Tolkien Slept Here

This townhouse is on Valley Drive in the heart of Harrogate. I wonder if Tolkien dreamt up his middle earth fantasies while recuperating here???

Moving Day at the Supermarket

Would have loved to have seen it when they did.

Winter Chill

Well, the weathermen were right. It snowed most of the night and this morning. The snow here is so different from what we get in Maryland. On Monday we had snow for a couple of hours then it stopped. Then we had some flurries. Then hail. Then it began to melt. Last night it came down steadily but very very fine. I think we got a couple of inches at the most. It was a very wet snow and soon turned to slush on the streets and sidewalk and is now melting away.

Snowy Weather

THE VIEW FROM THE BEDROOM WINDOW


THE PAVEMENT NEAR OUR HOUSE

Brrrr, we woke up to snow this morning and didn't want to get out of bed. This isn't much snow in many parts of the world but it is a lot for Harrogate, England. The weathermen predict more snow is on its way.

Wending Our Way Home

WELLS CATHEDRAL


VICAR'S CLOSE

By forgoing a cooked breakfast we managed to get an early start this morning. We heard that snow is on its way to the UK, expected to hit on Monday especially in central and eastern areas. We hoped to get home and collect Ginger before the winter storms arrive. First stop was Wells, actually in the opposite direction of the way home, but very easy to reach from our B&B, situated on Wells Way. Wells is England's smallest city; it claims city status through its magnificent cathedral, the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells. As is the case on Sunday in most all towns and villages in the UK, Wells was quiet and virtually deserted. Only one or two establishments were open...a news agent here, a cafe there. A shame, because we passed so many enticing shops on the high street, including many charity shops that boasted display windows to rival many of the other high street shops. We wandered around the grounds a bit while I snapped away with my camera. It was bitterly cold this morning. I had to stop to replace the batteries in my camera and my fingers got so cold I thought they would fall off. We also wandered over to Vicar's Close, built in the 14th century, it is Europe's oldest complete street. As we expected, there was a service going on inside the cathedral, so we sat in a rear pew for a little while and admired the interior, including the cathedral's famed scissor arch (a graceful solution to a sinking foundation). Then we stopped of in a little cafe to warm ourselves with a nice cuppa before hitting the road again.

We took a different route home than the one we had come in on. This time we drove up on the western side of England and then shot across the Peak district. How different and dramatic the scenery was in the Peak district, an area we'd like to explore at another time, but today we just wanted to get home. The sky was overcast with dull gray clouds, but there was a splash of sun making its way through the clouds off in the distance, lighitng up a patch of the landscape with a warm glow. We drove through some more little villages that looked a bit more working class and industry-oriented than those in the Cotswolds. We had picked up some sandwiches at a petrol station and kept looking for a nice place to pull over and eat them, but there really weren't any convenient lay-bys on this route. We finally made our way over to the M1 near Harrogate and that's when we hit the weather. It was rain mixed with snow. We decided we'd better go straight and pick Ginger up; conditions could be worse tomorrow. I called the cattery and they said yes, sure, come on and collect him. So we did. We're all back home again now, snug and dry and cozy.

Clear but Cold Bath

ROMAN BATHS


THE ROYAL CRESCENT

What a pretty day to explore the city of Bath. It has been a bit chilly but the sun has been peeking out from behind the clouds now and then to warm us up. Bath is a very picturesque city with some impressive Georgian (neoclassical) architecture and many green spaces to offset the stone buildings. We started the day off with a tour of the Roman baths, the key to Bath's fame. In the first century AD the Romans built an incredible complex with hot spring baths, a cold plunging pool, sauna rooms, temple and sacrificial altar. Historians believe the Romans and native Celts struck up a deal to share religious beliefs. The baths were jointly dedicated the the Celt goddess Sulis and the Roman goddess Minerva both of whom shared many characteristics. The Romans gave the city the name Aquae Sulis, but the baths became so famous that the name Bath eventually became synonymous with the city.

After our tour of the baths we stopped off at Sally Lunn's House, a tea/coffee shop famed for its buns. We had the cream tea and Sally Lunn buns. The buns were rather plain, looking like a giant hamburger bun and with not much more flavor. We slathered them over with clotted cream and jam but they still weren't as tasty as Yorkshire scones (imho). Then we paid a visit to the museum of costume which sported a fabulous array of clothing from the 1700s to modern times, but curiously lacking in any displays from 1890-1940. After our museum visit we strolled up to the Circus and the Royal Crescent and then explored the town while I continue to learn how to use my new camera. The Circus is a tight circle of neoclassical townhomes designed by John Wood. The buildings surround a traffic roundabout. In the middle of the roundabout several trees sit atop a grassy island. The Royal Crescent, designed by Wood's son, John Wood II, is a grand arc of townhomes that overlook Bath's largest green space, Victoria Park.

