30 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Stokesay, Shrops; Arthur's Stone, Heref —

Stokesay Castle from the van

The view inside the van

Woke up at 7:30, breakfasted, relaxed. Went to move the van to Stokesay Castle (i.e. Stokesay Manor) car park and got an oil alarm from the van! Decided to go into Craven Arms to rectify the problem. Parked in a car park next to a Texaco station and went in to buy oil. Sue noticed the locals going into a large nondescript building — turned out to be a large, well-stocked, cheap supermarket. Went shopping, specifically for a funnel to allow us to put the oil in the van. Came out with a lot more — but at such good prices! They also let us empty our toilet (bonus!) and the garage let us fill up our drinking water, which was running low.

Stokesay Castle Gatehouse

Then on to Stokesay Castle. Lovely people — they allowed us to charge our computer at a convenient power point while we explored the place with the help of an audio tour. We love English Heritage! Had morning tea in their tea room, then set off to explore. The place had been a ruin, but a local archaeologist and artist, bless her, shamed the lord of the manor into doing a full conservation (not reconstruction or renovation) on the property, so now it is "the finest and best preserved medieval manor house in England", dating back to about 1291. Fortified against Welsh incursions, the manor had a role during the civil war when in 1645, in its one and only military encounter, the place surrendered to the Parliamentarians without a shot fired. This effectively saved the manor, as the Parliamentarians were under orders to demolish any Royalist strongholds — but after the surrender, they didn't have the heart to do it! The sole 'destruction' was that they returned about 2 years later and removed the curtains! The stairs up to the battlements were no challenge after yesterday's effort at Ironbridge!

Stokesay Castle

At about 3:30 we decamped, and set off towards Arthur's Stone, near Hay-on-Wye on the Welsh border. After half an hour of our usual cross-country driving (gaining confidence all the way) we found this little lane up a steep (25%) slope and, at the top, this 5,000-year-old neolithic burial site. Parked, had a cuppa.

A lovely lady who had pulled up on the other side of the tomb came over to ask us if we were planning to stay the night. When we said yes, she apologised for what might be a rude awakening at 5:30am when she and her troupe of Morris dancers will be dancing near the tomb as they do to bring the sun up every May Day morning. Looking forward to it!

Arthur's Stone

We're having tea to the sound of young lambs bleating in the field beside us.

Distance driven — today, 52 miles ( 84 km ); to date, 483 miles ( 778 km )

29 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Wroxeter, & Ironbridge, Shrops —

Woke up near Wroxeter Roman City, basically the ruins of a basilica/bathhouse of the Roman city Viroconium, which straddled Watling Street in the northern outskirts of the Roman Empire from 95AD for about 500 years. The lane up the side of the site is actually part of the original Watling Street, the old Roman highway. Fascinating site — not really much to be seen, but what is there shows the structure of the bathhouse, with its huge basilica (or exercise area, consisting of a central nave separated from an aisle up each side by a line of 13 columns — yes, it sounds like church architecture, but in fact the early churches adopted this secular design!) Then into the bathhouse itself, from the coolest frigidarium, through the tepidarium to the hottest caldarium — much like a modern Turkish bath! We could see the furnace area and the hypocaust which circulated the hot air beneath the floor of the bathhouse.

A few years ago a BBC4 archaeology program mounted a project to build a Roman villa using entirely Roman building techniques. That happened at this site, and the results of their efforts are still there for all to see. I did ask what happened to the archaeology still beneath it, and was told that the old forum (where the villa was constructed) has been extensively examined, but also a metre of soil was put over the entire area to protect it for future excavations.

After a couple of hours here, we left for Ironbridge, the site of the original Iron Bridge, the first ever cast iron bridge and an icon of the industrial revolution. Opened in 1781, it carried traffic until 1934, when it was declared an Ancient Monument and closed to all but foot traffic. The whole town (like Shrewsbury) revolves around the tourist trade, and there is heaps to do. Although we decided not to visit any of the 10 museums, we had a wonderful time wandering the area — and indulging in a glorious ice cream!

Some of the steps

We walked the woodlands walk up to the Rotunda (up Paradise Lane, round the top, and then down Lincoln Hill). Susie says to mention the 29 thousand steps we climbed up. I think she exaggerates a little, but there were certainly a lot of them! The Rotunda actually designates a lookout point where a rotunda was built around 1790. The rotunda itself has disappeared, but there's still a great view of the Iron Bridge and the rest of the gorge.

