Breakfast in the morning consisted of fruit, toast, juice, and cereal. Jeremy also ate a piece of haddock fish. Heather and I went back to the shops we’d seen the night before while the boys stayed in to work on their computers. Buxton is a place I would like to spend more time in. It is an old Roman spa town in Derbyshire and is often referred to as “The Smaller Bath”. Bath is also a place I would really love to see. It is one of my sister, Janelle’s favourite places. Heather and Jeremy have tried visiting Bath twice, only to find no success getting in with their car due to the immense traffic and tourists. They were not keen to try for a third time on this trip.
We checked out of the Buckingham Hotel and made our way further north to our first stop. Peveril Castle rests on a tall hill in the village of Castleton offering views of the Peak District. It was founded sometime around 1066 and was used to protect the Peak Forest. It continued to be an impregnable prison well into the 1400’s.
That morning it was very cold and very windy! Jeremy has a habit of parking the car as far from our destination as possible, much to my vocal chagrin, and we braved the tiny streets into town where we ducked into some shops for cover. One of the shops was selling beautiful stones and jewellery and Heather and I spent a fair amount of time warming up and admiring the pretty pieces. Then we walked around into a church grave yard and took a few pictures. Jeremy said if he went up onto the hill to visit Peveril castle he would be blown away. Daniel and I were disappointed because we had wanted to see the top, but not enough to make our friends wait for us at the bottom. On our walk back to the car – just outside of town, I kid you not. I think this was Jeremy’s way of getting back at me for teasing him – we quickly stopped into a little convenience store. Jeremy found a soda called, “American Style Liet Cola: Put the Sparkle in Your Day”. And I bought my first Magnum ice cream bar. I figured that the cold weather would make it so the ice cream wouldn’t melt all over me. And I was right! Ice cream in the cold sounds odd, but it still tastes great! Each time we went somewhere I wanted a Magnum bar. My sister Janelle raves about them for good reason. I let Daniel choose the kind and he picked White. We now have to try Classic, Caramel, and Mint. I’m ready!
Brougham Castle sits on a beautiful park like setting next to the river Eamont. It is another huge 13th century castle with many passages and spiral staircases to explore. At the top of the tower there are panoramic views of the Eden Valley as well as the Roman fort of Brocavum. There were many sheep on this property and they crossed the paths in front of us with their growing babies giving us ample time to get a few good camera shots. Also on the grounds of this castle I noticed inside one of the wells a small bird’s nest [quite common] with a tiny egg in it [not at all common]. I made everyone come back to look at it and we got a couple pictures. It made the place seem like even though it was old and in ruins there was still life happening. That is outside of ghost life, of course.
Our next site was Carlisle Castle in Cumbria. Despite Carlisle Castle being huge and almost visible from anywhere in the town centre, we drove around it about three times before finally understanding where we were supposed to park. This time Jeremy thought he was parking us quite close to the entrance. Yet as we made our way up the grassy hill we learned we were in the exact back of the castle and had to walk all the way around to the front. There were two castles we visited on this trip that for me were just meh. And they happened to be the biggest and most tourist frequented places.
Built on an important Roman fortress in the 12th century Carlisle is famous for its infantry regiment, its “licking stones”, ancient carvings, and a place that Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned for a year in 1567. If you visit many castles here though you will learn that the Queen of Scots had been imprisoned in a great lot of places. Poor gal; she didn’t seem to catch a plethora of breaks in her short life. At this attraction Jeremy and I wondered off on our own wanting to be done quickly and get to Scotland, while Daniel and Heather explored the grounds together taking pictures and videos. We all met up at the end to endure the long walk back to the car in the rain. We were greatly enthusiastic about the next country!
The Picketts have a tradition of singing Scotland the Brave as they cross the border and we Durrants were required to participate, which we did with pleasure. They told us excitedly what was in store of us that night and we were each looking forward to checking into our B&B, having a pint, and some good food. The Rowanbank Guesthouse is another place Jeremy and Heather have lodged in previously. The people are kind and generous. Basically I am just going to tell you that people from Scotland, in general, are some of the nicest and most friendly folks I have ever met. It is very clear to me now why Jeremy loves Scotland so very much.
Our room was small and comfortable. We freshened ourselves up quickly and went on a walk to The Blue Bell Pub in Annon. There I had the best beer I’d had on the trip. It’s called, “Bell Haven’s Best” and it was some kind of creamy Scottish brew that really impressed me. I am not normally a beer drinker, a fact Heather commented on a couple times during this trip. The truth is I had more beer in those two weeks than I’ve had in my entire life. Oregon has strong beers, and since I am a wimp, I prefer the lighter flavours that the U.K. has to offer.
The Blue Bell had a warm and friendly atmosphere. Heather, Jeremy and Daniel chatted up the bartender while I sat on a comfy leather couch resting my tired feet. I was wearing my boots to be fancy, and I was paying for it. See? Sometimes being fancy is hard work. Haha! While we each enjoyed our drinks and tried what everyone else had ordered, the bartender brought over a bottle of a different kind of beer. Jeremy talks about this beer on his blog. Apparently there is a small brewery in Annon trying to open. This was a stout with a strong taste of licorice at 10% alcohol. It is not for sale yet since the brewery is just testing things out. It was incredibly sweet that we were offered this special treat.
Shorty after we left to find an Indian restaurant that had been recommended to us by the Guesthouse. Unfortunately for me and my feet we walked right past it and kept right on going. Heather and Daniel were sure it was just up ahead. Jeremy and I were extremely doubtful. In fact I recall telling Jeremy he and I should just wait for them and he replied that if the restaurant was up there he would eat his hat. He doesn’t wear hats; however, he wouldn’t have had to eat his proverbial hat in any case. We followed them another half a mile when Daniel finally asked a man walking down the street where we could find it. He pointed us in the direction we’d just come from. Doh! It was worth the walk though, the food was fantastic. We shared some wine and lots of laughs at the restaurant called “The Sitar”. When we were stuffed with goodness Daniel and I went back to the B&B for showers and relaxation while Heather and Jeremy went back to The Blue Bell for more adventures. We were awake when they returned to tell us about the crazy drunk taxi driver ladies and a man who is a Mason. It was a grand full day and we were happy to get good sleep.
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