England 2025

  Yesterday we made it to the summit of Latrigg. This was actually our third attempt!We tried it in 2012 but gave up just 3/4 mile from the summit because of wind and rain and me not feeling great. Our second attempt was three days ago when it was raining so hard I expected to see an ark full of animals float by. This time it was just a drizzle which stopped after the first half hour and we got to the top. 😀 After we got back down we came across a cricket match in the park. Walked around town for a while and then a short rest before dinner at The Royal Oaks hotel. At the end of the day my watch said we had walked 8 miles and ascended 1000+ feet. Sleep came early and easy!

  I’d always heard of Buttermere as one of the most beautiful places in the Lake Distrct. But I’d also heard that the drive there could be a little harrowing. At breakfast yesterday I asked Julia about the roads and she said, “take the bus”. Good advice! The ride there was gorgeous and 5 minutes in we knew driving would have been crazy. And Buttermere was incredible. We ate lunch at a cafe there and the hiked along the lake for a couple hours. The pictures don’t begin to do it justice. When we got back to Keswick it was 4:00 and we went to the tea room for a late afternoon snack which turned out to be an early dinner instead. After we did some walking/shopping in town and got back here and cleaned up we were too done in to make our evening pilgrimage to Derwent water. But here are some pictures from Thursday night.

  Our friend Lewy says that adventure is “discomfort remembered”. If so then today will have been an adventure. The forecast promised rain but we suited up anyway and set off for a hike in a light rain. The rain did not stay light. Minute by minute it didn’t seem so bad but as we climbed higher and higher it seemed like less and less a good idea and after a couple miles we bailed. So we hiked back in to town instead. In the picture above I’m pretty drenched but am having a lot more fun than the picture would lead you to believe. Our first stop in town was at an outfitting shop where Victoria bought a new pair of pants because the ones she was wearing were soaked through. (Aside, all her other clothes were in the wash. At breakfast our hostess overheard us tell one of the other guests that our first order of business today was laundry and she offered to do it here for us!) I probably should have done the same but my jeans weren’t quite as wet or I was too stupid or something.Next up...

    I think we can all agree that when researching a vacation and finding Places To Go from a distance of  almost 4,000 miles even with the help of the internet, it is not to be expected that EVERY place chosen will be a winner. Which brings us to Lowther Castle. We stopped here on the way to Keswick from Stoke. The reviews on line said “ruined castle, extensive gardens” and I obviously didn’t pay close enough attention to the details. When we got here I said to Victoria, “wow, that’s like a castle from a movie!”. Well, it turns out that it’s not quite just a movie set, but it’s about as authentic as one. It was built by a 19th century tech tycoon (coal being the tech of the day) as his own private Xanadu. And why is it in ruins? It was taken apart in the 1950s to avoid inheritance taxes and upkeep. So the castle, while imposing enough was a bit of a bust. How about the gardens? you ask. Well. About 15 minutes after we paid [redacted]£ to get in (because, it was NOT a nat...

  It was a good plan. Stoke-on-Trent has long been an important pottery center:  Since the 17th century, the area has been almost exclusively known for its industrial-scale pottery manufacturing. [ 15 ]  Companies such as  Royal Doulton ,  Dudson ,  Spode  (founded by  Josiah Spode ),  Wedgwood (founded by  Josiah Wedgwood ),  Minton  (founded by  Thomas Minton ) and Baker & Co. (founded by William Baker) were established and based there. The local abundance of coal and clay suitable for earthenware production led to the early (initially limited) development of the local pottery industry. The construction of the  Trent and Mersey Canal  (completed in 1777) enabled the import of  china clay  from  Cornwall  together with other materials and facilitated the production of  creamware  and  bone china .   Victoria was keen to see it and go on a tour of one of the local potte...

 Yesterday we drove to Ely. The earliest parts of the present church are almost 1000 years old and it is one of the largest Cathedrals in England. Sunday Eucharist was still in progress when we got there so we went to lunch in the Cathedral cafe and gardens first. Then on to the cathedral itself. After Ely we returned to Cambridge and Japanese food for dinner. Today we packed up and drove to Stoke on Trent where we have two nights booked here: It’s quite the lap of luxury a few miles outside of Stoke. It feels like the kind of place where everyone dresses for dinner and the men sit around with whiskey and cigars and talk of the empire. Just as we got here a wedding was finishing. Tomorrow Victoria is touring a pottery works and afterwards we’re hoping to visit Trentham estate. I’ll leave you with a link to the menu for tonight’s dinner. Ciao!

Yesterday we came to Cambridge. Mostly the day was about hanging out with Jack and Somboon so it was light on photos and the ones I did take won’t win prizes. We started with lunch. Then I napped while the others walked, but in the evening we went to Evensong at King’s College Chapel.This was the line to get in. And inside. Afterwards we walked through Cambridge a bit. VERY. crowded. The food and bed.