Monk's Bridge

6th June 2014

Monk's Bridge is located just north of the old Calder Abbey.  It's actually out on Cold Fell and crosses the Calder River along what once was an old pack horse trail to the Abbey.

Suzanne and I decided to make the short walk from the nearby fell road to check it out.

We walked along a stream down into the river's valley.  It quickly becomes very remote.

This is the river Calder, looking back towards our origin.

This is Monk's Bridge.  It's over 1,000 years old, and existed to support the Abbey with supplies via pack horses.  It's considered the oldest pack horse bridge in the UK. The fences are to ensure folks don't walk out onto it; though I have to say if it's withstood 1,000 years, it'll take my weight.

Another view, but from the river. 

A local ewe and her lamb.

Until next time...

Rose at the Cottage

What more can I say?

Until next time...

Hadrian's Wall

3rd June 2014

I've always been interested in Hadrian's Wall since first reading about it in some history class during grade school.  Luckily Suzanne is also interested in it and during her recent visit we decided to look at a better section of the remaining structure.  

This particular bit Birdoswald Roman Fort, is located on the western end, near Carlisle, Cumbria.  It consists of portions of the wall, of course, but also the remains of one of the forts along the wall.  According to the literature one of these existed every Roman mile (just a bit shorter than a modern mile) and between them were smaller posts every quarter mile or so.  Each fort had about 1,000 soldiers.  

Suzanne decided to visit with some of the locals...

I can't resist a good flower...

This was obviously a strategic point to place the wall, it overlooks a river on one side and sits atop a steep rise from the river.  This is looking south into England.  North, past the wall, is Scotland (actually a few miles further north, but 1800 years ago it was considered the land of the barbarians, or Picts, as the Romans called them).

More locals...

As we walked back to the car, this is the view towards the East.  We walked along the wall for about a quarter mile, the foundation of a post was there and looking through the brush we could see the wall continuing on through the valley and beyond.

A very nice site and a "must do" if visiting Northern England / Southern Scotland.  

Until next time...

Cinco de Mayo walk

5 May 2014

It was a beautiful day, so I headed out for a walk.  I started down what I like to call the River Walk along the River Bleng; I join it at Wellington and then walk down it until it joins back up with the road.  Then I cross and can either head back to the cottage for a 1 hour walk, or head up a bridleway towards a farm.

After a while the walk approaches a bridge; not sure what stream or river this one is (it's not Bleng).

 The Blue Bells are starting to go, but there is still lots of color.

 Along the way you can see towards the East, over at Scafell.  

 Bossy and her pals decided they were interested in what I was doing...

 I caught those forest violets in the base of the tree.  The tree is quite healthy.

 That would make a nice home, but right now it's some sort of farm building.  Probably over a hundred years old.

 These two little ones kept acting like they were going to bolt.  Probably lambed within the last week.

 And the Blue Bells up close.

Until next time...

Crocus in full bloom

8th March 2014

So a couple of weeks later I walked the same route and this time all the Snow Drops are gone, but the Crocus are really crocusing.  Both purple and white ones (never noticed white ones before).

Okay, I really like this one of the Daffodils.  They were just starting to bloom.

Until next time...

Snow Drops and Crocus

22 February 2014

Okay, this is a bit late for a posting, but work, Suzanne's visit and other things kept pushing this task, albeit minor, to the back burner for some time.

At any rate, I was out on a walk that day knowing the Snowdrops were on their last legs; and knowing the Crocus were starting to show.

 

 

 

Most of those were in the graveyard of the church around the corner.  The last two are about a mile away along a walk I like doing.  All of them are wild.

Until next time...

Hartley's ice cream

Hartley's is the Giffords of Cumbria.  If you don't know Giffords, well I have to say you haven't had real ice cream.

Ben & Jerry's is good, but Giffords is the best I've ever had.  Of course it doesn't hurt that it's also located where some of my close family resides and when we visit a trip a day is called for.  But that's another topic…

But Hartley's has something I've never had at Gifford's: Gingerbread Ice Cream.  This is made with real gingerbread from Cumbria, which is considered by some to be the best in the world.  I have to agree that it's the best I've had short of Suzanne's home made gingerbread.

Admittedly, I'm not a great fan of Gingerbread ice cream, being one to traditionally have vanilla, strawberry or something similar.  But, I do enjoy it.

Obviously not something I can bring back home, but if I'm ever in Cumbria, it'll be a trip I have to make, over to Egremont to have a scoop or three.

Until next time…