Beach that is ….

In September we flew back into Heathrow. Most flights from the US to Europe depart between five and nine P.M. Most people are not very sleepy at this time and thus they stay awake for much of the flight. By the time you are finally asleep you are landing at between midnight and three A.M. your time, just when you want to sleep. But now you are on the ground in Europe at dawn, local time. Is it any wonder Americans always whine about jet lag? We took the late flight at about 10:30 P.M. This makes it much easier to go to sleep on the plane and a (tiny) bit easier to wake up as it is closer to 6 A.M., your time, when you land The fact that it is around 10 A.M. local time means you have less time to stay awake – a bonus. Jet lag is always tough, especially as you get older, but we find that taking a later flight helps.

We landed on time and stepped into an empty immigration hall. We quickly found our taxi driver and were off to Reading Station.  We had time to catch the next direct train to Yatton and were congratulating ourselves on a successful day, until we exited Yatton station to find no taxis.  A gentleman standing there told us that he had booked a taxi, but that someone else had taken it! Fred went into the Station pub to ask for advice and called their taxi list to no avail until the very last service, primarily a Bristol Airport taxi service, agreed to fetch us!  A most charming driver dropped us at the Congresbury Arms Hotel (https://congresburyarms.co.uk), which we had used on our departure.  The next morning, Matt, the owner of the storage lot (https://www.motorhomematt.co.uk/about/matt-sims/), joined us for coffee and then drove us to the 917.  Cannot say enough good things about Matt and his company: (https://www.thatleisureshop.com).

The 917 had developed a fuel leak and after all of the successful work that Atkinson Vos had done, we decided that it would be easier to return to them than to try to find another garage. And so we set off for the wilds of Yorkshire for a much, much easier trip. It always helps to have tightened steering and to know where you are going!

Our first stop was Settle, Yorkshire, where we felt right at home as we stopped at the supermarket and returned to Jack the Farmer’s field for the night. (https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/north-yorkshire/settle/lodgebarn/) Then it was off to Atkinson Vos, where we were greeted as old friends. The leak was quickly found and fixed, some new projects done, and the entire front end reviewed. In the process they discovered, and re-welded, a broken heat shield. Another most useful visit. 

Back at Jack’s we had a night of rain which showed us that we had developed a leak in the front window.  Probably because the truck had been washed for us. After a quick visit to Denise’s cousin in Wetherby, Fred dealt with the leak at our next stop, at another favorite campsite, near Mansfield (https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/nottinghamshire/newark/lurcherfarmcottage/). Old home week.

We then continued south to Kingsfold to an amazing site we had discovered, only about a mile from Denise’s sister’s house.  A “certificated site” on the grounds of a lovely country house (with sheep) and with charming owners.  (https://theoakswestsussex.co.uk) Other than needing to telephone to be let in or out of the gate, it was a perfectly idyllic spot. 

After a great visit to Denise’s sister (and a mega thunderstorm which proved that the leak needed additional attention) we headed for the Channel Tunnel. The Channel Tunnel passage on Le Shuttle proved to be exceedingly easy and fast. 

We spent the night before our passage doing laundry in a campground near Folkestone and had a mere 20 minutes to drive to the check in. 

We had watched several videos shot by travelers taking Le Shuttle, but it was still with great trepidation that we typed in our number at the first gate. Suddenly, up popped a “Hello Mr. Cook!” message. We printed our boarding pass/hang tag and proceeded to the departure lounge, OK, the departure parking lot. The whole process is analogous to an airport, only you drive and it is spread over literally miles, each step/road getting you closer. Find the terminal on a map/satellite view program – the facility is simply huge. But this makes it easy for them to sort tall/wide/regular vehicles as well as commercial trucks. And, of course, all of these vehicle trains share the tunnel with the Eurostar passenger service. In September there were hourly departures and there are even more in the high season.

At the departure holding area we went inside for a coffee and a bottle of Bailey’s (show your boarding pass, please) for our faux Irish coffees at night and then we returned to the truck to await our call. We enjoyed watching the dogs bounding into the animal control area.

When the big board called our group (again, just like an airport), we followed the signs marked “France” and drove to UK emigration, and then to firearms control where we were shunted off to the side. We thought we had been selected for a customs check, but it turned out that, despite our ticket being marked “No LPG” we had been sent to the gas shut off check. I guess it is automatic – if it is a motor home, it must have gas. The charming inspector asked if we knew how to turn off our gas and we replied that we didn’t have any. He apologized at our having been sent over, but could not send us on as we were blocked by a motor home that could not find their gas fitting. So we chatted for a moment until things were sorted out and then drove on to French immigration. Thereafter we joined the queue on the bridge and worked our way down the ramp and onto the train. Inside the train we drove through car after car until we were stopped behind another vehicle. We dutifully set the parking brake, put the truck in gear, and rolled a window half way down. Within minutes we were moving and Fred was snoozing.

Once across, we headed to the Cité de Europe and specifically the enormous Carrefour hypermarket.  We stocked up on meat and vegetables barely avoiding being blown away as we loaded the truck.  The winds at that point were at least 50mph, it was most unpleasant.  We then headed off to our first night in France, at a camping aire in Eaucourt.  It was a charming spot, run by the Mairie (mayor’s office) and we enjoyed the experience.

We then headed to Les Andelys, so that we could visit the Chateau Gaillard, built by Richard the Lionheart.  How often can you look up from a campground and see a sight like this?

We climbed up to the castle, the same afternoon, as the forecast was for rain overnight and most of the following day.  It was a most interesting visit, which we followed up with coffee and cake by the River Seine.

