Tag: scotland

“THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – DAY 2 SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Queensport & Edinburgh then Shetland Isles.”

The ship continued to rock and roll gently through the night. Kerry found this disturbing and I slept like a baby – except for the dig in the ribs from Kerry who wanted me to worry about the rolling with her. With the dawn we passed a number of oil platforms until we entered the harbour of Queensport. The ship was too big to dock at Queensport so the ship lowered the tenders and we travelled to the wharf to disembark. The pictures below are of the bridge across the Firth of Forth where the River Forth meets the North Sea, and famous for its three iconic bridges (Rail, Road, Queensferry Crossing) near Queensferry, serving as our entrance to Edinburgh. Some years ago we attended the Edinburgh festival and attended the Tatoo. We stayed at Fife taking the train across one the bridges (there only being two bridges at the time with third under construction) and the reunion with the bridge reminded us of that trip.

The ship provided a bus shuttle which we caught from the Ferry into Edinburgh. After sought out where we were, we made our way to Waterloo Place outside Princes Street Suites. A man in a uniform brandishing a placard advertising the Hop on Hop off bus stood under Prince Leopold’s Arch selling tickets. The arch built in 1819 to celebrate the visit of Leopold Prince of Saxe Courburg seemed out of place and there was no explanation as to the reason for it. My research shows that the arch marks the entry of Leopold into Edinburgh connecting Waterloo Place over the Old Calton Gorge, with the arch serving as a temporary triumphal gateway for the royal visit. A significant civic event at the time, though this Prince Leopold later became the first King of the Belgians. As we passed the arch we commenced the red line tour passing the Scott Monument. The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, near Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station. In the distance you will see Edinburgh Castle. 

The Bus moves along the Royal Mile through the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, connecting the magnificent Edinburgh Castle, perched high on a base of volcanic rock, the Mile is overlooked by impressive, towering tenements, and into the Grassmarket. The Grassmarket is a historic, picturesque, cobbled square beneath Edinburgh Castle, famous for its lively atmosphere, independent shops, quirky pubs (like The Last Drop and Maggie Dickenson), diverse restaurants, and its past as a cattle market and site for public executions.

The Last Drop sits in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket district which was a small open space where local farmers brought their hay and other produce for sale. It was also the location of one of the main gallows in the city and crowds would flock in huge numbers to see the public executions. The Last Drop Tavern is located immediately next to the scene of public hangings which took place there back in the eighteenth century. Tenements once stood on the site, but these were rebuilt into the pub you see today using the old buildings’ original seventeenth century stone.

Maggie Dickensen Pub. Maggie Dickson was a fish hawker from Musselburgh and in 1723 she “fell pregnant” after a secret relationship with an innkeepers son in Kelso. The newborn baby died and Maggie decided it was best to conceal the body so the affair would not be discovered. However, the baby’s body was discovered and Maggie was found guilty of killing a child. She was returned to Edinburgh for execution, which took place in Grassmarket on September 2, 1724. Her friends and relatives took possession of her body, and placed it in a coffin and to be taken to Musselburgh for burial. The party paused en route for a drink and they noticed, the lid of the coffin began to move. Maggie was alive and well enough to walk the rest of the way to Mussleburgh the next day. She survived she was a “good friend” of the ropemaker and the early breaking of the rope allowed her survival. Having already been pronounced legally dead she could not be tried again and she lived another 40 years and known as Half-Hangit Maggie. She opened the pub in Grassmarket, and whenever there was a hanging going on outside, she would bring the accused a pint and say not to worry, she survived her own hanging.

Pictures of both establishments are above. Next stop was Calton Hill.

Calton Hill is a prominent, historic hill in central Edinburgh, famous for its iconic monuments, panoramic city views, and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site location. Key features include the unfinished National Monument (a Parthenon replica) and the City Observatory, offering stunning vistas of Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat, and the Firth of Forth. Moving on we passed Holyrood House, now overgrown with trees and then the Scottish Parliament Building seen below on the left. As we finished our tour we came across H & T Pawnbrokers. Very elaborate establishment – certainly no Steptoe and Sons there.

We returned to our shuttle bus stop after grabbing a sandwich at the Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station, tired from sitting in the bus – that still happens to me that I need a nap in the afternoon.

Our next adventure is “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – DAY 3 SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Shetland Isles.” We have both enjoyed the BBC drama of “Shetland” and I was anxious to see for my self how this small group of islands could have so many murders occurring on a daily basis.

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – CARDIFF TO CASTLE PEMBROKE.