The view from the Rotunda

At about 5:30 we decided to set off for our next destination, Stokesay Castle. The Garmin took us cross-country via the inevitable country lanes — Susie drove this time — and we found the site with a good lay-by to camp in overnight. Went down the road to a local pub for tea, then returned to settle down for the night. Stokesay Castle opens up at 10am, and we should be up by then!

Distance driven — today, 43 miles ( 69 km ); to date, 431 miles ( 694 km )

28 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Oswestry & Shrewsbury, Shrops —

Sheep on Hill Fort

Susie on Hill Fort

Woke up at the Hill Fort and, after getting ourselves moving, walked up to the top and all the way round. It's not small! Took about 40 minutes till we got down to the van again. A few people walking (running) their dogs — it's a real asset for the dog owners of the area. I wonder how much archaeology still remains untouched under the sod!

Next we got into the van and drove in to a Park & Ride just outside Shrewsbury. From there it was only £2.50 for us to get a double return ticket into town. Dropped us off right at the top of High Street. It's an incredible Tudor village, many of the buildings in the centre of town (and further out) are the classic Tudor style.

Tourists looking at...

...Old Tudor Building

Old St Chad's

We walked out to the south and found Old St Chad's, a remnant of the original Church on the town, most of which collapsed catastrophically in 1788. (There is now a new St Chad's a few blocks to the East.)

New St Chad's Interior

 

Main Heraldic Window

"Benedictine" Window

We walked down to the Catholic Cathedral - found a mass in progress, so went on to the Abbey. For those who like their Ellis Peters Brother Cadfael novels, this is where she did a lot of her research for background. The list of abbots on the wall even has some of the names in her books. There is also a "Benedictine" stained glass window — they're not allowed to call is a "Cadfael" window — a recent addition, which reflects the novels and even carries Ellis Peters' monogram. Apparently American tourists keep coming in asking after St Winifred's bones, which went missing centuries ago!

Then it was time for a bite to eat, so we adjourned to Starbucks in The Square in the heart of town — spent about an hour catching up in internet stuff (email, blog, etc.).

Then walked down to the Cathedral again. Met some lovely people inside who absolutely insisted on giving us the grand tour. The stained glass in here is magnificent — all but one window (the oldest) have recently been renovated. That oldest one has a bit of damage, and its repair would cost as much again as has been spent on the rest — over £40,000!

Wandered some more, just taking in the town's atmosphere. Found a sweet shop and indulged ourselves! Then, with the weather starting to become threatening, we returned to the van. We planned our next few English Heritage stops, all in Shropshire so we might be able to hit them all tomorrow. Set off for the first of them, the Wroxeter Roman City — nothing like Pompeii, but the largest Roman City ruin in Britain. We've parked for the night in a lay-by about a mile from the site.

Distance driven — today, 34 miles ( 55 km ); to date, 388 miles ( 625 km )

27 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Beeston, Ches; Oswestry, Shrops —

Beeston Castle St George's Day Celebrations! The gates to the castle opened at 10am, but we were ready almost an hour earlier, so we decided to walk down the hill to the village and that narrow bridge that so freaked Susie yesterday. A lovely walk, passing numerous cyclists, equestrians, ramblers, and sighting the local Peregrine Falcon which is nesting near the castle. When we got to the village, found that it was a stopping point on a canal, and there were about half a dozen barges pulled up, their occupants presumably having enjoyed the hospitality of the local in at some time last night.

Back up to the Castle. The mile downhill was easy, the mile back up the hill good exercise! Got to the Castle and things were hopping. Went in just in time to see "St George" being dressed by his squire (and a young volunteer from the audience). Left him to get on with it while we walked up to the Castle itself.

The Castle is a 12th Century ruin, but with enough remaining to give you an impression of what must have been there after it was begun in the 1220s. It was also the site of a siege, the Cavaliers here ultimately surrendering to the Roundheads during the Civil War in 1645.

The view from the Castle is magnificent - on a clear day you can see across 8 counties! (It was a little hazier for us, but still superb!) You can see across to the next peak to what seems to be anther castle in far better repair. Scam! It was built by the then owner of Beeston Castle in the 1800s so he could look out at Beeston Castle in comfort — it's now a hotel (which has a special attraction - falconry)!

Returned down to the celebrations in time to watch St George dispatch the dragon. Then went out to the van for lunch, returning to explore the grounds further, before we decided to depart at about 3:30. We'd had a lovely sunny day, and were well satisfied.