We had dinner at a wonderful little chinese noodle restaurant. I had delicious singapore noodles while Brad tucked into a spicy bowl of ramen only it was made with rice noodles instead of ramen noodles.

Stone Circles

STONEHENGE


AVEBURY STONE CIRCLE

We had hoped to get an early start for a visit to Stonehenge but the first seating for breakfast at our B&B was at 8:30. We were there promptly, but breakfast wasn't. We didn't leave till 9:30 a.m., the opening time of Stonehenge, but as it turns out it was not as crowded as we had feared. The drive from the B&B to Amesbury where Stonehenge is located was very scenic. We were relieved that most of the roads were not too narrow. When you arrive at Stonehenge you park in the car park then walk through an underground passage to where the stone circle is situated. You must remain behind an unobtrusive barrier about 50 ft. from the henge. The terrain is such that it is quite possible to view the henge without other people in your viewpoint. The weather was overcast when we first arrived but about 10 minutes later the sun broke through the clouds giving us some excellent photo opportunities. It is possible to book ahead for stone circle access during which you can go past the barrier and walk right up to the stones. During February stone circle access is only allowed for one hour starting at 8 a.m. but all days were booked up during our visit. They allow about 30 people for stone circle access. Looking back, I'm not too disappointed we weren't able to book stone circle access. 8 a.m. would probably be too dark for good pictures, plus I'm worried it would have been more difficult to take photos without other people being in the way.

We spent a good hour at Stonehenge, then hit the road again, this time heading for nearby Salisbury. We had a very easy approach into Salisbury. I must admit that the direction signs in England are usually very good. You just follow the signs for the place name you are destined for. Once in the town, you immediately see signs for parking for the city center. Easy peasy. Salisbury was yet another picturesque town, or I guess city in this case. We made our way over to the cathedral, walked around outside and then followed a tour guide in the interior. We learned that Salisbury Cathedral, with its towering spire, was one of the tallest buildings in Europe upon its completion in 1315 and its cloisters are the largest in England. We visited the Chapter House and viewed some magnificent medieval carvings and one of the best preserved copies of the original Magna Carta. After lunch in Salisbury we headed over to Avebury to view another prehistoric stone circle.

We arrived at the Avebury Stone Circle car park around 4 p.m. and were alarmed to discover that the park gates would be locked up at 4:30 p.m. Brad graciously offered to move the car to the village car park while I went ahead to explore the stone circle. (Turns out you cannot legally park in the village car park until 5 p.m. a clever but cruel tactic to discourage tourists from parking in the town, but Brad parked there anyhow. Well, I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if we could have parked in the other car park later than 4:30 p.m.! How terribly inconsiderate of the National Trust.) The standing stones at Avebury Circle are not as large as those at Stonehenge but the circle itself is much larger, about a mile in circumference. You can walk right up to the stones which was a treat, but I was chagrined to notice some modern graffiti on one of the stones. Shortly after we had arrived it began to rain. I tried taking some photos but my new camera was getting wet so I put it away. As is the case in England we only had to wait a few minutes before the rain stopped and the clouds puffed up and revealed some blue skies. In the distance we could see Silbury Hill, the largest neolithic earthwork in Europe.

We drove back to our B&B but were running so late that we parked in the park and ride car park and hopped immediately on the bus into town. This was at 6 p.m. The reason for the rush was that we had called ahead and booked a table at The Moon and Sixpence for 6:15 p.m. Even though we hit Bath rush hour traffic we made it to the restaurant with minutes to spare. What a fabulous meal we had there. The restaurant features "modern English fusion cuisine" or as some may put it "mouvelle cuisine". It was gourmet and it was delicious and the portions were not skimpy.

The Scenic Route

LORD LEYCESTER HOSPITAL, WARWICK


GARGOYLE IN CIRENCESTER

We hit the road shortly before 8 a.m. on a gray overcast day with spots of rain here and there. We decided to break up the trip by making a couple of stops along the way. By 11 a.m we were in the heart of the midlands and decided to stop in Warwick where we hoped to visit the castle, said to be one of England's most spectacular medieval fortresses. When we saw the stiff admission fee (£13 or about $25 per person) and the hordes of children (it is half-term in this part of the country) we thought we'd just take a look at the outside. Some clever landscaping assured that we could only get one tiny glimpse of the castle through a fence near the entrance gate. Oh well, we'll have plenty of other opportunities to visit castles before we leave England. We had read about a nice tea room called The Brethren's Kitchen housed in a 14th-century building called Lord Leycester Hospital. The building was originally an almshouse until Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, founded a home for aging soldiers there in 1571. The Hospital is still used as a facility by ex-servicemen. After a pleasant stroll through the town we found Lord Leycester Hospital but, alas, the tea room was closed for the winter season. No worries, there were other cafes and tea rooms to choose from. We settled into the Tuckery Cafe and ordered Cornish Clotted Cream Tea. The tea was served with a huge scone that looked as if it could have served as part of the foundations of Warwick Castle. It was tastier and and not nearly as hard as it appeared and the clotted cream and strawberry preserves were simply scrumptious.

