Last few days in the UK

We arrived in Wilmslow in Cheshire not far from Manchester just as the weather was changing – lots more autumn colour in the trees, some rain and it is damp underfoot. Winter is on the way!

We looked to see what National Trust properties were in the area and decided to go to ‘Quarry Bank’. We had no idea what to expect, and discovered that this is a wonderful NT property to visit. It is a former Cotton/Textile Mill that was originally owned by the Greg Family. The mill building is huge and in its heyday employed 100’s of people and is one of the best preserved textile mills from the Industrial Revolution. The mill is now a museum and tells the story of mill workers and how the industrial revolution changed the world. Styal (the nearby village) was chosen for a number of reasons, but mainly because of the suitable head of water provided by the River Bollin.

Quarry Bank - the huge building is the former cotton mill.



A view of the woodland garden walking track - to the River Bolin.

When you visit Quarry Bank you see demonstrations by hand spinners and see early wooden looms that still produce some cloth. Quarry Bank Mill was one of the first generation of water-powered cotton spinning mills. There are several large looms and spinning machines in good working order that are all powered by steam and carefully maintained by NT volunteers. The mill still produces fabric today from the machines that are used for demonstration. The mill ceased full commercial production in 1959 and now is managed and looked after by National Trust.

A NT member demonstrating on  one of the wooden looms



A steam powered spinning machine.



Steam powered looms.

Some interesting sayings and words we use today, originated from mills such as Quarry Bank:

·        ‘Spinster’ – this originated because single adult women often stayed at home and spun raw cotton into yarn and became known as spinsters.

·        ‘Heirloom’ – the complicated wooden looms were made by families and then passed onto future generations, hence heirloom.

·        ‘Carrying the can’ – child labourers carried cans and were employed to pick up scraps and lint from the floor of the mill.

Quarry Bank also had an Apprentice House, which housed the child labourers who worked in the mill. Most of the children who worked here came from workhouses and were orphans. While they were looked after better than the workhouses, life was still pretty tough for these children. They worked very long hours and were expected to attend school for a few short hours each week to get some very basic literacy skills.

The 'Apprentice House'

 

When we first arrived at Quarry Bank we noticed a lot of preparation for Halloween. We wondered what the origins of Halloween were and after checking we discovered that: Halloween is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.

Halloween decorations in the garden.

More Halloween decorations.

We also found time to visit another amazing NT property called “Little Moreton Hall” - this was built to make a big impression. Little Moreton Hall was constructed during the Tudor period, with the earliest part of the house begun in around 1504 and the latest addition being completed in 1610. The Moreton family were wealthy landowners in the area and built the moated manor house as a symbol of their prosperity. It does look like what some people refer to as a ‘gingerbread house’. The property is delightful despite the fact that the NT only has 3 original pieces of furniture there. Again we were fortunate enough to be there in time for a guided tour. The original home did not have flag-stone floor (as you see today) it had a ‘thresh’ floor. A thresh floor was made up of straw, cuttings from wildflowers and herbs and would have been about 6 inches thick. To stop the wind blowing the thresh away when the door was opened, they had a wooden edging on the floor in the doorway to hold the thresh in – hence the saying “over the threshold”.

The amazing Little Moreton Hall.

This 'advertising' was done when the house was built!

The back of the house.

One piece of furniture in the house is the original ‘oak board’ table. The word board always signified that food was available or served – hence the term ‘boarding house’. Early family members ate their meals at the board table but only the head of the house sat in a chair (others sat on stools) – hence the term ‘chairman of the board’. After meals the board was often turned over and games were played – hence ‘board-games’.

The original oak 'board table'.

 

The beautiful Tudor glass windows.
There are several thousand of these small panes of glass in the house.

 

These days the house looks quite crooked and some of the floors are rather uneven – but safe. This was a delightful property to visit and quite unique.

The decoration on the 2nd floor 'long-room' was quite interesting.

 

Just for something completely different we met up with friends who took us to Jodrell Bank Telescope and Discovery Centre. The discovery centre caters for adults and children. You can explores the wonders of the universe and learn more about the gigantic ‘Lovell Telescope’. This was an enjoyable outing, but I must admit I do have difficulty with the whole concept of space and galaxies.

The huge 'Lovell Telescope'.

