Bronte Country, West Yorkshire Pennines (Wednesday)

Haworth YHA

Main Street up to Parsonage

After a rainy morning in Stratford we set off north across some lovely countryside and headed up the A1(M) to West Yorkshire.  We had not made any advanced bookings for accomodation as we wanted to remain flexible so when we were confronted with the huge selection of YHA's we took pot luck and picked a place called Haworth which I hadn't heard of.  It's main attraction was it was fairly close to the Lake District where we were headed the next day. The next surprise was to discover that Haworth was at the heart of Bronte country and the town where the Bronte sisters grew up and lived with their father at the Parsonage.  A family that grew up with sorrow and loss.  Their mother and three of the six sisters all had premature deaths. Charlotte Bronte the last of the sisters married at 38 and died at 39 due to a toxic pregnancy.  She was a tiny lady only 4'10" tall.

Bronte country

We enjoyed an early evening walk which was the only flat walk available as it  turned out.  Haworth is in very hilly country and lends itself to some beautiful rugged countryside. Bronte Country is predominantly of Millstone Grit, a dark sandstone which lends the crags and scenery here an air of bleakness and desolation. Small wonder then, that this landscape fuelled the imagination of the Bronte sisters in writing their classic novels - including "Wuthering Heights" (which was reputedly inspired by the isolated moorland farmstead of Top Withens) and "Jane Eyre".


Next morning we made our way by car to the Bronte Parsonage Museum and is very well preserved. It still retains the atmosphere of what would have been a very loving home.  I loved this quote from the museum:

I have dreamed in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after,

and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, 

like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind.

Emily Bronte

Debbie had gleaned some local information and discovered there was an original steam train that had a regular run to Keighly and was a popular tourist attraction so naturally we had to do that too which was great fun. We caught a veteran bus back for the last part of the journey and saw in the distance Haworth was also the town where the Railway Children was filmed years ago and there is a small museum which records the making of the TV series in the Railway Museum.

All in all Haworth proved to be a great place to visit and stay.....highly recommended!

Off to Stratford on Avon

Street scene in Stratford

After a very mediocre lunch at The Smallest Pub in Bath we headed off for Shakespeare country a couple of hours drive through some lovely countryside.

Walk along R iver Avon

We found our B&B without too much trouble, which we had booked the night before, and had enough time left to meander round the town and along the river.  The weather was starting to get a bit grim and we experienced our first shower of rain.  Was a shame we didn't have time to go to the theatre where As You Like It was being performed.  Last time I was in Stratford was in 1998 and there have been many changes and improvements to the Shakespeare theatre since that time.  Even now it is under some more re-development.

Shakespeare's home

It is amazing how the house has been so well preserved in its almost original state all these years.

The works of Shakespeare of course are nothing less than incredible. His writings to me are like oil paintings, so rich in colour and description and full of passion. It is beyond belief that one person could write so much and so well.  Where did the inspiration come from?  Maybe we all have an untapped source of inspiration that Shakespeare somehow naturally drew on.

Monday morning and off to Bath

Bath YHA

WOW, time is really flying along...Monday already!  The hire car company dropped off our brand new little Golf VW at the YHA and after a few little instructions left us to it.  I was feeling a bit stressed and eagre to get out of the city but Debbie had other ideas and wanted to purchase a 'dear' little tea pot back in the city.  We had our first tiff.  But all ended well and Debbie became the new owner of a quaint little tea pot. 

Original Roman Baths

It took over three hours driving to get to Bath, navigating through very heavy traffic, motorways and dodging huge trucks.  Anyway we finally got there and the first thing we did after dumping our stuff at the YHA was to make our way to the Thermal Spa Baths.  We made our first mistake by going to the Roman Baths thinking that was where you got to have a bath but this was the archaeologicial site of the original roman baths.  We were redirected to the modern baths round the corner.  It is the same thermal waters that have been redirected to the new baths and spas.  Apparently two bucketfulls of hot thermal water still come up every second...just amazing ...and to think this has been going on for ever it would seem...certainly way, way before the Romans ever got there.

