Across The Pond - Sheffield - Peak District National Park

July 10-15, 2012

Our road trip has taken us back to England and Sheffield (south Yorkshire) , to the home of Rowan's sister and her family. Sheffield is the largest city in the Peak District National Park and the home of the University of Sheffield.  Go here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield

In 1951, The Peak District National Park was designated the first national park in the United Kingdom.
There are an estimated 10 million visitors a year to the park. The National park covers 555 square miles of beautiful, open mountainous land. In the UK, the designation, "National Park" means that there are planning restrictions to protect the area from inappropriate development and a Park Authority to look after it, but does not imply that the land is owned by the government, or that it is uninhabited. There are small villages throughout the park which is handy when out hiking. It is never too far to hike before you find the next pub :o)
Go here for more info on the park:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_District
We have done lots of hiking in the park during previous trips here, so here are just a couple of photos.

Rowan and I had brought along a couple of treats for her nephew Luke and niece Hannah. Now you see them...........

......now you don't! :o)

Rowan's sister Alex makes a really mean fish pie, so we wasted no time getting one going for dinner.
First, boil the white fish (here she used a flat whitefish called Plaice) and Salmon in milk until cooked through. Use the milk to make the roux for the soup base.

The thick, creamy, yummy, roux. Shrimp are added. 

A think layer of mashed potato is put on top of the pie and shredded cheese and bread crumbs, then it is baked in the oven. PURE HEAVEN!

Syd, our very bony friend, he's quite a stiff :o), Rowan, Luke and Hannah in the backyard for a photo op.

 Dad, Mark (Alex's hubby), Jenni, Syd, Rowan, Mum, Alex and Luke and Hannah in the front.

We will visit Chatsworth House tomorrow, home of the Duke of Devonshire, so stay tuned.......

Across The Pond - Beaumaris, Wales - last bit

July 9, 2012

A bit more from the little town Beaumaris on the island of Anglesey.........

I have this habit when I travel, no matter where it is, I love to step into churches, no matter what denomination, big or small, famous or remote. There is just something about being in this kind of space that interests me. The peace, artistry, history and conflict of it all is fascinating and something to learn from. Here is what I found in Beaumaris:

St. Mary & St. Nicholas church, the church right across the street from our B&B, was the source of much interest to me as soon as we arrived. The first thing I (we) noticed, which was hard to avoid, was the sound of the gulls perched on the top of every spire and peak available. I took this video to try to capture just a moment of the chaos that was present especially in the morning and evening. Reminded me of Hitchcock and "The Birds"!

The FABULOUS Celtic cross in front of the church, used as a war memorial.

The church was built mostly in the 14th century. The new town of Beaumaris was created after King Edward I built the last of his great castles in North Wales here (more history about that in my previous post). The nave,  the main body of the church, dates from this time, about 1330. The east end of the church, the chancel, dates from about the 15th century. The church was given a major restoration in 1902, most of the furnishings (font and pews) are from this date.

Looking from the nave towards the chancel of the church

The Alabaster Tomb. This alabaster tomb is dated about 1490 and holds William Buckeley and his wife Elin: he was Deputy Constable of the castle here in Beaumaris. Alabaster tombs at this time were made around Derby and Nottingham and then transported, quite a feat in those days. William is wearing a salet, a light helmet, and his feet rest on a heraldic lion. Standing there in front of it is really something. The history just drips off of the piece.

Inside the nave of the church

The pipe organ at the top of the chancel dates from 1807.

We went for our evening meal at Ye Olde Bulls Head, a very historic pub/Inn here in Beaumaris.
The pub was built in 1472 and rebuilt in 1617. The Inn was the original Posting House of the borough.
Here stayed Dr. Johnson and Charles Dickens (his stay at the Inn being mentioned in one of his short stories "The Uncommercial Traveler"). Among the numerous items of interest that can be seen here are the largest door in the British Isles (don't have a photo because it was at the back of the Inn) and many antique weapon pieces. The Inn now houses one of the finest restaurants in town.

