We left Cardiff on Monday 19th May to head towards Scotland so Ian could work in Glasgow and Edinburgh libraries. We broke the journey in the Lake District, staying 2 nights in the village of Coniston. It's easy to see why everyone makes such a fuss about the Lake District. Picture perfect in every direction with lush green fields bounded by dry stone wall fences and dramatic mountains. Ian was very keen that we stay in Coniston, particularly, because the grave of the Historian and Philosopher Collingwood (author of The Idea of History) is in the church yard there and John Ruskin had a home on the edge of Coniston Water.
Our dates of travel changed leading up to the trip so we ended up in Coniston for Hamish's birthday. We had promised a birthday in a castle, but Hamish was quite happy to have a birthday on a boat and the guest house hosts were really helpful with a little family party over breakfast. We decorated the bedroom with happy birthday signs and balloons.
We took a boat on Coniston Water to Brantwood, Ruskin's home where we learnt about his life and ideas and looked at writings and artworks. Tom played the piano there for us (a sign invited pianists to do so, but he still needed a bit of encouragement). We had a lovely lunch beside the fire in a garden cafe where we read some Beatrix Potter stories while waiting for our food. The sun shone, the birds tweeted, the lambs bleated and we enjoyed a lot of yummy meals in ambient locations.
The B and B breakfasts were so huge we took turns at early morning running to work off a bit of the over-indulgence. How lovely it was to be out running in amongst hedges and dry stone walls. Coniston is full of people who love to run, cycle, canoe and hike. We've decided we must return for a serious hike.
We drove up to Scotland through a mountain pass. The landscape changed considerably from one end of the Lake District to the other, but always enticing and spectacular scenery.
Arriving in Scotland was a bit spooky....we had booked accomm through the very informal Gum Trees website - used by back packers, but there's no real quality control...We decided we wanted a bit of space to spread out, so when we found a 4 bedroom place on a private estate just outside Glasgow, we booked it. When we arrived, it was windy and overcast. There was an imposing old manor in an overgrown garden. Noone was home. We wandered about the estate amongst abandoned debris and came across what looked like a shooting range. A car came up the drive, but we couldn't find the people who got out of it! They seemed to disappear before we could get there. We found the key of the stables under the mat and let ourselves in. There were quotes from Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet on the wall that referred to cutting Romeo up into pieces (to make the stars) and the witches curse declaring something wicked this way comes.
Our hosts finally arrived and were friendly and helpful. The house was amazing. Missing a few things because it had been a long term rental and we were the first holiday rental - no mirrors, no hair dryer, no towel racks. But the most beautiful kitchen cabinetry I've ever seen, huge, tapestry covered lounges and the largest bed I've ever seen.
There was so much to see, we were on the go endlessly.....more on Glasgow and Edinburgh in future posts.
