Sizergh Castle and Lancaster Canal

Last Saturday morning William and I drove up the motorway heading for Bay View and our first weekend stay of the 2015 season in the caravan.  It was a beautiful spring day with clear blue skies but for all that come bedtime in a tin box it we knew it was going to be a wee bit chilly.  Our plan was to leave the heating on overnight and that’s what we did thus avoiding frostbite!  

Having done the necessary jobs of unpacking and hooking the caravan up to water and electricity a walk down by the salt marshes was in order.  It was plain for all to see that Bay View has been having more than its fair share of precipitation.  The path to Archer’s Cafe was impassable.

It didn’t matter to us though as we had decided to take a circular walk back to base…

… via the canal.

There’s some very pretty scenery along the route.

Not a hint of a breeze in the air meant still waters and lots of eye catching reflections to photograph.

By late afternoon we had worked up a thirst.  A short drive away from Bay View is Arnside and that’s where we found a pub to sit outside with a drink and watch the sun go down. 

Sunday a visit to Sizergh Castle was planned.  Sizergh is an impressive property parts of which date back to the14th century and is now in the hands of the National Trust and so our NT Membership came in useful again.

The gardens are a treat to walk though. 

This limestone rockery at the rear of the house is a little gem.  I’m looking forward to going back throughout the year and seeing the changes each season will bring.

Our tour of the castle over brought us nicely to lunchtime.  I had packed a picnic and happily it was a perfect day for picnicking.   Perfect day all round really.

Our last port of call was Sizergh Barn which is just down the lane from the castle.  It was just before milking time and we saw the cows jostling for places at the feeding trough.  Look how nicely they looked at the camera for me!

Especially this young lady.  I do like cows.

Until next time,

Manchester Police Museum

Well, time has gotten away from me again and here I am a couple of weeks after the event with this post.

During the recent half term holidays Victoria suggested a trip to the Police Museum which is located in Manchester’s historic Northern Quarter.

A place we’ve known about for some time but just never visited.

A gallery line up of unsavoury looking characters in one of the cells.  We spent a little bit of time looking for familiar names and faces.  Happily we didn’t find any.

In the dock and guilty as charged!

Two sweet little faces.  Definitely not guilty!

This police office, dressed in Victorian uniform, retired from the force over forty years ago but is still doing regular volunteer shifts.  I reckon he’s seen a few changes to policing over the years.

Here William is chatting to the retired officer about the Lest We Forget board which lists all those officer killed in the line of duty in the Manchester force.  The first name is dated 1819.  78 names in total but we noticed that there were two missing.  The names of the two young female officers, Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, horribly murdered in 2012 have not yet been added.

Wooden beds and pillows.  Ouch!

No visit to a police station would be complete without a sit in a police car.

I’m not too familiar with this corner of Manchester but after a glimpse into some of the side streets I think I’d like to go back some time soon for a better look around.  It seems that many streets have been restored to their former glory.. probably a much cleaner semblance of their former glory.  No more factory chimneys belching forth their grime over the city are there?

  

I loved the vibrant wall art.

And finally back at the car park Nicholas got to put his new wellies to good use.  Walking through puddles with your wellies on.  Never gets old does it?   Notice the helmet?  He and Charlie both came away with one of those each. 

It has to be said this was one museum visit we all enjoyed.  It was definitely interesting.  If I went again I’d take a guided tour and get the inside information from those in the know.