Here is just part of the pub. You can see just a fraction of some of the old weapons up on the back wall.
The entire pub is covered with fantastic antique weapons and armor.

Here is a window well in the Inn. The stone walls are at least 16 inches thick!

My dinner. What else but braised lamb a jus and scallop potatoes and beans. YUM!!

Walking back to our B&B after dinner we passed this fabulous original Tudor building on the street. Another building older than my own country! That just seems to keep happening here :o)

 

The front door of the place was so short, it hit me about shoulder height (door on the right). Ouch! Too bad Jake isn't still here for another short door photo.

We are off to Sheffield (Yorkshire, England) and the Peak District in the morning, so stay tuned.................

Across The Pond - Anglesey, Beaumaris, North Wales

We really had fun when we got to Bangor, just across the water from Anglesey Island. Bangor is where  Rowan's dad went to university back in the 1950's. As we drove into town, we said we needed to run an errand before we went across the bridge to Beaumaris, Anglesey and our B&B. We found our way to the train station where we surprised mum and dad by picking up Rowan's sister Alex, who had come in from Sheffield, England. It was all very fun to see how surprised Rowan's dad and mum were when they saw Alex (they had no idea she would join us).

It took only seconds for Rowan and Alex to start poking at each other once we stopped the car and went into the B&B. Goof balls!

Getting a serious photo of the two of them wasn't easy! :o)

A little background about Anglesey and Beaumaris:
Besides being the current home of Prince William and Kate Middleton (William is stationed here in the RAF, Royal Air Force, as a search and rescue helicopter pilot) this place has some interesting history.
Here on a marsh in 1295 King Edward I ordered the construction of the last and technically most perfect of his four most formidable castles to dominate North Wales. It's all so medieval! In the process he established what, for many centuries, would become the principal town of Anglesey and chief port of North Wales.
Our B&B was pretty much OURS when we got there. There are only three rooms in the house, so we had them all. A very comfortable and quaint place called Churchbank.

http://www.bedandbreakfastanglesey.co.uk/churchbank-bed-breakfast-wales/

Alex and mum in the window of mum & dad's suite.

The map of Beaumaris. You can see the town is about the size of 7 castles. The castle is on the map, to the right of center. 

A view of Beaumaris from the main pier. The wind is blowing out on the pier, so the sound on the video is kinda choppy.

The castle and moat.

This is my kind of downtown! 

Soon after we got settled in the B&B, hunger pains were upon us. Alex, Rowan and I went a few doors down the street and found a pub with fish and chips. YUM! Sooo......our host at the B&B, Richard, just happened to be sitting having a glass of wine in the pub. He said they have great fish and chips here and if we tell them we are staying with him, they will let us take the plates and silverware down the street (they don't normally do take away meals), as long as we bring them back in the morning. Brilliant! We LOVE this town! :o) So, we had a pint while we waited for them to prepare everything, and then off we went. We used mum & dad's suitcase as a table.

Crispy, crunchy perfectly cooked haddock fillet with chips and mushy peas.

Next morning having our proper full breakfast......

.......poached egg, sausages, rasher of bacon, mushrooms and cooked tomato.

After our delicious breakfast we headed off for a day trip to Newborough and Llanddwyn Beach. On the way to the beach, we will pass through a town that has the longest name in the world. When Rowan's dad was in school, he learned to speak Welsh, so we will let him tell you the name of this town (I would sprain my mouth if I tried)......you all will love this......I dare you to say it fast three times :o)

So, as we went through the town I had to have Rowan stop at the train station so I could get the name on video for everyone. It is impossible to get the whole word in a photo because it is so long, so here is the video...........

And, here is the english translation. I just love Wales.............

