Edinburgh, Queensferry and home

 To end the trip, we took the train from York to Edinburgh and then on to Queensferry, a town just West of Edinburgh but close to the airport.  Due to a number of delays, our arrival in Edinburgh was late enough to qualify for a refund.  Steady rain limited our activities there, so we went to Marks and Spencer for afternoon tea and to stock up on biscuits.  

I was still raining when we got to our B and B.  The owner Anne graciously offered to drive us to an excellent Indian restaurant for dinner where we enjoyed our meal in dry clothing.  On the wet walk back we saw some of what makes Queensferry a popular destination - cobbled streets, maritime history and three iconic bridges over the Firth of Forth. 

Returning to Toronto was uneventful in a good way.  After 23 days away, it was wonderful to see how lush and green the neighbourhood was.  Home Sweet Home!

Ribblehead

 Ribblehead viaduct is a long structure that was built during the rail boom of the 1870’s.  It was part of the Settle to Carlisle line and eventually became part of the current Network Rail; in other words, it’s in active commercial use and is not just a ‘preserved line’.  About 1.5 million bricks were used in its construction and some 200 people died building it (many of those deaths were due to disease and natural causes, not necessarily accidents).

We had originally planned to visit it mid-week and set off for Leeds where there’s a change of trains to take the Settle-Carlisle line.  When we got to Leeds we found that the train was only going partway because the heavy rains of the previous day had washed out some of the track.  There was a shuttle bus available to bypass the damage.  However, as it wasn’t clear that we would be able to get back to York on the same day we decided to give up and try again later in the week.

By Saturday, the track had been repaired and the weather looked much better.  It being the start of a long weekend, the trains were packed.  And not just with knobby-kneed pensioners like ourselves but lots of young people too.  Evidently, hiking has not gone out of style, at least not in Yorkshire.  Some people had large backpacks so were evidently going for multi-day camping trips across the Dales.

We exited at Ribblehead and had an enjoyable day walking around the valley.  Not really a major hike, just a pleasant stroll.  We ate our lunch sitting on some rocks next to a cattle grid.  We didn’t see any cattle, just lots of sheep.  We also saw this steam engine crossing the viaduct.  It’s not the train we travelled on, just a ‘special’ that runs on some weekends.

On returning to the railway station, we found that we had a bit of a wait until the next train back to Leeds.  We also found that the volunteers who staff the station do teas.  This was served to us what must have once been a waiting room and is now surrounded by murals recounting the history of the station and the viaduct.

Yorkshire

 Our base for exploring Yorkshire was a quaint coach house in the "Bishy" (Bishopthorpe) Road area of York, about 15 minutes walk from the historic town centre.  The house was charming and roomy with all we needed for the week.   

We spent several days touring the walled city and learning about its history from Clifford's Tower, the Army Museum and a "free" walking tour given by an amateur historian who collected tips at the end.  

The picturesque coastal town of Whitby was the destination for a pleasant day trip, this time by bus which provided great views of the Yorkshire countryside and shoreline.  After exploring the harbour, we climbed the 199 steps to see the gothic Whitby Abbey and the nearby and lovingly maintained Church of  St. Mary.  

 Before returning to York, we thoroughly enjoyed a classic cream tea in a traditional tea room called Botham's.  

Dover and Fan Bay Deep Shelter

 

Barb was keen to see the ‘White Cliffs of Dover’.  As it’s an easy train ride from Canterbury, we decided to do a day trip there and do a bit of a walk along the Coastal Path.  First we looked around Dover town for a bit – I was surprised at how small it is – and visited the museum.  It’s actually very good and has lots of information about the town’s origins and history.

There’s also a display about the Royal National Lifeboat Institute which had one of its first stations in Dover.

Another display is about cross-channel swimming.  I had no idea that so many people have swum it!  These include, of course, our very own Marilyn Bell and Cindy Nicholas.

