September 10th – 28th – England

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Oops! Got my dates mixed up again, last blog should have been Sept. 9-10! We arrived at Calais at around 6pm after initially trying to avoid the motorways but found it impossibly slow driving through the busy streets of Dunkerque. We were unsure if we needed a motorway sticker or not but decided to take our chances for the short stretch to Calais which we managed without any problems. The next ferry was due to leave at 8.10pm so we booked our passage and then drove into town to buy some supplies. (mainly cheap wine and vodka!) Luckily we managed to not get lost in Calais and miss our ferry and found our way back in plenty of time to go through customs and queue up. Unfortunately the ferry was 45min late so we had a bit of a wait and by the time we left it was sunset, which was a pity because it would have been nice to see where we were going during the crossing. As it was we arrived at Dover in the dark but it was a cool, clear night and we could still see the white cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle lit up on the hill. We alighted the ferry and negotiated the traffic whilst trying to follow Allison’s instructions to Maidenhead, and either by good luck or good management we found ourselves on the right road. Driving back on the left hand side of the road in a left hand drive vehicle wasn’t as bad as I had feared but I think Jac was feeling a bit vulnerable. The M25 is known locally as the biggest carpark in England but at this time of night it was smooth sailing and we arrived at Alli and Lee’s without a hitch at about 11.30pm local time. Alli was most excited and we stayed up chatting and drinking for a while before going to bed.
The next 10 days we spend at Alli and Lee’s place, kicking back and doing ‘normal’ domestic type things. Helping Lee tidy up the yard, going to Lee’s cricket prizegiving, going to watch Callum play soccer, doing the washing, etc. Not really good blogging material but it was good to catch up with them, and wee Zane (18 months) is really fun. We went to a ‘county fair’ on Saturday afternoon which turned out to be a small display of locally grown produce and flowers with arts and crafts and was very old school. (imagine Paparimu Calf Club circa 1970 but without the animals) Outside the local pub they even had, believe it or not, Morris Dancers! I’ve never actually seen live Morris Dancing before but all I could think of was Blackadder, and anyone who has seen the episode on TV with the Morris Dancers will know what I mean! (No offence to the talented men and women Morris Dancers but they would be better suited to ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ than ‘America’s Got Talent’!)
It was only a 10 minute walk to the Thames River from where we were staying so it was a nice walk to and along the river but there was not much else to do around Maidenhead. We were going to take the boat trip down the river to nearby Windsor and Windsor Castle, but unfortunately it was a seasonal thing and we were out of season, so we walked up to Boulters Lock and watched the boats go through the lock. The lock area included Boulters Island which was really nice and had lots of cute little grey squirrels which were quite friendly but, if the signs warning people not to feed them were anything to go by, also quite a nuisance.

After a few days kicking back at Lee and Alli’s we decided to head north while the weather was still favourable so on the Sunday we hit the road again and headed to Uncle Vinnie’s place in Chipping before going on to Scotland. Chipping is a quaint little village near Preston with two pubs, a post office, a corner shop, a 900 year old church and a couple of hundred people. It also has, for some inexplicable reason, a chair factory that has been there for almost 170 years. We stayed there for a couple of days, wandered around town, checked out where Jac’s family lived and worked, caught up with family, and visited the pub of course. We then carried on north to Cumbria - the Lake District - a most picturesque area which is a popular holiday place for Britons. We stopped for lunch at Lake Windemere and had a look around. The town was quite touristy but the lake was really nice complete with a marina and some decent size yachts and launches. I couldn’t help thinking what a waste, all these lovely boats and such a small lake and probably only a few months of the year to use them! We moved on further north to Keswick and Derwent Water (they don’t call it the Lake District for nothing!) where we found a nice camping ground and decided to stay for a couple of nights. Derwent Water was not as large as Lake Windemere but just as picturesque with heather covered hills on both sides and apparently one of the most painted areas of Britain. I would like to have gone for a short walk over the hills but they were a bit big for short walks, and we heard they could be quite dangerous in changeable weather. Instead we walked around the town and found a nice pub where we had dinner (my turn to cook!) before wandering back to the camping ground.
Next morning we carried on north and hit the West Coast at Workington, and further up the coast we stopped at Maryport where I stuck my feet in the Atlantic Ocean which was, surprisingly, not freezing. (I wasn’t game to venture further in though) From here we went inland to see Hadrian’s Wall. This is something I knew nothing about until a few days earlier, but Hadrian was a Roman Emperor who initiated the building of a wall from coast to coast across England in 122 AD, essentially to mark the extent of the Roman Empire. Nothing as grand as the Great Wall of China but it stretched 117km from Carlisle in the west to Newcastle Upon Tyne in the east with mile posts and forts along the way. We camped within walking distance of the wall near a town called Haltwhistle, who’s claim to fame is that it is supposed to be at the geographic centre of England. (must check that!) The weather had turned quite cold with a chill wind blowing but luckily it wasn’t raining as I feel this place would be most inhospitable in inclement weather. I took a quick walk to the wall while Jac made dinner just to see how far away it was and met up with a couple of Scots who appeared quite knowledgeable on the history of the whole thing and were also staying at the same camping ground. (in a tent no less - hardy people those Scots!)
The following morning we donned our jackets and scarves and went walking along the wall, not very nice weather but it didn’t take long to warm ourselves up walking. The countryside was very moorish - rugged and windswept. This section of the wall was originally supposed to be about 7-12ft wide and about 10ft high but a lot of it was gone as the locals had been robbing it for their own farm walls for years. We must have walked for about 2km (but it seemed further) before we left the wall and walked back to the road, which runs parallel to it, at the ‘Twice Brewed’ Inn. Naturally we had to stop for a couple of ales before walking back along the road back to the campsite. All-in-all a good days walk but although the wall was historically interesting the landscape was pretty barren and it’s beauty was more rugged than stunning.
After a cold night we awoke to find that the wind had dropped and a thick blanket of fog had descended on the area. After breakfast we drove a short way down the road to ‘Housesteads’, the remains of the nearest Roman Fort built at the wall. By the time we parked the bus and walked the short distance to the site, the fog had begun to lift and it was turning into a beautiful day. The site was interesting but the guide book was necessary to figure out the original purpose of the various parts be they barracks, granary, sauna or communal latrine. One thing’s for sure, the commander of the fort had it good with a huge residence complete with central heating. (he was also the only one with a private latrine!)

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Photos

Boating on the Thames
Boating - England style

Grey Squirrel
Boulters Lock, Maidenhead.

Grey Squirrel
Boulters Lock, Maidenhead.

Chipping, Lancashire
Windy Street

Chipping, Lancashire
Main road.

Hadrian's Wall
Mile post

Hadrian's Wall
Housesteads Roman Fort Ruins