14 February - Carlisle to Glasgow

After a restful night in Carlisle we packed up and headed out for a busy day. Our first task was a geocache behind Carlisle Cathedral. While Louise kept watch for muggles (anyone who does not geocache) Jeff found the cache.
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After finding the cache we toured the cathedral. Unfortunately it was a dull day so it was difficult to take any pictures of the interior; the spaces are so large that the light from the flash just gets lost. I was able to photograph the beautiful ceiling and the remains of a possible relative, Bishop Harvey Goodwin. It would be nice to have a Bishop in the family. I was remiss in not taking any photos of the exterior of the cathedral. That is a task I will do on my next trip to Carlisle. The cathedral and many of the surrounding buildings are constructed of a red sandstone stained with black soot. The verger explained that the railway station was quite close to the cathedral for many years and the coal burning steam engines produced this unsightly 'patina'.

After the cathedral we wander downtown for a spot of shopping. While Maeghan and Louise were checking out clothes, Alexander was checking out the local scenery, the two legged kind.



Our first stop on our journey from Carlisle to Glasgow was Bank East Turret, a part of the western end of Hadrian's wall. I included the photo of the sign post at Bank East Turret to give some idea of the construction used. The existing road travels between the wall and a defensive ditch to the north. In many paces only the ditch shows the route of the wall. What a lonely existence for Roman soldiers posted to defend the wall. I am not sure exactly what the topography looked like some 2000 years ago, but they certainly would not have seen the tilled fields and fences we see today. It may have been covered with forests or open grasslands, but whatever it was it would have been lonely.

The hunt for a second geocache brought us to St Michael and All Angels Church. After a short search Jeff and Louise found a an old well behind the church and the geocache.




We finally arrived in Scotland!! It was a small creek that separated the two countries, but I had to take a picture of it. In Canada surveyors laid out most of the boundaries between the Canadian provinces and Canada and the United States, so it was interesting to see a physical boundary rather than an imaginary line.
Jeff and Louise didn't care for the picture Jeff took so asked me to snap one. The kids aren't in the picture because they are in the car watching a movie.

13 February - Abbots Ripton to Carlisle

We set forth on Friday the thirteenth for our journey into Scotland. Our first destination was Carlisle, the western end of Hadrian's Wall.


Our first stop along the way was for a geocache, not a washroom break as the picture of Jeff might suggest. This was also our first glimpse of a countryside different than that around Abbots Ripton. I was never a fan of the prairies of central Canada, so, while the architecture of Cambridgeshire interested me the Fens did not.


It is difficult to describe my feelings when I first saw the Yorkshire Dales. There was a sense of solitude and even loneliness that I found I was drawn to and wanted to experience. Maybe it is the sailor in me that sees the dales as a sea to be explored and discovered. I truly would like to return and spend some time in the Dales, maybe in a farm house like the one pictured above.
I enjoyed the series of books by James Herriot and was thrilled to see where his experiences as a country vet took place. He truly loved the Dales and now I can see why he wrote so poetically about them.



After climbing to an altitude of 1452 ft. we made our descent into the Lake District. Our route did not take us near any of the beautiful lakes so if you click on this link, Photos of the Lake District, you will why the Lake District is such a special place.





We checked into a B&B near the city centre of Carlisle, got settled in and decided to explore a bit before dark. We had to pry our able driver Jeff off the bed with a promise of a pint sometime in the evening.


The only point of interest in Carlisle that really caught my eye was a plaque on a house identifying it as the birth place of the mother of Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States. But it was a pleasant city to walk around and we did get Jeff his pint at Pizza Express. It was Alexander's turn to choose a place for dinner and he chose well.
We made it an early night so we would be well rested for our tour of Hadrian's Wall in the morning.

05 February - The Second Great Storm of '09

Thursday morning revealed 3 inches of very heavy snow. It was very evident that this part of the country would again be paralyzed.
Rhiannon, a friend of the family came over to help Maeghan build a snowman. Jeff eventually went out to help as the base became too heavy for the girls. I went out when it became clear that Jeff was having a problem; he was leaning on the large snowball trying to catch his breath.
Alexander decided he would enjoy the snowfall by staring out the window; but was later convinced that he would be better off outside.I think he had visions of himself sitting in front his X-Box all day.
Louise called some friends and invited them over for a 'snow-day'.They soon showed up bearing bottles of mulled wine and were greeted with hot chocolate and muffins. Jeff started a fire on the patio and we gathered there to enjoy the goodies.
A wonderful way to way to the storm