To get to the coastal path, we had to walk through the town, along its waterfront promenade and past the ferry port.  Eventually, we climbed up a long flight of steps and were in the open with glorious views of sheep and chalk cliffs:

At the visitor center we found that we were quite close to the Fan Bay Deep Shelter and that tours of these tunnels could be had.  The volunteers provided us with helmets and headlamps and took us down into the cold, wet tunnels.  These were dug out of the chalk in WW2 when gun emplacements were built nearby.  They were supposed to provide living accommodations for the gun crews who worked shifts to provide a lookout around the clock. 

In fact, the tunnels proved to be unhealthy places to live as they were so damp and poorly ventilated.  Mold grew everywhere and metal rusted quickly.  In the end, the tunnels were used as air-raid shelters while the crews lived in Nissen huts on the top of the cliffs.

The tunnels were abandoned in the 1970s only to be rediscovered in 2012 and opened to visitors by the National Trust.

Canterbury

 Canterbury is a medieval city and UNESCO world heritage site which makes a pleasant walking tour.  A highlight of our time there was the self-guided audio tour and museum dedicated to St Augustine's Abbey.  a monastery founded in 598 and continuing until 1538 when it was destroyed during the English Reformation.  

 To avoid crowds, we visited the famous Canterbury Cathedral first thing one morning.  We had a peaceful time exploring on our own and then joining groups for short talks on the chapter house and a particular stained glass artist.  When we emerged, the tour groups were lined up waiting to enter.

That afternoon, we took the train to the retro seaside holiday town of Margate, expecting a tranquil few hours admiring the Victorian hotels and wide beaches.  We didn't know that the whole town would be taken over by the Malle Mile Beach Race, a weekend-long celebration of inappropriate motorcycle culture.  We took a long walk away from the noisy festivities, grateful to return to calm Canterbury that evening.  

Family Visits

We had two family visits:  Teresa and James in Wimborne and Matthew in London.

Having disembarked at Southampton, it should have been an easy train ride to Poole.  However, the Southampton station was very busy as a large group of people were transferring from cruise ships to trains.  Fortunately, nearly all of them were travelling in the opposite direction from Poole, i.e. towards London.  But there was a single queue for the ticket office and we had to wait in line in order to get our Britrail passes properly validated. 

Poole is about the same as I remember it from years ago.  We had some extra time so we took a look around the 'old town' on the other side of the railway tracks.  Strangely, I don't think I've ever been there before!  Along the way, we found an excuse to go into a Costa and have a morning cup of coffee.  This particular Costa permits dogs but they are supposed to stay in one section near the door.

One change is that Marks and Spencers is no longer in the Dolphin Centre having closed in 2022.  It was at that location for 50 years!

We took the #3 bus to Wimborne which dropped us off at the town square.  With a little help from Google Maps, we got our bearings and walked to Glendale Close in light rain.

The next day, Teresa and James suggested a visit to Kingston Lacy which is about 5 km north west of Wimborne.  It was a very interesting visit and it's well staffed with volunteers stationed in each room.  Each one gives a short talk on the points of interest in that particular room.

After touring the building, we walked through the extensive gardens and lawns.  Near the end, we spotted a robotic lawn mower.  It seemed to have lost its way - or perhaps it was trying to escape.  After some back and forth, it gave up and hid under some bushes.

A few days later (after our Canterbury visit) we took the train up to London's St Pancras station where we had arranged to meet Matthew at the famous statue of John Betjeman.  It worked out quite well as he had just arrived in London a couple of days earlier but had not yet started teaching his class so he had a bit of time to spare.  The weather was nice and sunny that day so we decided to walk over to Regent's Park.   The park was quite busy with lots of people jogging, strolling around, some with kids, some with dogs and a few on bicycles or scooters.  Here's the sculpture of Triton:

After an outdoor lunch and a walk through Bloomsbury, we returned to King's Cross Station and took the very fast LNER train to York.

Galas and Ballrooms

The QM2 is a ship that honours its Britishness.  An elegant, multi-course afternoon tea is served each afternoon by white-gloved waiters accompanied by a pianist or string trio.  We went once and enjoyed the experience.

The dress code for dinner in the dining room is smart attire except on gala nights where diners are expected to don evening wear (tux or dark suit for men, gown or cocktail dress for women).  We came prepared.

It was fun to dress up, attend the dinner and then move on to the ballroom for more glamour.