The picture above is Pembroke Castle in 1880 and there is will be more about this castle below. I must admit that writing these blogs gets increasingly difficult. It’s not that the places are forgettable but rather there is so much to tell. The drive from Cardiff was divided into 3 parts with Tenby being the last leg before we struggled to find our lodgings in Pembroke. Our first sight of the beaches at Tenby was very encouraging but finding our accommodation was a task. We knew we were near the Pembroke Castle, but we couldn’t find the number in the street. Parking in these towns and villages always involved paying for a meter and here we had to park and find the property before we could drive to it. Once we had parked the car we walked down to the street where we had rented our lodging and low and behold a small cluster of even smaller flats was sitting under the hill on which the castle is located. It was small inside and close to a noisy road but it was for a few days only so we moved our car and found the key box but the code had been changed. Fortunately one of the neighbours was watering her garden and she helped us contact the owner and obtained the code. We had arrived. The property was about the size of a two car garage with a loft so not a lot of space.

When driving in through Tenby we decided we would visit Caldey Island you can see it in my first photo on the Horizon and the beaches the next day.

The following morning the tide was in so that was a good start, and we lined up to buy our tickets. We were warned that depending on when we returned, we may have to use the tractor. After noting this we did not think of it again as we thought it would affect us on the island – surprise surprise we were wrong. Below is a series of photos of the harbour and below that the crossing.

The island had been a retreat for Monks and a teaching facility but whilst this continues the island is now a retreat for everyone and we were not alone on the boat. My first photo below shows what the Monks have been doing in their spare time – decorative chairs for visitors and as you walk further onto the island you encounter the monastery, and the Monks quarters a café gift shop and post office. Whilst we had a coffee, I spotted some local wildlife – a partridge and her family running through he grasses on the edge of the open ground where the visitor could rest eat and drink their lunch. The tourist information informed us that there was a lighthouse on the island but not where it was located – its on the seaward side of the island on high cliffs. We were not certain that we would make the distance however halfway there were ruins of the monastery and by the time we had reached and looked through them we could see the lighthouse and thought “that’s not too far”. My pictures below show the ruins and the walk to the lighthouse the lighthouse and the general view of the seaward side of the island.

We spent a few hours on the island by which time the tide had turned. Although we had seen a tractor at the island ferry jetty it did not appear to be in operation. On the ride to the island, we had passed an island with ruins which appeared to be part of the castle ruins. On our return the tide had receded such that the island was now accessible on foot with people scaling all over the island and ruins, and the Boat Rescue volunteers boat shed was now on stilts. A tractor had pulled a portable landing down to the water and now we knew what it meant when they say, “the tractor will be in operation”. Our launch tied up to this mobile pier and all passengers clambered off onto the pier then the beach. There was a considerable stretch of beach to walk across to get to hard land. We followed the crowd across the beach up to the High Street in the town and there found a pub “Coach and Horses” with great ambiance and enjoyed lunch and a drink watching the beach goers and the shoppers going by.

Kerry had picked up a brochure for Picton Castle and Gardens and I had a desire to go to a Wales whiskey distillery – Penderyn whiskey distillery. Both sites were nearby so on the following day we tripped out to Penderyn Distillery and Picton Castle.

The castle may have once been a fortified castle but it has gradually changed to a manor house and gardens. The gardens are used by the castle owners as a garden centre, café and various other uses. My pictures start with the walled section enclosing the working buildings – the garden centre, book shop, café, the mower museum and the mortuary (the castle was used as a hospital during WW2 when they converted the butchers shop to the mortuary).

We strolled through the gardens. Relaxing and enjoyable the gardens were laid out in various areas starting with a pathway through the undergrowth for kids (even big kids) with the workers buildings prepared as they might have appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. There is a fairy garden with 10 fairy houses for the children, and we found each one, I think. Amongst the fairy houses was the original ice house for the castle. This is an underground shelter where workmen would cut out the river ice and store the ice in the ice house so the family could have ice during the summer.

Behind the wall work area is the manor house. It has been decorated for the same period. The children’s toys have been retained and are presented in a museum in one to the towers of the house.

We had visited the whiskey distillery before going to Picton Castle and did the tour as they claimed to have a secret to produce the best whiskey. Penderyn is the name of the whiskey, and I have brought home three samples of the brew. The distillery is modern in its design because it is resurrected from an earlier distillery and modernised. We arrived before opening time and to our surprise there was a coffee van open for trade for visitors like us – it is a converted horse float. Once the distillery opened and we were allowed to look around I took some photos that appear below. The bottle with the clear liquid is the refined whiskey and this is placed in a used cask and the whiskey draws its colour from the cask. To be legally sold as whiskey it must be aged in barrels for 3 year and 1 day. As I stated I have brought some samples home. 