Our last overnight stop is at Stoke-on-Tent in Staffordshire – or, as it is known here as ‘The Potteries’. This is a very old city and is well known for its many potteries such as Wedgewood, Moorcroft and Spode just to name a few. The city is located on canals that were originally used to transport raw materials for the potteries. The canal towpaths are popular walking and cycling routes, linking several of the town’s green spaces, including several parks and lakes. We did walk for some distance along one of the tow-paths and again we were very lucky with the weather – it was a lovely picturesque walk for most of the way. And, yes we did visit some pottery showrooms – Emma Bridgewater, Wedgewood and Moorcroft. I was really impressed with the Moorcroft centre. You could see people working and hand-painting ceramics. We finished off  the day with a great pub meal at ‘The Plough’

A tow path along one the canals. 

I have really loved the UK & Ireland – next stop Hong Kong.

 

 

 

Back to Dublin

Galway was en-route to Dublin for us. Being a large city I was really expecting to see something similar to Dublin – but, what a surprise! The city centre has kept it identity and it was lovely to walk around this city and soak up the atmosphere. Yes, they do have large shopping malls and designer shops but they have been integrated into this city so much so you hardly notice they are there.

 A typical street scene in the city of Galway.

Enjoying a glass of wine in a Galway Pub.

Galway is located on Galway Bay and the Aran Islands are close by. We have been very lucky weather-wise again and were able to walk most places here. The city is located on the River Corrib and a small river called Friars River. Both are very picturesque with lovey walkways along both rivers. Sadly this was a short stay due to some changes in our travel plans but we did drive and have a look at Galway Bay. It is a very popular holiday area and there are many large hotels, B&B’s and holiday apartments right along the bay.

Friar's River in Galway.

Our next stop was Athlone in the midlands. Again this was a short stay and we were not sure what to expect. Athlone was another surprise, situated on the upper reaches of the Shannon River (the largest in Ireland). There is a large weir there and several locks that are used each day. Athlone is a popular area for all types of watersports on the river and a couple of large lakes. The town is a popular holiday destination with large hotel chains located here, plus all types of other holiday accommodation. Athlone Castle was one of the best castles we have been too. They have spent a lot of money investing in excellent audio visual displays and interactive activities to suit all ages. You leave this Castle knowing that you have learnt a lot about the history of this town. Again the history is a violent one like most of Ireland and you learn what a large part the Shannon River has played over the centuries.

The Shannon River at Athlone.

Athlone Castle - an excellent place to visit.

St Peter and St Paul's Cathedral at Athlone, located on the Shannon River.

Our last day was spent in Dublin again, and we did go back into the city. I still think the city centre lacks a soul but we did walk further along the river and discovered a really interesting group of modern statues depicting the ‘Great Irish Potato Famine’. The faces show sheer misery, as did their frail thin bodies – over 1 million people died during the famine whilst English aristocrats were still exporting grain crops from Ireland. These statues were donated to Ireland by the Canadian Government with plaques saying how much the Irish immigrants helped the early settlement of Canada.

Statues depicting the ‘Great Irish Potato Famine’.



Statues depicting the ‘Great Irish Potato Famine’.

Ireland has been wonderful to visit. There are so many places we did not have time to see … oh well, perhaps another time!

County Clare – Ireland

This county was a real surprise after feeling a bit disappointed by Dublin. Dublin seems to have lost its identity. These days Dublin seems to be just another big city with plenty of designer shops and department stores. While there are some historical areas there, it did seem to lack a soul.

County Clare is a beautiful area to visit. We spent a few staying at the coastal town of Kilrush (or the Gaelic version Cill Rois, meaning the church of the woods) and is located on the huge Shannon River Estuary. Kilrush has been a seaport and market town. During the famine years in the 1840’s the town suffered much hardship. Many people were evicted from their lands and homes and suffered from fevers and cholera. So much so that the population was reduced so much that the area has never retained its pre-famine population numbers. A landlord by the name of Vandeleur became ‘well-known’ because of his mass evictions with over 20,000 evicted in this area alone. These days, part of the old Vandeleur property is a lovely walled garden that belongs to the people of Kilrush.

At the Vandeleur Walled Gardens now owned & looked after by the people of Kilrush.

 

Today Kilrush is a lovely town with many, many beautiful homes as well as some lovely older cottages that have been renovated and restored. It surprised us enormously just how many beautiful new large homes there are in the whole county. It does appear that a lot of money has been made available during the past few years. There was hardly a home that did not have a new slate roof, been recently rendered & painted, had new double glazed windows, beautiful front doors and had large asphalt driveways. We would consider that most of these homes throughout County Clare are, by Australian standards very large and impressive. One reason for coming here was so MH could do some more family research – this has been a bit more challenging than other places. More research needs to be done.

