The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher

We spent today on a Galway Tours trip to the Burren National Park and the Cliffs of Moher with our very informative guide and bus driver, Garry. We found it very relaxing to be driven around by someone else for a change rather than navigating ourselves.

Our first stop was at Kinvara for photos of Dunguaire Castle and some very picturesque houses with thatched roofs.

We stopped at Ballyvaughan to stretch our legs and shared a warming Irish coffee, then on to the Ballyalban earthen ring fort. This was the site of a settlement 3,000 years ago but as we walked around the top of the ring and looked at the ditch below it was easy to imagine a village there, safe within its circle.

The top of the ring - very atmospheric

Further on we visited a wedge tomb (dated to 2500 BC), close to where a gold collar (1000 BC) was found in 1932. Then on to the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a chamber in a cairn of stacked stones where the bones of 22 adults and 6 children were found, which have been dated to 4900 -  2000 BC. Our last stop before lunch at O'Connors Pub in Doolin was Kilfenora to see some twelfth century Celtic crosses.

The Poulnabrone Dolmen

After lunch we continued on through the Burren which is 'a unique limestone landscape' and 'home to over 70% of Ireland's native flora'. The terrain is largely rugged rocky pavements with clints (paving stones) and grykes (the crevices between the stones where much of the flora grows).

Clints and grykes in the Burren

Finally we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland's spectacular coastline on the edge of the Atlantic. The view of cliffs receding into the distance was amazing! We followed the coastal path to O'Brien's Tower on the top of the hill where the view was the best and then back down to the Visitors Centre. Along the way there were lots of warnings about not moving off the path since the winds are often strong enough to blow a person right over the edge. We were very lucky that the weather held long enough for us to enjoy the view since it started to rain and the mist had closed in by the time we left.

The drive back to Galway followed the coast, with just one stop at Ballyreen to see some limestone cliffs in the rain. Apart from that, the highlight was a 'dancing dog' who is in the habit of responding to toots from passing buses by madly running around in circles. And then, of course, there were Garry's tales about the magical power of fairy trees and of rocks that looked like a leprachaun's face - all very Irish!

On the road to Ireland

Most of today was spent in the car! We left Liverpool at 5am, before the sun had risen. Although there were a surprising number of young people in the streets after a fun night out, the traffic was very light and we found our way to the Mersey tunnel without any problems. We made the 150km trip to the Stena ferry terminal at Holyhead in Wales in under two hours and were in very good time for the 8.55am ferry.

Sunrise on the way to Holyhead

The three-hour ferry trip to Dublin was very pleasant as we enjoyed breakfast in the Stena Plus lounge. Once in Dublin we disembarked in the car and navigated the 225km journey across Ireland to Galway by 3pm. Twice we discovered that the motorway we were travelling on was a toll road and, since we had no Euros, had to pay via credit card. Ian noticed quite a difference in the driving styles between England and Ireland. In England, drivers were meticulous about keeping to the left lane on any road unless they were overtaking. Before he realised this, on two occasions when Ian was in the middle lane drivers flashed their lights at him to indicate that he should move to the left. Once we were aware of this, it made driving much easier because one could anticipate what other drivers were going to do.  There seems to be no such practice in Ireland where driving was much more like Australia - survival of the fittest!

In Galway we were met by our Irish landlady, Cathy who was organising our 'welcome pack'. This basket contained such items as smoked salmon, eggs, juice, chocolate biscuits, a gourmet loaf of bread, pasta and pasta sauce, salad greens and fruit. A lovely introduction to Irish hospitality! We went for a walk through the city streets which are only a short distance from the apartment and, taking our host's advice to leave the car parked here, picked up some leaflets about day trips by bus from Galway. Ian had made a booking at Rouge Restaurant before we left Melbourne and we enjoyed a delicious French meal there before walking home.

Ian with some distinguished companions in Galway

'Cross the Mersey - and back again

A slow day in Liverpool today. Our morning began with (in the words of the Gerry and the Pacemakers' song) a 'ferry 'cross the Mersey' from Pier Head, which was just a short walk from our apartment. The view across the river was misty but the sun came out while we were on the water so we took some atmospheric shots of the city skyline with the sun shining through the clouds.

