Lake District and Dismissed from Medical Care

After being cleared of all medical restrictions regarding the broken leg on July 26, 2016, we hopped in the car and drove to the Lake District of Cumbria hoping to get in a bit of climbing and hill walking. The Grange Old School Climbers Hut in the Borrowdale valley was our destination for three nights and two days. The Hut is aptly named as it was the original school for the area built in 1890. The last classes were held in 1935 and a plaque on the wall dedicates the school to the memory of Margaret Heathcoat recognizing her for a life of good works. The Climbers Club, took it over and made it into a quaint hut to encourage mountaineering and rock-climbing in the area. It was a joy to stay in.

The 'Hundred Year Stone'
sculpture to mark 100
years of  National Trust

All the land in England higher than 3,000 feet lies withing the Lake District National Park in northwest England. Most of the land in the park is under private ownership and though there is free movement on park land, access to cultivated land is typically restricted to the public footpaths. Even the small towns such as Keswick are located entirely in the park. In addition, Cumbria has some unique language that I had to learn in order to read climbing and hiking guides:

• Fell - hill or mountain
• Ghyll - ravine
• Beck - stream
• Dale - valley
• Tarn - mountain lake
• Bothy - a shelter, found in remote, mountainous areas, typically left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge.

What charming words! Absolutely love them!!

View of Derwentwater from Castlehead,
with Cat Bells Fell in the background

The original plan for this trip was to do three classic trad climbs, Little Chamonix , Gillercombe Buttress and Troutdale Pinnacle. These are well known, easy climbs with easy access and we were looking forward to it. The first morning, however, was drizzly and overcast so we decided to go into town for plum bread (raisin bread toast) at Brysons Tea Room in Keswick. Brysons advertises it will ship it's pies and plumb bread anywhere in the world! Maybe one day, I'll order some for home! It was yummy!

After finishing the plum bread, it was still overcast so we decided on a walk around the lake. We parked at the National Trust Great Wood car park and headed toward Derwentwater. The walk around the lake was beautiful with lovely rock sculpture to picturesque sail and row boats and fun history. We were enjoying the walk so much we just continued. Some of the more interesting points are Friar's Crag, which is said to be the launching point for monks making a pilgrimage to St. Herbert's Island which is the setting for Owl Island in Beatrix Potters book, the Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. There are several islands each with a marvelous history. One of the more interesting is Derwent Island which was bought in 1778 by Joseph Pocklington. He built a house, fort, Gothic boathouse and a mock stone circle on it and being quite an eccentric held an annual regatta where he challenged the townspeople of Keswick to attack the island while he shot at them with his cannons! We continued on to the small promontory of Castlehead where we were treated to a fantastic view of Derwentwater. Tea and farm shops are found in the strangest places in this county and sure enough, we encountered Annie's Pantry and Farm shop along the trail. Annie's is only accessible on foot and was quite a civilized stop for cappuccino and hot chocolate. By this time, we were thoroughly enjoying the hike and seeing a sign that Castlerigg Stone Circle was only 1/5 of a mile decided to continue on.

Castlerigg Stone circle with Helvellyn
and High Seat Mountains in the
background

Castlerigg Stone Circle is a Neolithic Stone Circle with an uncertain purpose. Many of the Bronze Age circles are thought to be burial chambers or ceremonial areas but no evidence of this has been found at Castlerigg. It is suggested this circle had astronomical significance with alignments with planets or stars. One of the more unusual features is rectangle of standing stones within the circle, again with the purpose lost in time. We traveled the 1/5 of a mile across ghyll and dale even encountering a cow who had 'just' given birth, snacked on wild raspberries, but no Stone Circle! We kept walking and eventually found another sign indicating we only had 1/2 mile to go! Were we lost in some sort of space, time, distance continuum? We continued along a small lane, eventually encountering a road worker who told us we were indeed on the right path and it was just down the lane on the right and he was indeed correct. The detour had taken us three miles out of the way but was well worth the visit even though there was a group of school age children having an outing there. We may never quite understand the discrepancy in signs but it was well worth the extra few miles to see Castlerigg Stone Circle in the sun as the following day would prove to be quite rainy.

