• Margate Lido, Cliftonville
      Artwork and GraffitiThe Anthony Gormley sculpture (Another Time)Droight HouseThe old Margate LighthouseView across Nayland Rocks to MargateWestbrook; The Sunken GardenBee SculptureApproaching Westgate-on-SeaView back to Westgate PavilionWestgate-on-SeaWestgate-on-SeaBeach hutsCliff face detailEpple BayApproaching BirchingtonMinnis Bay Beach, BirchingtonMinnis Bay; beach huts in five shades of blue

      Viking Trail 2; Margate to Birchington

      14 de junio, Inglaterra ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      We're visiting Margate again, mainly to go to Dreamland; this time to attend Rewind, a concert featuring artists and bands from the 1980s. We arrived yesterday and had a walk around from our Airbnb at Cliftonville, an area on the north part of the town, seeing the Winter Garden and Old Town again (see earlier posts).

      Today, we continue on the Viking Trail on the Isle of Thanet part of Kent, this time in the opposite direction, from Margate heading west; the Viking Trail is a coastal path that coincides with part of the King Charles III England Coastal Walk.

      We walk down to the harbour area past the Turner Contemporary and Droight House and along Marine Terrace towards Nayland Rock (see previous posts as well!). From here, we carry on past St Mildred's Bay (backing onto Westbrook) and on towards Westgate-on-Sea; we pass here to Epple Bay and then carry on towards Birchington. Minnis Bay used to be one of the limits of the Isle of Thanet as the Wantsum Channel used to extend from here down to Sandwich, separating the island from the mainland; this channel has filled in due to natural silting and land reclamation over the 12 to 16th centuries, and the Isle of Thanet is now part of the UK mainland. It has been a good walk, covering 8.5 miles in pleasant weather; we take the bus back to Margate.

      Then it's Dreamland to see......

      Tiffany / Toyah / T'Pau / Heaven 17 / Nik Kershaw / Midge Ure (ex Ultravox) / Tony Hadley (ex Spandau Ballet)

      It was a fantastic evening for people of a certain age!
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    • Barton-le-Clay; St Nicholas' Church
      Barton Hills; View of Barton-le-Clay villageBarton Hills; View of the Sharpenhoe ClappersThe Barton HillsHexton; Village HallThe Raven at Hexton public houseRavensburgh is an old castle hillfort nearbyThe Pegsdon HillsView back from the Pegsdon HillsView from the Pegsdon HillsDeacon Hill; the trig point

      The Barton Hills and The Pegsdon Hills

      4 de junio, Inglaterra ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      The Chiltern Hills or The Chilterns are a chalk escarpment that stretches around 50 miles from The Thames at Goring in Oxfordshire, at the south-western edge, to Hitchin in Hertfordshire, at the north-eastern tip.  The area covers around 324 square miles of the countryside, and the Chilterns go across four English counties: Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire

      This visit is to the north-eastern area with the Cambridge Rambling Club as part of a figure of 8 walk from Hexton, near Hitchin.  From Hexton we walk part of the John Bunyan Trail and then head on towards Barton-le-Clay; this village is in Central Bedfordshire, and southeast of the parish are the Barton Hills, which form part of the northeast extremity of the Chiltern Hills and are designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - much of this area of chalk downland is now a national nature reserve, managed by Natural England.  It is very beautiful, and there are Dartmoor ponies here during the summer months.  We then walk south for a while and back up to Hexton for a lunch break.

      We then walk towards Pegsdon and up to the Pegsdon Hills, another nature reserve managed by the Wildlife Trust; the reserve covers Pegsdon Hills, part of the adjacent Deacon Hill in Bedfordshire, and Hoo Bit in Hertfordshire and is in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  It is a lovely place for a walk, if a little steep in places!