The ferry trip took fifty minutes with stops at Seacombe and Woodside on the other side of the river, and we enjoyed an interesting commentarty from Gerry Marsden. At Seacombe quite a crowd of excited families joined the boat, apparently taking a day trip to the city.

Our next stop was the very modern Liverpool Museum where there was a special day focussing on Liverpool's experience in the First World War. As in Australia, lads were encouraged to join up with their friends to form 'pals' brigades, resulting in a high casualty and death rate amongst the young men of Liverpool who formed their own regiment. I enjoyed a short talk by one of the curators on the embroidered silk postcards that were sent home by the Allied soldiers but didn't have time to stay and make my own.

There was a row of these cute creatures
outside the museum,

Lastly we visited Liverpool's other cathedral, the Anglican one. This is a huge Neo-Gothic building, begun in 1904 and finished in 1978, with the world's highest and widest Gothic arches, the world's heaviest and highest peal of bells and the country's largest organ. But we felt it looked heavy and oversized (not soaring like some cathedrals) and the stained glass windows (being twentieth century glass and designs) did not compare with other older cathedral windows we have seen.

I went to the top of the tower where the view was amazing and then to the Embroidery Gallery on the third floor. The  altar cloths, copes and other vestments on display were richly embroidered with gold work and vibrant colours - very beautiful!

The High Altar

We have enjoyed our stay in Liverpool - we have been impressed with its World Heritage waterfront buildings, including the early twentieth century Liver, Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings as well as its twenty-first century museums. It seems to be valuing its heritage at the same time as it is experiencing an economic upsurge, and the people we have met have been very friendly and helpful.

A drive in Derbyshire - from death to dukes

This morning we drove 67 miles south-east of Liverpool into Derbyshire to the village of Eyam, to visit the museum there which tells the story of the 'plague village'. In September 1665 plague broke out in the village after a tailor received some material from London which was infested with 'plague' fleas. During the next year 76 families were hit by the plague and 260 people died. The museum display personalised the deaths by telling the stories of individuals and their families. It also recounted the measures that the villagers took (under the leadership of their minister) to prevent the plague spreading to nearby villages - a story of tragedy and self-sacrifice.

From Eyam we drove what should have been a short distance to Chatsworth House but we accidentally took the 'scenic' route which doubled the length of the drive. The scenery was wonderful though, with views of rolling green hills into the far distance!

At Chatsworth we started with a tour of the house which took about two hours, then had lunch in the Carriage House restaurant and a wander around the gardens. Chatsworth has its own style, with collections of art and furniture built up by the Dukes of Devonshire since the first duke was created in 1688. Some of the most beautiful rooms comprised the State Apartment which was prepared for the expected royal visit of King William III and Queen Mary II. Eventually Queen Victoria came to stay in the mid-nineteenth century and the rooms were used then.

The Great Hall

The State Bedroom

The gardens have quite spectacular water features, including a long pool leading from a cascade down towards the house, where the Emperor Fountain sprays water up to ninety metres into the air. We also enjoyed the sensory garden, the rockery and some of the modern sculptures which were on exhibit around the gardens.

Emperor Fountain at Chatsworth

'La Machine a Rever' sculpture
- part of the Sotheby's exhibition

By the time we returned to Liverpool we had peak hour traffic to contend with but this time we were well prepared with a map of the one-way streets and a route worked out in advance - getting to our apartment this time was a breeze - well almost!

A Magical Mystery Tour

Today we celebrated the Beatles, starting with 'The Beatles Story'. This was an exhibition situated at Albert Dock on the riverbank, focusing on the lives and times of the Beatles. It included an audio-guide, lots of artefacts, and replicas of The Casbah coffee club and The Cavern Club. It was fascinating and very nostalgic, transporting us back to our youth in the sixties and seventies.

Beatles' instruments

Sergeant Pepper's patterns

We followed this in the afternoon with a Magical Mystery Tour - a two hour bus trip with a guide who was passionately enthusiastic about the Beatles. We saw the childhood homes of each of the Beatles, the gates of Strawberry Field (an orphanage in the sixties) and Penny Lane. At each stop, we all piled out of the bus and milled around taking photos - sometimes there was another busload there at the same time as us! - so it was quite a circus. But very interesting and entertaining.

