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?

The forecast was for heavy rain most of the day.  It started out and ended up that way, but much of the day was overcast but dry with off and on showers.  Rain did not deter the intrepid Elaine and Dorothy from their morning walk up and back to Dunstanburgh Castle.

CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE

At 9:30 we piled into Pierre Peugeot and headed back into Alnwick for some inside activities.  First stop was at the Hardy Museum and Shop.  (No, not Thomas Hardy, the author of the inscrutable Return of the Native, a book that I hated in High School and never actually read – don’t tell Miss Patton!  That Hardy is from Dorset, and we skipped his home and museum when we were there. That will teach him to write books so full of obscure symbolism, allegory, and imagery!).  This is the House of Hardy Fishing Tackle Museum and Store.  Hardy’s is a famous name to fly fishermen (like Elaine’s brother Greg).  They have been located here in Alnwick since 1872, originally as a gun shop.  While they sell most everything fishing related, the Perfect Reel is their most famous product.  (Think $500-$600)  It was an instant success when introduced in 1891, and the firm has built it, with occasional interruptions, right up to the present day, a feat that no other tackle manufacturer can even begin to challenge.  The museum (and the shop) would mainly appeal to fly fishing fanatics.  I think you would have to use a team of horses to get Greg Weiler out of here.

Next we headed to downtown Alnwick to visit the Bailiffgate Museum located just a stone’s throw down the road from Alnwick Castle, ancestral and current home of the Duke of Northumberland.  We visited the Castle and its magnificent gardens last year.  The Bailiffgate Museum is located in the former St Mary’s Church (Jesuit).  The Duke of Northumberland agreed to be the museum patron for some citizens who wanted to establish a museum in Alnwick.  It finally opened in 2002.  It is small but contains some interesting exhibits about the history of Alnwick.  Currently it is running an exhibit of some artwork associated with the Harry Potter books by illustrator Jim Kay.  (Much of the Harry Potter movies were filmed at Alnwick Castle.) In two weeks the whole exhibit will be moved permanently to the British Library in London.  There is an opportunity to dress up in Harry Potter costumes to take photographs which, of course, we declined.

After the museum we took the short ride to Boulmer yet again after having ascertained (by telephone) that the Fishing Boat Inn’s Seaside Restaurant would be open for lunch.  Good choice!  We had a prime table overlooking the foggy beach, and the food was excellent:

• (Elaine) Leek & Lentil Soup; Salmon and Cod Fish Pie with Prawns on Top; and Carrot Cake
• (Joe) Fried Whitebait with Tartare Sauce; Baked Cod with Crab; and Lemon Tart with Raspberries

Then it was back home to Craster Rocks for a quiet afternoon followed by a simple dinner snack of fruit, cheese, and crackers after de rigueur five o’clock cocktails.

It was misting when we got up at 5:30 (it starts to get light before 4:00), but it dried off a bit after 6:15.  Dorothy came by to walk to the Castle with Elaine, and they set off in dry conditions but bundled up in anoraks.  They came back an hour later pretty drenched as the rain was coming down pretty good.  I watched from the window.

With the weather, today was going to be a casual, stay-in kind of day with doing laundry on the agenda.  We did have to drive into Alnwick to visit Sainsbury’s for some supplies and for some petrol for Pierre. (Alnwick is pronounced Aneck by the locals, so I now pronounce it that way too.  When in Northumberland, do as a Northumberlander.)  After a bit of research, I decided we’d also stop at Barter Books for a look see.

I miss great bookstores.  I loved Waterstone’s in Boston in the old Exeter Street Theater.  I would go there at lunch time at work and wander around the three (four?) floors of books.  Barter Books is not quite that but rather an antiquarian book store, one of the largest in the UK.  And it is wonderful!  We wandered about the aisles and enjoyed seeing it all.  There are cheap books and expensive collector editions.  And, best of all, Barter has the Station Buffet – the whole of Barter Books is located in a 19th century railroad station last used in 1908.  We enjoyed lovely hot chocolate and scones with clotted cream and butter.  People are encouraged to browse the books and read them in the buffet and numerous other seating areas throughout the building.  There is a roaring fire in the entry lounge.  Years ago the owner found an old forgotten WWII poster that he liked.  His wife framed it and hung it in Barter Books.  People liked it, and he started selling images of it.  Now it is seen and sold everywhere in its original form and hundreds of parodies. It all started here.

CLICK PICS TO ENLARGE

After Barter Books, we did our grocery shopping and filled up Pierre Peugeot.  Then we drove the short distance back to Boulmer on the coast for a lunch at the Fishing Boat Inn.  Alas, the pub, highly recommended by Dorothy, is closed on Monday.  So we headed a few miles north to Low Newton by the Sea where we had Sunday brunch at the Joiner Arms.  This time we sought out the Ship Inn down by the beach.  It’s a tiny place that has its own microbrewery. Elaine sipped a ginger beer while I had White Horses blond beer brewed on site.  Elaine had their famous local crab sandwich for lunch while I had a Ploughman’s plate with local ham and sharp cheddar and apple chutney.  All delicious.  We got soaked walking back uphill to the parking lot.

