Home safe and sound.  Flight from London Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic to Boston was easy and on time.  We were in the Logan Hilton by 9 PM in time for a mediocre dinner before going to bed.  We did see tall ships in the harbor for the Sail Boston 2017 event as we landed, and we had a great night view of a couple of ships from our room.

Early Monday morning we flew home on American Airlines.  Again, it was a non-eventful flight and landed on time.  We were home by early afternoon.

Note:  In this post and all future posts pictures will be posted in gallery mode.  I also updated the previous two posts to show the pictures in gallery mode.  I think it saves space.  And it’s easier to caption the pictures.  You just click on any picture in the gallery and a temporary gallery window will open.  In that window you can browse through all the pictures in that gallery.

We had a great time in the UK.  It was a very eventful time there with terror attacks in Manchester and London and a horrific fire in London.  The election happened during our stay, and the results will bring about more turmoil for UK citizens.

Here’s a final gallery of some of my favorites photos that we displayed during the 30+ days that we were gone.

We had great weather for our UK stay.  Aside from odd rain showers, we only had two days of steady rain, and we saw sun for at least part of every other day.  The temperatures were in the 50’s and 60’s for the whole trip until we reached Oxford.  50’s and 60’s is very comfortable for us Arizonans, often requiring a light jacket but a definite nice feeling when we think the temperatures at home.  In was in the 70’s for our two days in Oxford.  Today in Windsor, the temperature is up to 80, and it’s uncomfortably humid.  We’ll survive the one day.

We had a nice day in Windsor after arriving from the 90 minute drive in from Oxford.  We went to Pret A Manger (they have locations in Boston and New York now too – their concept is grand) for a light lunch and then stopped for an ice cream on Windsor’s High Street.  We have done Windsor numerous times, so other than a walkabout, there is no need to see the sights.  Once again, the Queen did not invite us for tea at Windsor Castle.  Bummer.  (And she is in residence at Windsor Castle now after celebrating her official (not actual) birthday today in London with the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Ascot Racecourse is nearby, and next week is the Royal Ascot week when all the royals will be making appearances there.)  Beers in the courtyard of the King & Castle Pub and we were ready for a nap in the heat.

Gallery of a Windsor Walkabout (Click Any Photo to Bring Up Gallery Window)

We checked in the 76 Duke Street B&B at 3:00 PM.  We have stayed here multiple times and were greeted warmly by our old friend, Julia.  After showers and a nap, we were ready for dinner at Dhinchak where we have also eaten before.  Indian food is England’s food of choice, especially in the big cities.  Oddly, we have not had any on this trip until tonight.

Tomorrow late afternoon we will fly to Boston.  Arriving at 9 PM and leaving early the next morning for Phoenix, there is not time for any reunions.  We will simply stay at the airport and leave immediately after breakfast.  This will be the last blog post for this trip save for a “home safe” post on Tuesday (or when I remember to do it given jet lag).  Next trip will be my solo trip to Saratoga in late July.  After that, we’ll be back with the great Canadian Train Adventure in September – a VIA (Canadian Amtrak) luxury rail trip from Toronto to Vancouver followed by eight days in delightful Depoe Bay, Oregon.

 

Last year we finished up the trip with two days in another university town, Cambridge, and we enjoyed it.  However, Oxford is a smaller city and we enjoyed it even more. It’s a very walkable city, and Pierre has been resting at the B&B since we arrived.

The University of Oxford self describes itself as follows: “Oxford is a collegiate university, consisting of the central University and colleges. The central University is composed of academic departments and research centres, administrative departments, libraries and museums. The 38 colleges are self-governing and financially independent institutions, which are related to the central University in a federal system. There are also six permanent private halls, which were founded by different Christian denominations and which still retain their Christian character.”

