We were woken at 5:20am by a noisy family on the street below our first floor room (directly above the main entrance, with a perfect view of Clifford's Tower). This was a nice room, but like all on the tour so far, the rooms are very small by NZ standards, and there is really only space for one suitcase.
Again, out suitcases were out by 7am and we were ready for breakfast at that time - again a hot and cold buffet. GF toast was available when I asked. We were on the road early at 7:55am, thanks to everyone in the group being so reliable about being on time.
We had a two and a half hour drive north, first through the Yorkshire Dales (very picturesque) and then through the Cumbria region. All the land thus far was flat or gently undulating, but increasingly high through Cumbria. Dry stone walls bounding the fields were a feature here, with Galloway belted cattle (white band around their middle) and sheep. The weather was very grey and overcast, and starting to get drizzly.
We stopped for coffee in an unusual service area of cafes, restrooms and shops, called the Rheged Centre, which seemed to be built partially underground. The history of the area suggests a King Urien and his successors tracing their ancestry back to Coel Hen (alias King Cole), who is a mythical figure who may have actually lived in the area during the 5th century.
We drove into the Lake District National Park area. It was interesting to hear the role of Beatrix Potter in having this huge area established as a national park. Lots of tourists come for the historic and scenic beauty, and for hiking.
This area and Cumbria were badly hit by a Foot and Mouth scare in the past. The hardy grey-wool Hardwick sheep were almost wiped out. The hills are called 'fells', and the lakes have various names (or none at all) depending on their size and importance.
We parked in Grasmere and Michelle handed out Insight umbrellas and took us on a short walk through part of this very quaint village of stone buildings (in increasing drizzle), to see Wordsworth's grave. His home (Dove Cottage) was in a different direction, and we could have walked there if we were very keen Wordsworth fans, but that would have used up our entire allocated hour and a half.
We found a cafe that advertised an extensive list of GF menu items, and David shared with me a plate of shepherd's pie and a sausage roll, and I appreciated being able to have something completely different.
We arrived back at the bus to find that every couple had a gift of Kendal Mint Cake (GF yay)! We had passed a signpost to the town of Kendal on the way, so David's family possibly originates from the area. By the time we left Grasmere, it was raining steadily and down to 14C - most days we've hovered around 19-22C.
The rain got really heavy as we headed up the M6 towards Carlisle and Gretna Green. We had a 35 minute break at Gretna Green, and had our photo taken (in the rain) under the clasped hands sculpture. I bought some GF shortbread but wasn't tempted by any other souvenirs.
We had a further 2 hour drive to get to Edinburgh and it rained steadily along the way. The scenery was lovely though - lush, green farmland.
We arrived at our hotel, the Waldorf Astoria Caledonian, at 4:45pm - quite a fancy place!
We were out the door again at 6:30pm to go to a dinner and Scottish cabaret (Taste of Scotland) in the stables at the Prestonfield Manor. It was a fabulous night's entertainment of Scottish music, song, dance and humour. Dinner included haggis, but it wasn't GF.... David surprised me by trying it, and he said it tasted a bit like a spicy sausage and was quite pleasant. The dinner wasn't brilliant for me in terms of their management of GF, but it was still an excellent evening of entertainment and the 27 (out of 38) of us from the tour who went had a fabulous time.
Again, out suitcases were out by 7am and we were ready for breakfast at that time - again a hot and cold buffet. GF toast was available when I asked. We were on the road early at 7:55am, thanks to everyone in the group being so reliable about being on time.
We had a two and a half hour drive north, first through the Yorkshire Dales (very picturesque) and then through the Cumbria region. All the land thus far was flat or gently undulating, but increasingly high through Cumbria. Dry stone walls bounding the fields were a feature here, with Galloway belted cattle (white band around their middle) and sheep. The weather was very grey and overcast, and starting to get drizzly.
We stopped for coffee in an unusual service area of cafes, restrooms and shops, called the Rheged Centre, which seemed to be built partially underground. The history of the area suggests a King Urien and his successors tracing their ancestry back to Coel Hen (alias King Cole), who is a mythical figure who may have actually lived in the area during the 5th century.
We drove into the Lake District National Park area. It was interesting to hear the role of Beatrix Potter in having this huge area established as a national park. Lots of tourists come for the historic and scenic beauty, and for hiking.
This area and Cumbria were badly hit by a Foot and Mouth scare in the past. The hardy grey-wool Hardwick sheep were almost wiped out. The hills are called 'fells', and the lakes have various names (or none at all) depending on their size and importance.
We parked in Grasmere and Michelle handed out Insight umbrellas and took us on a short walk through part of this very quaint village of stone buildings (in increasing drizzle), to see Wordsworth's grave. His home (Dove Cottage) was in a different direction, and we could have walked there if we were very keen Wordsworth fans, but that would have used up our entire allocated hour and a half.
We found a cafe that advertised an extensive list of GF menu items, and David shared with me a plate of shepherd's pie and a sausage roll, and I appreciated being able to have something completely different.
We arrived back at the bus to find that every couple had a gift of Kendal Mint Cake (GF yay)! We had passed a signpost to the town of Kendal on the way, so David's family possibly originates from the area. By the time we left Grasmere, it was raining steadily and down to 14C - most days we've hovered around 19-22C.
The rain got really heavy as we headed up the M6 towards Carlisle and Gretna Green. We had a 35 minute break at Gretna Green, and had our photo taken (in the rain) under the clasped hands sculpture. I bought some GF shortbread but wasn't tempted by any other souvenirs.
We had a further 2 hour drive to get to Edinburgh and it rained steadily along the way. The scenery was lovely though - lush, green farmland.
We arrived at our hotel, the Waldorf Astoria Caledonian, at 4:45pm - quite a fancy place!
We were out the door again at 6:30pm to go to a dinner and Scottish cabaret (Taste of Scotland) in the stables at the Prestonfield Manor. It was a fabulous night's entertainment of Scottish music, song, dance and humour. Dinner included haggis, but it wasn't GF.... David surprised me by trying it, and he said it tasted a bit like a spicy sausage and was quite pleasant. The dinner wasn't brilliant for me in terms of their management of GF, but it was still an excellent evening of entertainment and the 27 (out of 38) of us from the tour who went had a fabulous time.
Hi Carol and David. I'm delighted you're having such a great time and enjoying all that Scotland has to offer. Would have loved a photo of you kicking up your heels in a fling at the cabaret Carol! The weather sounds as I remember it, but it does make for beautiful scenery and really green greens.
ReplyDeleteWeather here has slipped into winter mode, though early teen temperatures are fine if you can find a spot in the sun. We went to Kaikoura for a couple of days in the camper and nearly got blown off the road with nasty wind gusts, but appreciated the break. Made for impressive coastal views.
Keep well and safe.