As impressive as the ruins are, they are, after all ruins. This digital recreation helps you understand jus what a massive structure this was: (http://www.virtuhall.com/chateau-gaillard-EN.html) Finally, if you want to know why all of this was done, and how it ended, read here: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_Gaillard) Richard may have been a cruel, murderous villain, but he knew how to build a castle! Sadly, for the Anglo-Norman dynasty, his brother, Jean sans Terre (John Lackland – the King John of Robin Hood and Magna Carta) failed the first rule of castle warfare – you ALWAYS move to lift the siege.

From Les Andelys, we moved on to Caen to visit the famous “Museum of Peace” now called the Caen Memorial (https://normandy.memorial-caen.com/museum/d-day-landings-and-battle-normandy )

The museum attempts a comprehensive review of the events leading up to D-Day, starting in 1918. As a result, it is much more a broad historical overview than a “guns and tanks” exhibit. The focus is more “why” than “what” and the focus is on the French experience, from occupation to liberation. All in all, a most thoughtful place to visit – build right on top of a former German headquarters. As a side note, Caen was so badly damaged during the war that the current city is almost completely modern. There was a terrible price paid for liberation. In the case of Caen, most of it was paid by the Brits and Canadians.

In Bayeux we camped in an aire in the parking lot of the Battle of Normandy Museum. (https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/memorial-museum-battle-of-normandy/) This is more of a classic guns and tanks museum, but it adds the dimension of covering the whole month long battle of Normandy.

It is easy to forget that D-Day was merely the beginning and most of the hardest and most costly fighting came later in the battles of the hedgerows and the armor slaughter around Caen. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Overlord) Bayeux was spared the fate of Caen and Saint-Lo and, as a result is a much more picturesque place to visit.

We started our visit with a stop at a creperie for lunch.

Delightful terrace overlooking the river which was being torn up to reduce flooding. Mme. la Duck let us know that she was not pleased. We, on the other hand, had a great meal.

The real focus of our visit to Bayeux was to revisit the famous tapestry. (Which is not, in fact, a tapestry.) For reasons that escape us, the Viking ship that we took over had huge images from the Bayeux Tapestry on every stairway landing and we spent the whole crossing practicing our latin reading the captions. There is so much to say about this document from its role as propaganda to its window into the dress and customs of a bygone era. Simply put, you must go see it to appreciate it. In the interim, this is is amazing. How is your anglo, as opposed to franco, latin? (https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeux-tapestry/discover-the-bayeux-tapestry/explore-online/)

At Longues-sur-mere, right near Bayeux there is a well preserved German artillery emplacement. Four guns, a command bunker and related ammunition bunkers, machine gun nests and mortar pits. The site is well preserved and well worth a visit. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longues-sur-Mer_battery)

And we continued on to Omaha.

With the 917 spruced up, we considered spending time on the North Wales coast with a base in Anglesey. We picked two sites that looked good for biking, but neither had space.  So we looked at Dorset as we were looking for proximity to the Bristol area where we would be storing the 917. We found a small site that would take us for six nights. On the way down we stopped at a pub restaurant called The Oak in Upton Snodsbury, courtesy of BritStops.  We confess that we had not only afternoon tea but a lovely dinner.  (https://www.theoakuptonsnodsbury.co.uk/ ) Well worth a return visit and yes, there really is a place called Upton Snodsbury.

The campground in Hazelbury Brian (another real name), REALLY is in the country, and we drove endless small country roads to reach it!  At least it seemed that way!  It turned out to be a lovely site with beautiful views of a large pond, sheep in a distant field (of course), and excellent facilities, including a much sought after washing machine and dryer.  This was a big plus as we were preparing the camper for storage and we needed to store clean clothes and sheets.

As is often the case, we had a list of places we wanted to visit in Dorset; Corfe Castle, the steam railway, Durdle Door, and the Tank Museum. With that list, we SHOULD have realized that all of the major roads in Dorset would run east/west and we should therefore pick a campsite well in the south. Instead, we had chosen a small site well in the north of the county. One result was long “exciting” drives down single track roads which seemed to take hours to cover very short distances.

We made the Tank Museum, in Bovington, our first destination.  The Tank Museum is located on the edge of the Royal Tank Regiment HQ and it was most interesting to follow a tank down the road, especially one with “L” plate for learner attached to the rear! Fred had always wanted to visit this museum and it proved quite fascinating.  The Tank Museum is best known to (normal) people, that is, people who are not armor nuts, for its support of Brad Pitt’s movie “Fury.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fury_(2014_film) The movie may or may not break new ground in the war movie genre, but it is distinguished by the appearance of the only German “Tiger” tank that can still be driven. Thus, unlike most war movies, the tanks in the movie were near period perfect, as opposed to the modern tanks which are typically used in movies and look “wrong” to hard core history fans. 

We did not try to take a lot of photos inside as you really have to visit for yourself. The displays are excellent and provide some fascinating background on the very specific problems that tanks were invented to solve (trenches, barbed wire, machine guns), the challenges (why not use a wheeled vehicle, how do you keep the tracks from coming off?), and the solutions that were found and how they evolved. The museum itself is very high quality, with superb exhibits, including cut aways, and talking mannequins, complete with class and regionally correct accents! A surprising stand out was the tour of the World War I (The Great War) trenches, where you walk from the British to the German side. It was a most evocative recreation of the trenches and experiences of the soldiers.  Unfortunately the more modern Cold War Displays were closed for a private event. A definite must see. (https://tankmuseum.org/) YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thetankmuseum/videos

On the way home, Denise wanted to see the Durdle Door, a rock formation on the coast.  There was unfortunately a mass of cars and campers parked along the narrow road and we missed the sign for the car park.  To be honest with the number of people there, it was probably full anyway.  So we gave that up and will visit in the future.