So you don’t see a lot of U of Oxford buildings, but there are two of note, and we visited both:  the Bodleian Library and the Church of Saint Mary.  You can only see the inside of the library on a guided tour, so we did one.  The tour guide was an older gentleman who was delightful – knowledgeable with a wry sense of humor and excellent style.  He made what could have been a boring hour both interesting and enjoyable.  No pictures allowed inside the library proper as it is a working library.  While the Bodleian has all the modern technologies of a world class library, we toured the “Old” Bodleian which is a fantastic collection of antiquarian texts.

Gallery of the Bodleian Library and the Church of St Mary

(Click Any Picture to Open Gallery Window)

Oxford consists of 38 colleges.  We viewed a few and visited one: Christ Church College.  We had a short walk around the campus and visited Christ Church College Cathedral.  Final tests of the academic year are going on now and graduation is under way.  We saw a bit of the celebrations going on.

We had lunch at the historic Chequers Pub in a hidden cul-de-sac on Oxford’s High Street.

We stopped in Oxford’s Covered Market.  Then we ventured down the road for a stop at Oxford’s Botanical Gardens.  Lots of flowers.  More flower pictures.

Finally we stopped at the Angel and Greyhound Pub for a pint before heading back to the B&B for a rest before dinner.

Dinner was a return trip to Moya Slovak Restaurant.  Again, the food was brilliant, and the service was excellent.

It’s Saturday morning now.  We head out a bit later for Windsor for our last night in the UK.  A final report will follow from there.

Wednesday – 199 Steps to St Mary the Virgin Church

After posting yesterday’s blog at the Coliseum Café, we took a short ocean ride on Whitby’s old lifeboat, the Mary Ann Hepworth.  It just rides out of the harbor out a short way, but it was fun.  The captain was a pirate.

Lifeboat Gallery (Click Any Pic to Bring Up Gallery Window)

After landing we headed for the east side of Whitby where the 199 steps lead up the East Cliff to St Mary the Virgin Church and Whitby Abbey.  It was on the tiny beach below the steps that Dracula shipwrecked and then climbed the 199 steps to reach the top.  I counted the steps to be sure there were 199.  There were.  After our climbs up and down hill towns all over England, I can tell you that 199 steps is nothing!  Today was the warmest day we have had on the trip, and the steps were teaming with tourists and kids on school trips.  At the top we visited St Mary’s Church and saw Whitby Abbey just a short walk away.  Since we had visited there on arrival day in Whitby, we didn’t go back.

Gallery of the 199 Steps

After the easy descent, it was lunchtime.  England is famous for fish and chips, and Whitby is famous for having England’s best.  We had previously enjoyed an excellent fish and chips at Hadley’s, but this time we opted for Trencher’s which supposedly served the best fish and chips in Whitby (and, therefore. the best in England, and, therefore, the best in the world).  It was a 20-minute wait in line to get into the nice restaurant, and we can ascertain that Trencher’s serves a superb fish and chips.  Elaine had a rosé while I had a Theakston’s Ale brewed in Yorkshire. (Inspector Banks loves Theakston’s.)

Lunch at Trenchers

Then it was back home to Galatea Cottage for a leisurely afternoon of packing up for Friday’s departure to Oxford.  Dinner was eggs, ham, and potatoes as we used up the remainder of our groceries.  Our next two nights in Oxford and a final night in Windsor will be in B&B’s, so no more home cooking.

Thursday – Arrival in Oxford and an Afternoon at the Ashmolean Museum

The ride to Oxford was about 4.5 hours and was uneventful.  Because of congestion, they (who is they?) suggest that you park in a Park & Bus Ride lot outside town.  None of that for us!  We arrived in the city that is home to BBC’s Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis, and Endeavor in time to visit the famous University of Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology before checking in at our B&B.  We found a parking spot right around the corner, and traffic wasn’t bad at all. So there, they — damn the Park and Ride! The Ashmolean is free (£5 donation suggested), but we also paid to see a fantastic special exhibition of Raphael drawings (no pictures allowed).  After a wander around the museum, it was time to check in at the B&B.

