Sunday, November 30, 2008
Edinburgh
1st day in Edinburgh and a cold one. Awoke to a light smattering of snow outside and temperatures hovering round zero most of the day. We headed off for a look around the city. Our first stop was the travel section of a bookstore which had well-thumbed perusal copies of local guides. From these we were able to find a nice cafe which we went to for breakfast. I had an almond croissant while Mark had poached eggs on toast with Haggis and Black Pudding. We both thought Haggis was quite nice. The coffee was good too (they knew what a Flat White was) After checking out a few department stores in New Town we climbed the Royal Mile to arrive at Edinburgh Castle. The Royal Mile is part of the Old Town and unfortunately it was mostly tourist shops selling package deals on kilts. This seemed a bit inappropriate to me. Edinburgh castle is imposing, being built on a tall hill in the middle of the town. Although it is old in origin it has had many modifications right up to the 19th century and so is in very good condition. We stopped for lunch in one of the cafes that are part of the castle. A German waitress recommended that Mark avoided fruit cake because she wasn’t a big fan so he had some anyway. It wasn’t that good. The other German waitress suggested we check out the Christmas market which was at the base of the hill and next to the outdoor ice-skating. I really liked it. The freezing cold temperature combined with brightly lit stores, mulled wine and German sausage made me feel very “Christmassy” Mark tried hard not to feel “Christmassy” but I have a photo of him with a big smile on his face. We went back into New Town afterwards and checked out a few shops for warm socks and gloves which we managed to find. Mark also bought a pair of fashionable stylish long johns which I also have a photo of but perhaps shouldn’t be widely published. Afterwards we bought tickets to see a movie, had a beer in a local pub and then dinner in a Scottish restaurant. I had more Haggis and we both had cod for a main. In the freezing cold and dark, feeling full beyond belief, we trekked home to bed.
Durham, Bamburgh, Edinburgh
A very cold start in Durham, but the bed and breakfast was warm. We turned down the full English breakfast, too much of a fatty and salty thing. We walked into town to the Cathedral, an impressive Norman building built in the 10th and 11th centuries. We stayed on for choral matins and sat in the quire. The choir weren’t up to much, the boys particularly weak. As we left the very fine cathedral, the clear crisp morning air and the clean white frost made for a wintry English scene. We didn’t get to see Durham Castle as it doubles as university student accommodation during term and the tours only operate in the afternoon.
After de-icing the car we drove to Morpeth. There is a John Dymond in the phone book in Morpeth but I didn’t disturb him. Morpeth is a likable small town near Newcastle on Tyne. There wasn’t much happening there Sunday morning. There was even less happening in Pegswood. The whole town seemed like a 60s housing project. I couldn’t find anything that looked like it existed when my great grandparents left last century. I couldn’t even find something interesting to photograph. It would seem they made the right decision.
We drove up the Northumberland Coast to Bamburgh Castle and afternoon tea. The temperature dropped to -2 on the way to Scotland. The wiper blades became very firm in the cold and wouldn’t clean the grime off the windscreen, the windscreen washing liquid froze to the windscreen. We did get some photos of the haw frost in the trees though. There was a sign from Nina and Gus’ clan welcoming us to the Scottish Borders. GPS and Rowena’s careful text messaging got us to their flat and a very nice roast dinner of pork and vegetables. Tomorrow we will explore Edinburgh.
After de-icing the car we drove to Morpeth. There is a John Dymond in the phone book in Morpeth but I didn’t disturb him. Morpeth is a likable small town near Newcastle on Tyne. There wasn’t much happening there Sunday morning. There was even less happening in Pegswood. The whole town seemed like a 60s housing project. I couldn’t find anything that looked like it existed when my great grandparents left last century. I couldn’t even find something interesting to photograph. It would seem they made the right decision.
We drove up the Northumberland Coast to Bamburgh Castle and afternoon tea. The temperature dropped to -2 on the way to Scotland. The wiper blades became very firm in the cold and wouldn’t clean the grime off the windscreen, the windscreen washing liquid froze to the windscreen. We did get some photos of the haw frost in the trees though. There was a sign from Nina and Gus’ clan welcoming us to the Scottish Borders. GPS and Rowena’s careful text messaging got us to their flat and a very nice roast dinner of pork and vegetables. Tomorrow we will explore Edinburgh.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
York, Scarborough, Whitby
The bed and breakfast in York, The Abbey Guest House (www.abbeyghyork.co.uk) was unsatisfactory. They were full and our room had the last shower on the pipeline. There was NO water pressure and showering was impossible. The proprietor was keen to get us to leave as soon as possible to vacate their ‘free car park’ so they could make another 5 pound selling it to all the locals in town for the above mentioned festival. She was quite rude when I strayed into their ‘private area’ to pay them. She was even ruder when I produced a VISA to pay. I imagine some people run bed and breakfasts to meet travellers, most it would seem do it to make money. The two faced appearance of their home was telling, neat and tidy for the paying house guest, the other dishevelled ‘private’ area for the proprietor? I felt sorry for Loofah.
