High Peak October 2016

Back in October last year when Maureen and Jerry were home on holiday William and I took them and Jean over to visit Andy and Sylvia.  

Andy and Sylvia live in the beautiful High Peak district of Derbyshire where they have a nice chunk or two of land and keep horses, chickens, ducks and dogs.

These are just a few of their chickens.  Sylvia keeps telling me though that they've gone on strike recently and are not laying as well as they should and if they don't sort themselves out they might well end up as the Sunday roast.  I think she was having me on.  Or was she??

We took a walk up the country lane to look at the horses, Ickenham and Jethro.  Both gorgeous animals.

Jean was in her element.  She loves horses and used to ride back in her heyday.  She was the only one of us who was interested in horses.  The horse loving genes must've been passed on somehow though as Caroline had riding lessons for a few years when she was at school and loved it.

The men having a chat.

Then a walk along one of the leafy country lanes which surround Sylvia's home.

Where Andy educated us all on matters of sheep rearing.

A rustic scene along the way.  I love this kind of thing.  In this fast paced hi-tech digital world it's good to see something olde worlde and solid, and a bit run-down perhaps, still exists.

We had had a refreshing gentle walk and at this point we had turned back toward Sylvia's home.

And the final image of the day.  Sylvia and Andy's "Well rotted horse manure.  Please help yourself" pile.  The people who live in this area don't always have to help themselves to this pile.  Andy has a quad bike complete with trailer and being the gentleman that he is he very kindly delivers the stuff to a couple of local allotments.  Now, that's what I call neighbourly.

Until next time,

Coniston Water in England's Beautiful Lake District

Continuing with our Silverdale break...

Having waved Sylvia off on Thursday morning, a ride up to Coniston Water was on that afternoon's agenda.

It was a bit of a blustery day.  One of those that blows the cobwebs off.   The building you can see up there is The Bluebird Cafe and that was where we ate lunch enjoying stunning views across the lake.

Taking a stroll by the lakeside the weather was definitely a bit fresh.  Exhilarating, even. Middle sister felt the need to rearrange big sister's coat for her.  Looking at this photo now reminds me of chimpanzees grooming each other.  :-)

This is the river which runs through the centre of Coniston town.  Picturesque for certain.

A close up of the house in the distance in the previous photo.  How idyllic is that?  How wonderful it must be to sit out on that deck with a good book and only the sounds of a babbling brook and birdsong for company.   Heaven.

Something had caught Jerry's eye in this shop.  This was the second time he had looked in this window.  He was on the lookout for souvenirs to take home.

Maureen left them to it and Jerry left whatever it was he'd had his eye on in the shop.  Only window shopping done this time.

Gorgeous scenery on the way back to the car.  I think an estate agent would describe this property as "a delightful cottage nestled in glorious countryside near the lake".  And as it happens, so would I.

This was one of several sunsets we were fortunate enough to feast our eyes on from the caravan park.  

"Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were looking through the gates of heaven".
John Lubbock

And so, our break in the Lake District was drawing to a close.

Friday was going home day.  On the way home we broke our journey in Kirkby Londsdale where we consumed a hearty late breakfast at The Old Bakery.  William and I love that little place and have never been disappointed with the food in there.

My birthday is in September and in her card to me Maureen had written "Our road trips together have been some of our best memories and the ones coming up will be nothing less". To that I want to add "my sentiments exactly".   As with every holiday we have ever spent together we had had a wonderfully, happy, fun time in Cornwall and, no surprise, more of the the same in Silverdale.  Silverdale had perhaps even been a bit more special adding Jean and Sylvia into the mix.

Come back soon, Maureen and Jerry, let's do it all over again!

Stunning Autumn Colours at Sizergh Castle

Moving onto Wednesday of our stay in Silverdale.

Every old village worth its salt in days of old had a set of stocks and Beetham still has its set sitting on the village green.  

Here I had asked Jerry to sit down and try them out for size so that I could take a picture. You can clearly tell from his face the answer was something like "You must be joking!"

Beetham village is a lovely little place and has its fair share of quaint cottages.

A post office and tea rooms both of which were closed on the day we visited. 