Oxford Gallery

Our B&B, the Coach and Horses, is just outside Oxford city center on St Clement’s Street.  We have a very nice, spacious room on the third floor.  Lots of restaurants about to choose from.  We chose Moya Slovak Restaurant for tonight’s dinner.  Just a two-minute walk from the B&B, it was so good that we plan to return for an encore tomorrow night.

Starters

Joe:  Fish Cake – Sea trout and smoked haddock bound with potatoes, roasted red and yellow peppers, spring onions, petit pois, fresh herbs and breadcrumbs, served with home-made tartar sauce and green salad

Elaine:  Dumplings with sauerkraut in creamy paprika sauce.

Mains

Joe:  Confit of Duck Leg – Large, crisp and tender, slow-cooked in duck fat, served with red cabbage braised with apple and star anise; with gratin potatoes

Elaine:  Segedin – A creamy pork and sauerkraut goulash, gently seasoned with paprika and caraway, served with knedla, or sautéed potatoes

Desserts

Joe:  Orechovy Zavin – I lost the description – look at the picture.

Elaine:  Bublanina (Bubble Cake) – A light sponge studded with fresh berries, served warm with home-made vanilla custard

Monday: Clouds, Sun, Wind, Cool – A Visit to Staithes

I am posting this two-day blog Wednesday morning at the Coliseum Café.  The next post will be Thursday night or Friday morning from Oxford as we start to bring this spectacular vacation to a close.  More then.

A partly cloudy, windy, and cool day.  We started it off by going to the Coliseum Center Tea Room to use their Wi-Fi.  The Tea Room is a gathering spot for locals, but we got there early and beat the rush.  Hot chocolate and scones were the order of the day whilst we used their internet connection – £1/hour.  Elaine walked about as I finished up.  After a couple of pictures of the Whitby Harbor area and a “Whitby in Bloom” flower box (yeah, not so much in bloom at the moment, we hopped back in Pierre Peugeot for the short ride to Saithes.

Click Pictures to Enlarge (no captions today)

Staithes is yet another picturesque town with a harbor at the foot of a cliff.  No parking in the old town, so it was park on top and trek down. (It’s the going back up that is hard, but we’re getting used to it now.)  Staithes a quaint town with what looks like a busy harbor when the tide is in.  We were there at low tide, so the boats were all resting on bare ground waiting for the tide.  Note the odd pelican sculpture adorning one house.  The Cod & Lobster Pub is located right at the harbor, and after the steep walk down, we rewarded ourselves with a pint: Timothy Taylor Ale for me, Crabbie’s Ginger Beer (alcoholic) for Elaine.  I played fetch with a neighborhood dog on the beach.  As you can see from the picture of the truck, driving in the old town in Staithes is a bit of a challenge (and all the streets are two-way!)  After a stop in a  craft shop, we hiked back up Mt Everest to the car.

Pictures from Staithes

Elaine had prepared a picnic lunch, so we stopped in Sandsend and enjoyed it on a windy beachside bench.  My hat stayed in Pierre Peugeot all day as it would have disappeared like a flash in the wind.  After lunch we decided to call it an early day.  We did stop at Sainsbury’s for a Pierre petrol refill and for a final few groceries.  Then it was back to Galatea Cottage at Whitby Light for naps, snacks, television, reading, and waiting for cocktail hour.  There was time for a few pictures.  The Cleveland Way, a popular hiking trail, goes right by Whitby Light.  Hikers have been few and far between during our stay.  I wandered down the trail (hardly a hike) a bit to get a pictures of Whitby Light and the cliffs, a popular nesting place for sea birds.  The crest pictured is the logo for Trinity House, the organization that runs the lighthouses in England and also now rents out the lighthouse keeper cottages like the one we are in now.

Sammy Seagull, our house seagull, was perched as usual on the roof of the shed near our patio deck while we sipped cocktails and enjoyed cheese and crackers.  A pigeon dared land on the shed but quickly fled when Sammy attacked and bit his tail.  Dinner tonight was a hodgepodge at home – soup as a main for Elaine and a Sainsbury prepared meal of Lamb Rogan Josh for me.