Pembroke Castle (Welsh: Castell Penfro) is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restoration during the early 20th century.

In 1093, Arnulf of Montgomery built the first castle at the site when he fortified the promontory beside the Pembroke River during the Norman invasion of Wales. A century later, the castle was given by Richard I to William Marshal, who became one of the most powerful men in 12th-century Britain. He rebuilt Pembroke Castle in stone, creating most of the structure that remains today. The castle is open to the public and is the largest privately owned castle in Wales. Oliver Cromwell left the castle in ruins during the Civil War and it lay in ruins until 1880 when it was restored.

Pembroke Castle is literally around the corner from our accommodation. Kerry had had enough of castles and left me to do what ever I wanted. So I walked around the castle but when arriving at the entrance was daunted by how busy it was and I was feeling that I also had enough of castles. Below is my tour circumnavigating the castle which is the off the High St in Pembroke. The mounted knight is a memorial to William Marshall who served 5 Kings of England. The picture of the barred opening is the former access to the river – you can see this in the picture from 1880.

Our visit to Pembrokeshire was done and dusted so now we move onto Ebbw Vale and the Wye Valley which is towards the centre of Wales. Read on to see what we find in “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – CASTLE PEMBROKE to CRICKHOWELL (Ebbw Vale)”

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD –CORNWALL UK/NOTINGHAM UK

Nottingham

Kerry continued the driving and returned the car to Green Motion, where we caught the shuttle to Heathrow terminal 3 and caught the National Bus to Nottingham. I thought the bus ride would be a bit nostalgic, but time has brought about change and the bus route had numerous stops at Luton, Luton Airport, Milton Keynes, Leicester before finally delivering us to Broadmarsh Bus Station in Nottingham. When we left Nottingham in 2015 the Bus Station was connected to an old shopping Centre called Broadmarsh but now the Centre is partially demolished a new Bus Station built and the skeleton of Broadmarsh is partially standing as thought awaiting a decision as to what’s next. We dragged our suitcases up the hill to the Ibis Hotel. The room was small but did the job. The reception was a combination of café and reception with the receptionist sitting amongst the shop customers – novel.

It was drizzling rain and cold, but we still ventured out to reacquaint ourselves with the city. Martin & Christine were due to visit us tomorrow and we had lined up how and when we would catch up. Dinner that night proved a bit different. We made for the restaurant that our friend Pam had shown us last visit but it was booked solid and the directed us to the neighbouring restaurant with the same result. Things were getting a bit desperate – we may need to get fish ‘n chips. We were both interested to find out what the place across the road offered – it is called “the Alchemist”. The interior was decorated with bottles and shelves like an old-style alchemist with images of a changing geometric designs projected on a wall making it a different style of venue. After a small selection of entrees, a glass of wine for Kerry and a Guinness for me we retired to bed. The bus trip had been tiring, and the hauling of the luggage tipped us over the edge of tiredness.

Nottingham Castle:

The following day at our arranged rendezvous we caught up with Martin and Christine. We had met on a river cruise from Cologne Fr. to Rüdesheim am Rhein Ger. and remained in contact since. They had traveled over from Manchester and stayed overnight at the Premier Inn in town, so we decided to go with my first choice of place to visit – Nottingham Castle.

On the way to the castle we called into the Town Hall. We were unable to look through the hall due to Council meetings being held there that day. So we moved onto the castle. We had been there previously so knew what to expect. Martin thought he was in for a full-on old castle experience. Not so. The castle had been demolished by the people of Nottingham after the restoration of the Charles the Second to the throne of England. The castle had the reputation of being impregnable hence Charles the First had used the castle as the place to raise his standard against the Roundheads starting the English Civil War. Once the War ended Cromwell ultimately took control of England and with the restoration, the people of Nottingham tore down the castle for fear that the castle may be used again as a power base in the midlands. Martin was disappointed to learn that the Duke of Norfolk had purchased the ruined site to build his country home which he continued to call “Nottingham Castle” which remains its name to the present. It is filled with artistic treasures and a memorial to the local regiment of the British Army “the Foresters”. Martin was not impressed with the castle but was taken with the memorial having served in the army in the military police.

Part of a visit to the castle is to visit the caves constructed to provide a hidden access to the castle and from the castle to the pub Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claimed as the oldest remaining in the UK from the 12th century.

