Day 22 – A Motorway, A Mountain, and A Cloudy Afternoon

Friday broke clear and sunny in Liverpool.  We went back to Pret A Manger for breakfast.  I had a great ham, cheese, and tomato croissant, and we split a blueberry muffin, the best one I have had since the ones at Jordan Marsh in Boston.  We had a nice chat with a woman from Sky News who wanted our opinion about Britain leaving the EU.  I am against; she was in favor of leaving.  We also talked about Donald Trump.  She is quite amazed that he gets so many votes; so are we.  We walked around a bit and took some sunny Liverpool pictures to replace the ones lost to the faulty SD card.  After that, suitably sustained with food, we loaded up Vic the Volvo and set out for Craster in the Northumberland area of England.

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Liverpool in the Morning

 

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Naval Training Ships

 

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Along Albert Dock

 

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Great Reflections

 

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Elaine with Liverpool’s Own Billy Fury

 

 

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The Flag is Up on the Boats (8 AM)

 

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Elaine at Pret A Manger

 

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Construction Zone

The drive to Craster was divided into two distinctly different parts.  Part one was a boring drive north up the M6 Motorway from Liverpool to Penrith.  Busy motorway, boring ride.  Part two saw us swing east on minor roads to cross the Pennine Mountains to get to the eastern shore of England.  No traffic, one lane in each direction.  The ride included a section that has been deemed by the AA (Automobile Association of Britain) as one of the ten best drives in the world, one beloved by motorcyclists for its challenges and views.  Vic handled the switchbacks and the climbing and descending with aplomb.  The views from the top at Hartside Summit were wonderful.  We stopped later on in a pretty town called Morpeth for lunch in a pub.

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A Little Off Course?

 

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Hartside Summit

 

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Views North to Scotland

 

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Pretty Spectacular

Craster is a very small town with no supermarket or even fully stocked grocery store.  So we stopped in Alnwick at a Sainsbury supermarket and picked up supplies: wine, water, lunch meats for picnics, and the makings for a home cooked meal tonight.  We arrived at Craster Rocks, our home for the next seven days, under thick cloudy skies.  The site is stupendous, the views wonderful, and the house very nice.  We settled in with cocktails, and then Elaine prepared a delicious chicken dinner before we retired for the night.

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Craster Rocks

 

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View from the Living Room

 

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Elaine in Dining Area (Kitchen Behind)

 

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The Living Room

 

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Kid’s Bedroom

 

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Master Bedroom

 

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Bedroom #3

 

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Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

It is now Saturday morning as I post this. Cloudy but the forecast is good.   I awoke this morning to take these pictures out our front window:

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4 thoughts on “Day 22 – A Motorway, A Mountain, and A Cloudy Afternoon

    1. Craster, where we are, is 42 miles north of Whitley Bay. We may or may not get down that way.

  1. Wow I love these pics! Only one you have posted of Elaine without a pint or wine glass! Really wish we were there!!

    Best Ann and Russ

    Gorgeous day here too!!!

  2. You all are really lucky with those homes. The view of this one is wonderful. Loving the sheep in the yard as well as the ocean view. Saw where Phoenix was 113 the other day. They said it was a record for this time of year. Be safe, Love Cindy

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