At Sandsend and Galatea Cottage

Tuesday: Eden Camp, the Story of Britain at War

Pictures from Galatea Tuesday Morning

Leaving the cottage, we weaved our way through the cows and the farmer was letting out into the pasture for the day.  Today we drove to Malton under partly cloudy skies to visit Eden Camp which was created as a prisoner of war (POW) camp for Italian and German prisoners during WWII.  It was one of dozens located all around England.  The original housing huts have been transformed into a museum of Britain at war with the emphasis on World War II (The People’s War – 1939-1945).  From the Home Front to the Front Line, a nation pulls together.  There is memorabilia galore.  The story of day to day life is recreated.  The best part may be the stories of individuals which are told in a compelling fashion.  News footage from the war is shown on videos, and there is a vast collections of WWII newspapers.  We were the first ones through the doors when the museum opened at 10:00.  We finally left at 2:30.  If you read everything, you could spend a week here.  Here are lots of pictures.  Most are self explanatory, a few have captions.  They will give you an idea of the breadth of war coverage at Eden Camp.

Pictures at Eden Camp

On the way home we got a nice wash for Pierre Peugeot who now looks shiny and new again.  In the self-wash bay we were next to another 2017 Red Peugeot 3008 Grip.  What are the odds?

Dinner tonight was at Harry’s Lounge on the Pier Road down by Whitby Harbor.  Food was great.

(E) Prawns in Garlic Butter starter; 1/2 Lobster main; Eton Mess dessert

(J): New York Chowder starter; Grilled Halibut main; Ice Cream dessert

The New York Chowder was delicious but not Manhattan Style which is a desecration of good chowder.  After dinner we walked about Whitby for a bit, indiscriminately snapping pictures before returning to Galatea Cottage for the sunset.

Pictures of Dinner and of Whitby Harbor and back at Galatea Cottage

 

Friday – Arrival in Whitby

I am posting this from an internet café on Sunday morning as there is no wi-fi at Galatea Cottage.  To save time for me, there are no links to sites, but you can always use Google to look up something.  Also to save time, there are no captions on the pictures as I cannot add them until after they are uploaded.  I wrote the post in advance using Word and grouped the pictures for uploading as fast as possible.  Next update in a couple of days.

The drive from Craster through the Tyne Tunnel at Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Whitby was uneventful despite occasional rain showers.  As we entered Whitby, it seemed quite ordinary, but that opinion would quickly change.  We had almost four hours to kill before we could check in at our new lighthouse cottage, Galatea, so we drove immediately to visit Whitby’s most famous site, Whitby Abbey.  As we parked, it was immediately apparent that it is a magnificent and scenic place to visit.  There was some blue sky peeking through the clouds.  We walked the site and visited the museum.  We stopped in the Tea Shop for hot chocolate and scones with clotted cream and jam.

Pictures at Whitby Abbey. (Click to Enlarge)

Then we drove to Sainsbury’s on the edge of town to get our supplies for the week.  That accomplished, we still had an hour to kill.  By chance I noticed a sign for Whitby’s West Cliff parking lot, so, a cliff sounding promising, we headed there.  As we parked Pierre for a walkabout, it didn’t seem like there was much to see.  Then you emerge at the top of the West Cliff.  Magnificent views!  Bright sunshine!  Glorious!  I talked to a Brit who was sitting and enjoying the sun.  He told me it was his favorite spot in Britain.