But the other result of choosing our campsite was the serendipitous discovery of an ancient mill, a rare medieval “packhorse bridge,” and a wonderful old church. While doing the laundry, we examined the Ordinance Survey map on the wall. Once we located ourselves on the map, our attention was drawn to the word “bridge” in gothic print. We discovered that the gothic print meant a medieval site and we started digging on the internet. We found a wonderful web post by “Tess of the Vale” and resolved to explore. (https://tessofthevale.com/2021/04/30/fifehead-neville/) Some other folks at the campsite talked about the old mill at Sturminster Newton so we fired up the bikes and we were off!

A volunteer was manning the mill and was in charge of grinding the flour that day and he proved a most knowledgable and excellent guide.  He showed us around and explained the link between the mill, which was originally a fulling mill and made swanskin waterproof cloth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swanskin_cloth) and the fishing industry of Nova Scotia, which fascinated us after our visit to Nova Scotia – we saw both sides of the exchange. We tend to think of mills as places to grind grain, but, in reality, they were medieval power plants that could drive anything from saws (saw mills), to trip hammers (fulling mill), to, of course, grinding mills.

We then headed for Fifehead Neville along the Dark Lane, a lane with trees from both sides touching overhead. 

Parts of it were so narrow that we had to dismount and pull our bikes (and ourselves) into the hedges in order to let a normal car pass.  As we cycled along we suddenly saw the medieval bridge for which we were looking, the pack horse bridge.  We cycled right by it!  A pack horse bridge is built without parapets so that the cargo on the backs of pack animals would not be squashed and damaged. 

We also enjoyed a visit to All Saints Church in Fifehead Neville. Fifehead is an old name, meaning “five hides” and Neville is a modification of a French family name. Many villages in the area are named Fifehead “Something,” and all date back to the Conquest. All Saints Church is impressively old. The population of Fifehead Neville was 147 in 2011 – not a huge town.

There are two modern war memorial plaques in the church. Not much information on Private Rolls. He may have been seconded to a New Zealand engineer group, digging mines under the German lines. Cecil Collins was almost certainly lost in the sinking of HMS Charybdis off the Channel Isles. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Charybdis_(88)?fbclid=IwAR0o1WL3dcg0-8Hxbx1ZNkV0xEpYbr5wWfqxRn7xysO_zKgEouTo6sXxNBM)

Our final visit in Dorset was to take the steam train from Nordern to Swanage and then back to Corfe Castle.  It was a much larger engine than most tourist steam train engines and pulled several carriages. 

We picked a nice sunny day for this and enjoyed a walk along the beach at Swanage.

Then it was back on the train to visit the Corfe Castle ruins.  The ruins are a fair climb up from the village.

The views from the summit of the ruins were spectacular, both distant views and the views of the village of Corfe below.  The Castle was built by William the Conqueror and sold off by Elizabeth the First. The castle withstood some amazing sieges during English civil wars.

The castle was finally “slighted” by the parliamentarians but it is interesting to note that even with tons of explosives, the walls did not disintegrate, but rather fell as large, intact sections. Some amazing masonry.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corfe_Castle

Tired and thirsty, we returned to the station and took the train back to Nordern to pick up the 917.

Then it was back to the campsite. The Cerne Abbas giant will have to await our next trip! Finally, we dropped the 917 off at its storage site and caught the train towards Heathrow and thence a flight back to the US.

We took the 917 to Atkinson Vos early in the morning and, after a quick review of the work list, they dropped us at the train station, where we shared the platform with a whole classroom of elementary children, off on a school trip. The parents all offered us condolences, but the children were, in fact, delightful.

While the 917 had its spa week, we went to stay in the little market town of Glossop, Derbyshire. One of our daughter’s favorite teachers from Botswana was foolish enough to invite us to stay and we jumped at the opportunity. From Bentham we took the train to Lancaster for our first change, only to learn at an “incident” had blocked all of the trains from the north. (The incident may have been a suicide.) After a moment’s confusion, we were all put on the next train south to Preston, and from there, we were able to get trains to Manchester and finally Glossop, still arriving almost on time. Simply amazing how well it all worked.

Our host volunteers at Lyme Park. Yes, THAT Lyme Park, the “Pemberley” that Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Darcy) sees in the Colin Firth “Pride and Prejudice.” To the annoyance of all at Lyme Park, only the exterior was used. Probably just as well, the interior ghosts might not have liked a film crew. Don’t know how the ghosts of the phantom funeral procession, that is said to haunt the grounds, took to the filming.

It all began with Sir Thomas d’Anyers, who fought with the Black Prince at the Battle of Crécy. Sir Thomas had recovered the Black Prince’s Standard and was rewarded with an annuity of 40 Marks a year drawn on the Black Prince’s Cheshire estates. This led to a coat of arms that featured the recovered standard.

The Legh family married into the d’Anyers family and thus acquired the land. The history of the Legh family is as complex as they come. Sir Piers Legh acquired the property by marrying into the d’Anyers family, was knighted by Richard II in 1397 and beheaded in 1899, after a failed coup. “When you strike at the king, don’t miss!” The family saga is even harder to follow as many shared the same name. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leghs_of_Lyme)

The architecture of the house itself is similarly muddled, with odd staircases and passages.

Where we live, in Virginia, people do a lot of remodeling so as not to move further from Washington. But our “remodeling” has nothing on the scale of what was done to Lyme Park over the centuries – simply vast. All in all, however, quite a house. And more than you could ever want to know can be found, here: https://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/houseoflyme.pdf

Two of the more interesting Leghs.

Fred’s book was old, but here, at Lyme Park, we were looking at an original edition. Took the better part of a lifetime, but we did make it to Jeddah, as close as non-Muslims can get to Mecca.

The Facade features a clock, and, on each side, a dressing room with a port hole.

Some slightly less formal art on the walls.