Row boat on a beautiful
Tarn (mountain lake)
surrounded by fells (hills)
near Watendlath

After the walk we took a drive down a single track road across the Ashness bridge to the hamlet of Watendlath. It is 847' above sea level and has an attractive tarn surrounded by fells in a classic hanging valley. A hanging valley is a valley cut across by a deeper valley or cliff. The peace of the place is what grabs you immediately. Though there was a fisherman on the tarn in a small row boat, we didn't see anyone else in this ancient settlement. One can only wonder how people lived so remotely.

Atmospheric conditions at Honister Pass
just past the Honister Slate mine, known
for it's green slate.

The second day turned out to be rain all day, dashing any remaining hopes we had for climbing. In fact, each time we would park the car to attempt a walk the rain would start in earnest! We took a driving trip that took us over Honister Pass, stopping at Honister Slate Mine, then made our way to Cockermouth, an ancient market town. Cockermouth sits at the mouth of the Cocker River and thus it's name. We stopped for a cappuccino then drove back to Keswick poking around in the shops then had a wonderful baked trout dinner in a small hotel bar!

This is a place that certainly deserves more time than we gave it but that just means we'll have to come back again!

The Scotland and Northumberland Adventure - June 26 - July 1, 2016

Stylized A depicting a boat sail
representing the export of
Scotch Whisky into 200
markets worldwide

Decided to take a trip to Newcastle in the northeast to see Michael's family and have a change of scenery. Wanting to do a Scotch Whisky distillery tour and not go too far, this seemed like a good time to do it.

Scotland is known for Scotch Whisky which generates £3.95 billion in exports and over 40,000 jobs across the UK are supported by the industry. It accounts for a quarter of UK food and drink exports and sells at three times its nearest rival whisky. There are 115 distilleries licensed to produce Scotch Whisky so it wasn't difficult to find a distillery to visit.

Rascally Liquor tasting after the tour. 
It lacked the amber color of Scotch 
Whisky but it was quite drinkable!

Annandale Distillery was established in 1836 bought by Johnny Walker in 1893, closed in 1924 during WWI and raided for its copper then reborn 2011. They've done a fantastic job of renovating it and the tour was very casual informative. They even let us look into the vats which is unheard of on other tours I've been on. Since they've just recently started distilling, and you can't call it Scotch Whisky unless it's aged in oak casks in Scotland for 3 years, their first batch won't be ready until 2017. They managed to get creative though and take some liquor that hasn't aged three years and call it Rascally Liquor. It is lacks the amber color of Scotch but it is really quite drinkable!

During our drive back into England, we passed through the whimsical village of Gretna Green, historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. Gretna Green holds claim as one of the most popular wedding destinations in the world, hosting about 5,000 weddings per year and one in six Scottish weddings. In 1754, Gretna Green's Blacksmiths shop, in folklore at least, became a focal point for underage lovers to escape Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act and marry without parental consent. The legal age for consent in Scotland remains 16 so it still attracts these underage lovers.

Washington Old House - Michael & Mum

As Americans, we know much of our early history stems from England. This includes our first President, George Washington, whose ancestral home is in the Washington area of Tyne and Wear. Washington Old Hall is the ancestral manor house owned and maintained by the National Trust. It was fun to visit and learn of Washington's family pedigree and see his family home. During this visit, we did have a bit of a discussion regarding where George Washington was actually born, England or America. Michael's mum was convinced he was born in England but as it turns out, he was actually third generation American, born in Westmoreland County, Virginia in 1732. Michael's mum has very fond memories of Jimmy Carter and the Friendship Force, a cultural exchange program where people meet people from other cultures through reciprocal home stays. The Doyle's participated in the Friendship force and were connected with a family from Atlanta. They developed a close friendship with that family that has lasted until today. When Jimmy Carter visited the UK in 1977, Washington Old Hall was on his agenda. Michael's mum remembers the visit vividly and the visit is documented in detail at Washington Old Hall. Because of the personal connections the Doyles have with the United States, it was a very nice visit indeed!

