A driving day, down to Haworth and the Ashmount Country House where a lot of the wedding party and guests will be staying.
But on the way we made a couple of stops! First, we went over to Carlisle Castle, which is over 900 years old, and which played a large part in the border wars between England and Scotland. Spent a bit of time just exploring and enjoying the place, before we set off form Carlisle. There used to be a small prison in the keep, and the 15th-century guards must have been bored, because they carved some graffiti into the walls — and they are still as good (or as bad) as when they were first done!!
On the way south we called into the National Trust site, Sizergh Castle and Garden. This is a stately home and garden at Helsington in the county of Cumbria, about 6 km south of Kendal. We had a little trouble locating it, but finally made our way in. The house is packed with history, but the gardens are stunning!
Another of our detours on the way was to the Ribblehead Viaduct, a spectacular site/sight on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. We had been informed that this was the viaduct the Hogwarts train crosses on its way from London, but this is not the case. The Ribblehead Viaduct is straight, and the curved one in the Harry Potter films is the Glenfinnan Viaduct at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Highlands of Scotland. Nevertheless, we were happy to see two trains cross it, even though neither was the Hogwarts Express!
We got to the country house a day ahead of the rest of the party (we planned it that way), and found that our room, "Honey Pot", was virtually a honeymoon suite complete with four-poster bed, chandeliers, and a spa bath for two! Interesting!
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