Pictures on the West Cliff of Whitby (Click to Enlarge)

Finally it was time to find Galatea Cottage and settle in.  Actually, it is just down the road about a mile from Whitby Abbey.  We turned in, as instructed, on a farm track (single lane for both directions), drove through the farm, then past a few residences, slowly past some cows, past the Hornblower Lodge, and at the very end of the road we arrived at Whitby Light.  There are two cottages, Vanguard and Galatea, separated by the working lighthouse itself.  Galatea is the far one at the true end of the mile long farm track.  As we parked we gloried in seeing our picnic & cocktail table.  The house itself, like all our rentals, is very comfortable with all the amenities you could want (except, of course, wi-fi, which is missing at this isolated location).  The sun was shining brightly and it was pleasantly warm as we enjoyed cocktails on the patio.  Dinner, also enjoyed al fresco, consisted of crayfish pots that we had brought with us from Craster with a nice salad and Oyster Bay Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

Pictures at Galatea Cottage at Whitby Light. (Click to Enlarge)

Saturday – Rainy Day in Whitby

We awoke to the rain that was forecast for Saturday.  Since I didn’t have a map opf Whitby and didn’t know where our pre-reserved restaurant for tonight was located, first order of business was to drive into Whitby and find the Tourist Information Office.  That was easy.  Map in hand, we began a walkabout of Whitby in the rain.  First stop was the Captain Cook Museum where we were the first ones in.  An 86-year-old Brit serves as a guide there, and he adopted us and led us through the museum.

Pictures at the Captain Cook Museum. (Click to Enlarge)

One thing Whitby is famous for is as the onetime home of Captain James Cook, seaman extraordinaire.  He led three major exploratory expeditions that pretty much circumnavigated the globe.  He was the first seaman known to have crossed both the Artic and Antarctic circles.  He died on the third voyage in Hawaii, then know as the Sandwich Islands after the Earl of Sandwich, head of the British Admiralty and inventor of the sandwich (as a snack to eat when he was gambling).  Cook’s expeditions had illustrators and scientists aboard as a primary purpose was to discover new peoples, new plants, and new lands.  One of expeditions was to find a northwest passage through the Artic to the far east, but ice always blocked his way.  Had climate change begun centuries earlier, he might have succeeded.  Captain Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame) worked under Cook on one voyage.  Little know fact:  Bligh was a superb seaman and after having been tossed off the bounty with eighteen me into an open longboat, he successfully guided it over 3,600 miles back to England, continuing his surveying and exploring along the way.

After the museum, we wandered about in light rain to the harbor areas of Whitby.  One whole street reminded me very much of Revere Beach in the 1950’s – fudge shops, fish and chips take-outs, penny arcades, and souvenir shops.  There were also plenty of pubs and restaurants.  (In the 1950’s my grandfather tended bar for awhile at Lewis’s Restaurant on Revere Beach, and I remember him letting ,me stand with behind the bar.  Now there’s a long forgotten memory that came to mind in Whitby!)  One thing of note that we saw during our walk was the bottom of the 199 steps up the East Cliff to Whitby Abbey.  If you’ve read Dracula, then you have read of the 199 steps.  Bram Stoker used Whitby for the location of Dracula.  (We hope to walk up the 199 steps one qay before we leave.) Whitby is also famous for its fish and chips, so we had lunch at Hadley’s – haddock and chips for me with a bottle of ale; cod and chips for Elaine with pinot grigio.  After walking that off, we stopped in a pub for a loo break and a beer and then headed home to Galatea with the rain still falling.

Pictures of a Rainy Whitby Walkabout (Click to Enlarge)

The rains stopped and we sat outside in a chilly breeze for cocktails before driving to dinner at the Ditto Restaurant, selected though Trip Advisor and reserved long before we left home in Arizona.  It rivaled Whites of Ashbourne as the best meal of the trip.

Wine

A Delicious Red from the Bekka Valley in Lebanon

Starters

(Elaine):  Chicken Terrine with Red Pepper and Feta

(Joe):  Mackerel Fillets

Mains

(Both):  Sumptuous Duck Breast with Potatoes and Veg

Desserts

(Elaine):  Deconstructed Carrot Cake with Crumble and Vanilla Ice Cream

(Joe):  Lemon and Passion Fruit Cream with Sherbet

Pictures of Dinner at the Ditto (Click to Enlarge)

After dinner the sun was out, and we were just a short walk from the West Cliff.  We sauntered up and were rewarded with a couple of great photo ops.  On the drive home we passed by Whitby Abbey and had to stop for a couple more photo ops too good to pass up.  And there was a final op at Galatea when we arrived home ready for bed.