Went in to Chester to check out parking — found none, so decided to set off south for Shrewsbury. On the way, became aware of a 3000-year-old hill fort in Oswestry, so retargeted our end point for the day to this. Got there in time to park and walk up onto the hill for a look-see. Will go back up for a better look in the morning before departing for Shrewsbury, Brother Cadfael country!

Susie on top of the Hill Fort

Distance driven — today, 58 miles ( 93 km ); to date, 354 miles ( 570 km )

26 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Chester, & Beeston, Ches —

Started the day on a lay-by on a road near Chester Zoo - our first real wild camping for the trip. No problems. We had been hoping the Zoo car park would be open overnight, but the gates were closed, so we went back to a lay-by we had noted on the way (just in case). Had a leisurely breakfast, then went shopping again at a huge Sainsbury's in a local retail park. By now, I think we're pretty-well set up!

Then to the Zoo. One of the best set-up zoos we've ever seen — magnficent. The animals all have plenty of space, are obviously healthy and contented, and are displayed to good effect, with the latout of the zoo giving multiple viewing points to many of the animals. Won't bore you with the detail, but a few photos will tell the story. We spent over 5 hours just wandering, entranced. By the way, the day was perfect for the zoo — sunny, but a cool breeze from time to time.

Road to Beeston

Adjourned to the van for a cuppa at about 3:30, then set off for Beeston Castle, where we will drop in tomorrow for their St George's Day celebrations (which are running the whole weekend). The trip was interesting - narrow country lanes, one arched stone bridge only just wider than the van, and one slight holdup when a tree that had blown over into the roadway was being cleared up. But we got here, at about 5:30. Festivities were winding up for the day and the carpark, operated by the local farmer, was to close at 6pm. Went in to reception at the castle (not related to the carpark) to see if we could arrange to stay overnight. They put us on to the farmer, Ron (by phone) and he was happy to make an exception in our case, but I'm sure he wouldn't want to make a practice of it!

The setting here is peaceful now that everyone has departed and we are locked in for the night. Looking forward to a most restful night's sleep!

Parked for the night at Beeston Castle

Distance driven — today, 20 miles (32 km ); to date, 296 miles (477 km )

25 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Brodsworth, Yorks; Chester, Ches —

Woke up in Huddersfield. Susie had noticed a visitor in the field behind us overnight — a fox! A brisk morning, a little drizzle, but nothing to complain of. Got ourselves up and about by 8:30, by which time Simon had come to open up. He helped us with all the 'chores' involved with keeping the van ship-shape, and we bought some toilet chemicals from him. He also gave us some great advice about our gas — that we think about setting the van up with a refillable system, at the cost of about £700 and a day or so's work on the van. Then we would be independent of the various cylinder types in the various countries we will be travelling to — and they're all different! And we will be able to fill up at virtually any fuel stop from the LPG bowser! We'll look into it as soon as we are in the vicinity of a dealership that can do it for us.

Brodsworth Hall

Then drove about 30 miles south-west of Huddersfield, to Brodsworth Hall. The estate was bought by a very wealthy French aristocrat ex-patriate in about 1820 (remember the revolution?). He took a dislike to the Georgian mansion already on the site, which he promptly had demolished, and he had constructed a delightful early Victorian mansion, which was completed in the incredible time of 18 months. No expense was spared. As for furnishings, he was a little more mundane, and effectively furnished the entire house from the catalogue of one London supplier. Similarly for the statues both inside and throughout the gardens — they were all but two bought as a job lot from an exhibition in Dublin.

The house, and the will of its original owner, are famous in English history, as the will was contested for a period of 60 years, becoming the sole means of support of at least 3 law firms for that whole period — and it was ultimately upheld in any case! And the mentions of a wealthy French landowner in Dickens's Bleak House and also A Tale of Two Cities are presumed to be of this gentleman!

The whole house passed through four generations, becoming increasingly more expensive to keep up, until its last owner, Lady Sylvia, offered it free and clear to the country. The National Trust couldn't afford to take it, as the grant excluded the lands (as Lady Sylvia still depended on the income from these to live on), and the National Trust is a charity that gets no funding from the government so would have needed this income to spend on the upkeep of the house. English Heritage was still receiving government money at that time (no longer, unfortunately), so they could afford to accept the benefaction. They decided on a policy of conservation rather than of restoration, so we see the house much in the run-down condition it was in 1988 when they took it over. All the water damage, light damage and insect damage have been stopped in their tracks and the underlying causes cured, or at least minimised in the case of light damage.