The first 2 pictures are in Town Hall. Then follows the picture of “Nottingham Castle” and its gate. No photos are permitted inside the castle but the formidable gate gives a fair idea of what the castle may have looked like. Then follows the photos of the caves – the toy fox marks the way down. Of course the pathway has been prepared for today’s tourist but when it was used for its original purpose it would have been rough and ready. When you exit the caves you get a better idea of the nature of the development. At the foot of the hill is an array of the housing for the ordinary folk of the time close by the pub.

The second part of my plan – to visit the pub unraveled as after doing the tour of the caves we found the pub full to overflowing. Martin came to my rescue and suggested we go to the Navigation Hotel just nearby.

Visit to the Navigation Inn at Castle Lock Nottingham

There is a canal runs through Nottingham separating the old town from the newer part of town and the Navigation Hotel was a leftover from times when the canal was in commercial use. Old building charm with nostalgic decoration in the interior and no crowds. So, we settled in for some lunch and drinks finishing late in the afternoon. The picture below is part of the interior and outside is the canal. Martin and Christine had planned to return to Manchester the following day so after some sad farewells we retired to our hotel and later braved the cold to find a place for dinner. Somewhere during those two days Kerry made a call to Nick Smith the owner of the business supplying stretch fringing to Glitter and Dance. So it was arranged for the following day that we would have lunch with Nick and Selina at country manor outside the city.

Visit to Nick & Selina Smith

Nick had given Kerry the opportunity to open her business in the UK and though Glitter and Dance UK has not survived Nick has continued to supply stretch fringing to G & D. We called an Uber to take us to this destination nominated by Nick which he said was nearby. Like hell it was – we seemed to meander for miles through countryside until we suddenly turned left at an obscured turning, and we had arrived. It is an old Country Manor of some past minor gentry for the area now operating as a club style meeting place. There was a fixed menu and no choices which did not suit me at all but nothing to be done but soldier on. It was all very pleasant but expensive as I was unable to eat most of the meal. Nick and Selina ran us home to the city as it turned out they are living in Derby these days and they had to drive through Nottingham anyway.

Visit to Bob & Cilla, phone call to Pam and visit to RC Nottingham

It is now Monday. Kerry has organized for us to meet with Bob and Cilla later that morning and we have had a chat with Pam by phone. Pam has had some oral surgery and does not want visitors at present but she was able to inform us that she had resolved the trouble she had with the publisher of her first children’s book which problem had seemed to have depressed her the last few years.

I had been struggling with a cold the last week and I had now run out of antibiotic tablets that we had brought with us as a precaution. So, before we caught the bus to Attenborough, we had rung around some medical practices to get a new script with no luck. When we made it to Bob and Cilla’s house, we had a lovely catch up and were surprised by a visit from one of our fellow gardeners. We had met Cilla at the local church and our friendship had grown from there. One thing led to another about my health and Bob and Cilla were of considerable help with resolving the problem. They were both in good health and there is a chance we may catch up in NZ when they next visit their daughter and family.

After returning to the hotel, we prepared for our Rotary meeting at our other club – Rotary Club of Nottingham. We made our way to the meeting place and were greeted by a lot of old familiar faces and some new faces. It was like old times and a great surprise for many of the members. The Club remains robust and maintaining its membership.

Travel National Bus to Heathrow London – Depart London to Rome

Our return trip to Heathrow went as planned and we soon landed in Rome. Rome and the area around Terminii Station is now a familiar precinct so catching the train at Fumincino Airport to Terminii felt familiar even though it was 11.00 o’clock at night. Once at Terminii the short stroll to the front door of Dream Station was like coming home. We inserted the code and the big front door (no doubt once the doors to a forecourt in its early days) and now an obstacle track for guests coming to stay. Th elevator is big enough for two persons or 1 person and suitcase. Kerry went ahead and I followed next time round. So, we were now ready for bed in Rome.

So, until my next blog “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – “ROME, CESI, BARI, NAPLES and back to ROME” – keep on following our journey.

THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – SAN FRANCISCO USA/BRIGHTON HOVE UK

The B&B (pictured above) was well located on the road that marked the exact boundary between the two towns (Brighton and Hove), and you would not have known the difference save for a sign on a building at the end of the road announcing the boundary. Upstairs It had two bedrooms both with an ensuite and downstairs a powder room kitchen lounge room and a dining table in the middle. Enough room for us but no garage. The missing garage came as quite a shock. The hiring of the car was based on the B&B having “private parking”. Our strategy was to spend the day traveling around and hope to find a space at night when it was free to park on the streets. Mick and Terri had joined us.