Whatever the ghosts may have thought, we really enjoyed our private tour. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_Park)

After a wonderful week, we hopped back on the train – no delays this time, and headed back to Bentham, arriving in the rain. We picked up the truck and headed back to Settle but oh, the changes! Now we had a speedometer that worked, clear glass in the passenger side mirror, a new radiator hose and, wonder of wonders, the steering was tighter. Soooo much easier to navigate the narrow lanes!

Settle was really beginning to feel like home.

It was time to head south but time was an issue as we were expected at Atkinson Vos on June 26.  So we headed to Thurso and then opted to return down the A9, which had less spectacular scenery but would be a faster drive in the 917.  There is no doubt that the rest of the NC 500 would have been amazing but also very narrow and slow for us.  We spent the night at Dingwall and then continued south to Glen Coe. 

The Glen Coe campsite, surrounded by mountains, was beautiful and walking distance from Glencoe village and Glen Coe Visitor Center.  Watching the clouds on the peaks around us was spectacular. 

We walked to the Glen Coe Visitor Center. Beyond films about the massacre, the highlight of the center is a meticulously reconstructed traditional Scottish house.

Called a creel house, these buildings, once common, are now a bit of a lost art.

It was clear that the weather was changing, so we set the following day as our Oban visit day. We drove through only one rainstorm.  Oban is noted as a ferry port and the jumping off point for tours of the Western Isles.

We liked Oban and enjoyed a seafood lunch on the quay, but did not have time to take a ferry to the Western Isles ourselves. We shall have to return! 

The balance of our time in Glen Coe was spent on maintenance and relaxation.  Our skylight had thrown the cords that controlled the shade and, in the land of near Midnight Sun, we needed the shade to work if we were to sleep past about three A.M. We pulled the skylight apart and got lucky as we were able to fix the misbehaving cords. On a maintenance roll, we even cleaned a fan or two.

We also walked to the village and, quite by accident, stumbled on one of the massacre sites, hidden in the trees just off the trail.

Glencoe village is tiny, but it was interesting to see ancient houses being expanded with modern cinderblock construction.

Upon leaving, we turned south through the Glen Coe Pass, a scenic drive through the mountains.

Descending the mountains we drove on to the Stirling area, stopping at a campsite below Witches Craig, with the Wallace (aka Braveheart) memorial in the background.

Basically, the wheel works on the Archimedes principle of displacement – each of the two gondolas, filled with water, always weighs the same amount as a boat displaces it own weight. Thus it takes very little energy to turn the wheel as it is always balanced. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_Wheel

Readers of our blog will note our obsession with Hadrian’s Wall. But Fred had always wanted to see the much less known Antonine Wall. Built by the emperor Antonius Pius, it lies to the north of Hadrian’s Wall and was mostly earthworks. (History nuts are like that.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonine_Wall

There is very little left of the Antonine Wall and it is notoriously hard to find, so we were amazed to learn that we had actually stumbled on what was reported to be the best site to visit. We HAD to go! We set off to walk the couple of miles though the trees to see it. 

There is a lot less there than at the various Hadrian’s Wall sites, but we could see a plan of the fort with various remnants and the ditch surrounding the fort. 

Also visible were the pits for protective pointed stakes, an early form of barbed wire.  The wall was apparently attacked several times and destroyed before being finally abandoned.  There were excellent explanatory boards in various spots. It is amazing what can be determined with careful study – most of us would simply see some rocks in a field.

We stopped next at the Battle of Bannockburn site.  Far from being the tourist trap we feared, we thoroughly enjoyed an excellent historical presentation of the causes of the battle and its political results.  The guide was superb and was able to answer many off topic questions.  We walked as much of the battlefield as we could (a lot took place in the back gardens of the local houses) but we could walk where Robert the Bruce stood to see the progress of the battle.

We continued south to Settle, back to our former campsite, and then delivered the truck to Atkinson Vos as pre-arranged. (https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/north-yorkshire/settle/lodgebarn/)

Scholars debate. Is John o’Groats the end of the road north, or the beginning of the road south? Worth noting that if you were coming from Norway to pillage or settle, you would have sailed south to get here and John o’Groats would have been the beginning of the main land.

So, with no more road ahead of us, we set out to explore the rather small center of John o’Groats. 

We walked along the cliff for a ways and then returned for an ice-cream and a photo session in front of the well known signpost. 

Those achieved, it was time for whisky.  And we headed for the 8 Doors Distillery, so named because of the legendary 8 door house of Jan de Groot.  (https://www.8doorsdistillery.com/ ) 

Unfortunately the distillery was only founded 2022 so has yet to produce a whisky that has fully matured for sale.  But they are working on it!  In the interim they had some blends from other distilleries for us to try.  We decided that we disliked the heavy peat flavor that is a characteristic of many Scotch whiskeys. And so, it appears, do the owners of 8 Doors. Kind of exciting to be present at the creation. They invited us to come back in a decade or so … It was sunny, gloriously sunny, but windy, as cliff locations often are, so it was soon time to return to the camper.

Rather than ship the truck to the Orkneys, we had decided to simply take a day tour. So, the next day, we walked to the pier for the 40 minute ferry crossing to Burwick in the Orkneys. 

Once we landed, buses were waiting to take us over the Churchill barriers to Kirkwall, the capital city. (https://www.orkney.com/ ) The drive is a treat for Royal Navy history fans as it circles Scapa Flow, the site of the fabled Royal Navy base.

Hard to imagine today, but at the beginning of the twentieth century one could see a hundred ships of the Grand Fleet filling the bay.

During the first World War, the Royal Navy sank block ships in some of the channels to prevent a surprise attack. During the second World War an intrepid U-Boat commander slipped past the block ships and sank the battleship Royal Oak which was at anchor. After this appalling loss of life, Churchill ordered a cement and earthen fill be added over the block ships to completely block the channels. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapa_Flow ) Today’s road runs over three of them. During winter storms, these barriers are quite dangerous and they can be closed to traffic.