Bamburgh Castle in Northumbria 

With more than 70 miles of rocky coast line, Northumbria lies claim to some of the most dramatic castles in the United Kingdom. During my 2016 visit, we did a castle tour of Holy Island of Lindisfarne, Bamburgh, and Dunstanburgh Castles. Bamburgh though is large and imposing and captivates you the moment drive into the village. It is one of the largest castles in the country, has been in continual use for over 3000 years and sits on rocky precipice dominating the village with spectacular views over the North Sea. We hadn't gone inside during the previous visit so we took time to go back to Bamburgh and visit this fortress palace of the Anglo-Saxon kings of Northumbria. It did not disappoint with the the spectacular views, ancient artifacts and priceless treasures.

Barnard Castle Ruin at
Barnard Castle, Teesdale

Silver Swan dating from 1774. If
you look through the swan to
the paintings behind, you will
see the Architectural Capriccio
by Canalletto

On the way back to Wales, we stopped at Barnard Castle and visited the namesake which is now a ruin. The real treat of Barnard Castle, though, is the Bowes Museum. The museum is a public art gallery built by John and Josephine Bowes simply for the enjoyment of the public. It's contents are priceless consisting of Napoleon relics, fantastic picture galleries, old china, jewels of incredible beauty and value and unique art of every kind. One of the most popular attractions is the 18th century Silver Swan Automation which when fed a coin, preens itself, looks around and appears to catch and swallow a fish. It is a life size and clockwork driven and even has a music box. The swan sits in a stream made of glass rods and is surrounded by silver leaves. Small silver fish swim in the stream. The automation lasts only 32 seconds and is only demonstrated once a day to help preserve the mechanism. Mark Twain saw the Sliver Swan at the Paris exhibition in 1867 and described it in his book, "The Innocents Abroad:" ‘I watched the Silver Swan, which had a living grace about his movement and a living intelligence in his eyes - watched him swimming about as comfortably and unconcernedly as it he had been born in a morass instead of a jeweler's shop - watched him seize a silver fish from under the water and hold up his head and go through the customary and elaborate motions of swallowing it...' 

After spending the afternoon in the Bowes Museum, rather than traveling back on the motor way, we took the slower but much more scenic route through the Yorkshire Dales National Park where we were treated to stunning views of natural beauty on our trip back to North Wales.

South of England

June 11 - 20, 2016

Portland Bill on the Isle of Portland.
Over 400 known shipwrecks on
only 9 miles of coastline

The original plan, before the broken leg, was a rock climbing trip starting in southern England at the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Because Portland is essentially a limestone peninsula, it is well known in the climbing community as one of the best sport climbing venues comprised of ~4 miles of dramatic white limestone cliffs. We had a killer deal on a caravan at the Glen Park Caravan so rather than cancel, we decided to go and turn it into a sight-seeing trip.

Portland is an intriguing area with a history of smuggling, shipwrecks, limestone quarrying so fine it's used in St. Paul's Cathedral, ammonite fossils, and in more modern times, host to the 2012 sailing Olympics. Oh, can't forget the outstanding Thursday night music at the Cove House Inn! I even sampled cockles, which I've always wondered about which are like small clams. I enjoyed hiking a bit of the coastal path wandering along the base of some of the climbing areas even if I couldn't climb. From the hike, the views of Chesil Beach and the ocean from the cliffs were outstanding. Chesil Beach is a unique pebble beach that connects Portland with the mainland. The pebbles are so round and just the perfect size to fill your pockets with, and I did! Listening to the waves break over the pebbles is mesmerizing! In addition, Portland turned out to be a great launching point for various other sights and experiences as well.

White Horse of Osmington,
carved into the chalk hills, a tribute
to King George III in 1808

Venturing a bit further inland, we discovered some hill figures. These are figures carved into a steep hill side to reveal the underlying geology, in this case white chalk. The first one we saw was the White Horse of Osmington, a representation of King George III riding a horse. King George III visited the area frequently as a holiday destination so in 1808, John Rainier, a stonemason and architect decided to honor the King by creating this hill figure. Unfortunately, due to illness, the King was unable to return to Weymouth and never saw his loyal subjects tribute.