Llanddwyn Beach: This beach has received a Blue Flag and Seaside Award. These awards recognize beaches that are well managed and have excellent standards of cleanliness, safety and water quality. You can pick up the 125 mile Anglesey Coastal Path from this beach. This path circles the entire island.  By walking the entire path you will ascend an amazing 13,695 feet. http://www.visitanglesey.co.uk/en-GB/anglesey_coastal_path-103.aspx
The weather sign as we hit the path to the beach. In Welsh and English, of course.

As we walked out to the beach, a rescue helicopter passed us overhead. We just know Prince William was in there. :o)

There were beautiful, smooth rocks all over the beach. Perfect for skipping and stacking.

As we walked down the beach, we came upon a huge area of these piles of strings of sand. It must be some little crab, or worm that does this. We never could find the creature that was the source of this curious thing (and believe me, I dug for them :o). It was very strange indeed.

some beautiful yellow lichen on the rocks.

After a couple of hours on Llanddwyn Beach, we hopped back in the car and went further around the island to Holyhead and South Stack Cliffs. http://www.birdforum.net/opus/South_Stack_Cliffs
There is a huge array of sea birds, sea life, butterflies and wild flowers here. I took this video from the top of the cliffs looking down on a huge colony of Razorbill Gannets and Gulls. We didn't find any Puffins at this location.

Here are some of the Gannets nesting on the cliffs.

Close up of the lighthouse.

One of our favorite wild flowers on the cliffs- Wild Angelica.

A little more coming from Anglesey and then we are off to Sheffield, so stay tuned..........

Across the Pond - Aberystwyth & Snowdonia, Wales

July 8, 2012

This morning we headed off north and west in the direction of Aberystwyth, Wales. One of Rowan's childhood friends, Ursula, owns an award winning pub here, so we will stop to have lunch. Rowan's dad has no idea we will be stopping at Ursula's pub, he has known her since she was a wee one. We drove through some stunningly beautiful country on the way north. Much of the landscape reminds me of Marin and Sonoma counties in California. So much green it just blows your mind.

A view of the Irish Sea in Aberystwyth

We arrived in Aberystwyth in early afternoon. This is a university town, home of a University of Wales campus. Go here for interesting information about this seaside town: http://www.aberystwyth.com/

 Dad was really surprised when we pulled up and went into the pub and there was Ursula and her husband Ian. The pub wasn't even open yet, but she had arranged to give us a private lunch. She had lovely sandwiches and treats prepared for us. Oh, and of course a pint to wet our parched throats :o)

 They offer a five pump platter here at The Ship & Castle. This is five different 1/2 pints of beer as a sampler. Perfect for the lad who just can't decide what to have!

 Here is what it looks like without the beer. You can see they have many kinds of beer on draft.

 Rowan with Ursula and Ian and their family outside the pub.

Our ultimate destination today is Beaumaris, Anglesey, more north and west of where we currently are, so after lunch we hit the road again. I did take some photos/movies on our way out of Aberystwyth so you all could see more of this cute seaside town.

OK, so here is a wonderful example of what the Welsh language looks like. English- The Salvation Army. Welsh - all that stuff that is next! :o) All of the signs in Wales are like this. We will give you a welsh lesson in the next post.

As we traveled north, we drove through the region known as Snowdonia National Park. The park covers an area of 838 square miles. This was the first area in Wales designated as a national park back in 1951. The park includes public and private lands within its boundaries and is named after it's tallest mountain, Snowdon. Approximately 62% of the people in this region speak Welsh (oh boy, this should be fun!). The mountains are very dramatic and make for some outstanding views.

Go here for a good map of where we are: http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/park-authority/offices

It was hard to get really good photos of our drive through the mountains as it began to get misty and rainy, so I got some photos from the internet to show you too.

Photos from the car......

 We went through one region of the park where the mountains were made from slate. The slate rocks raining down the mountains were incredible. It was like this for miles. All the slate from the world must come from here. No wonder slate is used as a building material, from roofs to walls, here in the UK.

Beaumaris, Anglesey is next. Stay tuned..........