Sunday started out and stayed sunny, a trend that supposedly ends tomorrow with two predicted days of rain.  With the weather so nice, we both took walks, separately, up to the castle and back.  Elaine went early, I went later.  Last year on her morning walk up to Dunstanburgh Castle, Elaine met Dorothy, an English lady from Derbyshire, who does the same walk every morning when she and her husband stay in Craster for a week.  Since we are here for essentially the same week this year as last, we wondered if we would see Dorothy and Geoffrey again.  We both saw Dorothy on our walks, and we spent some time reminiscing.  Elaine and Dorothy will meet up at 6:30 AM tomorrow to walk together (weather permitting).

A little more about Dunstanburgh Castle.  It has a rich history back to he 14th century, originally a State site for defense from invasions from nearby Scotland.  As that need diminished, it passed into private hands.  A golf course, still in use, was built in 1900.  The state took it over again as an observation post and defensive position against potential German submarine landings in WWII.  In the 21st century the castle is owned by the National Trust and run by English Heritage.  Here are some more pictures from my walk.  Yesterday’s picture were by Elaine on her walk.

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Later in the morning we drove back roads north for 40 minutes to get to tiny Chillingham, home to a castle and to a preserve for the Wild Cattle of Chillingham.  We bought a combined ticket for both sites, but we only visited the Wild Cattle today and will use the castle ticket another day.  Wild Cattle, you ask?  Yup.  Here’s a brief blurb about them, visit the link for more information about this unique breed:

“One of the rarest animals on Earth, a visit to the Wild Cattle of Chillingham makes an absolutely unique day out in beautiful Northumberland. Perhaps for as long as 700 years these remarkable animals have inhabited Chillingham Park. Isolated from all other cattle, they are totally inbred yet remain fit and healthy – a unique situation without parallel in any wild animal anywhere else in the world.“The animals are regarded as a scientific marvel; inbreeding throughout history is well known to lead to extinction because of the small gene pool that the animals share. Studies with the most modern DNA technology show that the cattle have a uniquely high degree of genetic uniformity. However, there is still a small amount of genetic variability between individuals. We don’t yet know if this is the result of chance or if it is in some way related to the survival of this unique population; however the Chillingham Wild Cattle have managed to survive in spite of this, and the herd continues to grow.”

“The beasts are also completely untamed and remain untouched since the medieval ages, so their behaviour is entirely natural and can give us insight into the behaviour of extinct ancestral wild cattle. The cattle breed throughout the year, and the bulls adopt ‘home territories’, plots of the land which they assume as theirs. They share this territory, but do not tend to defend it if other cattle graze in it.”

We skipped the castle for today because we had to get back to Craster to change for brunch in nearby Newton by the Sea at the Joiner Arms.  Great feed!  We shared the Captain’s Seafood Platter for starters  (Craster kipper pate, drunken mussels, handmade fish cakes , sweet beetroot relish, tempura king prawns, sweet chilli dipping sauce, north Atlantic prawns and crayfish in sea salt and lemon aioli).  Elaine opted for Roast Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto for her main while I stuffed myself with the Trio – Sirloin of Beef, Roast Chicken and roasted Loin of Pork with homemade pork, apricot & sage stuffing & salted crackling.  It was all accompanied by an Italian Pinot Nero wine.  Needless to say, we skipped dessert.

After that a quiet afternoon at home, cocktails on the front patio as we toasted the tourists walking by on their walks up to the Castle.  No dinner needed!  Bed early.

We awoke Saturday morning to beautiful clear skies and very pleasant temperatures.  After Elaine’s morning walk up to Dunstanburgh Castle while I did a shorter walk around Craster Harbor and posted the blog for yesterday, we set out in Pierre Peugeot for some sightseeing.

Click Pics to Enlarge

Having spent a week here last year, you’d think we would have seen everything close by.  Not so, and we have several destinations in mind for this week.  Our first stop today was at Warkworth Castle run not by the National Trust, but a sister organization called English Heritage.  Alas, we are not members, so we had to fork out £5.60 each for admission.  We were the second people to enter the castle when the doors opened at 10:00 AM

Started in 1149, Warkworth Castle became the home of Roger fitz Eustace and later of the powerful Percy Family.  Part of its importance lies in its role as the chief residence of the powerful Percy family in the late Middle Ages, as well as the exceptional architectural quality of its late 14th-century great tower.

Warkworth was, in the late Middle Ages, the main residence of the Percy family, the Earls and later Dukes of Northumberland, one of the most powerful families in northern England, particularly in the border area with Scotland. While Alnwick Castle, which they bought in 1309, boasted large estates and greater prestige, Warkworth was their favorite residence.  (The Percy’s still reside at Alnwick Castle, which we visited last year, headed now by Ralph Percy, the 12th Duke of Northumberland.)

