everyone! There is a B&B at the Priory that I must look into sometime.

Cafe at Lanercost Priory

After lunch, we made our way into the town of Lanercost, Brampton  (which is lovely, by the way, and should be a stop on one of my next trips!).

Onward, northward… past the Scottish border and up to Gretna Green (known as the wedding capital of Scotland).  It was there we met up with the lovely Frances Shanks and her gorgeous pup, Pippa!  We had such a nice visit while Sharon made the rounds of all the local shops (Gretna Green is fairly small). 

I saw at least three weddings while I was there and the plethora of Asian tourists was phenomenal (just as it would be at Bibury later on in our trip).  There was no personal space with these folks as they asked wedding party guests, brides and grooms, or pretty much anyone who looked Anglo to have their picture taken with them.  I found this odd, and probably cultural?  One lady wanted her picture taken with Pippa!  (Of course, who wouldn’t!)

Frances and Pippa at Gretna Green

Frances had brought us a gift bag of things from Scotland… coloring books, Scotty magnets, and even a “spurtle” which is used to stir porridge.  Thanks, again, Frances for the lovely gifts!

After Gretna Green, it was now our turn to head down to Keswick.  This was a Friday afternoon, and we just weren’t prepared for the traffic we ran into on the way in.  The Beer Festival that weekend, the draw of the good weather, and the fact that they closed two lanes down to one for road maintenance (whose idea was that???) caused us to take over an hour to travel only seven miles.  It was brutal, but like I said to Sharon, “I’d rather be stuck here in traffic than be at my desk at work!” 

Finally, we made it to the Seven Oaks B&B and checked in… but not to the room I’d reserved!  Instead, we got a smaller room a floor up from the one I wanted. That was the first thing.  We were tired and in need of dinner, so we went into town and ate at the Packhorse Inn (a decent pub in Keswick).  I had a lovely vegetarian wellington, but Sharon wasn’t as fond of her meal.  Afterward, I took Sharon around the town square to familiarize her with some of the shops.  I just wanted some alone time after that, so I retired to the churchyard at St. Johns for a little bit before heading back to the B&B and bed!

Vegetarian Wellington!

June 4 – Saturday

We got up, had a lovely breakfast, and went into town for the Saturday market. Keswick’s market is about twice the size of Knaresborough’s.  There were lots of things to choose from.  I got myself some Keswick dish towels and a dachshund purse for my friend Sarah.  After the shopping was done, Sharon and I made it down to the boat launch to take a cruise of Derwentwater.

Boat Launch at Derwentwater

It was a hazy day, but a lovely cruise and we chatted with several people sitting near us.  The cruise took about an hour (maybe a little less).  We took some pictures, walked back to our room for a bit, and then headed out for some lunch.  There’s a bakery chain called Gregs, so we each got a sandwich and a drink and sat on the front steps of a (closed) bank to polish off our food. Just as I’d finished up, who walks by but Don Dawber and Dawn Sharples! My two buddies from past hikes and one of the couple we were to meet at the OddFellows pub at 1:00 pm.  We ordered drinks and were waiting for another couple (Karin Crossman and her husband) who I’d not yet met in real life.

Left to Right: Me, Dawn, Karin, Don, and Sharon

As it turns out, Karin’s husband, Brian, found us before Karin did!  We all sat down at the table and I handed out gifts and got some lovely flowers from Karin and hubby.  We must’ve chatted about an hour and then Dawn and Don worked out that we could still get to the top of Walla Crag if I wanted to make another Wainwright happen.  Well, as it ‘appens, I did!  So, Sharon stayed and chatted with Karin and Brian while I went along with the two D’s and Kimmi, the dog.

On Walla Crag

It was a brilliant walk.  Perfect weather.  Gorgeous views.  We came down by Ashness Bridge (evidently, very historic).  And then by the Lake and the Millenium Stone.

Ashness Bridge

Some people go THAT way... (Wizard of Oz)

Millennium Stone

As we made our way back into Keswick, we got some pings from Chris Drake that he and Alison were in town and wanted to meet up.  I was so happy to see the two of them and my favorite Fudge Labrador!  We had dinner at a really sweet café and caught up with each other.  This was the first time I’d met Alison – what a sweetheart she was!

Chris and Alison

Fudge Labrador

Sharon had taken the bus to Grasmere to have a look around, and got to our café just as we were about to leave.  She decided to go to the Keswickian for some takeaway fish n chips while I headed back to the B&B.  I was exhausted (in a good way) and so happy to have been able to meet up with great friends both new and old!

June 5 – Sunday

We took off from Keswick in search of the wilds of Bromsgrove where we were to meet up with the next (and last) friend of mine on the trip, Judith Yates!  We’d found a farmshop/tea room near the main road which should have worked out perfectly.  When we got to the farm shop, however, it was the ONE day of the year where the tea room was closed and the farm had been opened up to families as a petting zoo and farm product test area.  Judith was easy to find, but food not so much.  We kept having the gorgeous hunk man who was handing out cheese samples to come by our table over and over again!