A typical example of the many 1000's of homes similar to this and larger in this area.

We were close to the Cliffs of Moher a fabulous area to see. We decided to take a cruise to see the cliffs from the sea prior to visiting the Visitor Centre and walking on the cliffs. This is the area where the film ‘Ryan’s Daughter’ was made some years ago. Fortunately we had good weather and the sea was fairly smooth. The cliffs in some way reminded me of a green version of the Great Australian Bight – they are just wonderful to see from both the land and sea.

The Cliffs of Moher taken on the cruise.

From the walking track - spectacular views.

The 'Stack" at the Cliffs of Moher.
 

The ‘Loophead Lighthouse’ is located on a narrow ‘finger-like’ peninsula. Sadly when we got there it has closed as the busy season had finished. But there was some more great coastal scenery to see.

The 'Loophead Lighthouse'

Great views near the 'Loophead Lighthouse'.

We went to the world famous and geologically significant area known as ‘The Burren’. This area was previously the bottom of a warm tropical sea-bed, which over the eons was uplifted to form a vast area of limestone plateau and hillsides. Today, the limestone surface shows the results of weathering by water and wind and has been described as a vast pavement dissected with large fissures and cracks. In these fissures there is an amazing display of flora growing including Arctic, Alpine, temperate and sub-tropical species that are not found together anywhere else in the world. Today, farmers winter-graze vast herds of cattle on the Burren which has fertile areas amongst the pavements where excellent grasses grow.

Some of the vegetation that grows between the limestone pavements.



An assortment of plants growing in the limestone pavements including a tiny Bird's Nest Fern, wildflowers and yes Ivy!

A view of the limestone pavements.

Stone-age man inhabited the rocky Burren and built many defensive forts and wedge burial tombs and burial mounds. Many fossils have been found here including sea creatures and other animals.

A fossilized animal print in the limestone.

Cattle grazing on the grass that grows between the limestone pavements just near where we were.

A 'Wedge Burial Tomb' - a large family group was found buried here.

The views around The Burren are truly spectacular. Corkscrew Hill certainly lived up to its name. The amazing views across Galway Bay and across to the Aran Islands is something we will remember.

At the lovely village of Balyvaughan - donkeys and swans sharing a small area!

I could not resist saying hello to a baby donkey! Just lovely.
A lovely way to say farewell to County Clare.

 

Ireland – Dublin to Cashel

The trip across the Irish Sea was rather rough; however the ferry handled the conditions rather well. The worst was soon after we left Holyhead – it was very rough but the Captain had pre-warned us it would be.

We had 2 days in Dublin and we did enjoy exploring – where we stayed was not far to St Stephen’s Green a beautiful park that has been part of Dublin for many years. Until 1663 St Stephen's Green was a marshy common on the edge of Dublin, used for grazing. It was then decided to enclose the centre of the common and to sell off land around the perimeter. In 1814 control of St Stephen's Green Park passed to the local householders, who redesigned its layout and replaced the walls with railings. Access to the Green was restricted to local residents, until 1877, when Parliament decided to reopen St Stephen's Green to the public. Today the park is a green oasis in the centre of Dublin.

A green oasis - St Stephen's Green Dublin - a park enjoyed by all.

 

Dublin is an interesting city and quite different to other places we have been too. The River Liffey flows through the centre of the city and there are many bridges crossing the river. Temple Bar was very busy even for a Friday afternoon. There are lots & lots of pubs where crowds of people were enjoying lunch and/or a drink and listening to wonderful music. It is a busy vibrant place to visit.

Temple Bar - one of the many pubs.

Great music can be heard at Temple Bar any time of the day or night!

Kilkenny Castle and the very green grass!

The next part of our journey was to head south – after a challenging time trying to locate the hire car office we did finally pick up another car. First stop was at Kilkenny. We were only here for a couple of hours but did manage to see Kilkenny Castle that was built in the 1100’s. Today the original Castle Gardens are a park that is enjoyed by all.

Our next stop was Cashel where we were keen to visit one of the busiest tourist stops in Ireland – The Rock of Cashel.