There was ‘freezing fog’ all day. It didn’t get above 0 degrees in York. The market wasn’t up to much, there were too many people to see any stalls, the queue to the Jorvik Centre was out the door, registering to use text car parking on a smart phone without an alphanumeric keypad too frustrating... so we got in the car and drove to Scarborough, a place D remembers from his childhood. The fog only just lifted as we reached the coast. There were quite a few people walking dogs (spotted two border terriers) on the beach, the ambient temperature even with the sun out was still 0! The amusement parlours were open to the cold and empty street. This didn’t stop them polluting the seaside with noise (D: I liked it. It reminded me of childhood experiences especially the flies getting stuck in your candy floss)
We drove on to Whitby. I really liked Whitby. We went to E Botham and Sons (www.botham.co.uk) for afternoon tea. I should explain the tea thing. Tea is quintessentially English, and my thinking is that if we find places that take pride in tea we will also get good English Fare, in the Rick Stein vein. This is why I bought the Best 100 Teashops book. We have had a few poor experiences from the book, copyright 2003. A few places have changed hands and standards have fallen at others. But I have found a new guide, The UK Tea Guild (www.tea.co.uk), a body rewarding people to take pride in tea. E Botham is one of these institutions. The young local waitresses (complete with tongue rings and false eye lashes) wear pinnies, the menu has a long list of cakes and scones, Yorkshire brack (a dense sticky sultana cake that is soaked in tea), gingerbread, scones, and fruitcake (full butter and ale) which come with Wensleydale or Stilton. We both had the special of the day, a giant Yorkshire pudding with steak and mushroom stew inside. It was very good, one of the best meals I have had in England. My tea was also very good (Resolution Blend (named after one of Captain Cook’s ships, he being from around here)). We bought a good supply of biscuits and cakes to take to my cousins in Edinburgh. We walked down past the water, up to the Captain Cook Memorial. The fog, the abbey ruins over on the hill on the other side of the port and the lights all made for a memorable scene.
We, I, drove on to Durham. The fog was very thick and it was impossible to do over 40 mph. The visibility was so poor D was more comfortable with his eyes closed. We arrived in Durham, Saturday night meant much of the accommodation was full. We are staying in our most down market digs thus far. A problem in ‘this country’ is the street names and numbering. Mr Moore (who lives with Mrs Koltai, she ran away from Hungary when the Russians invaded, married a Spaniard, but now lives in Durham with Mr Moore) did his best to describe over the phone how to get here. GPS TomTom did his best, but even so, it’s hard work. Mr Moore stood outside and waved when we drove past.
Tomorrow we will see Durham cathedral and the castle, then on to Morpeth and Pegswood, which is where my father’s mother’s family are from. Then we will drive on to Edinburgh to stay with my intrepid West Coast cousins, the wandering wee Wallaces from Westport.
There was ‘freezing fog’ all day. It didn’t get above 0 degrees in York. The market wasn’t up to much, there were too many people to see any stalls, the queue to the Jorvik Centre was out the door, registering to use text car parking on a smart phone without an alphanumeric keypad too frustrating... so we got in the car and drove to Scarborough, a place D remembers from his childhood. The fog only just lifted as we reached the coast. There were quite a few people walking dogs (spotted two border terriers) on the beach, the ambient temperature even with the sun out was still 0! The amusement parlours were open to the cold and empty street. This didn’t stop them polluting the seaside with noise (D: I liked it. It reminded me of childhood experiences especially the flies getting stuck in your candy floss)
We drove on to Whitby. I really liked Whitby. We went to E Botham and Sons (www.botham.co.uk) for afternoon tea. I should explain the tea thing. Tea is quintessentially English, and my thinking is that if we find places that take pride in tea we will also get good English Fare, in the Rick Stein vein. This is why I bought the Best 100 Teashops book. We have had a few poor experiences from the book, copyright 2003. A few places have changed hands and standards have fallen at others. But I have found a new guide, The UK Tea Guild (www.tea.co.uk), a body rewarding people to take pride in tea. E Botham is one of these institutions. The young local waitresses (complete with tongue rings and false eye lashes) wear pinnies, the menu has a long list of cakes and scones, Yorkshire brack (a dense sticky sultana cake that is soaked in tea), gingerbread, scones, and fruitcake (full butter and ale) which come with Wensleydale or Stilton. We both had the special of the day, a giant Yorkshire pudding with steak and mushroom stew inside. It was very good, one of the best meals I have had in England. My tea was also very good (Resolution Blend (named after one of Captain Cook’s ships, he being from around here)). We bought a good supply of biscuits and cakes to take to my cousins in Edinburgh. We walked down past the water, up to the Captain Cook Memorial. The fog, the abbey ruins over on the hill on the other side of the port and the lights all made for a memorable scene.