Our first stop in Kirkwall was a much needed cup of coffee in the local town hall coffee shop. Thus refreshed, we enjoyed a lengthy visit to St. Magnus Cathedral, which was quite fascinating in its Norse characteristics rather than the Norman/Medieval styling one sees all over the UK. Subtly different, everywhere we looked.

The cathedral dates from 1137 and is named for Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, who was murdered by his cousin. Stories grew up of miracles at the grave of Magnus and he was considered to be a saint. A casket of bones found during a 1919 restoration is believed to be his. The cathedral was part of the Archdiocese of Nidaros, part of Trondheim in Norway until after 1468. St. Magnus is the only cathedral, that we know of, with a dungeon. Lots of great reading here: https://sites.scran.ac.uk/stmagnus//index.htm

We also wandered the grounds of the Bishop’s Palace and the Earl’s Palace.  Both are currently very much in ruins but the grounds were interesting with information panels at various spots.  Finally, we went to the art/craft show in the same town hall.  Denise regretted that she had no space to carry back more wool as there were some wonderful offerings!  Back on the bus we headed for lunch in Stromness.  We went low brow and bought lunch goodies at a bakery, recommended by our driver, and ate them on the waterfront, by the docks.  We finished with an ice-cream!  Yes, there is a pattern here.

The bus then took us to see the stone age village of Skara Brae.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skara_Brae )

Uncovered during a major winter storm, the ten stone dwellings were absolutely fascinating.  They were occupied over 5,000 years ago.  The stone built furniture is preserved and clearly visible.  Cupboards, beds and boxes are all intact.  We were told that the sea was originally quite distant from the dwellings although now they are on the edge of a cliff.  There are probably more dwellings that have not yet been excavated.

We then headed to the standing stones henge forming the Ring of Brodgar.  

This is a vast circle of 36 standing stones, built 4,000 years ago.  There may have been as many as 60 stones originally.  No one knows why this was erected or what role it played.

Our final stop was the Italian Chapel.  Our guide explained the history of this and especially how it was constructed.  It was built in 1943 and it is really quite amazing that Italian prisoners of war could construct something so beautiful out of bits and pieces lying around.  It is maintained following an agreement with the prisoners when they were returned to Italy and one of the main creators returned later to see it again.

After this excellent tour full of local tidbits and charm, we returned to the ferry and John o’Groats.

Leaving Edinburgh, we set out through the Cairngorm mountains towards Inverness. Our final destination was John o’Groats. Why John o’Groats? Well, because everybody wants to start or end every trip there and, more practically, you can take a ferry to the Orkney islands.

But first, we stopped at the village of Dalhwhinnie. Why? Because a local coffee shop offers free overnight parking for motorhomes. (https://apiarydalwhinnie.co.uk/) The Apiary was charming, but sadly does not serve dinner. So we had to content ourselves with a coffee and learned that Dalwhinnie has the lowest average temperature in Scotland, and probably the UK. OK, off our list for retirement homes. But we had a sunny day and sat out to enjoy it and admire all of the touring cyclists who were stopping for drinks and snacks. 

We walked down the road to the Dalwhinnie distillery. Here too, we were too late for a tour, but we did have a wonderful tasting, complete with chocolates. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalwhinnie_distillery)

It was only later that we discovered that Dalwhinnie is favored by many of our friends who actually know Scotch whiskeys, and, after visiting more distilleries ourselves, we really regretted not having bought a few bottles!

Next up was Inverness, the “Gateway to the Highlands.” We wanted to visit the Culloden battlefield because Bonnie Prince Charlie and the whole Jacobite saga so command popular imagination. 

Inverness is not as quaint as some Scottish cities but the area along the river is beautiful. We had a great time raiding the woolen shops.

Lots of people will have noted the “Harry Potter” viaduct, which is certainly spectacular, but the simple fact remains that the Victorians built dozens, if not hundreds of amazing viaducts all over the country. Just down the road from our campsite is the Culloden Viaduct. At 1800 feet, it is the longest masonry viaduct in Scotland, and it doesn’t even merit a sign. We found it quite by accident, simply by looking out the window.

Color us Jacobite skeptics so we were thus pleased that the guide book to the Culloden site begins with a chapter on the “myths of Culloden.” The political background to the battle of Culloden is critical reading for Americans, as our Founding Fathers were keenly aware of the necessity of French intervention if we were going to gain independence from England. Spoiler alert: We got it, Charlie didn’t. We history buffs always like to see tactical events placed in full political/military context. The Jacobites had won almost every battle that they fought before Culloden, and then they did everything wrong and lost badly at Culloden. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culloden)

The Hanoverian revenge after the battle was savage and led to the end of the clan system. (And a ban on bagpipes.)

Just down the road is a wonderful little site, Clava Cairns. (https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/clava-cairns-p245611) It always amazes us how real archeologists can look at a few stones in a field and “see” what it was. This is especially true of prehistoric sites.

And sometimes, even after a site is excavated, its purpose can be hard to discern.

Inverness is at the top of Loch Ness and linked to it by the Caledonian Canal. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caledonian_Canal ) When your daughter was born in Panama you tend to develop a canal fetish, so we had to take a quick trip down the canal and out into the loch. Only went as far as Urquhart Castle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urquhart_Castle), but it was a nice sunny day.

No, Macbeth was never thane of Cawdor Castle. But it is still worth a visit as it is a nifty fortified manor house, still owner occupied and it even has a secret or lost chamber. And Denise liked the gardens. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cawdor_Castle) Any building that is constructed around a living Holly tree is interesting, even if the tree died in about 1372!

