Day 10 - Whitby and York

*Due to slow Internet speeds in the Lake District and Whitby, this post has been delayed.*

Our lodging in Whitby is in a haunted lodge, but unfortunately no one reported seeing any specters overnight. Whitby is a harbor village that's hilly and easy to get around. We walked into the city centre then across a bridge to where the streets narrow and many unique stores can be found. After walking a bit, we reached the famous steps up to the abbey. One of Whitby's most famous, but brief, residents was Braum Stoker; the Abbey and these steps play into the Dracula story. The village has embraced this connection and it's become somewhat of a Gothic/horror haven, especially during their annual festival. Due to time restrictions, we weren't able to climb the steps, but we did enjoy our morning walk!

After checking out, we headed over to Whitby Abbey. It's perched high on a hill above the village and is a ruin. This is one of my favorite abbeys. I love the different color stone that can be seen, the view out over the North Sea, and I marvel that this much has survived for so long, especially having been targeted by the Germans in WWII.

We skipped lunch today in order to get to York, a favorite highlight of any trip to England. After getting into town and parking the car, we headed to Betty's for afternoon tea. Betty's serves the tea in silver (stainless) pots with white china plates and cups, and the scones are served on a three tier serving trolley/tower. All very proper.

After tea, we head to York Minster, the crowning English cathedral in my opinion, for choral Evensong. This was a special service three years ago and I'm happy to say it was just as magical today. The choir was made up of men and boys ranging from 6 or 7 to 50+. There are about 20 members of the choir and when they open up, they hit notes and volumes that make the hair on my hairs stand up. I loved the fact that we sang a closing hymn along with the choir and for a brief moment, I too was a York choir member...ha! After checking into our B&B we walked back into town to get dinner at Cafe Rouge. Unfortunately after a 40 minute walk, we discovered that it was closed for remodeling! However, we found a French restaurant across the street and ended up having one of the beat meals ever! A perfect way to wrap up a perfect day in England. Tomorrow our schedule is open as we tour York and pretty much do whatever we want in this great town.

 

Day 9 - Lake District, Hadrian's Wall, & Whitby

*Due to slow Internet speeds in the Lake District and Whitby, this post has been delayed.*

Since Ullswater was just to the east of our B&B, I decided to get up early to catch the sun rise over the still water and mountains. I wasn't disappointed as it was a wonderful sight!

After breakfast, we jumped in the car, headed up to Kirkstone Pass, then took the route called "The Struggle" down to Ambleside. This route has a 20% downward grade and is on a narrow road bounded by stone hedgerows. It's a lot of fun to drive and affords some spectacular views. Once we arrived in Ambleside, I had two destinations to cover: Old Bank Chocolates to get Kendel Mint Cakes and Friar's to get some random chocolate gifts. Kendel Mint Cakes are like Hershey bar sized York Peppermint Patties. They are crunchy/hard and pack a very minty punch. They are delicious and can be a great mid afternoon snack! After some additional shopping, we headed north to Dove Cottage where Wordsworth lived and wrote. We didn't tour the building, but we walked around the area and visited the gift shop. The workers were very nice and friendly, something we've found nearly everywhere we've been. The village of Grasmere, a short walk from Dove Cottage, was our next stop. Wordsworth and his family are interred in the local churchyard which is just around the corner from the famous Grasmere gingerbread kitchen. Picked up some for our car and for gifts, then headed to lunch.

Following a great meal overlooking the river, we headed to Keswick and the Castlerigg stone circle. This is located on the summit of a hill that is surrounded by the mountains of the area. Sheep roam freely and today many people were out picnicking amongst the stones. This is my favorite stone circle because of the location and I think Marianne and Carolyn enjoyed it too.

Next up was Housesteads Roman Fort which lies directly on Hadrian's Wall. I visited here three years ago, but it was so rainy and cold that we went into the visitors center and no further. Today, however, I had the chance to walk among the ruined fort walls, touch and walk on Hadrian's Wall, watch a farmer herd his sheep, and see the remains of the fort's latrine...fun! Housesteads is situation on a high point and one can easily see why the Romans chose to fortify this position. They could easily see the clans from the north approach from miles away. As a history buff, this site really spoke to me. Being able to touch and walk on this ancient wall built by Italians so far from home made it feel quite real and present.

 

Our final stop was our B&B in Whitby which is situated on the east cost of England with a ruined abbey sitting above the town on a bluff. Whitby is also known for having one the best places in England for fish and chips: Trencher's. After waiting a brief time in the queue, we sat down and were treated to the crunchiest batter and flakiest fish around. A great end to a wonderful day moving across the English isle. Tomorrow we explore the abbey before heading to York.