York - Tuesday 7 Jul

We drove into York this morning which was a bit of a mistake as we should have done "park and ride". Parking in inner York was expensive and rare. Still, we got to spend a couple of hours doing a bit of shopping and walking the streets of the old walled town of York. It is very tourist oriented and there were lots of us. We thought about doing the tour of Yorkminster but took one look at the line-up and opted out. We still got to see a fair bit of the minster though and took a walk along a section of the River Ouse. Photos are of Clifford Castle and the Yorkminster.

Another Wolds Day - Mon 6 July

Once again spent the day wandering in the Yorkshire Wolds visiting Huggate, Wharram le Street, North Grimston, Wetwang, Driffield, Pocklington, Yapham and other localities. The first photo is a long distance view towards the village of Huggate. Our major activity of the day was a long walk up and down hill to the 'deserted' village of Wharram Percy (not that far from Kirby Underdale). The last occupants in the village were evicted in the early 1500s and a lot of research has been conducted in respect of this village including the recovery of about 700 burials.
The poppies are growing in a crop of Canola near the deserted village. They look very pretty when they grow thickly but must be a menace for the farmers.
The damaged church is that of Wharram Percy as it continued to be used by nearby localities up until the late 1800s.
The final photo is from our accommodation outside of Bishop Wilton. It was taken about 7:30pm (the sun is still relatively high in the sky then) and the sky was fairly cloudy then allowing a direct photograph of the sun.

Wandering the western part of the Wolds - Sun 5 Jul

We went for the traditional Sunday roast at the Three Cups Inn at Stamford Bridge (place of the other 1066 battle) having to brave a downpour. We then travelled through a number of nearby villages and hamlets mostly associated with he Kirby Ancestors. They included Skirpenbeck, Scrayingham, Leppington, Thixendale, Acklam, Leavening, Uncleby, Kirby Underdale, and Painsthorp. We took masses of photos but here are three.
Vija took the one of the steep slope where the two cows are backed by an unusual cloud formation (near Thixendale).
The photo of the road with the canopy of trees was also taken near Thixendale. We have been running into portions of road like this all over the UK but this time it was a nice road with very little traffic so we were able to stop. This one is fairly thinly wooded and some have such a thick canopy that they are like darkened narrow tunnels - love them!
The other photo is of the Hanging Grimston Road looking towards Kirby Underdale. My ancestors farmed this spot.

Yorkshire or bust - Sat 4 Jul

We made such good time heading for Yorkshire that we deviated through the North Yorkshire Moors and Dales and ended up at Scarborough where we visited Scarborough Castle. It was built on a high but large headland which dominates the surrounding sea and land. The headland could only be reasonably reached via a narrow, sloping track covered by battlements and the castle keep. The keep (see picture) was bombarded in the Civil War and the defenders were starved out. The headland has apparently been occupied even prior to the Romans who built a big beacon tower there and a small chapel was erected on the Roman foundations in about 1000AD. (As usual see our photo albums at the site previously advised on this blog)
We then went up to Whitby - what a mistake - there were thousands of weekend drivers attempting to fill a couple of hundred parking spots. Obviouslyit is a very popular place to visit. In the end we just gave up trying to park near the harbour and headed off to the village of Goathland which was the village given the fictitious name of Aidensfield in the BBC series "Heartland" so much loved by Vija. Lots of visitors again, mostly by coaches, but parking was relatively easy. It's an astonishing village which is part of the Duchy of Lancaster which tends to ensure that very little change occurs. Sheep wander through the streets and lean against houses to rest. Vija just had to drape herself over a "police car". It's a great little village even with its catering to its TV image.

Hadrians Wall - Friday 3 Jul

We left Edinburgh early this day to avoid expected traffic congestion because of a Regimental March down High Street. We were on our way nice;y whenour GPSA announced a recalculation because of traffic conditions. It then sent us around in a large triangle returning to where we started the deviation and was wanting to send us around again. It was most definitely time to simply follow the highway numbers.
Anyway we soon made it to Hadrians Wall ardea where we saw some great scenary and visited the remains of three Roman settlements. The first of these was Chesters Fort which was, originally at least, a cavalry fort built beside a roman bridge which was both a span across the Tyne River and part of Hadrians Wall. The are claims that the fort was built to protect the bridge but cavalry would not be used for such a purpose. The photo here is of the remains of the bath house next to the Tyne.
The next was the Housesteads Fort, an infantry fort, perched on top of a hill which, with towers, must have provided great 360 degree views of the locality. It was a big climb for each of us to get up there and, once we made it, the rain started. Still, we got to see everything and got back to the car getting just a little damp before the rain got to be too heavy. It too is built on Hadrians Wall. The photo here is of one of the granaries in the fort.
It was then onto Vindolanda. This settlement actually predated Hadrians Wall but came to form part of it. It is very large and includes a succession of forts including early wooden ones and civilian premises outside the forts. Much excavation has been done but there remains even more archaeological work to be undertaken. The photo here is of a roadway paved with very large flat stones.
We spent the night at a converted "gun lodge" and their were four other guests there all training their retriever dogs for competitions.

Edinburgh Thursday 3 Jul

Our main activity today was visiting Edinburgh Castle. It is astonishing just how much they have managed to fit on top of the rock. In addition to all the battlements there are also lots of buildings. We enjoyed the regimental museums and, Vija tried her luck with a piper. Lots of cannons on the walls but pride of place goes to the pictured Big Mons built in the 1450s and presented as a gift to King James II. It fired the rock cannonballs pictured with the cannon. It weighed over 6 tons and needed a crew of 100 men. Most of its life was spent firing the occasional salute but eventually the barrel blew.
We also captured the image of the Scottish Unicorn atop a memorial in High Street. We did the long walk down to Holyrood Palace but the Queen was there this week so no entry. One look at the exterior of the very recent (in Edinburgh terms) Scottish House of Parliament and we did not bother to seek entry. It looks awful but I suppose someone must love the design.

Travelling to Edinburgh - Wed 2 July

Bit of a slow drive because I was a bit ill with a cold. We stopped at a couple of places including the town of Aberdour and visited the Aberdour Castle. Vija loved the gardens there whilst I was taken with the massive 600 nest dovecot used to provide pigeons for the dining table in winter so I climbed inside for a bird's-eye (pitiful, isn't it?). We then set off to Edinburgh first crossing the massive Forth Bridge to get to our inner area hotel just south of the old town in Edinburgh. What a nightmare! Intersection after intersection was blocked for what seems to be some major project. We were diverted several times with no idea where we should be because of no useful signs for a stranger to the town. Our GPS was, of course useless. It updates regularly for traffic conditions but apparently not for long term blockages! I had to do some dicey manouvres a few times just to keep going in roughly the desired directed. This strategy actually worked and we ended up at our hotel. We were not the only visitors caught - we saw others pulling over, gather their breaths and trying to make sense of how to get to their destinations. We went out later after some rain and walked the streets of the old own and also got this photo looking up to Edinburgh Castle