We continued up the coast to the town of Helmsdale. Again, the reason was free camping. And a good fish and chips dinner. (http://www.bannockburninn.co.uk/)

The next day we set out to explore a really charming town. Helmsdale was a Highland Clearances town, where highlanders were resettled after being removed from the land. Some became fishermen, but many emigrated. There is a small, but very nice museum. (https://timespan.org.uk/museum/) And, of course, a coffee shop where we scored scones, fresh out of the oven!

We made a quick stop at the Hill of Many Stanes. (https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/hill-omany-stanes/)

And then we reached John o’Groats.

OK, there isn’t much here but the campground, which we chose simply because it was close to the ferry dock, turned out to be lovely with wonderful views. Denise never tired of gazing out of the window at the sea and the island of Stroma.

Big cities are always a challenge when traveling by camper – driving in a strange city can be hard and, in a city, like Edinburgh, where parking is already difficult for cars, a camper is simply impossible. Thus we carefully picked the Mortonhall Campground in Edinburgh because it is on the number 11 bus route, and the buses run every 10 minutes. (https://www.meadowhead.co.uk/parks/mortonhall/) This is serious transit service!  And we got to know the route quite well, as we used it both days we were there to get to and from the tourist area of Edinburgh. 

Denise had always wanted to visit Holyrood House Palace. (Fred, on the other hand, had never heard of it.) Holyrood House is, to this day, the residence of the Royal Family in Scotland. The place simply drips history and thus the Wikipedia entry is a LONG read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holyrood_Palace , but well worth it. So this was our first goal. Fortunately, we were able to get tickets for the next day. And only the next day, as someone named Charles was coming to visit and would be taking over the whole place! Yes, it is more than just a tourist attraction.

The first day we caught the city bus for the 30 minute ride into town. Once we arrived downtown, we started with a hop on hop off bus with a live guide, which we found so much better than the recorded version. Also a great way to get oriented to the layout of the city. Our first hop off was the palace of Holyrood House.

Fred found the design of the Palace unexpected.  The palace is built with cloisters around a central atrium, a design dating back to the Romans and commonly found in Mediterranean buildings in a much warmer climate.

Photography is prohibited inside the palace but is is most impressive. The place was build along side an existing abbey. The abbey suffered over the years from wars and religious strife and is now in ruins.

We hopped back on the bus to get back to the bus stop for our bus back to the campground. Waiting for the bus, we could admire the architecture. (Yup, a lot of buses)

The second day, we had procured tickets for Edinburgh Castle so we were back on the bus, this time getting off a bit up the hill. After fortifying ourselves with a cappuccino, we set off to climb up to the castle, congratulating ourselves on getting off the bus halfway up. Edinburgh castle, too, has a long and complex history, changing hands many, many times. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Castle) To be fair, there was a Scottish nobleman who switched sides so many times that he was known as “Bobbing John.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Erskine,Earl_of_Mar(1675–1732)) Fans of the band Steeleye Span will know him from the song, “Cam ye or’e frae France?” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_Ye_o%27er_frae_France) And, if you are not a Steeleye Span fan, you should be!

So the first thing we found was that the road was closed for repairs, and we would have to climb DOWN a million stairs before we could start up the hill again. (Good thing it was a good coffee!) When we finally reached the top, through the heaving crowds, we were fascinated by the fact that they were already constructing the seating for the Edinburgh Tattoo though apparently there was a popular concert also in the near future. 

A Viking cruise ship anchored nearby gave a us a hint as to where some of the folks were coming from. We had a bit of nostalgia from Viking trips, but we were quite happy not to be in a group with our ear pieces!

“Mons Meg” has a bore of almost 20 inches, making her one of the largest guns ever made. The gun carriage was only used to move the gun; she was actually fired from an earthen embankment. Like trebuchets of a previous era, she was not aimed at the defenders of a castle, rather used as a form of long range battering ram against the walls. Thus the goal was that each stone ball land in almost the same place in order to break down the wall.

We liked the Great Hall and spent some time discussing it and the copy of the Stone of Destiny on display there with one of the docents.  The real one was used in the recent Coronation of King Charles. The stone was originally seized by Edward I, aka “The Hammer of the Scots” or, if you prefer, “Edward Longshanks.” When he took it, it symbolized English domination. When James VI of Scotland became James I of England, the role reversed – you could not be legitimate “unquestioned” king of England unless you sat upon the Scottish stone.

Denise loved the tiny St. Margaret’s Chapel.

Then it was time to start the trudge down the mountain to find our bus.

A great visit.

Bank Holiday weekends finally over, we headed north to revisit Hadrian’s Wall, an area we had visited years previously. The last time we visited it was pouring rain!  This time the weather was much better.  So much so that, once installed in our campsite, at Brockalee Campground, we decided not to waste the sunny afternoon and set off on our bikes to see if we could find the Roman camp at Vinolanda again. 

We could but we chose not to enter the Vidolanda museum, but rather to continue to the Wall itself at Steel Rig.  (https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/places-to-visit/hadrians-wall/steel-rigg/) For anyone who missed it, Hadrian’s Wall, and the lesser known Antoinine Wall, are a fascinating study in Roman governance and political/military/economic policy. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian%27s_Wall)

The views on a sunny day were so much better than they had been in mist and rain. 

The Brockalee Campground is a small site with a superb view over the hills and just up the road from Hadrian’s Wall and Vinolanda.  We certainly would recommend it.  (https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/northumberland/hexham/brockaleefarmcampsite/) On our way out, we decided to revisit the Roman Army Museum. (https://www.vindolanda.com/roman-army-museum) This is a really well done museum with excellent, detailed presentations and recreations; an essential stop for anyone visiting Hadrian’s Wall. We spent a great hour with a medical doctor who, in costume, did a detailed presentation on Roman medicine and surgery.