Our tour group
in the Entry Hall

... and the Dining
Room

We wandered the house after having been taken through for a 45-minute guided tour by a lass who obviously loved what she was doing, and loved the history of the house. We learned all the above, and of how the place was commandeered by the army as a communications base during WWII. We also learned the history of the servants of the house, who were just as important a part of its fabric.

Edith the cook's chair in the Scullery

A very pleasant few hours. It was really too wet by then to explore the grounds and the gardens, magnificent as they are, so we had some soup and bread in the van, and then set off for Chester to set us up for tomorrow.

Traffic! Rain! Fog! We got it all, so instead of getting in to Chester by about 4pm to check out how we should approach the Cathedral tomorrow, we redirected ourselves to Chester Zoo where we might park overnight. Didn't even get there. Decided to stop off at a Roadchef rest stop (McDonalds, Costa Coffee, Fresh Food Café, and even a bunch of pokies — and a lot more. The first time we tried to get in from the roundabout it runs off, its entrance was blocked off by men we presumed to be road workers. We went to the next turnout which we presumed went to the same site, but instead it took us back along the motorway, and it was about 8 miles before we could turn around to come back. This time the entrance of the rest stop was clear, so we turned in to it — the problem was a car accident (have I mentioned it was raining pretty hard!) — but we finally got there, and had a fine meal of fish, chips and mushy peas, followed by fresh grapes, the whole washed down with Costa Coffee!

Distance driven — today, 146 miles (235 km ); to date, 276 miles (445 km )

24 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Blackpool, Lancs; Hudderefield, Yorks —

Woke up at about 7:30am to our farmyard view. Got ready, had breakfast, and it was about 9:00 before we moved. Went back (again!) to Squires Gate Retail Park, this time for an inverter to allow us to charge the computer en route — the person who served us at Maplin Electronic Specialists would have done Jess's heart proud, with his full makeup, styled eyebrows and hair, and a full tattoo on his right arm (he was also the one who gave us directions to the Post Office, see below). We also did some more food shopping — and Susie decided she couldn't live without a hair dryer she can use when we are connected to power, or have a bathroom available to us.

Went to the Post Office — the Daggers Hall Lane Post Office — to get some stamps and to post off the registration papers to Swansea, where they will be dealt with and returned to Lochcarron for us. The lady at the Post Office asked us why we had come to Blackpool, thinking that there are many other places more worthy of a visit — but she's a local. We were enjoying ourselves.

Blackpool Central Pier and Tower

Warren, Susie
& cones of chips!

Susie gazing
at Tower

Decided to run in to the Blackpool Promenade to get a shot or two of the Blackpool Tower. The day was so lovely, we decided to park and do some exploring along the Promenade. Went out onto the Central Pier, which is a fun park much like a mix of Luna Park and the Ekka's Sideshow Alley. Everyone is so friendly — one of the stall holders even offered to take photos of two travellers (although he did suggest he might run off with the camera!). Had to choose between a cone of chips or an ice cream on the pier — went for the chips! Beautiful sunny day, school Easter Holidays, families out to have fun.

Then we decided to go across to Huddersfield, where there is a Brit Stops location for us to overnight. On the way we stopped off at a Starbucks as the inverter didn't seem to be working properly. Spent an hour over coffee at Starbucks with the computer plugged into power. When we started up again, we switched the power from the leisure battery to the van's primary battery. This worked, but we'll have to be careful to set it back to the leisure battery when we come to a halt, as we wouldn't want to drain the primary battery and be unable to start the vehicle in the morning!

Susie suffering separation anxiety from van
(van, top left — Susie at right)

The Brit Stop site is in the Dick Lane Motorhome Sales Yard. They lock us in at 5pm when they go home, and open the gates again at 8:30am. Suits us fine, as they plug us into power and give us free WiFi for the night. Bliss!

Van parked at Huddersfield (the little one in the middle!)

The reason we chose Huddersfield is that on Friday we intend to visit Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, then cross over to Chester to look at the Cathedral and also, on Saturday and Sunday, there is a Medieval St George's Day festival at Beeston Castle and Woodland Park, just outside Chester. Both Brodsworth Hall and Beeston Castle are free entry for English Heritage members — i.e. us!

