Tag: Carlisle

Took the 9:35 A.M. bus to Bowness-On-Solway to the start of the Hadrian’s Wall Footpath. Bowness is the person who started the village on the Solway Bay. Hikers with a map lead us down a narrow, overgrown single track towards the water. We had to climb down a metal ladder to get to the beach, and then walk over goose egg-sized stones to the starting/ending Pavilion on the Banks (left). (There was an easier access further up the road.)

We followed the acorn waymarkers past marshlands on which grazed cattle and sheep. The tide was out, and we could have walked a mile across the bay, it was that dry.

In Glasson, the kids had a “Coffee Morning” as a fundraiser for the playground. For £2, you could have tea or coffee and a scone. This lad was so happy that we stopped and, because we were walking, added a free pee.  Since a visit to the loo was included, who could resist. The break and the snack were welcomed.

Walking through fields dotted with cow plops,  I recalled the time when, as a teenager, I went blueberry picking on my Aunt Jeannette’s father’s farm. I tried to maneuver through slippery rocks over a brook with buckets full of berries, slipped, and fell into  fresh cow dung. Everyone laughed. I  was insulted–no one asked if I were hurt; they were so amused.

I also remembered one of my father’s story. When he was a boy, he and his brother Paul were pranksters. One day, they talked a young girl dressed in her Sunday finest to play “Hop the Plop.” As he demonstrated, he feigned putting his foot on the cow plop as he skipped over it. The unsuspecting girl put all her weight on the dung and soiled her white lacy anklets and patent leather shoes. I’m sure grandma gave them a good scolding for that one.

At the two-thirds point, we stopped in Burgh (pronounced “bruff”) for a cold drink at the Greyhound Inn. Near the Inn is a statue of King Edward I, famous for fighting the Scots (below).

At the church cemetery were tombstones almost as tall as Dennis. (below).

We had to take a detour because of mudslides. The rerouting was not well indicated, but we did get back on the path, crossing wooden bridges, going under two railroad bridges, and finally returning to Carlisle.

At he B & B, we washed up, and  then went for supper. It was almost 7 P.M., but everything was shut or reserved. If only we had known about this requirement, we could have booked a table yesterday. We ended up eating miso soup and snacks in a Chinese gift ship–other than McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken, there were no available eateries.

 

 

We should have taken the 8:50 A.M local bus to Carlisle. Instead, we tried to take the National Express bus from the P & O ferry port in Cairnryan, but it was full. So we took a taxi to Stranraer, a port city (left), then a bus to Dumfries, and then a train to Carlisle, England, where we arrived six hours later. If only we had known!

Carlisle is a town, with a large modern shopping center that even has a Merry-Go-Round. We bee-lined to the Visitor Center to buy a guidebook for Hadrian’s Wall, get a city map, and make accommodation plans.

The houses in this area are all made of stone, with slate roofs, and multiple chimneys, all with several flues.Can’t you see the chimney sweepers dancing on the roofs as in Mary Poppins?

Though No. Ireland, Scotland, and England all use the pound, merchants only want “proper money” and frowned on our Ulster (No. Ireland) bills. I don’t know if it a political thing or what, but each country’s currency has the same value. We may have to go to a bank to exchange the bills.

Tomorrow we will bus to the start of Hadrian’s Wall, and then walk back to Carlisle–about 12 miles. Since we will only have a light pack, it should be a good way to get our legs prepped for the rest of the journey. It will be cold and overcast…I hope we get some good pictures.