We enjoyed the hot thermal roof top pool watching a hot air balloon float by against the setting sun.  Was like being in a movie.

Bath, bridge over River Avon

Next day we joined up with a two hour free walking tour and history of the city which of course goes back to pre-Roman times.   One thing that has really struck me over the few days of recent travel is the phenomenal number of people everywhere.  Bath is certainly no exception but mainly due to the huge influx of tourists.  Bath apparently is one of  the major tourist attractions in the country.

London to Cambridge

After a warm welcome at Harrow at my friend's Carole's home we had an uneventful journey to Cambridge which is familiar territory for me now after living there mostly for the past year or so. We stayed at the YHA there for two nights.  After settling our bags and bundles safely in our twin room we took off for the obligatory red tour bus of the city.  I was quite keen to do some punting on the River Cam which is the thing to do in Cambridge and we managed to get a good price for a fortyfive minute punt up the river.  Was great fun and so relaxing until we had a head-on crash with two other punts mid-stream and just missed floating through the undergrowth of the nearby weeping willows. The only thing we forgot was a bottle of red wine and a couple of wine glasses.

On our second day we went to the nearby picturesque and historic town of Ely. We arrived at theCathedral just in time for.the Sunday service and the Eucharist.  Ely Cathedral like most Cathedrals is really stunning and rich in  history going back to the 11th Century.  It was quite something to sit there during the service and feel the vibrations and impact of the glorious and triumphant music from such a powerful organ.

We later joined a small tour group and were guided up the Octagnal Tower and onto the roof of the cathedral...169 steps up a very narrow stone, spiral staircase.  At the top we were able to look back down to the floor of the cathedral far below which was very daunting to say the least and very far away.  Debbie kept gasping.."I'll be OK...I'll be OK".

We managed a tour of Oliver Cromwell's family home and were further enlightened on the drama and history surrounding the Reformation and conflict between the Pope as Head of the Church, Henry VIII and his wives, King Charles 1?  and Martin Luther's revelation of justification my faith alone.  All fascinating stuff....society of that era was predominantly very religious.      

We meandered down to the River Cam and walked along the river bank back to the train and back to Cambridge...a very educational afternoon.  We finished the day with an enjoyable meal in Caluchi's, one of Cambridge's top Italian restaurants.

Hampton Court Palace and Dramas in the Underground

Main entrance to Palace

Royal Chapel

After seeing Grace safely onto the train for Heathrow airport we made our way by train to Hampton Court Palace which is about 35 minutes out of the city centre.  If you have had no introduction to the history of the English Kings and Queens, Hampton Court Palace blows your mind away at the opulence and excesses that the royalty were accustomed to during that those eras.  Standing in the Base Court one can just imagine the clatter of horse drawn carriages bringing the many privileged guests to participate in the great banquets and feasts held in the Great Hall.

Originally a dining room for members of the King’s court, The Great Hall regularly seated 600 people for two meals a day. The Great Hall’s treasures include the magnificent 16th-century Flemish tapestries commissioned by Henry VIII, which depict scenes from the Story of Abraham, and a stunning hammer-beamed ceiling richly decorated with mouldings, tracery and intricate carvings.   Thanks to its distance from the city centre, it is often overlooked by visitors. This is a pity because it is a true Tudor gem with Henry VIII's magnificent hammer-beam roofed Great Hall, Chapel and Royal Appartments.

During the period AD 1485 to AD1703 the Thames was possibly seen in its greatest splendour. The Kings and Queens of these times loved the river and lived in their beautiful riverside palaces at Hampton Court, Kew, Richmond, Whitehall and Greenwich. These were all built during this period and bear witness to the amazing skill of architects and craftsmen working on the buildings. 