The Cerne Giant 

Continuing the journey, we soon discovered the Cerne Giant. A bit more of a historical mystery and not quite the same royal tribute. The Giant is 180' tall with unknown origins but he certainly gives everyone pause when they see him in all his glory! We ventured into the town of Cerne Abas and found a street fair going on for the Queen's 90th Birthday. There was much celebration and dancing in the rain!

Stonehenge - 7 days before the 2016
Summer Solstice 

This trip turned out to be quite fascinating in terms of archaeology. What trip to the UK would be complete without a trip to Stonehenge, a World Heritage Site? Though we were there 7 days days before the summer solstice, we did not stay for the event. In fact, my image of this was shattered when we were told it was more like a drunken brawl and to be avoided at all costs. In addition, if the weather is overcast, which it is frequently, it could be an non-event. On top of that, we had an appointment at the hospital to get Michael's leg cast off on the Solstice which was not to be missed! We had in mind to see Avebury Stone Circles, another World Heritage site and learned that there were other fascinating sites to see on the way. The first was Woodhenge, a timber circle monument located only 2 miles northeast of Stonehenge. Then Silbury Hill, the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe of unknown purpose and West Kennet Long barrow, a Neolithic tomb or barrow, situated on a prominent chalk ridge near Silbury Hill only 1.5 miles from Avebury. We finally made it to Avebury Stone Circles! Though Stonehenge is the most sophisticated, Avebury is the largest stone circle feature in Europe.

Ammonite Fossil
(foot for scale)

Lyme Regis, a beach resort along the Jurassic Coast, yet another World Heritage site known for its geology, especially fossils. It is the birthplace of Mary Anning, one of history's most important fossil collectors and paleontologists. In addition to important fish fossils, her discoveries include the first ichthyosaur skeleton, plesiosaur skeleton, and the first pterosaur skeleton located outside Germany. Her observations played a key role in the discovery that coprolites, known as bezoar stones at the time which were fossilized faeces.  I could go on, but you get the idea!

Roman Baths in Bath

Being only a few miles from Bath, we decided to spend a day in this beautiful

Pulteney Bridge and the wier
over the River Avon

and historic city with magnificent architecture and Roman Baths, yet another World Heritage Site primarily because of it's Georgian Architecture. Bath is the only place in the UK with hot springs. No wonder it was so popular with the Romans! We enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds, including the picturesque the Crescent, the Circus and the Pulteney Bridge which is exceptional because it is only one of four bridges that has has shops built on both sides, just a means of getting over the river. We also discovered that being disabled has it's benefits. When we arrived at the Roman Baths, we were discouraged by the very long line. It would be hours before we could get in if we had to wait in that line! When the staff saw the wheel chair, however, we were ushered in immediately with no wait.

"The Royal Oak"
The English Oak Tree that hid
King Charles II during his escape
from the Parliamentarians following
the Battle of Worcester in 1651
located at Boscobel House

On the way back to Holywell, we broke up the trip with a stop at Boscobel House which turned out to be closed but we were still able to view the grounds and see the Royal Oak. This is actually a daughter tree to the original Oak that hid King Charles II during his escape from the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War that pitted the Parliamentarians against the Monarchy. There are many references to Royal Oak so it was fun to learn the origins of it. 

Because we were unable to get into Boscobel House we stopped at the Royal Air Force Museum (RAF) at Cosford, Shropshire a fascinating museum dedicated to the history of aviation. I was particularly fascinated by the Cold War Exhibition which had a variety of 'silo theaters' depicting key tensions of the Cold War period. They did a good job on this and I found it quite engaging.

At the conclusion of this trip I had logged about 1,700 miles of driving in the UK. I was grateful when the plaster came off Michael's leg on the Summer Solstice June 21st, and he resumed driving duties! I must say though, I did see him struggle with many of the same things I did. He's just used to it I guess so he just takes it in stride. I'm happy to be a passenger again!

Hill Walking and the Next Guidebook, "Car Park's of North Wales"

June 2016

Mag Basset at the top of
Moel Hiraddug at 861 ft

John, Rambler's hike leader
crossing a quaint bridge on a
footpath that crosses Nantclwyd 
Hall property.

