Settle

Settle is on the boundary if the Yorkshire Dales and we arrived by train from Carlisle where we dropped the car off. The train from Carlisle to Settle is one of the most scenic railway journeys in England. It was completed in 1876 and was an engineers challenge with 72 miles of track, 20 major viaducts and 14 tunnels. The landscape is majestic and they have a volunteer guide who comes around to talk to passengers and answer any questions. Our cottage is in the town with a bedroom and bathroom downstairs and the living space upstairs. 

Settle is an unspoilt market town and is visited mainly by those who want to explore the Yorkshire Dales. The markets have been held here on a Tuesday since 1249 with many of the buildings dating back from 1670. Overlooking the market square is The Shambles which was once a butchers shop and slaughter house. The building still has the loading hoists in the upper floor. Steam trains occasionally pass through Settle and while Cliff went on a walk over the hills, I was able to see one of them on the Sunday morning. Didn't think I would ever be standing with train spotters waiting in the rain for a glimpse of a train. Well you know the saying, 'When In Rome'. One of the cafes we had coffee in was called 'Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe'. Not sure why! The library was a great resource as we could use their wifi and computer for printing. The staff there got to know me well as I was there every day at some time. Also the laundrette was just at the end of the street so handy for doing our washing.

We took a bus to Skipton which boasts a medieval castle and ancient church called the Holy Trinity.  We had seen a lot of castles so we just looked at the grounds and went inside the church. It was build 700 years ago and had many changes over that time due to finds from the Castle occupants Lady Anne Clifford and damage in wars and lightning strikes. The town was holding a market and after we looked at the many stalls we walked along the canal into the Skipton Woods which were filled to the brim with trees.

We saw a bit more rain here with showers mostly overnight but also some during the day. This meant we had to be ready for all types of weather as it was still humid and then sunny. The town is quiet but it is easy to feel at home here. We walked one day to the Victoria Caves which was a circular route from the end of our street coming back into the centre of the town. This was about 8 kilometres and took us up hills and through properties. It was very beautiful and we met up with two guys walking the same route so we stopped to chat along the way. They had come from Manchester to do the walk so that made our location near it very special indeed. 

We travelled by train to Lancaster for the day to look around and see the sights. We had to walk 30 min to get to the station as it was on another line. The station is called Giggleswick which made me giggle every time I said it, seems like my sense of humour is still just as lame. We did the town walk in Lancaster which took us past a cathedral, castle and many old buildings. Stopped for a beer at a pub built in 1688 and it was like being in a sophisticated cave. It was probably the nicest pub we had every been in and we had been in quite a lot over this trip.

The week went by too quick and leaving was hard as we had just settled in. We packed our bags, walked to the station and caught our train to Knaresborough via a stop over 3 hrs in Leeds. 

Winskill - Lake District

This hamlet is located in the north eastern section of the Lakes District and the cottage is called 'the cobblers'. The owners live next door and we share a parking bay out the front of the cottage. As we now have a car we can get around to visit all the lovely towns and scenic vistas this area has to offer. 

Having discovered that a town called Cockermouth (yes I kid you not) is hosting their annual agricultural show so we just have to be there. We find the park and ride and together with a full load on the bus head for the The Fitz where it will be held.

What a great day with the focus on the animals we saw judging of the cattle and sheep, show jumping, craft tent displays, chicken, rosters and other poultry, dog show, shearing demo and sheep dog trials. It was great seeing the sheep dog round up the sheep and put them in the holding pen. I did mutter the words 'baa-ram-u' a few times to help him along, (see Babe). We stayed longer than we thought as we were enjoying ourselves so much mixing with the locals. This was their 163rd show so they sure know what they are doing. Cliff filled me in on things about the animals and I judged the cattle competition correctly 3 out of 4 attempts with the 4th one coming in second. I was very proud of myself. 

We drive to Alston for coffee then onto Hadrians Wall built by the Romans in AD128 and named after the emperior who ordered it built. It runs for 73 miles which was a major feat even for the Romans and provided a physical boundary to mark the population for citizenship and therefore taxpayers. The Romans where any but stupid. We only walked a short section of the wall near the town of Greenhead. We stopped on the way back in the town to have lunch at the pub. 

