The A68

The weather forecast wasn't good and we were heading north into it. After leaving lovely Durham, where my Nana Wyllie's grandfather (James Taylor) was born, we had to decide whether to go to see Hadrian's Wall on the way north or leave it until we came back down south. The distance wasn't great so we (i.e. I) decided to go and have a look. You wouldn't believe the personal discomfort I went through in order to get this photo. The wind was appalling and I couldn't keep raindrops off the camera lens, and my umbrella turned inside out. Phil stayed in the car. If the weather improves we'll probably have another look on the way back down south.

It didn't stop raining all day and as we crossed the border to Scotland we started getting snow. We were quite delighted by it all.

And then the wet snow got heavier and heavier and the roads were flooded, the windows fogged up, rivers were running fast and hard and the roads were very slushy. It wasn't as much fun by then. We'd already arranged to go to a farmstay B&B near Edinburgh and when we got to Gifford, their village, we had to go through floods in their high street. Once we'd settled in we went into the village pub for a meal (our experience of pub meals is very positive by the way) and had to brush snow off our car windows in order to get back our very comfortable and warm B&B.

Everyone we spoke to says this is unseasonally cold. We know why our ancestors left.

PS Most of the photos above were taken through the car window. I wasn't getting out. No way.

All things bright and beautiful

Because we were so close anyway we went to see the James Herriott (aka Alf Wight) museum at Thirsk.  The Wight residence, that also doubled as vet surgery, is furnished in 1950s style and the car used in the TV series is there as well as the sets for the series. The village has done very well out of its vet - it's now inundated by tourists.

We thought we'd continue the theme by going up into the moors and dales to get a feel for how farming life might have been in the past. I think the answer is 'pretty darn tough'. The day we went it was one degree on the car dash readout (or, as they say on the weather reports here, 'plus one degree') as we went over the Buttertubs Pass from Wensleydale to Swaledale. I'm sure it's beautiful in summer.

York

What a beautiful city York is. We walked along the wall surrounding the old city, admired the old gates (called bars) and wandered through the tangle of streets (called gates).

And we visited York Minster, 'the largest medieval cathedral in all of Northern Europe'. It's a huge building - not just one open space but a series of transepts, naves, chapels and towers. The south transept was badly damaged by fire in 1984 but has been almost restored. We saw a display of carvings, showcasing the work of stonemasons, that will be installed this year on walls in the south transept later this year. They are gargoyles depicting human suffering and humour. And we also saw a panel that shows the skills of the York Minster Broderers' Guild - depicting Birds and Beasts found in the Minster. (Click on the photos to enlarge so you can see the detailed work.)

Trains, and more trains

Several people told us that if we were anywhere near York we should definitely go to the National Railway Museum. So off to the museum we went - it was free, but we had to pay an 'all day' fee to park the car. I'm glad we started in the morning because we were there most of the day. So the car park fee wasn't wasted :)

It's a huge collection, of trains and everything associated with trains and railways. They have a huge room full of  shelves loaded (in an orderly way) with models, signs, clocks, tools, seats, timetables etc etc. There was a big research library for the train fanatics. The children's playground was a joy for parents and grandparents as well as children. There was a viewing deck with an electronic timetable displayed so that we could see the real trains going past. We could see the Flying Scotsman in pieces in the (very clean) workshop, undergoing a complete restoration.

We saw a replica of Stephenson's Rocket, and dozens of other trains of various ages including royal trains. There were a lot of people around but in such a big space that wasn't a problem. I'm glad we went but I think I've seen enough trains now.

Peak district, Derbyshire

Elizabethan splendour

I've seen several documentaries featuring Hardwick Hall and I wasn't disappointed when I saw it in reality. One of the National Trust volunteers told the story of 'Bess of Hardwick' who built the house in Elizabethan times. She only lived in it about ten years and her descendants mainly used the house as a hunting lodge! But because of that the house was never modernised and remains Elizabethan in furnishings and fittings.

Because it's early spring the gardens have yet to bloom but the landscaping is spectacular of course and I imagine it is stunning in a month or two. All the lines of sight lead to or from the splendour of the house in a way that draws to the eye. We were intrigued by the ha ha wall and ditch that is invisible but keeps the sheep where they should be and think we might put one in at our farm :)

A feature is the very large herb garden and it must be a drawcard for the herb fanatics. In one corner of one of the gardens a chalkboard has been set up in a small building, mainly for the use of the numerous groups of children that get taken to the Hall on excursion. One of the entries for the 24 March amused me.