People in the UK love walking and I must say, that one of the highlights so far, has been hill walking and discovering the countryside on foot. There are more than 140,000 miles of public footpaths in England and Wales.  It's a mix of age-old routes and newer more recent trails. Some of it has right of way across now private land. Some is well maintained while other parts are in a slow decay. The Ramblers, a UK walking club is dedicated to preserving footpath access in England and Wales schedules regular walks on these footpaths. I've had the pleasure of going on a few of these Rambler walks. On one walk, we trekked through the ramparts of an ancient hillfort, dating back to the bronze age, topping out at 869 feet above sea level.  On our way, we had a rousing discussion about the Brexit Leave/Remain campaign. The one thing everyone could agree on were the stunning views from the summit of yellow flowers and views of the Irish Sea in one direction and the mountains in Snowdonia in the other. Another was a brisk 10 mile walk through the grounds of Nantclwyd Hall, a 17th century mansion near the village of Llanelidan, Denbighshire. Another time, we took in the stunning views of Conwy Castle while topping out on Prenol Peak. All were beautiful walks, exploring the Welsh countryside, with a unique opportunity to meet real people!

Cromlech, a prehistoric megalithic
monument (believed to be a tomb)
encountered on the Prenol Peak walk

Hiking Wales would not be complete without a few trips to Snowdonia National Park, in northwest Wales. It is the largest concentration of mountains and glaciers and home to the highest Mountain in Wales and England, Mount Snowdon at 3,560 feet.

I've managed to find two good friends, Chris Whiteside and Sarah Woodhouse who love hiking, especially in Snowdonia. Chris is training for the Munros, mountains over 3,000' in Scotland. They were named after Sir Hugh Munro, a Scottish Mountaineer who produced the first list of these hills, know as the Munro Tables in 1891.

Sarah & Chris at the top of
Mount Snowdon

Chris typically plans the hikes and leads the way while Sarah and I try to keep a respectable pace behind her. Sarah, a naturalist, points out interesting flora and fauna as we walk. We've seen wonderful things such as the Welsh Ponys, buzzards, and even a Red Kite flying overhead. One of the more intriguing plants she pointed out was Sundew, a sticky tentacled carnivorous plant similar to the Venus Fly Trap that grows in bogs, of which there are many!

Though the mountains aren't tall compared to the Rockies, these walks are not to be taken lightly. People here, rarely just hike one mountain but rather link several together to make a marathon day of it. In fact, I would say, using this strategy of linking these hills/mountains together, they manage to get in the same or more altitude gain/loss as we do in the Rockies hiking just one mountain!

Train at the top of Mount Snowdon

By now, we've done a couple hikes in the Carneddeu (pronunciation - carnethi) area of Snowdonia. One was a 12 mile circuit of three peaks, Pen Llithrig Y Wrach at 2,611, Pen yr Helgi Du at 2,733 and finally Carnedd Llewelyn at 3,491 which is the 2nd highest peak by relative height in Wales and 49th in the British Isles. Another walk took us through the town of Abergwyngregyn (the longest place name in Welsh of which I can't quite pronounce yet) to the Foel Ganol Ridge at the north east end of Snowdonia. This was a circuit of six or so hills including Foel-fras, the 11th highest peak at 3,091.

View from the top of Mount Snowdon

Of course no trip to Snodownia would be complete without a trek up Mount Snowdon.  The day we did Mount Snowdon was very hot but also very clear. Again it was a marathon day starting with Moel Elio in Llanberis and finishing up on top of Snowdon. At the top of Snowdon, we were treated to unusually clear 365 degree views. As a result of the narrow gauge train that takes tourists up Snowdon a nice coffee and gift shop is established at the top. How civilized to be able to have a coffee, tea or even ice cream at the top before heading down!

Michael, loathe to sit at home alone, accompanies the hiking contingent of the day then sits in the car park reading, calling friends on his cell phone, and listening to the news of Brexit unfolding, while we hike. His next guide book is, "Car Parks of North Wales." Do you suppose a publisher can be found for this one?