Back on the road we continued south, this time swinging through the Cotswolds. We drove through one quaint village after another and noticed how the landscape changed. Craggy dales gave way to gentle rolling hills or wolds as they are known here. Instead of the gray stone typical of Yorkshire we saw walls and buildings made of the golden stone that is characteristic of the Cotswolds. We began to see half-timbered houses and thatched cottages. We made another stop in Cirencester, a lovely little town known as the capital of the Cotswolds. I really enjoyed walking through the picturesque town full of quaint houses, antique shops, a lovely market square and inviting cafes. We stopped into The Polly Tearooms for more refreshment (we go into hobbit mode while on vacation). I had some delicious spinach soup while Brad had a big salad. We were back on the road again around 3:30 p.m.

We approached Bath about an hour later. I was surprised by how hilly it was. We were staying at a B&B on the far side of town and we climbed down and down into Bath, took a road on the outskirts of town and climbed back up to where we were staying in Odd Down. The B&B wasn't quite as nice as we could have hoped but it was adequate. The rooms were rather plain and ordinary, but clean. We were situated next to a park and ride so never had to drive into the center of Bath; buses ran every 12-15 minutes and it only took about 10 minutes to get into town. To get to our other destinations we headed away from Bath.

That evening we took the bus into Bath and walked through the city center. Brad had been here many years before when he toured Europe with his high school choir and he remembered many of the sights in town. For dinner we chose an Indian restaurant, Jamuna. We hadn't had Indian food for a while and it was a tasty treat.

Heading South

Tomorrow morning we plan to get an early start for a trip to the south of England. Our ultimate destination is a little town just outside of Bath, where we will stay for four nights. We hope to hit a few other sights enroute to and in the neighborhood of Bath, in particular one of England's greatest rock groups. I doubt I'll be able to get online while we are away...many areas of England are surprisingly unplugged and unwired, so I'll fill in the blanks later.

In Search of Snowdrops

Today I visited a 15th-century church on the Harewood Estate. I had been told that the church graveyard would be covered with masses of snowdrop flowers. I had always thought the snowdrops were wildflowers but they have been purposely planted in cemeteries because they bloom in the wintertime. While taking my photos I could hear red kites calling in the distance. I scanned the skies but could not see them. Nearby, several kinds of small birds twittered and fluttered about, making me wish I had also brought my binoculars. Though the church dates from the 15th century, most of the well-tended gravestones dated from the late 1700s to early 1800s. In the field near the path to the church, roe deer were grazing. We were up on a hill and in the distance I could see the A61 roadway that I had taken to Harewood. But I felt as if I could have been a couple hundred miles away. Or was it a couple hundred years away?

That's A Moor, Eh?

Today we walked around Thruscross Reservoir. I thought it would be an easy walk. Reservoir hikes usually are, at least in my limited experience as a hiker in the UK. This one was a tough one; lots of climbing up and down along muddy paths and into a strong wind. None of this I minded, cause the sun was shining and the skies were blue. And there is nothing like being atop a Yorkshire moor on a sunny day.

More Than Just Eye Candy

Nearly as soon as the after-Christmas sales were over, grocery stores in our area began parading out their Easter fare. Bettys Cafe, of course, outdoes them all. The display of handcrafted chocolate eggs is jaw-droppingly beautiful. I'm sure these fanciful creations are as scrumptious to eat as they are to look at.

Another New Toy

photo courtesy of Steve's Digicams website

Today Brad gave me a belated Christmas gift: another new digital camera!!! I was so surprised. It is one of the compact point-and-shoot models, but I've been studying the manuals and this little baby is packed with features. It's small enough that I can carry it with me wherever I go. My other camera's a bit too bulky for that.

Lindley Wood Reservoir

LINDLEY WOOD RESERVOIR AND VIADUCT


VIEW FROM THE TOP OF FARNLEY MOOR

Today we got a break in the weather. It was mostly dry and mild and the sun shone in the afternoon. I'm always grateful when we have nice weather on a Thursday -- that's when I go hiking with my hiking group. Today we walked near Lindley Wood Reservoir. For the first half of the hike we climbed and climbed up to the top of Farnley Moor. We were rewarded for our effort with spectacular views of the Yorkshire countryside.