We, I, drove on to Durham. The fog was very thick and it was impossible to do over 40 mph. The visibility was so poor D was more comfortable with his eyes closed. We arrived in Durham, Saturday night meant much of the accommodation was full. We are staying in our most down market digs thus far. A problem in ‘this country’ is the street names and numbering. Mr Moore (who lives with Mrs Koltai, she ran away from Hungary when the Russians invaded, married a Spaniard, but now lives in Durham with Mr Moore) did his best to describe over the phone how to get here. GPS TomTom did his best, but even so, it’s hard work. Mr Moore stood outside and waved when we drove past.
Tomorrow we will see Durham cathedral and the castle, then on to Morpeth and Pegswood, which is where my father’s mother’s family are from. Then we will drive on to Edinburgh to stay with my intrepid West Coast cousins, the wandering wee Wallaces from Westport.
Friday, November 28, 2008
York
Here we are in York. It was an icy start at Crook Hill Farm – our best B+B so far. After another full English breakfast (they’re getting a bit much) we hit the road and had a small drive through the Peak district before leaving to head north to York. We took a direct route and travelled on the M1 for the first time on this trip. I felt a little excitement as we got closer and closer to where I was born but of course we continued to York instead of heading west to Halifax. It’s a very industrial area of England and the day was clear and sunny. This just highlighted a layer of smog that could be seen across the horizon. We arrived in York for lunch and sought out Great Britain’s Top 100 tearooms” tearoom of the day – Little Betty’s . York seemed packed with people especially those with grey hair on coach tours. Most of them were in the queue for a table at Little Betty’s. Mark said we were getting a two for one typically English experience of tea and queuing. We eventually got a table. Mark had a Yorkshire Rarebit (fancy cheese on toast) and I had a Yorkshire Ham sandwich. Afterwards Mark had a Fat Rascal (a fruity oaty scone which is a local invention) and I had fruit cake with Wensleydale cheese (my Mother would be proud) We then checked out York Minster which was very impressive. Unfortunately the east wing (?) was closed to the public because of a wedding ceremony. We then found some accommodation which is on the riverside. It’s very nice and the owner’s Gill and Alec have a Border Terrier called Loofer which we took for a walk. He is 8 years old and the same colour as Nina. He’s never been plucked so he looks a bit scruffy. He had the same habit as Gus of peeing on every tree in sight when out walking Mark has gone to Evensong but I’m chilling out in the room watching some sci-fi show from the 70’s and updating this blog. Not sure what we’re doing this evening. We eat so much during the day that neither of us feels like dinner. Maybe we’ll get a beer instead. We’re looking forward to having authentic Yorkshire puddings. Oh, we found out why there has been an invasion of coach tours. The Festival of St Nicholas is on this weekend. There’s supposed to be lots of stalls and things which we will check out tomorrow. Feeling a little bit fatigued from all the travel at the moment. Please let us know if you’re following the blog.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Shrewsbury, Ironbridge, Newport, Peak District - Buxton, Bakewell, Crook Hill Farm
This won’t make it on the web tonight and neither did yesterday’s blog due to technical difficulties. At the moment we’re relaxing in our B+B at Crook Hill Farm in the Peak District with no means of contact with the outside world. We started our day at The Bull Inn in Shrewsbury. After breakfast we had a walk around the town. Shrewsbury is a medieval town in Shropshire surrounded on most sides by the River Severn. Our mission for the day was to find Shrewsbury biscuits! We found some at the Visitors Centre but they’re not what you think and they weren’t even made in Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury biscuits in NZ (the ones with a jam centre) are called Jammy Dodgers in Shrewsbury whereas Shrewsbury biscuits are more like a plain biscuit with bits of fruit in them. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any fresh ones so we bought a recipe instead. After visiting the Dingle (a formal garden) we left Shrewsbury and drove to Ironbridge. Ironbridge is named after the Iron Bridge that spans its gorge. The bridge was made in 1793 and was the first of its kind. It is said to be the international symbol of the industrial revolution since it was here that they discovered how to improve the manufacturing of iron by using coke. Ironbridge is where it all began. Ironbridge is also world famous for its pork pies according to the shop at which we bought one. We continued our quest to visit “Great Britain’s Top 100 Tearooms” by visiting Newport. It looks like the tearoom in question had recently changed hands and it didn’t live up to the description in the book. We drove from Newport to the Peak District driving through Stoke-On-Trent, Leek, and on to Buxton. We really like the Peak District. It’s very scenic with rolling hills, rugged terrain, rivers, forests, and lots of small villages dotted throughout the landscape. We stopped at Ashford-in-the-water to check out our second tearoom for the day only to discover that it was for sale. We found another one close by and had tea with Lemon Cake and Victoria Sponge. Bakewell is another small village in the Peak District and you can guess what it’s famous for - Bakewell pudding! (Yes it’s a pudding, not a tart) We bought one to have with our Pork Pie. We then carried on to our B+B which is called Crook Hill Farm. It’s a working farm out in the middle of the country. The room is very nice – the best so far! It’s in an old converted barn. We have been ordered by our hostess Janet to present for breakfast at 8 am. Onwards to York tomorrow where we should be able to post these blog entries.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Stratford on Avon, Coventry, Kenliworth castle, Shrewsbury