The weather is kind to us during the day with rain coming during the night. It's humid and once the sun comes out it get very warm. The Brits are loving it and you see a lot of red burnt faces sitting outside of cafes. 

Our first attempt to visit the Lakes was the wettest day we had had for months. The drive is filled with green hills, still water lakes and sheep grazing. everywhere you look its a picture postcard and you know that the photos will not do it justice. After a failed attempt of getting a car park in Windermere we walked around Ambleside but it was very crowded and puts me out of sorts. Cliff was very patient with me as usual and we decided to do it again on another day. The town is lovely though and like Windermere has beautiful stone buildings with an abundant of flowers out the front of most shops and B&Bs. 

Drove down to the Lakes to visit the Beatrix Potter house. We timed it well to get a car space and walked through her garden to the house which was the first one she brought. They set it up as if she had just come home with her jacket on the chair and a real fire going in the lounge. It was lovely walking through and around her furniture asking questions of the guides. Beatrix was an amazing woman who was strong on conservation as well as having a great imagination. Her brother was also a painter and the house was full of his work. We had plenty of time to walk around and take in the atmosphere. The area is so beautiful I can understand why she chose it for inspiration. Next door was a cafe overlooking green hills. We had a coffee and tea cake and imagined a world back in 1913 when Beatrix was preparing for her wedding to William Heelis. Driving into Hill Top we strolled around the town that Beatrix would have walked with shops filled with merchandise of her character in her stories. 

After we drove to Brantwood Hall the home of John Ruskin who was one of the most important figures in nineteenth century.  He was a famous writer, artist and social reformer. The house is very grand with beautiful gardens to walk in covering 250 acres. We arrived back at our cottage tired but excited about all that we saw, it was such a busy day. 

We visited other towns in the area such as Dufton where Cliff had stayed when he walked the Pennine Way. The town boosts a fountain which is now decorated with flowers where water would have flowed. It was made by the Quakers lead mining company who made improvements to the town by way of houses for workers and installing piped water. In every town we have visited we have found some presence of the Quakers who started a lot of the industry across England and where very wealthy. We have been impressed with their attitude towards their workers and there campaigns to stop the slave trade. 

Keswick was another town we enjoyed with its large marina, lake and markets. 

I don't have any photos to add for Lakes District and after as my memory card for my camera has an error and I can't access any photos on it. I might have lost all my photos but will try to talk to someone to see if it can be unlocked. No happy jan. I do have other cards and will be able to take more photos in the future but I might have lost all those taken on the faulty card. 

Dumfries

We had a lovely stay in this small town in Scotland. We were located near the station in a B&B run by a    friendly couple who gave us heaps of information on what to see and even did our washing twice for free. We had a cooked breakfast every morning which I will now have to walk a la Forest Gump style to get rid of the excess weight. 

The town is famous for the writer Robert Burns and there is heaps of museums to visit as well as see his original grave and the new one they moved him too when people complained that he deserved better. Burns was the one who wrote Auld Lang Syne and many more poems, books and songs.  Also Robert the Bruce murdered someone in a church which gave him the Scottish crown. Lots of history.

Set in Dumfries museum they also have the oldest camera obscura in the world which uses lenses to give a panoramic view of the whole town. It works like a camera and projects onto a large plate, it was fantastic and better than google earth as you get to see the view as it happens. Apparently the people before us watched us coming up the hill and into the  grounds. We could see birds flying across the town and views for miles. The museum has items on display showing the history, the stories of the land and its people with just about everything covered. 

We travelled by bus to Kirkcudbright (pronounced Kir-Coo-Bree) which has attracted artists since 1880. We visited the museums and art galleries and enjoyed lunch in a pretty cafe. 

I caught a cold so spent a day in bed and after two months without seeing rain it stated to shower at least once in the day. The day we left it was fine so we walked to the train station once again dragging our suit cases to catch the train to Carlisle where we were picking up our car which would take us to a small hamlet near Penrith.