Our magical bus

The rush to take a photo of George's childhood home

Strawberry Field gate

We were dropped off at the Cavern Club at the end of the tour and then walked some distance to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, the Roman Catholic cathedral. This is a very modern circular building with a domed roof of glass. The walls are hung with the most marvellous embroidered hangings and the great concrete buttresses are adorned with a 'Way of the Cross'. It must be an amazing experience to attend a service in this circular space which seats 2,300 people.

Metropolitan Cathedral Liverpool

Embroidered wall hanging

Bronte Country

We said goodbye to Gillian and her husband John at Coneysthorpe and set out for a day in Bronte country. We reached Haworth at 10.30am and spent a couple of hours at the Bronte Parsonage Museum. It was wonderful to be in the home where Charlotte, Emily and Anne had grown up and written their novels.

Bronte Parsonage Museum

There was lots to see and read so it was lunchtime by the time we had seen everything. We had a quick snack of cheese and biscuits in the car and then set off to walk to the Bronte Bridge two and a half miles across the moors. The countryside close to Haworth was mainly green fields with stone walls and sheep but, as we walked further, it changed to steep hillsides of purple and pink heather with green ferns.

Heather on the moors

Farming country

Our walk ended at a stone bridge across the South Dean Beck which is known as Bronte Bridge. The weather was overcast and the walk gave us a feel for how bleak the moors could be - very evocative of Wuthering Heights.

Bronte Bridge

We spent the rest of the afternoon driving to Liverpool. It was fairly uneventful until we reached Hatton Garden, the street in the centre of the city where our apartment is situated. It turned out to be a one-way street and, what with the complicated city roundabouts and an unplanned drive through the tunnel under the Mersey and back, we spent a very stressful time trying to work out how to access it. But all is fine now as we organise ourselves in our very well-appointed apartment for the next four days in Liverpool.

Visiting York

Since yesterday was such a long tiring day, we changed our plan for a walk to Robin Hood's Bay today and decided to spend the day in York instead. Gillian suggested that we should use the Park & Ride facility so we parked at Monks Cross and caught the bus into York. We found this to be a quick, cheap and stress-free way to travel.

Our first stop was Fairfax House, a fine Georgian townhouse whose original owner was Viscount Fairfax. In the twentieth century it was turned into a dancehall and cinema so one of the most interesting aspects now was to discover how the restoration had been undertaken. Walls which had been removed were replaced, red paint was painstakingly removed from the highly decorated plaster ceilings, a cantilever staircase was rebuilt and much other work was done to restore it to its Georgian splendour.

Next we visited the nearby Clifford's Tower, the original stronghold for the city, and enjoyed panoramic views from the top of the castle walls.

Gillian had mentioned that some people enjoyed the stained glass windows at St Michael's church more than those at York Minster so when we passed St Michael's we decided to go in. This particular St Michael's turned out to be the Spurriergate Centre, a church which had been deconsecrated and turned into a fairtrade restaurant and cafe where pastoral services (conversation and counselling) were also offered. The stained glass windows and reredos (decoration behind the altar) were still in place and it was wonderful to see a former church being used in such a vibrant and worthwhile way.

We stopped for lunch at Bennetts and sat at an outside table with a marvellous view of York Minster.

St Michael le Belfrey church was next to the Minster and, realising that this must have been the 'St Michaels' that Gillian had meant, we went inside. The windows were indeed beautiful, some dating from 1330, and it would appear from their video that this is a strong community church with an enthusiastic outreach program.

We then entered York Minster and stayed a while in the free roped-off area at the back, absorbing the atmosphere and appreciating the beauty of the soaring gothic arches. We happened to be there at the time of day when a minister announced a time of prayer and the crowd of visitors became silent and respectful.

Walking further around the Minster precinct, we next visited the Treasurer's House, a property which was owned by a wealthy gentleman, Mr Frank Green from 1897. It was still furnished and decorated exactly as it was when Frank bequeathed it to the National Trust in 1930; in fact he threatened to return to haunt the house if any furniture was ever moved! Each room was decorated beautifully in whatever style appealed to Frank at the time - quite an eccentric and eclectic collection.