Then off to Northumberland. 

Denise had long wanted to visit Linesfarne, the “Holy Isle.” Lidesfarne was a center for early Celtic Christianity and bore the full force of Viking raids. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindisfarne) Lindesfarne was where Saint Aidan began his ministry. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aidan_of_Lindisfarne)

Today Lindesfarne is home to fewer than 200 people and accessible only by a causeway at low tide, and not a place where you would want to try to park a large truck. So we booked a boat trip to Lindisfarne from the town of Seahouses.

The day dawned grey and cold and the sea was quite rough. We were glad to have dressed warmly for the sea crossing as there was no shelter on the boat.  The best part of the trip was passing by the Farne Islands which are closed to landing because of the risk of avian flu. Sailing by, we were able to see thousands of nesting birds, kittiwakes, ghilliemoffs, shags, puffins and a gannet or two.  We also saw a number of grey seals.

After about an hour sailing around the islands, we sailed up the coast past Bamburgh castle to Lindesfarne. 

The tide was high in Lindisfarne so tourists could not drive the causeway and thus there were no crowds. We visited the main part of the town, enjoyed lunch in a cafe, and wandered the ruined Priory. 

We spent some time in the (relatively) modern church, which provided a lot of information on the history of Christianity on the island. We then returned to the boat and set off for Seahouses.  The highlight of the return trip was a pod of dolphins playing in the water just off of Bamburgh Castle.  Great fun!  Everyone on board was thrilled.

At Seahouses we were greeted with a parking ticket! Grrr! Took three days for them to finally post it so we could pay. Double GRRRR!

The next day we cycled into the town of Bamburg to visit St. Aidan’s Church and Bamburgh Castle. 

Lunch was a snack pastry and sandwich from a local “Butcher, Baker and Sausage Roll Maker”.  (And it was very good.)

Bamburgh Castle is used, very anachronistically, in the TV series “The Last Kingdom.” Anachronistic not because of location, but because of architecture. The castle you see today is a Victorian fantasy rebuild of a real medieval castle. At the time of “The Last Kingdom,” it would have been a Dark Ages wooden stockade, well within the ability of the Vikings to raid and capture.

We confess to enjoying a scone and cappuccino coffee at the Castle also.  We even cycled back into Bamburgh town the next day to enjoy some ice-cream.

Then it was time to get back on the road to Scotland. On our way to Edinburgh we discovered the Ford and Etal miniature narrow gauge steam railway, so we stopped off for a ride.  (https://www.heatherslawlightrailway.co.uk)

With a gauge of only 15 inches, it was almost like riding a toy train, but it was built to do real work. Quite fun and we enjoyed a lovely lunch in the Lavender Tea Room in Etal. 

The ruined Etal Castle also provided an interesting visit. This was the medieval English equivalent to the Roman mile castles, set up as a defense against the Scottish reivers.

It was an interesting study in a miniature castle, barely larger than a fortified manor house. It could not resist the full Scottish invasion at the time of the Battle of Flooden.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etal_Castle)

So after a pleasant morning, we continued north.

Well sort of!  As we had yet another Bank Holiday long weekend before us, we decided to head towards Liverpool.  We both enjoy Beatles music and would have enjoyed visiting the Cavern Club, especially after watching the Mona Lisa Twins performing there, but were disappointed to learn that the old club was destroyed and the new one is but a replica. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MonaLisa_Twins)

But we still wanted to visit Liverpool as we had once finished a great jigsaw puzzle of the Royal Albert Dock that Denise’s brother had loaned us. So we were thrilled to find a farm campsite that would take us for the four night weekend. Better yet, it was within walking distance of a new railway station with regular trains to Liverpool. N.B. We used to have public transport like this in the US.

The weather was warm and sunny and we set off on the train to discover Liverpool. The trains run every 20-30 minutes and in less than 30 minutes we were downtown. Fans of gritty old post war English cities will be disappointed; many of the central streets are now reserved for pedestrians and sidewalk cafes.

To say Liverpool was busy was an understatement.  In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, there were displays by all three armed services and hordes and hordes of people. 

There were big queues for everything, including the hop on hop off buses, and all Beatles tours were fully booked, so we changed rock n roll groups and rode the ferry across the Mersey. 

A very pleasant trip with lots to see. Funny thing. We asked for a round trip ticket and were told that you had to get off on the other side and await the next crossing, an hour later. When we said that we didn’t want to do that and started to walk way, he called us back and said, “Just buy a one way ticket.” So we did and discovered that no one made you disembark – you just rode back. 

After lunch, we set out to find the site where the picture on our Albert Dock puzzle was taken.

It took some walking and looking, but we got it in the end – except for the railing on the right of the picture.

And, of course, Denise demanded a ride on the Ferris wheel. We completed the ride with a 99 soft ice cream.

From the top of the Ferris Wheel you can see the brilliance of the Liverpool dock system and its fatal flaw. The enclosed docks protected ships from bad weather and allowed a completely enclosed customs zone. But, sadly, all of the basins and their access locks were too small and by the end of the 19th century, could no longer accommodate the larger ships.

Denise has always wanted to visit Chester, so, after a day on our bikes, we hopped on the train again for the slightly longer journey into Liverpool and then out to Chester. We had one change of trains, that went smoothly (both ways), and walked from the station to the town centre. 

Like many British cities, Chester is an old Roman town. (“Chester” comes from “castra” or fort.)

We admired the old houses and the “Rows.” The Rows appear to be unique to Chester, a second sidewalk, up one flight of stairs, giving access to another row of shops. Many of the rows connect building to building, allowing a parallel sidewalk, one flight up.