As the Percys played an important role in the life of the court, the castle was the setting for historically significant events. These included, in the early 15th century, the conspiracy by the 1st Earl of Northumberland and his son, known as Harry Hotspur, to depose Henry IV.  Even after the castle later fell into decline, it was still sufficiently celebrated to be used by William Shakespeare as the setting for several scenes of his Henry IV plays, written in 1597.

Upon Leaving Warkworth, we drove just three miles down the road to a town called Amble.  It’s a pleasant enough town, crowded with visitors for the weekly boot sale (rummage sale), but it has a forlorn air of a spot past its prime.  We just missed the Amble Puffin Festival by a week (Sorry, Debbie Wicks!), walked (ambled in Amble) amongst the endless vendors at the boot sale, stopped at the Northumberland Seafood Center for a look at their breeding program for European lobsters (almost microscopic in size as they begin their life), and ventured out and back on the L-shaped breakwater.  The lasting memory was of the microscopic baby lobsters, one of 20,000 of which will grow to maturity.  We passed on an hour boat ride round Coquet Island to view puffins as we had seen thousands of them last year on the Farne Islands near here.

Then we went another eight miles down the road for a stop at Druridge Bay Country Park for our picnic lunch – sandwiches, chips, and beverage of choice (Diet Coke or water) under still sunny skies by the water.    After lunch we took an alternate route back to Craster through Boulmer, the home of a large RAF Boulmer Base.  We may be back to Boulmer for a lunch someday soon.  By the time we were back in Craster, the fog rolled in and you could just see the ocean from our cottage, Craster Rocks.

After a nap, the fog had lifted in plenty of time for drinks on the small front deck.  Dinner tonight was at home prepared by Chef Elaine: Chicken Tiki Marsala (or is it Tikka Marsala – seen it both ways) with green beans and bread.  (We must buy some naan for the leftovers!)  Wine was New Zealand Oyster Bay Pinot Noir.

Night, night!

It’s Saturday morning as I write this.  Yesterday we had an uneventful drive from Blore in Staffordshire to Craster in Northumberland (about four hours).  Part of it was on the dreaded British M1 Motorway, often congested with long traffic jams.  Clear sailing yesterday though.  We made a few stops along the way since we couldn’t check in to our new home until 4:00 PM.  We stopped at a rest area on the M1 just to stretch our legs.  We stopped at a Costco near Newcastle to pick up a couple of things.  Elaine was enticed by a very old olive tree on sale for £399, but we demurred. Tough to check it in for the return flight.  And finally we stopped at Sainsbury’s supermarket in Alnwick for groceries.

We arrived in Craster just after 3:00, parked, and went to the Jolly Fisherman for a celebratory beer to mark our return to Craster.  We stayed here last year in the same cottage for a week and liked it so much, here we are back again.  At 4:00 sharp we parked the car outside Craster Rocks, our cottage.  It is located just inside the gate for the one mile walk along the coast to Dunstanburgh Castle, an old ruin administered by the National Trust.  As I write this Elaine is off on her morning walk up the castle, a tradition started last year.  I will do it once or twice as well.

Dinner last night was at the Jolly Fisherman, booked weeks in advance as it is very popular.  Spectacular views here as you eat extremely good food.  The wine was a Shiraz from Australia.

• (Elaine) Crab Soup, Shetland Mussels, and a hot brownie with vanilla ice cream
• (Joe) Lindisfarne Oysters, Grilled Local Mackerel, and the same brownie and ice cream.

The oysters are local from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne that we visited last year.

Then it was home to bed under clear skies as the sun was just setting.

I took these as I arose at 5:30 AM.  It gets light early here, starting around 4:15 and stays light until well past 10:00 PM.

On our last full day in Derbyshire, we enjoyed another perfect sunny day.  In the morning we drove about 15 miles to the small village of Lea to visit Lea Gardens.  It is noted as a wonderful venue to see rhododendrons when they are in season (March-June).  It seriously lives up to that reputation.  There are also azaleas, kalmias, and lots of trees.  The gardens were built by John Marsden-Smedley.  Skilled craftsmen from his estate used the abundant stone littering the area (originally an old quarry site dating back to Roman times) to fashion paths and verandas in the local style of dry stone walling. Soil was brought from other parts of his estate to top up beds of sand. In some cases ash was brought from the furnaces of his woolen mill to add to this topping-up process.

The garden is huge with meandering paths much like a maze.  Pictures tell the story best, so I will let them.  On completion we each had a cup of tea and split a delicious scone with clotted cream and strawberries.  (I reiterate a previous comment that clotted cream should be illegal!)

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Rhododendron pictures need no captions

Then we drove on to Carsington Water.  Owned and managed by Severn Trent Water, Carsington Water is a large reservoir. It boasts a range of wildlife habitats from ancient hedgerows, species-rich wildflower meadows and native woodlands, to pond and scrapes, reed beds and carefully-managed islands.  Since its construction, there have been over 215 bird species over 30 mammal species recorded. There is a large visitor center on site with a restaurant, cafe and shops, including a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) shop. There are extensive outdoor activities including cycle hire, picnic areas, a climbing wall, adventure playground and sailing club.  There is also an exhibit by the water authority on reclaiming water from sewage.  (Frankly, it’s a pretty shitty subject! – literally)  We had a walk through the grounds and then enjoyed our picnic lunch at a picnic table near the water.