Mick had in his younger days worked in or owned a garage at the end of the street with a “lady of the night” working from the building across the road and the Robin Hood Pub on the opposite corner. The garage has gone, and the Lady has moved on but the pub was still there.

I had prepared an itinerary and planned to drag Terri and Mick around. Despite the itinerary we got side tracked on our way to Battle Abbey and Battlefield. We visited Beach Head and the suburbs of Eastbourne to allow Mick to catch up with an old friend. The wind was howling this day and sea mist blanked out the sun. The coastline is a continuation of the white cliffs of Dover and towered over the beach. It’s known for its dramatic, 531-foot (162-meter) high cliffs being the highest chalk cliffs in England and offers stunning views of the coastline and the English Channel. Beachy Head is part of the Seven Sisters Country Park. The visitor centre measures the distance from the edge of the cliffs to the centre and predicts that the centre will be lost over the cliff by 2050. We drove to the highest point and stepped out to take photos and were close to being blown away. The first picture is the visitors centre which will one day be in the sea as they lose a portion of the cliffs each year. The little lighthouse is further along the coast until you come to the highest point which is the last photo.

We moved on through Eastbourne to the town of Battle and parked behind Battle Abbey at the monastery car park. Terri had put the money in the meter and we moved onto the Abbey which was closed – it was Sunday. Disappointed we walked through the village and found somewhere warm for lunch. We paid no further attention to the parking meter until we received a rude email from the car hire people. We paid the administration fee but never received the fine – its in the mail. The first two pictures are Eastbourne Pier and its “shop” followed by the advertisement for a re-enactment of the battle on the carpark wall in Battle. The last picture is the phone box outside the Abbey from which King Harold rang home to tell his Queen he may be late for dinner. The battle with William in 1066 AD took place in this area.

With the Abbey closed our afternoon was free so we headed to Lewes and Lewes Castle and Museum of Sussex Archaeology. The town was buzzing, and the only parking space was the council car park near the river Ouse 500m away from the castle and museum. The castle is largely a ruin with a castle gate and some other buildings remaining. Still, it was very interesting. Lewes Castle is a medieval Norman castle originally called Bray Castle. it occupies a commanding position guarding the gap in the South Downs cut by the River Ouse and occupied by the towns of Lewes and Cliffe. It stands on a man-made mount just to the north of the high street in Lewes and is constructed from local limestone and flint blocks. The Barbican gate is mostly intact and can be accessed. The sign on the wall in the photo below tells the passerby that ten of the seventeen protestant martyrs were imprisoned in the vault below this building and burned at the stake a few metres from this site in 1555 to 1557.

This tour ended our day, and we returned to Hove to find a car space, a place to eat and a warm space to retire.

My niece Louise, who is presently managing the race days for Formula 1 Racing around the world, took time out of her busy schedule to come down by train to Hove and arrange for more of my relatives to meet us. Louise, Trish (Terri’s sister and my cousin) and her daughter Sarah arranged for dinner at the Connaught Hotel in the heart of Hove. We parked in the Aldi parking station and walked on to the Connaught Hotel – large and noisy hotel and a table of 7.

We also managed to fit in a visit to Ditchling a very small village with a lot of history. Even so the place was busy with visitors, and we ended up parking in a puddle in a dead-end lane – the only park we could find. It brought into the churchyard and as is typical of English churches we also passed through the cemetery finding a very quaint grave with its own font. Some of the buildings look to be from the Tudor era but the pub was warm and cozy. On the way to Ditchling we passed through some pretty country as you will see below. In the village itself the church stood out as the centre of the village and the buildings all to be very early or Georgian built.

After spending the morning in Ditchling we returned to Hove and the “Nevell” an old haunt for Mick and we met up with one of Terri’s sons for a drink and get together. The following day we continued our visits to beach side towns and the photos following show a mariners church where the sailors went to sea after visiting the church.

We had a lovely time renewing friendships meeting more of my father’s family in the UK and visiting new things in Brighton Hove. Our time in Brighton Hove had come to an end and we had the discussion as to when we might catch up again before we headed off to Truro in Cornwall. We had not visited places like Port Issac where Doc Martin had his practice (the TV show) and King Arthur’s alleged castle at Tintagel. The drive would take over 4.5 hours so we scheduled a stopover in Dorchester for a break and some lunch.

Read on in my next blog “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – BRIGHTON HOVE UK/ CORNWALL UK.