King Henry VIII loved his palaces at Greenwich and Richmond, but once he had sight of Cardinal Wolsley’s own little pad at Hampton Court he did not rest until he “persuaded” Wolsley to “give” it to him.

It seemed we walked miles around all the different kings and queens appartments and then finally view the wonderful gardens around the palace.  We arrived at Hampton Court railway station at 12.30 pm and left at 5.30 pm.  We were exhausted but thrilled to have experienced such a rich history in the space of one afternoon.


DRAMA IN THE UNDERGROUND


After an exhausting day we went back to Waterloo St Station Left Luggage and collected our cases and bags and finally were on our way to north London to stay over night with a friend there.  I, as usual, was racing ahead of Debbie confident that she would be too not far behind.  I had casually mentioned that we were on our way to Baker St Station via the Bakerloo line and then onto the Metropolitan line for Harrow.  I reached the platform for Baker St and looked behind and to my utter dismay there was NO Debbie!  You cannot imagine what this feeling is like, losing someone in the London Underground.  There are just millions of people in a rabbit warren of tunnels going everywhere.  Without going into all the details of the ensuing drama, not to mention a return to the left luggage office at Waterloo St where the duty officer allowed me to charge up my mobile phone so I could ring Debbie, we were finally reunited at Baker St where I found Debbie sprawled out on her back pack waiting patiently like a street person all of 45 minutes later.  This will always be one of those unforgettable moments of out Tour de Brit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tower of London

Next stop was the Tower of  London where a very eloquent Scottish lady, fully dressed in the Yeoman regalia,  related with relish all the gory history of the Tower: intrigue, imprisonment, execution and torture, not to  mention the sorrowful end to some of Henry VIII's wives.

We suffered the long queue to see the Crown Jewels which fortunately moved quite quickly.  Debbie and Grace were so impressed they went back for a second look.  "Just amazing", said Deb.

River Cruise next and a relief to sit down for a while as the amusing crew member colourfully described the river's infamous history.

The banks of the Thames became the favoured location for buildings of all kinds, from monastic abbeys to gorgeous palaces. The huge number of famous buildings along the course of the Thames gave rise to the description of the river as a “string” linking a series of “pearls”. 

 To end the day we made our way to Leicester Square where we had arrranged to meet my son, Scott, and his wife, Emma.  We found our way through Covent Gardens and much to Grace's delight enjoyed a typical English Pie and beer in a typical English Pub.  Perfect end to a perfect day and the end of a perfect holiday for Grace.

London Town

Was great to finally meet Debbie and Grace at the hotel.  I have been counting the weeks down for over a month now.  So good to reunite with old friends and pick up the friendship as though it was only yesterday when we last met even though it was over six months ago.  Listened to their non-stop tales and embarrassing moments travelling across Europe and I have to say they were quite hilarious.  Poor Grace having to put up with her embarrassing mother who on one occasion while on a roofless tour-the-city-bus in Paris grabbed an overhanging leaf on a branch that refused to budge, so Debbie let it go and it clocked the guy sitting behind in the face.  I cracked up laughing. 

So, Thursday morning off we set to find the hop-on hop-off tour bus and joined the tour for the Changing of the Guard which started at St James's Palace.  We managed to get their just in time after a brisk walk from Trafalgar Square.  Quite frankly I wasn't too fussed about seeing the sights of London as I  thought I had seen it all before but the tour operators took us on a very fast and rather vigourous walk on the Changing of the Guard route and it was just splendid.  We stood outside St James's Palace and the band came out and played Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves which of course was enough to start a flow of tears right there on the pavement.

The pomp, ceremony and ritual of these old traditions is really quite awesome and I have to say I found it very moving and somehow quite comforting that even in the midst of shifting politics and powers some things never change.

This was the first day of our Tour of Britain, or more acurately, of England, and it was to set the scene to remind me again of the rich and somewhat gruesome history of my country of birth.