      It has been a 12-mile walk in a very interesting area.
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    • Belton House
      West CourtyardThe rear of Belton HouseInside Belton House; Blue BedroomThe LibraryThe LibraryThe Red Drawing RoomAn interesting table supportInteresting mirror supportsHondecoeter RoomChinese BedroomWindsor BedroomIn the Formal Gardens; Church of St Peter and St Paul, on their other sideThe ConservatoryThe Italian GardenThe Italian GardenThe Dutch GardenThe Dutch Garden, from the rear of the HouseIn part of the Grounds; Mirror Pond and Garden TempleDeer on the grounds

      The Belton Estate; House and Gardens

      25 de mayo, Inglaterra ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

      We visit the Belton Estate on our way home from Hawes in North Yorkshire.

      The Belton Estate is now managed by the National Trust and is a Grade 1 listed county house, which was the seat of the Brownlow family for about 3 centuries.

      We visit the house and its formal gardens; it is a very attractive property and an interesting place to visit - see captions on photos for details.
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    • 1. Land rover; en route to Burtersett
      2. Sheep in field; en route to Burtersett3. Head of Roman soldier; Burtersett4. Shepherd and dog; en route to Gayle5. Cow; Gayle6. Candle; en route to Aysgill Force7. Curlew; Aysgill Force8. Fish symbol and rainbow; en route to Band's Lane9. Pink flower; Band's Lane10. Sunset; the end of Band's Lane11. Kestrel; turning off towards Appersett12 Yellow flower; en route to Appersett13. Steam train; Appersett Viaduct14. Lime kiln; Hardraw road junction15. Monk; en route to Simonstone16. Purple flower; en route to Sedbusk17. Goose; Sedbusk18. Red squirrel; footpath to Hawes19. Kingfisher; near the Stone House Hotel20. Brown trout; coming into Hawes

      Hawes Mosaic Trail

      24 de mayo, Inglaterra ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

      The Hawes Mosaic Walk is a 2000 millennium project where the community of Hawes created a circular route with 20 mosaics to find. The walk starts at the Dales Countryside Museum and finishes at St Margaret's Church. The trail features 20 mosaics that depict aspects of Wensleydale's culture, history, landscape, flora, and fauna.

      We used a trail map to find the mosaics and did the trail in two stages by incorporating it into the local walks that we did around Hawes (see previous two posts). The pictures show the 20 mosaics, together with their titles and approximate locations. It made the two walks even more interesting!
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    • En route to Burtersett
      Old field barnLambsBurtersettView back to Burtersett from Shaw's LaneEn route to GayleView of Hawes Church of St MargaretView of the fellsView of Gayle from the bridgeEn route to Aysgill ForceAysgill ForceDuerly BeckAppersett ViaductView of field barnCrossing Appersett Bridge

      Hawes, Aysgill Force, and Appersett Walk

      24 de mayo, Inglaterra ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

      The other very popular circular walk in Hawes is to Aysgill Force; we do this, but with extensions east and west to incorporate the Hawes Mosaic Trail (see next FP post).

      We leave Hawes and follow the footpath to Burtersett, known for being the seat of the Hillary family with connections to Sir Edmund Hillary, the famous mountaineer. The weather is overcast, but there are still good views over Upper Wensleydale with lots of sheep in the fields.

      From here, we walk up Shaw Lane towards the small hamlet of Gayle. Here, we cross the bridge and follow the path along Duerley Beck to Aysgill Force, a small but spectacular waterfall. After a while, we double back north towards Low Bands Farm via Bands Lane. We pass Thorny Mire house and turn up towards Appersett, going under Appersett Viaduct; this used to carry trains over the Beck from Garsdalw to Hawes, but was totally closed in 1964.

      From Appersett, we cross the bridge over the River Ure and walk up over fields (in the rain!), eventually bearing east towards Hardraw (see last post). From here, we follow the Pennine Way back to Hawes to complete an interesting 11-mile walk.

