Last Sunday, we went to Cresswell Crags, a limestone gorge in northeastern Derbyshire with a number of caves occupied by Ice Age people. We had to wear helmets with lights when we went on a tour of Robin Hood’s Cave. Apparently, there is no evidence that Robin Hood actually used this particular cave, but it [...]
Fireworks are exploding in neighborhoods all over England today.
Most folk are either celebrating burning Catholics in effigy or that someone had a pretty good go at blowing up parliament, depending on their perspective.
But there is plenty to celebrate for those of us who are perhaps a mite less cynical than we were yesterday.
If there is [...]
Yesterday, I went to Stanage Edge, a gritstone escarpment that forms that border between the High Peak District and Sheffield in South Yorkshire. Gritstone is a coarse version of sandstone laid down when the area was a delta during the Carboniferous period. It was once quarried to be used as grindstones for milling flour. Apparently, [...]
The Scottish Highlands are truly a magical place. After leaving Loch Ness, we drove along Loch Cluanie. The mountains here are increasingly rugged and there is a grandeur to the landscape.
The effects of glaciation are apparent in the sculpted glens, but even more striking to me is the influence of what I’ve decided to call [...]
We saw more rainbows during the few days that we were in Scotland than I’ve seen in ages elsewhere. I guess the continually changing British weather has some advantages! Here are some of the more spectacular ones:
Our friend, Gudrun, has also been visiting Scotland recently and took another amazing rainbow photograph.
From Edinburgh, we drove north. Many of the hills were forested and the autumn leaves reminded us of New England. The landscape became increasing dramatic as we entered the Cairngorm mountains.
We spent the night in a Victorian era hotel in Strathpeffer, just north of Inverness. Apparently, it was one of the first locations to have [...]
Last week, we began a whirlwind tour of Scotland in Edinburgh. We arrived late on Thursday night, staying in a recently built apartment on the waterfront in Leith. It was right near the the Royal Yacht Britannia, the boat used by Queen Elizabeth II and other royal folk, so we stopped by for a quick [...]
Yesterday, the kids and I went to an Apple Day at Calke Abbey. The National Trust has been restoring the gardens and orchards at Calke for a number of years now and the orchards are now producing a wide assortment of locally developed apple varieties. Their apple event showcased these heirloom fruits.
We had slices of [...]
The weather was so nice while I was exploring Hardwick Hall that I spent most of my time exploring the gardens. I wandered down this path, just to see where it would go.
I found many wonderful flowers lingering among the garden beds.
I’m planning to return sometime to spent some more time inside the house and [...]
I visited Harwick Hall yesterday afternoon after bouldering at the climbing wall in Nottingham.
The house was designed for Bess of Hardwick, the Countess of Shrewsbury and an ancestress of the Dukes of Devonshire. Bess was one of the most influential women during the time of Queen Elisabeth and her dramatic and innovative home reflected her [...]
