THE YORKSHIRE DALES 2

Bolton Abbey gives it's name to a pretty hamlet which is the home of the Duke of Devonshire. The remains of a 12th century Priory Church are the ccentrepiece of a beautiful piece of countryside and the river Wharfe which winds throughout. Pictures immediately above.As seems to be the norm, the Priory was partially demolished in the reign of Hentry VIII but some parts were saved, and ultimately a place of worship continued and has been used for over 800 years. Carol bought me a new Pommie cap from the shop here - very smart.
We then drove through some lovely country lanes and ended up at Grassington where we managed to park the car in one of the narrow streets. Carol had a local paper and saw an advertisment for the local b utcher selling Yorkshire beef - so of course we had to find his shop and inspect the goods. The steak looked great, so we bought two sirloins to have that night. I also bought a pork pie to supplement my packaged Ploughmans lunch, and it was the bst pork pie I have ever tasted.
Next was a visit to Fountains Abbey a National Trust site. In the 12th century a group of dissident Benedictine monks left York wishing to pursue a life of greater austerity! They were led to a wild wasteland in the narrow valley of the River Skell. After much hardship considerable wealth was provided by great Northern families and the Fountains became one of the most powerful religious houses in the north of England.
Subsequently the abbey and all it's possessions were surrendered to the King and the place fell into disrepair - a familiar story.But the National Trust have maintained the Studley Royal Water Garden which is a pleasant walk from the old ruins, and presents a delightful setting of formal lakes with classical statues and temples in the surrounding gardens. And so home to our steaks which were superb.
The last day involved driving to Malham and after driving up Malham Tarn - a narrow road up to the top at 370 metres- we parked the car and walked to Malham Cover. This cove is a limestone cliff face which originally was a mighty waterfall. On the way to the site we stopped at a group of bird watchers, who, complete with telescopes, were inviting people to observe birds. Out of eyesight, but caught by the telescope we saw a small owl happily resting in a tree and then a magnificent Kestrel sitting on a rock oblivious to the observation. The top photos sow the Cove and the surrounding hillside with the everpresent stone walls.

We drove home through miles of stone fences and fields with dozens of sheep and newborn lambs and stopped at Settle to have lunch at the Royal Hotel - a lovely old hotel which served excellent salads at a most reasonable price.

THE YORKSHIRE DALES

An early start saw us arrive in York by mid morning and an innovative car park at the Castle where we paid for parking by telephone!! The Castle is, as can be seen by the accompanying photo, a landmark in the city. A walk through the old town towards the Minster which is the largest medieval cathedral in Northern Europe takes you through the Shambles, a street that is so narrow that projecting first floors al most touch overhead.
The Minster itself is mind boggling. Daily services are held there and Stations of the Cross were perrformed while we were there (it being in the Easter week). The sheer size of the building begs the question of how this was built in the days before mechanisation and the octagonal chapter house where bishops metfor conferences for years ,s a masterpiece of decoration. Photo top left shows the dome.
Before leaving York we spent some time in the Castle Museum which was a journey through time brilliantly displaying how we lived in the past 2 centuries. Refrigerators were not common in England until well into the 1970's!
And so we proceeded to our rented cottage at C ononely a small village some 3 miles west of Skipton. The owner, who lived in the upstairs part of the house was most welcoming, and insisted on planning an itinerary for us so that we could fully explore the Dales, and she did a great job. We had dinner at the local pub ,The New Inn, and it was excellent.Their Steak and Kidney pie was as good as it gets, and fortified with a couple of glasses of Pino, we were more than happy to retire.
We took a train into Skipton the next morning - a whole $6 return -it was only a5 minute trip -and got some good advice from a fellow traveller about walking along the canal banks. The main attraction was Skipton Castle which was started in the 14th century and subsequently modified by Henry VIII and in the 17th century. It was partially demolished by that bloody Cromwell fellow after a 3 year seige which failed to break the defences. Talking to the custodian however, and asking the question of "how did they have enough tucker to last three years?" it seems that during the seige,other battles were fought nearby, and both the seigers and seigees were free to take part as a sort of gentlemans agreement!! Meanwhile the local supportive villagers raced in with refreshments.
This was an area which relied on wool production, and everywhere there are old textile mills once the centre of employment for towns and villages alike. A feed of "The best Fish'n Chips in the World" satisfied the hunger buds and predicated a very light evening meal.
When we got back to Cononley we decided to go to the Bronte Museum at Haworth, and although I was a bit lukewarm about the idea, found the exhibition quite fascinating and very educational. The history of the family was well presented and it was possible to feel the circumstances in which the tragedy (and success) of these young ladies took place. And Carol, of course, just loved it.