      We enjoy a lovely meal at The Fountain Inn later on. It's been a good weekend in Hawes.
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    • Hawes; view over a beck in the village
      Hawes; the former Victorian railway station, now the Dales Countryside MuseumHaxew; Meadowland barn near the villageHaylands BridgeHardraw ForceHardraw ForceView onto the field from the walk around the top of Hardraw ForceHardraw; Church of St Mary and St JohnInside the churchMemorial Bench en route to Simonstone HallView down to Hardraw en route to SedbuskLeaving SedbuskEn route to HawesView of Haylands Bridge and HawesHawes; Market HouseHawes; St Margaret's ChurchInside St Margaret's ChurchInside St Margaret's Church

      Hawes, Hardraw Force, and Sedbusk Walk

      23 de mayo, Inglaterra ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      Hawes is a market town in North Yorkshire, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and at the head of Wensleydale; it is the main producer of Wensleydale Cheese.

      We set off on the Hawes Circular Walk from the site of the former Hawes Victorian railway station, now the Dales Countryside Museum, and pick up part of the Pennine Way, 268-mile long-distance footpath from Edale (in the Peak District) to Kirk Yetholm (just beyond the Scottish border). We cross Haylands Bridge over the River Ure and cross fields over to Hawdraw, a hamlet named after the nearby Hardraw Force waterfall; with a single 200 ft drop, it is claimed to be England's highest unbroken waterfall, discounting those underground. It is on private land, and we pay to enter, taking in both the lower and higher circuit walks. The Church of St Mary and St John here featured as Darrowby Church in the TV series "All Creatures Great and Small"

      Afterwards, we walk across fields to the Simonstone Hall Hotel and follow a footpath to the hamlet of Sedbusk. We then follow a footpath across more fields back Haylands Bridge and into Hawes. It has been a pleasant 6-mile walk.
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    • Moot Hall
      Moot Hall, from behindThe Alhambra CinemaSt John's ChurchKeswick War MemorialThe Theatre by the LakeView of Catbells from the top of Stanger Road, where we stayedCastlerigg Stone CircleCastlerigg Stone Circle, with Skiddaw in the backgroundCastlerigg Stone CircleCastlerigg Stone CircleView from Castlerigg Stone Circle

      Keswick town and Castlerigg Stone Circle

      23 de mayo, Inglaterra ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

      We leave Keswick today for Hawes in North Yorkshire; the first part of the footprint photos shows some of the key sites in Keswick (see captions on photos for details).

      Castlerigg Stone Circle is a short walk from Keswick, but we drive here en route to Hawes; the location is atmospheric, with panoramic views around the Thirlmere Valley and the surrounding mountains. Castlerigg Stone Circle dates from about 3,000 BC and is 97 ft (30 metres) in diameter and now comprises 38 stones.

      Keswick and the surrounding area have been excellent (the good weather has helped), and we will certainly be back here.
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    • View over Borrowdale
      En route; Eagle Crag behind HelenView over Stonethwaite BeckView over Stonethwaite Beck towards Eagle CragLangstrath Valley; view over Langstrath Beck to the ruins of Johnny HouseLangstrath ValleyLangstrath Valley; Blea RockLangstrath Valley; the route up to Blackmoss Pot, a bathing / dipping opportunity for someLangstrath ValleyThe footbridge over the beck to the other side of the Langstrath ValleyView from the bridgeView back over Langstrath BeckView up Langstrath Valley, walking back on the other sideLangstrath ValleyView over Stonethwaite BeckView from Stonethwaite BridgeThe Wainwright in Keswick

      The Langstrath Valley

      22 de mayo, Inglaterra ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      The walk today is noted for being a lower level valley walk but offers beautiful fell and typical lakeland views without a lot of ascent.

      We take the Borrowdale bus again back to Rosthwaite; here, we join the Cumbria Way to follow the path along Stonethwaite Beck, passing the hamlet of Stonethwaite on the other side. The steep woodland along the dry stonewalls on our left ends, and we carry on to reach Galleny Force; unfortunately, the dry weather recently means that the waterfall is very quiet - the river bed is filled with boulders. We cross the Beck here to follow the Cumbria Way along Langstrath Beck as it winds along Langstrath Valley (Langstrath means Long Valley).