Lizzie's Farm Shop and Tea Room

Judith Yates

Judith, an artist, had given me a gorgeous painting of an English country garden with my dogs in the front yard!  I was so blown away by that… she really is a gorgeous person inside and out!

Judith's Painting

Our time with Judith was much too short, but we had to drive on to the Cotswolds and Bibury where we were to stay for the next three nights.  After a sad farewell, off we went to locate our self-catering cottage. Now, Bibury is often touted as the quaintest village in England.  And, it should be and would be if not for the busloads of double-decker buses that had come into the village and dropped off hundreds of Asian tourists!  A town of normally a couple of hundred was beyond over-full with the advent of these day trippers.  We couldn’t turn around, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t park… and it was just an awful experience.

Almost by magic, though, they were gone at around 4 or 5 pm.  The village, once more transformed.  Sharon and I got a bite to eat at the local pub and window shopped at a few of the shops (now closed).

Our self-catering cottage turned out not to be all that comfy and our desire to see more tourists over the next few days was non-existent.  Sharon and I talked it over.  After one night spent in Bibury, we were ready to depart! 

June 6 – Monday

We got up and slowly got going.  We didn’t know where we’d end up, but we knew it would be better than Bibury!  Sharon took off to take some photos before we left town.  I packed the car and told the owner she could have her cottage back.  We hit the road heading for Wales and Tintern Abbey (which had been on our “day trip” list).

Tintern is a beautiful little town situated along the River Wye.  It was peaceful, it was serene, and it was just what we needed.  While Sharon toured the Abbey, I walked among the few shops nearby.  We had not arranged a meetup time, so I got worried after not hearing from her for quite some time.  I finally had to send a recruit from the gift shop to see if she could find her!  When Sharon gets into photo taking mode, I think time stands still!

English and Welsh

Tintern on the River Wye

We went to the nearby tea room and had something to eat while discussing our options.  I pointed out that there was a lovely Best Western in town and that I was digging the vibe in Tintern.  Did we want to spend the night here?

We stopped by the hotel, and sure enough, there was room.  A lovely room too!  With a back door where we could hang up our hand washing.  Still a brilliant day out, so I got a pear cider from the bar at the hotel and sat out in the garden chatting with several folks.  Two (Jonathan and Tim) were a gay couple from Manchester (I think).  Jonathan was very swish and very loud (and not a little tipsy!). Tim was the quiet one of the pair.  Both were sweet as they could be, but at some point, they both needed to pass out.  I’ve never been able to keep up with the alcohol consumption of most of my English friends! 

The Royal George Inn (Best Western) Tintern

Anyway, it was a quiet evening and Sharon and I just enjoyed chilling in the serenity of the countryside.  No small wonder that Wordsworth wrote of Tintern:

Therefore am I still
A lover of the meadows and the woods,
And mountains; and of all that we behold
From this green earth; of all the mighty world
Of eye, and ear,—both what they half create,
And what perceive; well pleased to recognise
In nature and the language of the sense,
The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse,
The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul
Of all my moral being.

Tintern Abbey

June 7 – Tuesday

I got up early and walked along the River Wye.  It was so nice and peaceful… I felt as if I never wanted to leave.  But, leave we must as Glastonbury was next on our tour and I had business there. 

There was no problem getting to Glastonbury or even finding the parking lot I’d been looking for!  What luck!  There was so much to see and do there.  The first of which was to find the Chalice Well!  It’s a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the well, but worth it for the history and magic of the place.  I got some well water (which carries healing qualities, it’s said) for myself and a couple of friends back home.  Sharon wanted to spend some time at the gardens there, and I wanted to climb up Glastonbury Tor, so we set a time to meet later and off I went.

Chalice Well

Glastonbury Tor is another magical place which is said to be the convergence of a lot of spiritual energy.  It was quite a hike up the steep hillside, but worth it for the views at the top.  What a lovely day and a lovely view!  Yet, I had to meet with Sharon, so down the hill I went to the Tourist Information Centre where we were to meet.  I had some time to kill, so I had my cards read by a tarot reader in a nearby shop and picked up some cards for a friend of mine.

Glastonbury Tor

Sharon came by and we found a lovely restaurant called the Hundred Monkeys nearby for our late lunch. The food was good, and we felt refreshed enough to set off in search of a hotel.  Upon arriving at the Premier Inn at Glastonbury, though, we were told that no twin rooms were available!  Well, time for the adventure to continue, we thought, so on we headed south on the M5.  At one point, we were detoured through a tiny town (North Petherton) and saw a lovely hotel called the Walnut Tree.  It seems that decent hotel rooms are typically completely booked by 4 pm, and we were out of luck.  However, the Walnut Tree front desk clerk went out of her way to help us locate something.  She booked us in the very last twin room at the Premier Inn in Taunton.  We got there and the room was lovely! We were so happy to have a nice, clean room to stay and we were able to order delivery from a Chinese Restaurant later on as we rested in our room for the evening.

Continued...