Photo Ops After Dinner (Click to Enlarge)

 

Sunday – Villages and a Train Ride

Sunday was mostly sunny.  We set off early to visit two villages each five miles in opposite directions from Whitby.  First stop was Robin Hood’s Bay.  The ridiculously picturesque old village is located at the bottom of a cliff.  We parked at the top (no parking down below) and walked down the narrow streets and lanes to the tiny beach at the bottom.  Walking back up was a bit tougher; I lagged well behind Elaine.  We rewarded ourselves at the top with hot chocolate and scones (with the requisite clotted cream and jam).

Pictures at Robin Hood’s Bay (Click to Enlarge)

Then we drove back through Whitby to Sandsend, a lovely beach town (thankfully not on a cliff).  We had a leisurely walk on the beach before heading tomour next destination, the highlight of the day.

Pictures at Sandsend (Click to Enlarge)

It was a 20-minute drive to Grosmont where we were to board the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) for a two-hour plus luncheon ride from Grosmont to Pickering and return on an old steam train once used on the long defunct British Railways  (British Rail still owns and maintains the tracks, but all passenger service was transferred to private ownership years ago.).  The vintage dining cars of the train were very comfortable and elegantly set for a very enjoyable three course luncheon.  We sat a table for four with a nice British couple and enjoyed good conversation with the food.  (Yes, of course, Trump was one subject of discussion; they are astounded by his loutishness, as are we.)

Pictures of the NYMR Luncheon Adventure (Click to Enlarge)

Then it was back home for cocktails under sunny skies on the patio deck.  Our cottage seagull settled in on the roof to join us.  And we took a good shadow picture.

Pictures At Galatea Cottage (Click to Enlarge)

It’s now Friday morning and we are packing up for our two-hour thirty-minute drive to Whitby where we stay for the next six nights in another lighthouse.  The lighthouse is isolated – no cell service and no internet.  So for the next six days there will be only one or two blog postings when I have time to drop by somewhere with internet and send an update.

Brief post today with some pics.  Dry in the morning, so Elaine and Dorothy did their walk.  By 8:30 it was raining, and it continued all day until late afternoon.  We thought about staying home and relaxing, but eventually we decided to drive north to Berwick-upon-Tweed to visit a few museums there.  It’s about a 45 minute drive.  Berwick (pronounced Berrick) is is a busy city just below the Scottish border.  We visited the Berwick Barracks and Fortifications which is administered by English Heritage.  There are three museums on site, and we visited all three: the King’s Own Scottish Borderers Regimental Museum, the Berwick Museum and Art Gallery, and the By Beat of Drum’ Museum charting the history of infantrymen in the British Army.  All were interesting in their own way.  After touring, we hopped back in the car, stopped at a Marks and Spencer Food Hall for a quick lunch, and headed back to Craster.

Click Pics to Enlarge and Read Some of the Interesting Museum Exhibits

After “Farewell to Craster” cocktails on the front deck, dinner was at the Craster Seafood Restaurant, part of Robson’s Kipper Smokehouse.  We joined our friends, Dorothy and Geoff, for a lovely meal with lots of good conversation.  I had cullen skink soup for a starter.  Delicious.  And my main was a Portugese fish dish.  I can’t remember off hand what everyone else had.  And unfortunately the waitress-taken picture of the four of us didn’t come out.

 

The wind and rain were too much for Elaine and Dorothy this morning at 6:30 AM, so they cancelled their walk up to the castle and back.  The rain stopped around 8:00 AM.  Elaine went down to the harbor to collect some sea glass, and later on she walked up to the castle (without me or Dorothy) to chat with her National Trust volunteer friend who unlocks the gate each morning.