      It is very beautiful, we have Eagle Crag on our left rising above us and we soon pass the ruins of the Johnny House on the other side. We pass the impressive Blea Rock and eventually cross a footbridge over Langstrath Beck to retrace our route on the other side of the valley. Where we turn back towards Rosthwaite at the end of Langstrath Valley, we follow a pretty footpath along Stonethwaite Beck back to Stonethwaite. Here, we cross over Stonethwaite Bridge and walk back along the Cumbria Way to Rosthwaite.

      It's been lovely weather again for our 9.5-mile walk. Later on, we enjoy a couple of beers and a pub meal at The Wainwright in Keswick.
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    • The Bowder Stone; 30 ft high and 2,000 tons in weight
      On the Bowder StoneA cubic shaped boulder entering the walk around Grange FellView over to Maiden Moor from Grange FellView of Troutdale cottages with Derwentwater and Skiddaw in the backgroundBorrowdale, from Grange BridgeView of Derwentwater en route to Castle CragNearing Castle CragEntering the walk up to Castle CragAt the top of Castle Crag; Derwentwater behindAt the top of Castle Crag; Borrowdale behindAt the top of Castle Crag; BorrowdaleAt the top of Castle Crag; view towards RosthwaiteAt the top of Castle Crag; the memorial to Borrowdale men who fell in WWIDescending Castle CragView back to Castle Crag en route to SeatollerEn route to SeatollerEn route to RosthwaiteNearing Rosthwaite

      Grange to Rosthwaite via Castle Crag

      21–24 may., Inglaterra ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      We take the bus from Keswick to just south of Grange, to the stop for the Bowder Stone. This is one of the most famous rocks in the Lake District and weighs 2,000 tons; it is 30 ft high, 30 ft across, and 90 ft in circumference. From here, we follow the route around Grange Fell, passing a cubic shaped boulder and an old quarry before reaching Comb Gill en route to Troutdale Cottages. We follow the road a short distance to Grange Bridge and then, from Grange village, walk via Holmcrag Wood to join the Cumbria Way to Borrowdale (as yesterday) for a short way before turning off to take the path to Seatoller via Castle Crag.

      Castle Crag is an impressive slate hill overlooking Derwentwater; the other side of the hill is where we were yesterday, at the High Hows Quarry and the Millican Dalton Cave. The top of Castle Crag offers magnificent views of the surrounding area and has a memorial to the Borrowdale men who fell in WWI. The slate makes it a tough ascent and descent.

      We then carry on the route to Seatoller, crossing several gills en route. From the small village of Seatoller, the path to Rosthwaite is actually part of the coast-to-coast walk. We eventually reach Rosthwaite to take the bus back to Keswick.

      Surprisingly, it has been a walk of 1,854 ft ascent and 8.3 miles in length, and the weather has been fantastic again..
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    • Portinscale to Rosthwaite via Catbells

      20 de mayo, Inglaterra ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      The plan to take the bus to Catbells, the third of the Keswick 3 peaks, was thwarted due to ongoing roadwork, so we had to get off at Portinscale after a diversion there; it just means a longer walk!

      We repeat the Portinscale to Hawes End part from yesterday and start ascending Catbells from the cattle grid stop (where we should have got off). The ascent via Skelgill Bank is fairly steep, but there are great views on another lovely day. We reach the top; it is 1,480 feet above sea level, and one of the most popular fell walks in the Lake District with fabulous views.

      We carry on along the fell and then descend to the southern end of Derwentwater and Manesty Park. We proceed along the edge of Maiden Moor, enjoying views of Bull Crag and High Spy, towards Grange. Here, we join the Cumbria Way, eventually passing Hollows Farm before turning down towards the River Derwent and Borrowdale.

      The Valley is very scenic, and we come yo a disused quarry area for slate with a cave. The River Derwent is devoid of water in parts (it has not rained heavily for a while, which is unusual in the Lake District) after we leave the woods. We reach what is known as New Bridge and cross the river, following the Cumbria Way to Rosthwaite to catch the bus back to Keswick.

      It's been another lovely walk in great weather; 9.1 miles and a total of 2,139 feet of ascent.
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