The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. In 1101, the King of Munster donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church. The picturesque centre and has a character of its own and is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found in Europe.  Few remnants of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The oldest and tallest of the buildings is the well preserved round tower, dating from c.1100. Cormac's Chapel, the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh, was begun in 1127. It is a very sophisticated Romanesque chapel. The Chapel was constructed primarily of sandstone which has become water logged over the centuries, significantly damaging the interior frescos. Restoration and preservation required the chapel be completely enclosed in a rain-proof structure with interior dehumifiers to dry out the stone. The restoration will take at least 5 years hence the scaffolding in the photo.

 

The amazing "Rock of Cashel"

The "Round Tower" built in the 1100's - at 'The Rock of Cashel'

The Folk Museum at Cashel.

There is a small privately owned Folk Museum nearby. This was a really interesting place to visit as it shows a really true picture of the history of Ireland including the tinkers who used to travel in caravans, the 1916 uprising (war of independence), the civil war in 1922 and also the dreadful Potato Famine in 1845. It does make you realize how much the people of this small nation have suffered over the years.

 

 

Holy Island plus a bit more.

En-route to Holyhead we travelled the scenic route (by choice, not the GPS’s choice!) through Snowdonia a National Park in Wales. One place we stopped at was LLangollen situated on the Dee River one of the many towns along the way; it was a very picturesque spot. The mountains in Snowdonia are quite high some 3000 feet plus. They are rather rugged but at the same time quite beautiful.

Llangollen one of the towns in Snowdonia situated on the Dee River.

Llangollen - the Dee River and some early autumn colour.

We travelled to Holyhead because we need to get a ferry to Ireland. We thought Holyhead was on Anglesey Island so we wondered what a sign saying “Holy Island” meant as we arrived. The town of Holyhead is actually on a smaller island – “Holy Island”. When we arrived in Holyhead, it first appeared to be a town doing it tough and much of what we first saw certainly gave us that impression. As it turned out, once you start exploring you uncover some hidden gems. The B&B where we stayed was in the high part of town that had lovely views over the harbour and it was opposite a park where you got great views of Mt Holyhead. Holy Island is 12 square miles of history, sacred places, rugged landscape, nature reserves and archaeological sites surrounded by towering cliffs and beautiful beaches. Over thousands of years people have travelled here to visit holy places, enjoy the peace, the wildlife, the legends, and to discover one of Wales’ best kept secrets.

In the park opposite the B&B in Holyhead, an ancient Druid stone circle.

The  B&B with views over the harbour at Holyhead.

The town (Holyhead) is built around the church of St Cybi which is built inside the walls of a Roman fort that was founded in the 3rd century to try and control pirates in the Irish Sea. But the history of both the town and Holy Island go back much further. Holy Island has monuments dating back to the Neolithic period and beyond. The island is called "Holy" because of the high concentration of ancient stone circles and several burial sites and other religious sites on the small island.

We drove to South Stack where there is a lighthouse, a bird watching area and walks along the very rugged coastline. South Stack also has one of the highest concentrations of prehistoric sites in Wales; including standing stones, burial chambers and Celtic hut circles.

The South Stack lighthouse and bird watching area.

The cliff-top walking path at South Stack.

View from the walking path at South Stack.



One of the stone circle huts at South Stack.

Welsh Heather growing at the stone circle huts at South Stack.

 

When we were in Brugge (Belgium) we met a chap there who was an archeologist and he told us that a trip to Caernarfon Castle would be worthwhile and it was. Caernarfon is possibly the most famous of the Welsh castles. Caernarfon was constructed not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royal palace.  It was designed to resemble the walls of Constantinople and built by Edward I. It is a huge castle at the mouth of the Seiont River. The fortress dominates the walled town also founded by Edward I. In 1969, the castle gained worldwide fame as the setting for the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.

You can walk up into the towers and along the ramparts and you get great views of the local town and the river. The castle also houses the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, Wales's oldest regiment. Caernarfon is now a World Heritage site.

Caernarfon Castle.

Ancient Oak beams at Caernarfon Castle.

This is where Prince Charles was invested at Prince of Wales.

 

The other castle that is popular to visit is Beaumaris Castle and we did drive there along a magnificent coastal drive. The castle itself is a moated castle but not nearly as large as Caernarfon Castle. These two castles are among several that were built about the same time for defense purposes.

At the side of Beaumaris Castle.

Bridge over the moat at Beaumaris Castle.

 

Now it is off to Ireland by ferry and the forecast is for ‘rough seas’ – that’s all I need!