Distance driven — today, 89 miles (144 km ); to date, 130 miles (210 km )

23 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> Preston, Lancs; Blackpool, Lancs —

Woke up warm and cozy. Carl didn't get in till 9:20, so we were totally uninterrupted till then. Took the time to sort a lot of things into place in the van. Then Carl helped us with a few things, not the least being the providing of a lead for external power. There was a little trouble with the driver's seat, in that all previous drivers had obviously had long legs — it took a couple of stumpies from Oz to show that some bolts used in making that seat swivel got in the way of the forward adjustment of the seat — removing a couple of washers allowed sufficient clearance for this to be solved.

After filling up the water tank, we took out leave of Carl and his clan. We can't fault the care and attention we got from them, and would happily deal with them again!

After filling up with diesel — 68 litres, £92 (let's hope it lasts a while!) — went back to Squires Gate Retail Park for a few more bits, and to put up yesterday's blog entry (to which I'm adding the pictures today).

We then went into Blackpool, because Susie really wanted her hair done properly. After driving past the Blackpool Tower, we couldn't get to our first intended hairdresser because of one-way streets and traffic rerouting due to roadworks, so chose to go to another a little out of town. Good choice. Susie not only got her hair done, but had a lovely chat to Paula as it was being done!

We were then on our way to The Shovels, a pub that is part of the Brit Stops camping stops plan. On the way, decided to simply pull over on the roadside opposite a small farmyard, and there we stayed the night.

The view from the van

Distance driven — today, 19 miles (31 km ); to date, 41 miles (66 km )

22 Apr 2014. <GB-ENG> London; Preston, Lancs —

Goodbye to the room

Goodbye to Londonears

Most interesting day. We wanted to be at Euston Station an hour before our train left. Got up at 7am. Immediately checked outside to see if it was raining. It was - but only lightly! Got dressed, finished packing, and got out by 8 o'clock. The cases DID close, but only just, and then Warren manhandled them down the 48 steps!. Took our time walking to Earls Court station.

Our last view of Earl's Court Station

Slight difficulty getting on the Picadilly Line train to Kings Cross — peak hour load didn't help us. We let three trains go through before we found space for us and our cases on the fourth. Total delay — about 5 minutes!

Susie navigating escalator

At Kings Cross, we transferred to the Northern Line for the one-station hop to Euston. Made our way from Euston Underground to the Euston Intercity Station. A total of 5 escalators and one set of stairs (not counting the ones in the Hostel), but a couple of very kind gentlemen insisted on giving us a hand through a couple of the more difficult parts — and one kind lady offered to help Sue as she was almost tipped backwards by a miscreant suitcase on the last escalator.

Susie at Euston Station

Euston Station has a big concourse. The trains are listed at least an hour before departure, but the platforms are not assigned until about 15 minutes before — then there is an almighty stampede for the train! You find your seat, get settled, and when the departure time arrives — no announcement, no fuss, the train just leaves! We had had something to eat at the station, not realising that the passengers on the Virgin fast trains get served a meal appropriate to the time of day — we were served a light breakfast, and we turned back part of it for two reasons — Warren had genuinely had sufficient to eat, and the tilt train wasn't doing Susie's appetite any favours! The train had to run slowly from Wigan Northwest to Preston as there were reports of someone unauthorised on the track somewhere!

Our Virgin tran at Preston

Sign for Kirkham train

Stairs at Kirkham

Warren navigating steps

Preston is quite a big interchange. Phoned Motorlands, who said it would be best for them to pick us up from Kirkham, so we jumped a local train for the one station transfer with minutes to spare. Got to Kirkham — more stairs, but another young gentleman gave us great assistance up the stairs, although he did admit that our suitcases were not exactly light! It was raining when we got to the top, and Brad picked us up. We had a little shuffling to get his football gear out of the luggage space before our cases could fit in — and Brad, too, commented that they weren't light!

At Motorlands we saw our van for the first time. It's smallish, but well set-out — and much more useable space than our backpacker room!! Did all the paperwork, drove to a Retail Estate in Blackpool to get ourselves some gear for the van, from a Dunelm Mill outlet — sheets, duvet, pillows, and a few other necessities — and general shopping from Morrison's, our first large supermarket, for food and other stuff. The roads to get there were amazing — in Australia they would probably be too small to even show on a map, with hedgerows on either side. Back to Motorlands where we had been invited to camp the night, as not everything had been finalized on the van — somehow they weren't expecting us for another week! We hooked into their power, heated up some soup on the stove, set up our bedding, and finally went to bed, cozy and warm.

Distance driven — today, 22 miles (35 km ); to date, 22 miles (35 km )