We actually had sunny breaks by late morning.  Elaine cooked a nice ham and egg breakfast, so lunch will be just a snack somewhere.  We headed off at 11:15 AM to return to Chillingham where we saw the Wild Cattle earlier this week.  On the way we stopped off in pretty Beadnell to see Beadnell Bay, and we also visited the very picturesque St. Ebba’s Church (Anglican).  A service (the minister and a congregation of two) was actually taking place, and we were asked if we wanted to join in.  We did not, but we were invited to look around as the service continued.  We also saw the Craster Arms Hotel which oddly is located in Beadnell, not in Craster.

Today’s target was Chillingham Castle, the ancestral home of the Grey and Bennet family.  Earl Grey is most famously remembered by Earl Grey Tea..  This 12th century stronghold, just twenty minutes from the seaside, was ‘base-camp’ for the 1298 conquering attack on Scotsman William Wallace by the “Hammer of the Scots”, King Edward 1st.  Wallace had raided the previous year, burning the women and children to death in the local abbey.  The Castle was given permission to add battlements by King Edward III in 1344.  The Elizabethans added ‘Long Galleries’ and Capability Brown designed the park in 1752.  The glorious Italian garden was laid out in the 19th century by Sir Jeffrey Wyatville, fresh from his royal triumphs at Windsor Castle.  The Grey family retained possession of the castle until 1982 when they sold it.

Today the castle is owned by Sir Humphry Wakefield whose wife is descended from the Grey family, so they Greys are still involved in the castle.  Sir Humphry (he spells it without the e) took about a massive restoration and today markets Chillingham as the most haunted castle in Britain.  The most famous ghost of the castle is the “blue boy”, who used to haunt the Pink Room in the castle. Guests supposedly reported seeing blue flashes and a blue “halo” of light above their beds after a loud wail. It is claimed that the hauntings ceased after renovation work revealed a man and a young boy inside a 10-foot-thick wall.  The castle today houses Wakefield’s widely varying collection of antiques, all displayed with hand written notes by Wakefield who has a marvelous sense of humor.

Immediately on entering the castle we preceded to the tea room and were rewarded with a marvelous room with a roaring fire in the fireplace.  Hot chocolate and scones with jam served as lunch as we enjoyed the ambiance of the room.  The tea room itself is worth the price of admission.  The rest of the castle is just as marvelous.  He has a bathtub that was used by Marie Antoinette, acquired by Humphry Wakefield, sold to Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful, and eventually given back to Sir Wakefield.  I saw my second tiger rug of the trip.  Items have been stolen from here and eventually returned voluntarily when the thieves encountered bad luck.  The grounds are very nice as well.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

The weather was so beautiful that we decided at 3:00 PM to proceed to Howick Hall Gardens which is just a stone’s throw from Craster.  We thought we’d have a look today even though it was tomorrow’s intended target.  The weather for tomorrow looks horrible, so we opted to visit today.  Howick House is located on the grounds but is closed to the public as it is still the residence of a descendant of the Earls Grey.  Oddly enough, Chillingham and Howick Hall are both associated with the same line of the Grey family, a fact we didn’t know until we got here.  So, it was a strange coincidence that our day was totally entwined with the Greys.  The gardens cover many acres, and we toured a small portion including the Bog Garden and Lady Howick’s Private Garden which was fortunately open to the public today.

Cocktails as usual at 5:00 PM outside n the pleasant weather..  Dorothy stopped by on her way back from her afternoon walk to the Castle.  And we chatted with our neighbors in the next house who we had met last year.  They come to Craster every year at the same time to celebrate their anniversary.  Dinner tonight was a return visit to the Jolly Fisherman.  Elaine has been craving their mussels once again.  I had more Lindisfarne oysters and repeated my grilled mackerel main course.  We indulged in desserts as well – Sticky Toffee Pudding (a mainstay of British menus) for Elaine and a weird looking but delicious tart for me.  All in all, it was a glorious day with lots of bright sunshine and good times.

A few scenes from the walk from the Jolly Fisherman back to Craster Rocks Cottage including the nest where sand martins live.  The sand martins summer here and then migrate back to Africa.  we had a nest last year too.  Same family?