The mill

Early in exploration of the UK we went to see the site of a flour mill operated by one of Phil's ancestors. This week we went to see a working flour mill, the Stainsby Mill. It's owned at operated by the National Trust and is on the Hardwick Hall estate. The volunteer guides were excellent and we were very pleased we'd called in to have a look. It's a three-story building, deceptive when you see one level from the road, has a millpond from which they regulate the water supply to the wheel, and grind various grades of corn and wheat. The grinding stones have to be reground every now and again and eventually replaced so they are often part of garden landscaping.

I was very interested to see that the millers traditionally wore smocked uniforms - often made by their wives.

Oundle and Great Gidding

Nan's grandmother, Mary Ann Andrew, was just a child when her parents and grandparents decided to move to Australia. She had just had the measles and had to get a doctor's certificate to say she was OK to travel. (The original certificate is in the Pyramid Hill museum). Her father, John Andrew, born in Great Gidding, was a baker. He married Rhoda Wade in Oundle, her home parish. They lived in North St, Oundle before they moved to Australia in 1856 where they became farmers at Inverleigh and Central Mologa. I don't think North Street has changed much since they were there. All the houses front straight onto the long street near the centre of town.

Great Gidding is smaller. This is the view from the church porch, and also one of the delightful cottages in the main street. John Andrew's parents, John and Susannah, lived in Great Gidding and migrated to Australia at the same time as John and Rhoda. John (senior) is buried at Durham Ox and Susannah at Inverleigh.

Greetham and Uppingham

When Samuel Sims left Uppingham in Rutland in 1852 and went to Australia he left behind his widowed mother, Mary, and his siblings. They were struggling financially because William Sims, the father, had died. Thirteen years later Samuel was able to bring his siblings to Australia after the death of the mother. Samuel was Phil's grandma Phelan's grandmother.

We know that the family lived in Leamington Terrace in Uppingham so we went to have a look. We found it to be a narrow one-sided street between the church and the prestigious Uppingham Grammar School. Most of the buildings in the terrace looked like they could have been there 160 years ago. We saw some of the school's pupils in the main street on their way to a sporting field.

Mary Sims nee Litherland (or Leatherland) was from a village called Greetham in north Rutland. We noticed a plaque on the little store, awarded for being village of the year in England several times.

Phil's interests

For a change I thought I would show you some of the photos Phil has taken. See, we have been seeing a few things other than churches.

Top to bottom: Dairy farm; traction engine; Fergie in a playground; Rutland Railway; old workshop setup in Snibston Discovery Park; Colliery railyards at Snibston Discovery Park; Petrol bowser at South Molton.

Birding

As a birdwatcher it was a difficult decision not to bring my binoculars or a bird book on this trip. Luggage weight was one consideration but, also, I wanted to concentrate on history and photography this trip. So the birds I've seen remain unidentified. But yesterday we went to a railway museum near Oakham and one of the volunteers there, obviously a birdwatcher, told us we couldn't leave the area without checking out Rutland Water.

So we went to Rutland Water. It's well known in the birdwatching world, and we were there on a weekday but there were quite a few cars in the carpark. The birdhide/information centre is excellent and there was a telescope set up for casual visitors to use. If I'd wanted to explore other areas of the wetland I would have had to pay a fee.

The information boards included interesting sitings as well as progress reports on the nesting Ospeys, the success story of the wetland.

New wetland areas are being developed and a public art installation, made of recycled shopping trolleys, commemorates the opening of one area by David Attenborough.

I'm not convinced about the ethics of this installation. The feeding posts are just outside the info centre and were attracting a lot of little birds - until a helicopter flew over. A bird hide has been set up several metres away so it's easy to observe the birds.

If ever I get back to the UK I'll take binoculars and Rutland Water will be high on my list of places to visit.

Jewry Wall

We've been doing a bit of this - standing at a parking metre trying to work our what coins we need to feed into the slot. This one in Leicester really had us tossed because it asked us type in our rego number as well.

We were in Leicester to visit the Jewry Wall and Museum. The wall is Roman, part of what were baths. The museum next door was also very good, and it was free!