The Great Hall, Treasurer's House

Feeling that we had earned a treat, we returned to Bennetts for some lemon drizzle cake and drinks before taking a walk around a section of the York city walls. Then on the way back to our Park & Ridre bus we found a shop called Christmas Angels and had some fun choosing Christmas decorations.

The Shambles, York

Pickering to Whitby by steam train

It was so misty when we got up yesterday (Monday) that we could not even see across the green but by the time we had driven to Pickering seven miles away it had turned into a beautiful sunny day.

In Pickering we walked through the market along the main street and then visited the Beck Isle Museum of Rural Life. This museum has a most interesting and eclectic collection of items from everyday life during the last two hundred years. I loved the 1930s pharmacy and grocers, the display of women's outfits from the 1930s to 1960s and the toy collection. Ian was fascinated by an old printer's works and by the photography of Sydney Smith of local scenes and characters in 1920s.

The Grocer's

At midday we caught the North Yorkshire Moors steam train to the seaside town of Whitby where we had fish and chips for lunch before climbing 199 steps up to the ruins of Whitby Abbey on the headland above the town. As we walked around the site, we enjoyed an audio tour which brought the story of the monastery and its decline to life.

Whitby harbour with the bark Endeavour

Whitby Abbey ruins

Our last stop in Whitby was the Captain Cook Memorial Museum. This was in the house where James Cook lived as an apprentice seaman from 1746 to 1749 and it contained lots of interesting artefacts and displays about his life and achievements, including original correspondence.

We caught the 5.30pm steam train back to Pickering where we did a quick change of clothes in the car and drove to the Star Inn in Harome for dinner. This is the only Michelin star restaurant in Yorkshire and we were not disappointed. The meal was delicious and the service was friendly and helpful. Ian had a chicken and bacon pie with mustard-seeded mash and I had turbot served with braised oxtail and cockles. Our desserts were apple and rhubarb crumble with damson icecream for Ian and a dark chocolate knickerbocker glory (icecream parfait) with honeycomb for me.

My main course - delicious!

The drive back to Coneysthorpe was more exciting than we would have liked though. Driving on narrow unfamiliar roads in the dark is not much fun but when the GPS navigation takes you to the wrong location and insists that you are in the right place it adds a whole new dimension. When I finally convinced it that we wanted to be somewhere else, it led us up a narrow track until Ian decided it was too rough to keep going and did an amazing job of turning the car without hitting anything or getting us bogged. We were quite relieved to get back to Coneysthorpe eventually and creep up the stairs without waking our hosts!

A Day at Castle Howard / Brideshead

After a delicious cooked breakfast, we filled in the time before Castle Howard opened at 11am with a walk around parts of the estate outside the gates. This five-mile walk was followed by more than another mile of walking to the entrance to Castle Howard. It was a warm morning and, after such exertions, we stopped for a drink at the Courtyard Cafe. Well our intention was to have just a drink but Ian was tempted by the rhubarb and custard icecream so I had to follow suit and have a warm chocolate fudge cake - that's my version of what happened anyway!

For the next three hours we toured the house, taking photos inside and out and listening to the very knowledgeable guides as we encountered them in various rooms. Highlights included the Great Hall (with its massive carved columns and dome above, where light flooded down to illuminate murals by Antonio Pellegrini), the Turquoise Drawing Room (which was recently redecorated with beautiful turquoise and gold damask wallpaper and upholstery) and the Chapel (with four Burne-Jones stained glass windows in the Arts and Craft style).

The Great Hall

The Turquoise Drawing Room

Chapel window

But of course the absolute highlight for me was the display in two upper rooms of the making of the Granada television series of Brideshead Revisited and also the more recent movie. This was an exhibition called 'Brideshead Restored: The Story of Restoration at Castle Howard and Brideshead Revisited' which also included the transformation of that part of the house after the great fire of 1940 from derelict rooms to film sets.

At 2pm we joined a tour focussing on the 1940 fire, which occurred when a chimney caught fire on the night of 9 November, sweeping through the south-east wing and destroying the Great Hall, the dome and nearly twenty rooms. This was during wartime when the house was occupied by a girls' school and our very enthusiastic guide gave an animated account of how the fire was discovered and how many valuable artworks were saved by the girls throwing them out of the windows.