We stopped for a coffee and an ice-cream at a wonderful small cafe on the Castle wall. (https://www.instagram.com/huxleys_chester/) If you don’t know it is there, you will never find it at street level.

Inside the cafe was a porthole, installed by a former navy captain who had lived in the cottage in the nineteenth century.  Quite an eccentric, obviously.  Fascinating to think how many people have lived in these old buildings over the years, no, over the centuries.

We also took an afternoon boat ride on the River Dee, which was not as relaxing as we had hoped as there were several unhappy toddlers and an unhappy dog nearby!  Such is life.  But it was a lovely afternoon and the houses along the river were spectacular.  Would that we could afford one.

At that point, we hopped the train and joined the commuters going home.

After a visit to a distant cousin of Denise’s in the lovely Yorkshire town of Wetherby, we headed south to be ready to take the truck to Mansfield to PB Electrics for service on the Webasto Dual Top.  It was misbehaving and we had found a Webasto repair station with a special “Dual Top” certification.

Our next stop was near Bakewell, famous for its tarts. We spent the  weekend at a campground near the charming village of Youlegreave.  The internet was full of horror stories about the road to the campsite, narrow, people parked on both sides, steep, tight curves, a disgrace, should not have a campsite there, and the list went on. We drove it and decided that, for once, the internet had understated the challenge. I really have to admire the people who work their way in (and out) with huge caravans (trailers) pulled by tiny cars!

We rode our bikes back into Youlegreave up the impossible road. Youlgreave is a tiny village, with two pubs and a church and it was heaving with tourists and hordes of cyclists. (Don’t get behind a line of cyclists ordering £60 worth of drinks!) We sat in the sun and enjoyed watching the people – and the bus navigating the narrow street

The Youlgreave church was simply a find, way below the tourist radar. Wonderful commentary and information here: https://greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/youlgreave.html Amazing that people study these churches in such detail.

We also found figures representing the Coronation still on display in the village square. 

After finishing our drinks at the local pub we cycled back to the camper.

We then headed into Bakewell for some useful shopping.  And some badness in the form of Bakewell tarts, both the original and the iced!  After pretty much skipping lunch we continued to Rose Cottage, a lovely restaurant in our BritStops book.  They did not think that they were members of BritStops but they let us stay anyway and we enjoyed a roast beet carvery dinner with Yorkshire Puddings.  It was Mother’s Day US style after all!

We found a campsite gem just outside of Mansfield, the Lurcher Farm Cottage.  Surrounded by fields, we found our way to the corner of a large field and settled in.  The owner proved to be exceptionally flexible as we came and went over the course of the next week or so.  Denise enjoyed the public footpaths that went by the campground, and we also had sunny days so managed some laundry.  The heating/hot water repair went smoothly and while waiting for a couple of items to be sorted out in the camper, we took ourselves to Lincoln for the weekend.

En route, we stopped to admire the airplanes at the Newark Air Museum. (http://www.newarkairmuseum.org)

We thoroughly enjoyed Lincoln.  Our campsite, surrounded by fields of horses, was close to a bike route, so we cycled into Lincoln on two consecutive days. 

Once for research and to find out how to lock up the bikes and once to actually see the town. 

Lincoln is an old Roman site (like every place else) founded on a hill overlooking a pool (Brayford Pool) in the River Witham. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln,_England)

In modern times, it is famous as one of the homes of the tank.

We were amazed how steep the cobbled streets were in the old part of the town.  In fact one of the streets is called Steep Street! 

But we made it to the top and thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Cathedral and a brief visit to the Castle.  Our pizza lunch was excellent also! 

Lincoln Cathedral is the opposite of Youlgreave – it is on the main tourist route and well worth it. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Cathedral)

Lincoln had one shop that is unique in our experience. A shop dedicated to selling instruments and other odd items, mostly from airplanes.

Back in Mansfield, we dropped off the camper and headed to Nottingham by train for a day or two. 

Other than the usual Robin Hood associations, we knew nothing of Nottingham. One of he first things we learned is that Nottingham has a huge network of caves, dating back to the Middle Ages, at least. Over the years they were used as storerooms, Luddite meeting places (complete with alarms – pebbles dropped down a vent), tanneries, and, during WWII, bomb shelters. Many caves have been damaged or lost with the construction of building foundations and railway tunnels. We visited the City of Caves. (https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/cityofcaves)

Caves explored, it was time for some horrible history – so we visited the sister Museum of Justice. Let’s just say that juristic procedure has improved since past times!

The actual court room wasn’t that different. But there were some interesting details. The defendant did not have representation, you were on your own – a bit of a challenge for the mostly illiterate young men (and a few women) on trial. The odds were stacked against you with everything from upper class judges to the fact that the defendant entered the court by a special stair that led directly from the dark cells below. So you would enter the court blinking in the glare.

Before Victorian times, imprisonment was not a common punishment. You were only held long enough for trial and execution or transportation. Still, the cells were bad enough and you had to wait for a magistrate to be available.

While you awaited your fate, you did get to go to the exercise yard where you could spend time carving your details into the wall.

Soon enough, it might be your turn to “dance on air.” In the yard, if you were ordinary, or out on the front steps (see image above) if you were special. Executions were nowhere near as common as you might think, and thus the drew a crowd. And, it is recorded, pickpockets. One crowd was so large and unruly that some twenty people were killed. (!!)

We also took the bus to Roddington to the Framework Knitters Museum.  Knitting in wool and then cotton on these framework machines, developed in 1587, was a cottage industry and the whole history was quite amazing.  We toured a couple of cottages and watched a demonstration on one of the machines.

Imagine the racket of twenty of the machines jammed into a tiny space. Hearing loss was common among the men (no women) who were knitters. Individual knitters rented their machines and were paid piecework.