Then we drove off to visit another site.  We ran into a couple of road diversions and never found it, so we ended up with a leisurely afternoon home at Dovedale Lodge.  We enjoyed the obligatory five o’clock cocktails under bright sunshine on our lawn.

Dinner tonight was at Whites of Ashbourne.  It was a triumph, worthy of any restaurant we have ever been to anywhere.  We started with Chambord Kir Royales.  The wine for dinner was a Chilean Pinot Noir.  A Selection of House Breads with Beef Marrow Butters preceded Starters: (E) Twice Baked Cheese soufflé with Tomato and Coriander Dressing, Tomato Chutney, and a Parmesan Crisp; (J) Crispy Whitebait with Tartare Sauce (simple but elegant).  Mains: (E) Chicken Supreme with Jersey Royales, Chestnut Mushrooms, Local Asparagus,and Peas; (J) Lamb Rump, deliciously medium rare, with Lamb Belly, Ratatouille, Black Olive, and Potato Terrine.  Dessert: (E) A Pana Cotta Supreme; (J) Vanilla Parfait Supreme.  OMG!  France in Derbyshire.

As the vacation approaches its halfway point, tomorrow morning we will be off to Craster in Northumberland for a repeat week from last year’s trip – we enjoyed it that much.  More from there!

So, we have been staying at Dovedale Lodge, our delightful cottage, for close to a week now and have yet visited Dovedale.  It’s just three miles up a road that we had not yet been down.  We didn’t want to go on Saturday, Sunday, or the Monday bank holiday because we were warned it would be jammed.  Yesterday was cloudy and we wanted to visit on a sunny day, the more to enjoy the walk around Dovedale.

Wednesday broke sunny and clear as forecast, so today would be the day.  First off, though, we drove into Ashbourne to buy those elusive game pies at Mark’s Butcher Shop.  Alas, Mark doesn’t sell game pies.  We bought two other delicious pies for tonight’s dinner, and also visited Waitrose for more wine and some other groceries.

Then by 9:30 we headed down the road in Pierre Peugeot to Dovedale.  Dovedale is a valley in the Peak District of England.  The land is owned by, who else, the National Trust, and annually attracts a million visitors.  The valley was cut by the River Dove and runs for just over 3 miles.  In the wooded ravine, the most famous feature is a set of stepping stones that cross the river.

When we arrived, there were only a handful of cars in the parking lot (£3).  We decided to walk the trail from the parking lot to Ilam Rock and back – 1.75 miles each way.  Elaine started off as I was securing the car.  Problem!  The car wouldn’t lock.  There seemed to be no way to lock it, and locking was important as Elaine decided to leave her purse (and our passports) under her seat.  The solution to the immutable locking problem was simple.  I took Elaine’s purse out from under the seat, and the car locked up normally.  I put it in the back seat under some stuff – the car would not lock.  The answer: Elaine had the second key fob for the car in her purse.  Pierre will not let you lock the car if you leave the key fob in the car.  Who knew?

The stepping stones across the Dove River were just a ten minute walk from the lot, and when we arrived, we basically had the place to ourselves.  The walk on from there was pleasant, through the woods, over and down one hill, and finally we arrived at Ilam Rock.

Click on Pictures to Enlarge

As we headed back the other way, we encountered more and more walkers: serious hikers, families, and dogs galore.  The Stepping Stones had a long line of people waiting to cross.  We were so lucky to have arrived early and have the place to ourselves.  The parking lot was a madhouse, and there was a jam of cars waiting to get it.  Had we got here at noon, we would have u-turned and left.  We had a bit of bother negotiating the narrow entrance/exit road with all the incoming traffic, but Pierre made it through unscathed.

On the way back towards Blore, we stopped for a brief look at Blore Pastures, and then headed to Mappleton for lunch at the Okeover Arms.  We sat outside and enjoyed wine (E) and beer (J) with lunch:  fried chicken sandwich for Elaine (it was blah) and a Ploughman for me (it was OK).  It was enjoyable just for sitting outside and enjoying the warmer temperatures (upper 60’s).

Back at home, we went back down the road to St Bartholomew’s Church for a look inside.  There are services every Sunday with a congregation of 10-12.  The organ is very interesting – like an organ in a box.  Then we started cocktails on the lawn before joining Roger and Victoria, our landlords, and we met their lovely children, a daughter age 18 who will start Oxford in the fall and a son age 16.  Both attend boarding schools near London but are home for mid-term break.  Delightful polite kids!

Our pies for dinner were great, and we watched Britain’s Got Talent where the son of our friend from Dingle was competing in the semi-finals.  Alas, he didn’t make it through.  Bummer.  Last full day in Derby/Stafford shires tomorrow.