After that we returned to complete our tour of the house and for some more refreshment, finally leaving when the property closed at 4.30pm, to walk back to Coneysthorpe. Since the book which had been produced about the Brideshead Revisited exhibition was no longer available, I bought a novel by Jan Hunter called My Two Lives, a time-travel story inspired by and set in Castle Howard. I'm also looking forward to replaying my Brideshead DVDs when we get home and seeing how the house and garden were used in the filming. Our hostess Gillian told us that some of the hunt scene was actually filmed on the Green outside our house at Coneysthorpe!

An angel, a cathedral and a 'castle'

An early start today as we travelled to Coneysthorpe, North Yorkshire via the city of Durham. Our first stop was to see the Angel of the North on the A1 motorway between Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne.   What a spectacular sight this huge steel sculpture is as it towers over the people at its foot!

 

Then back down the A1 to Durham where we sent several hours viewing the sights. The city had a vibrant atmosphere with lots of visiting students and their families thronging the streets as they checked out the university on an open day. We loved the old stone bridges (12th century) and the remnants of the medieval city - a vennel (a tunnel formed when an open lane had been covered by a residence on top) and a hidden courtyard where we could see a bit of a medieval wall incorporated within another wall, beside the turret from a later wall.

As we entered Durham Cathedral we were thrilled to hear the organ playing and a choir singing. The sound reverberated around the Norman building as the crowd of visitors stood in awe. After touring the cathedral, we had lunch in the Undercroft restaurant and then called in at the World Heritage Centre on the Palace Green where we watched an interesting video about the history of the cathedral and castle. Unfortunately the castle was not open for public tours today because it is part of the university campus and was open only for prospective students. We also saw the former monks' dormitory, now a campus library, with a towering ceiling of rough-hewn wooden beams.

Durham Cathedral

Back to the car for the 70 mile drive south-east of Durham to Coneysthorpe. As we neared Lime Kiln House, our B & B for the next four nights, we followed signs to Castle Howard which is just across the village green from us. What a thrill it was for a Brideshead Revisited tragic like me to see the dome of the mansion from our bedroom window! We were welcomed to her home by Gillian who led us upstairs to a very spacious bedroom and bathroom where everything has been provided including a first aid kit, a sewing kit, bath robes, chocolates, shortbread biscuits, lots of tourist leaflets, several books about Castle Howard and a shelf of novels. Can't wait for tomorrow when we will visit Castle Howard!

View of Castle Howard from our window
- through Ian's telephoto lens

Our last day in the Lakes District

We woke up to a fine day and decided to start our last day in Troutbeck with a wander through Holehird Gardens, a short drive from our hotel. These beautiful gardens belong to the Lakeland Horticultural Society and have a great variety of specimen trees, rock and heather gardens, a walled garden and a woodland walk - all that as well as superb views of the fells (mountains) in the distance. We spent a most enjoyable hour there and took lots of photos.

Holehird Gardens - heather beds

From there we drove to Skelwith Bridge and on to Elterwater, searching for Loughrigg Tarn which was the start of a walk Ian found on 'The Walking Englishman' website. Although we probably didn't find that tarn, we did do a great little walk from Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge beside a fast-flowing stream which widened into a tarn (lake), with a great view of the Langdale Pike mountains in the distance. It was a very popular walk and we greeted lots of other walkers as we passed each other.

Langdale Pikes and Elterwater

After a picnic lunch, we drove back to Troutbeck to visit the National Trust property of Townend. For over 400 years Townend was home to the Browne family who were well to do farmers. The last George Browne (most of the males were called George!) died in 1914 and the house is virtually the same now as it was then, including a lot of fine oak furniture which he carved. Beatrix Potter, after visiting his daughter there, described him as 'the intolerable George Browne' - apparently she did not appreciate all the carved furniture! One of the highlights was George's library which is now treasured as a collection which is just as it was left in 1914 with many books which can no longer be found elsewhere.

Townend

Dinner tonight was at the Drunken Duck restaurant, on the road to Hawkshead, a restaurant which Ian found on the web and booked before we left home. It didn't start well since they had the booking for 6.30pm and we turned up at 7.30pm but that was soon sorted out. The meal was one of the best we have ever had - delicious flavours, beautifully presented, manageable size serves, friendly service. A lovely way to end our stay in the Lake District.