CORNWALL 2

Still can't get these pictures in the right place - butthat's life! The ones above and below are of Tintagel Castle on the North Cornish coast - the legendary home of King Arthur. Amazing ruins and a test of fitness to climb up the many steps to get ot the top. The coast line here all tall rocky cliffs and while the sea was fairly quiet while we were there one can easily imagine the dangers to ships during storms - lots of shipwrecks around here. On the way over to Tintagel we called into Launceston which funnily enough is on the River Tamar. We wanted to have a look at the castle there, b ut had trouble getting a parking spot, and then Carol spotted a sign which advertised the Tamar Otter Farm and indicated that the otters were fed each day at 12 noon. So we high tailed it to the farm and spent a most interesting hour or so hearing about the life of Otters and seeing several Asisan otters and British otters in their pens. Feeding time allowed us to get a better view of these lovely little creatures, which although friendly looking,were, according to the keeper, not to be petted as they would quickly bite of a finger! I managed to get a good shot of devouring apiece of raw fish - it disappeared in seconds - the fish I mean!
At the park there were also a n umber of Peacocks/geese and wallabies roaming around.
Wednesday was spent visiting Fowey/Polperro and Looe -all charming fishing villages with incredibly narrow streets. I drove down one with some trepidation uncertain as to whether it was one way or not, and stopped to ask a bloke if it was OK to go down - he said "Yes mate - but hurry as there is no one coming ujp at the moment"
The last day was spent in Falmouth where there is an excellent marine museum. Highlight of the museum was a special exhibition of "survivors at sea" including a first class film of Tony Bullimore's dramatic antartic rescure by the Australian Navy. All types of marine craft are on display including a Flying Dutchman, the type of yatch which Ben and I tried to restore some years back. The accompanying description stated that when the Dutchmas was first introduced into competitive sailing races, there was an attempt to ban it because ot was "dangerous to crew and fellow competitors !"
After lunch at the museum we went on to Pendennis castle which overlooks the Fal estuary and complements the St Mawes Castle on the opposite side of the estuary. It was used extensively during WWII equipped with modern weaponry.

CORNWALL 1

Above is a shot of the cottage that we rented -very tiny but superbly equipped.Right is a typical Cornish village street and under that is a three master in Charlestown inner harbour being converted (temporarily) into a Man O War for a film that Mel Gibson is to star in soon!!


We drove from Peter's place down to Sidmouth and a B and B. Had a look around the seaside town -shingle beach and high cliffs.Nice dinner at the Ships'Inn.

Sunday we drove across Dartmoor stopping at Princetown which is where the prison is. Excellent information centre on the area. Then on to Buckland Abbey bbuilt in the 13th century and later home to Sir Francis Drake. Good museum about Francis attached and interesting facts that we did not learn at scchool. Frank's early career was highlighted b y the capture of several Spanish treasure ships near South America.His return home with this treasure for Queen Elizabeth made him her favourite (You bet!).His fame was gained by defeating the Spanish Armada in the English Channel, but it seems that he was bit lucky in this with wind and tides both in his favour rather than success through a brilliant strategy. His subsequent forays at sea were quite unsuccessful and the Queen ditched him like any sensible woman! He died at sea.The cafe at the museum had great Cornish Pasties!!
And so to Charlestown and our Cobblers Cottage. Two rooms - one up and one down\.Down was the sitting room/dining/kitchen and up was the bed/bath/laundry/loo. Very compact and absolutey perfect for us being right opposite the Rashleigh Arms Hotel.

Next day we visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan. At the end of the 19th century the Tremayne family, who had lived on the estate for over 400 years, had a vast garden of more than 200 acres at it's zenith. Within a few years bramble and ivy had taken over because of neglect, and years followed where the continuing neglect should have consigned the Gardens to history. Instead entusiasts decided to restore the gardens in the 1990's and continue to develop the project to this day. The overgrowth that had to be cleared away was unbelievably jungled, and as parts were cleared more and more discov eries of past treasures were made.
From Heligan to Mevigissey - a little fishing port and our first experience of driving through squeezed streets. The coast here is very tidal, and fishing boats and yachts lie marooned on the harbourbed during low tide. The village is surrounded by cliffs with houses built into them and nearly all painted white.unch on the harbourside and then off to St Mawes Castle on the eastern side of the channel leading to the River Fal and the town of Falmouth.The castle is the most beautiful of Henry V111's coastal fortresses. It is opposite Pendennis Castle on the Western side which enabled their respective cannon to completely cover the channel entrance. They are both in remarkable condition considering the age ,and were used as defense posts during WW!!.

Across the River Fal by chain ferry and a short visit to Trelissick Gardens - a National Trust garden with acres of rhodedendron and flowering magnolias. It would be a magnificent sight in a few more weeks.