Then it was home.  The rain stopped momentarily and I ventured down to Craster’s famous Robson’s Smokehouse where they produce the famous Craster Kippers.  No kippers today, thanks, but I purchased some pots of crayfish and mussels for starters at tonight’s home cooked meal.  Since I was “downtown”, I stopped in at the Jolly Fisherman Pub for a pint of Timothy Taylor draft beer.  We’ll be back here Wednesday night for a repeat dinner.

The crayfish and mussels with seafood sauce (purchased at Sainsbury’s in anticipation) were delicious.  Leftover Tikka Marsala with green beans was an excellent rainy day meal, this time served with nice garlic naan.  After dinner the rain had let up a bit, so we walked down to the Jolly Fisherman for a nightcap and had a nice conversion with two locals just back from a training exercise with the local RNLI crew.  We had watched them come into the harbor as we walked down.  The RNLI is Britain’s lifeboat service, separate from the Coast Guard and independent of government, run by volunteers and funded by donations and grants.

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.

Click to enlarge

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!)

Click pics to enlarge

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.

So Tuesday was overcast with high clouds but dry and warmer.  We had a single destination for the day – Kedleston Hall – for a walk and a visit to the house.  It’s only a 30 minute drive away.  The grounds open at 10:30, the house opens at 12:00.  So we had a leisurely morning at home before setting off at about 10:00 am.  Sometimes you think “what, another country house to visit, maybe we should just skip it”.  But every one is different and magnificent in its own way.

Kedleston Hall, administered by the ever present National Trust, is another English country house and the seat of the Curzon family.  The current house was commissioned in 1759 by Sir Nathaniel Curzon (Baron Scarsdale).  He put a relatively unknown architect, Robert Adams, in charge of the construction.  Adams eventually became one of the most successful and fashionable architects in England and created the “Adam Style“.  He designed the outside, inside , and the extensive grounds and gardens which are still referred to as the Pleasure Grounds.  The gardens and grounds today, over two hundred years later, remain mostly unaltered.  Interestingly, parts of the estate are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, primarily because of the “rich and diverse deadwood invertebrate fauna inhabiting its ancient trees”.  Ah, OK.  Also in the garden is a hermitage – originally  a hermitage was a small hut lived in by a religious man or woman. It was usually built away from other people’s houses. But in the 18th century, a hermitage was one of many small buildings landowners added to their parks and gardens.  Like the other garden buildings, a hermitage was used for entertainment or as space to get away from society. A landowner might also advertise for a hermit to come and live in the hermitage as an attraction for visitors.

As usual, click on pictures for an enlarged version in a separate window or tab

Kedleston Hall played an interesting role in WWII.  In 1939, it was offered by Richard Curzon, 2nd Viscount Scarsdale, for use by the UK War Department.  Kedleston Hall provided various facilities during the period 1939–45 including its use as a mustering point and army training camp. It also formed one of the Y-stations used to gather Signals Intelligence via radio transmissions which, if encrypted, were subsequently passed to the codebreakers at Bletchley Park for decryption.  There’s your WWII history lesson for the day.

Before touring the impressive house, we did a 3.2 mile walk around the Pleasure Grounds.  The walk was easy and nice and level – no climbing!  We stopped by the artificial lake near the end of the walk to eat the picnic lunch we had brought along.  The Pleasure Grounds are a popular picnic spot.

Then we did a self tour of the house, an impressive edifice with a beautiful interior.  Some of the collections inside are quite amazing.  Two highlights come immediately to mind:

• An impressive Tiger rug (that would be (or maybe is) very politically incorrect today, but it is impressive none the less displayed right in front an equally impressive Howdah (elephant saddle).  Not many places to see a tiger rug or an elephant saddle at all, let alone right beside each other.

• The Peacock Gown worn by Lady Mary Curzon (who was from Chicago) was assembled in India from panels of chiffon that had been embroidered and embellished by Delhi and Agra craftsmen using the gold wire weaving method. It was shipped to Paris where the dress was styled with a long train edged with white chiffon roses. The panels were overlapping peacock feathers that each had a blue/green beetle wing at the center. Over time, the metal thread in the dress has tarnished but the beetle wings have not lost their luster.  The ill-fated Lady Curzon (she died at 36) wore the dress to celebrate the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII at the second Delhi Durbar in 1903.  The Delhi Durbar was held to celebrate the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India.  That, of course, would also be the King or Queen of England.

Some pictures from the rest of the impressive Kedleston Hall:

After the house we did a quick visit to the All Saints Church on the grounds (Yes, the same as the church at Sudbury Hall that we saw yesterday.)  Then it was back to Pierre Peugeot for the ride home for a late afternoon at leisure.  Cocktails were outside on the lawn.  Our landlord, Roger, joined us for a glass of wine and invited us to join him and his wife tomorrow night for cocktails.

Dinner tonight was at the Bowling Green Inn in Ashbourne.  Elaine picked off TripAdvisor, a site we use often and contribute reviews to regularly.  It is noted for its steaks, something I usually avoid in the UK because they don’t live up to US standards.  It was very good.  I started with sweet and spicy chorizo while Elaine enjoyed smoked salmon with asparagus.  I went with a steak – a 9 oz. fillet, ordered medium rare, and it was very good and cooked perfectly.  Elaine had sea bass with more asparagus.  The portions were large and we skipped dessert.  Instead we had dark chocolate coated ginger cookies at home before calling it a day.