It also has a come-and-have-a-look-inside church. The beautiful St. Michael & All Angels church is a Grade 1 listed building, parts of which date back to the 11th and 12th centuries. It's a shame I had to cut the tower off in this picture but I couldn't get both all of Maureen and all of the tower so I went with all of Maureen. However, there's a much better picture of the church in this post.

Next up was a visit to Sizergh Castle.  William and I both love this place and have spent many happy hours here.  There are several marked walks to take from the car park, most of which we have done.

But on this day the focus was on the stunning autumn garden.

The colours were jaw droppingly gorgeous!

Just for the heck of it here is that same garden in March 2015.  The difference between spring and autumn. Incredible isn't it?

Our next port of call was  Low Sizergh Barn just a short spell down the road.  We made our way there and were just in time to see the cows squashed together in the barn queueing up for milking.  This poor cow was definitely one of the more squashed ones!

Thursday morning Sylvia made her farewell but not before we had a walk round the campsite...

... and snapped a couple of pictures...

..for posterity.

The Last One of Cornwall 2016 - Lanhydrock

Before we set off on our trip to Cornwall I asked my sweet cousin, Sylvia, if there was anywhere she would recommend we visit during our stay in her cosy little cottage. Lanhydrock was one of her suggestions and so visit Lanhydrock we did.  After visiting it I would heartily recommend it too.

I would say Lanhydrock is one of the best properties under the National Trust's umbrella that I have had the pleasure to visit.

A very impressive gateway..

...leads through to the very impressive main house beyond.

Jerry and Billy reading the house's family's war service history.

We all loved the gardens.  My eye was taken by this huge and healthy yucca plant.  I didn't know that was what it was but Maureen did and she told me.  So if it's not a yucca I'm blaming her.  I'm sure she was right though.

53 rooms are open to the public.  This is the nursery which along with the kitchens are the rooms I enjoyed the most.

A cute little toy on one of the shelves.  Adorable.

Looking out of one of the windows the church was a lovely sight.

Virginia Creeper, just turning colour.  I love this stuff.

After all the tromping round the house and gardens it was time to put the nosebags on. Lunch was had in the converted stables.  See Jerry, smiling sweetly, up there?

Autumn was beginning to show her colours.

On the  way out now.

And back through that imposing entrance way.  We had spent a good long afternoon looking round this grand property and were so glad that Sylvia had recommended it for us. Definitely a special place, full of history and tales of a bygone age.

So, that ends my posts from Cornwall.  To say we had had a good time is an understatement. We had packed a lot into a short time and made some happy memories but there was more to come.  After a weekend at home we had another trip planned and waiting to unfold for us. This time a trip north to Silverdale in Cumbria. 

Until next time,

Cornwall 2016 - Fowey

Fowey is a very special place.  I've only visited it a couple of times but I have loved both those visits. The name Fowey, is pronounced to rhyme with joy, and appropriately that's what William, Maureen, Jerry and I had the afternoon we spent in Fowey - a joy filled time.

For me Fowey is all about the waterfront.  There's so much to look at.  The boats bobbing about, the wooded hillside and the homes peppering the far side.  What a view those home owners have every day!

Picturesque to say the least.

This is the town side, where we spent the afternoon wandering around, in and out of the shops and up and down the little tight streets.  After which thirst drove us to one of those waterfront pubs...

... where we quenched our thirst ...

... enjoyed the tranquil view and rested for a while as twilight fell.

Time was marching on by now and we needed to attack the steep hills back to the car park.

It was uphill all the way.

This picture makes me smile.  Jerry and Billy are manfully soldiering on while Maureen, down there at the bottom, hand on  hip, takes a breather. :-)  It was definitely a good old slog back up those hills!

But once at the top there were more fantastic views to reward our efforts.

Twilight and autumn colours made memories of this day so special.  Oh, and the fact that we got well and truly lost between Polperro and Fowey.  That is far too long a story to go into but the four of us remember it well I'm sure!

Maureen takes a last lingering look over...

..this incredibly beautiful Cornish scenery and the setting sun.

The sky was ablaze with colour as we arrived at the car park.  A fitting close to a long and happy day spent in Polperro and Fowey.

Before the day was truly over, back at the cottage there was time for Rummikub, nibbles and a tipple or two before we climbed the wooden hill to bed.