We are back from our 4-day adventure to the North! The photos are chronologically backwards,
sorry I didn't plan so well there.

Carlisle Castle, is on the western side of England next to the Scottish boarder. In fact, our Bed & Breakfast was in Scotland.

“Long commanding the especially turbulent western end of the Anglo-Scottish border, Carlisle has witnessed many conflicts and sieges. During the following centuries kings such as Henry I, Richard III and Henry VIII contributed in various ways to the castles history. Mary Queen of Scots was confined here after her flight from Scotland in 1568. Iin the English Civil War it was besieged for eight months by Parliament's Scots allies, the Royalist surrendered in 1645 only after eating rats and even their dogs. In 1746, the castle became the last English fortress ever to suffer a siege, when Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite garrison vainly attempted to hold off the Duke of Cumberland's army. It later became their prison: many died here, and others left only for hanging. We saw the legendary 'licking stones', which parched Jacobite prisoners desperately licked for moisture in order to stay alive.”

Hadrian’s Wall –

We went to a few sections of the wall, Chesters Fort was the first stop...

However the Heavens opened up on us and we very quickly became drenched. Drenched doesn’t even begin to describe how wet we were. Our tour of the wall became more of a drive by than the original plan of walking it. Click on the photo and see- then have a good laugh!

Chesters Fort was built (120 AD) to guard the Roman bridge, which carried Hadrian's Wall and the military road over the River North Tyne. It was one of the permanent troop bases. Occupied for nearly three centuries, its six-acre area housed a cavalry regiment of around 500 men.

All four principal gateways are well preserved, with the short lengths of Wall adjoining them. The entire foundations of the headquarters building are visible, with a courtyard, hall, regimental temple and strongroom clearly laid out: so is the commandant's house, the largest and most luxurious building in the fort. Down by the river, the changing rooms, steam rooms and bathing areas of the garrison's bath house are extremely well preserved, as is the Roman bridge abutment on the opposite bank of the river.

Durham Cathedral -‘one of the great architectural experiences of Europe’.

This is a postcard, we could not get this same angle but I thought you all needed to see a good photo of it.

A masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. (Began in 1093) It is the only cathedral in England to retain almost all of its Norman craftsmanship, and one of few to preserve the unity and integrity of its original design.

The Cathedral was built as a place of worship, specifically to house the shrine of St. Cuthbert, pilgrims came to Durham from all over England to see the shrine. It was also the home of a Benedictine monastic community.

The northern front of the Cathedral faces onto Palace green and here the full 496 foot length from west to east can be seen. The nave, quire and transepts are all Norman, at the west end is the 12c late Norman style Galilee Chapel and at the east end the 13th c Chapel of the Nine Altars is in the Gothic style. The western towers date from the 12th and 13th centuries and the great central tower is the most recent addition, it dates from the 15th century and displays perpendicular Gothic detailing. The original medieval sanctuary knocker can be seen in the Treasures of St Cuthbert a replica hangs at the north porch door.

Rievaulx Abbey

“Everywhere peace, everywhere serenity,

and a marvelous freedom from the tumult of the world.”

St. Aelred, monastery's third abbot.

Set in a beautiful and tranquil valley, it is among the most atmospheric and complete of all the ruined abbeys of the north. founded by St Bernard of Clairvaux, in 1132. From these modest beginnings grew one of the wealthiest monasteries of medieval England and the first northern Cistercian monastery. Most of this 13th-century 'presbytery' still stands to virtually its full impressive height, a reminder of Rievaulx's original splendour. Rievaulx was still a vibrant community when Henry VIII dissolved it in 1538.

Oh, and this is Elton Hall. It is just up the road in the next village. Surprisingly very impressive, the family has good taste – a few JWM Turner, J. Constable and T. Gainsborough. (I saw this a few weeks ago while Donnie was in the States.)


Okay, I think that is all. Nancy is arriving on the 5th and will be with us until the 18th. Donnie will be taking the entire time off from work! We have a few adventures planned while she is here so hopefully I will able to update the page in a few weeks.

Oh, I learned that if you click on the photos they get bigger...(I am new at this, can you tell?)

Alrightly then, Love you all - Kibs