In Stratford on Avon we stayed in a B&B called Twelfth Knight. It was tidy but the owner wasn’t an asset, “why would you want to go to Coventry, it’s a ruin!”. We had a wander around Stratford in the morning. Entry to the church where Shakespeare is buried was free, but it was 1.50 pound to see the grave, slightly distasteful concept, paying to see a grave, so we didn’t do that. We wandered around, past the house where Shakespeare’s daughter lived, fascinating. The main theatre of the Royal Shakespeare Company is being renovated so we didn’t get to see much of that. We drove on towards Coventry stopping at the ruin of Kenliworth Castle. We bought a 14 day visitor pass from English Heritage which allows free entry to sites like this. We drove on to Coventry and went first to the new cathedral. Great to see the tapestry behind the altar, something I’ve wanted to see for a long time. I liked the feel of the new building, D wasn’t so impressed. However, we were both very moved by the ruin of the old cathedral. It’s right next door and remains as it was after being bombed at the start of WWII. We drove on to Worcester, right past Birmingham, roads were busy with many cars moving much faster than our 1.2 L Nissan Micra would allow, I didn’t try to keep up with the R8, the second I’ve seen. Worcester cathedral was also very impressive. I didn’t get to hear the new organ which has just been installed high up either side of the choir. We drove on to Hereford, a great little town. We had afternoon tea at another of the ‘100 best teashops’ in England. Not a teabag in sight. Scones were good, flapjack was very good, fruitcake pretty good too! Hereford cathedral was much smaller than Worcester but the crypt was impressive. Unfortunately the Mappa Mundi room had closed, 330pm. Things seem to close when it starts to get dark. We drove on to Shrewsbury and are staying in The Bull Inn, a pub with accommodation. The pub meal was very good. I had steak and ale pie, D had fish and chips. The accommodation is very good and only 50 pounds for the night which includes a cooked breakfast. We will have a look around here tomorrow and then head through the Peak District.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Accomodation at Bath - YHA Hostel
Bath Abbey
Rabbits in Butcher at Tetbury (for Nina and Gus)
Dragon Hill where St George slew the dragonBath, Cotswolds, and Stratford-Upon-Avon
A new experience – blogging in the car. We’ve just stopped for afternoon tea in our second of “Great Britain’s Top 100 Tearooms” This was Harriet’s in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Unfortunately the Cornish pastie was heated in the microwave and Mark got a teabag!!!! He was very unimpressed and told the owner so. We’re on the road now to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We’ve had busy day today. We had a cooked breakfast for 4.50 at the YHA hostel before going into Bath. We went to the Roman Baths. There have been baths in Bath since prehistoric times but the Romans built their version of a health spa both for their own use and to appease the locals who they conquered around 50 AD. The baths fell into ruin and the in 1800s they were partially restored and turned into a tourist attraction and so now they are a mixture of both ruin and the new Victorian architecture. There was no swimming because the water was green with algae and apparently not good for you. In one of the hot baths a pigeon was dying so this might be true. We alerted our guide to the pigeon but he thought it was just swimming. We had a personalised tour as we were there so early. The ticket entitled us to a free glass of spa water which tasted disgusting.
Bath Abbey was an impressive building with a high vaulted ceiling and a new Klais Organ (Mark wrote this)
We left to drive through the Cotswolds. We visited a number of little villages – Tetbury, Bibury, Burford, Uppington, and Woodstock. Bibury has the most photographed street in England – a collection of medieval houses that are heritage sites. Uppington has another White Horse chalk drawing much older than the one we saw yesterday and much more stylised – couldn’t really take a picture to do it justice. In front of the horse drawing is a hill called Dragon Hill which is where St George is said to have slain the Dragon.
The weather is still cold. A high of 5 degrees today but when the wind gets up it feels much colder. The day has been clear and sunny and right now I’m looking out of the car window at a golden sunset over the Cotswolds. The days are very short and it’s dark by 4:30 most days. It encourages us to make an early start to make the most of the daylight. We think we’ll try a B+B tonight. We might spend the day in Stratford tomorrow.
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