Travels around Britain - Newcastle, Edinburgh and Bamburgh castle

There where times when I thought I was on the set of either Postman Pat or Heartbeat!  Even though that is set in Yorkshire the countryside in parts is very similar. Bamburgh Castle is on the coast, this huge imposing castle which seems to grow out of the Basalt cliffs.  It is still inhabited, I think by the family of Lord Armstrong, so as you can imagine it is still in very good repair.  It dominates the landscape all around. I told you I went to Holy ( Lindisfarne ) Island but didn't tell you that to get there you have to cross a tidal causeway.  It is a very long causeway and has some wonderful birdlife, such as Oystercatchers, Curlews, and Kittiwakes etc. 

Also has wonderful sand dunes but the tide comes in very quickly so you really have to abide by the tide times! The village is quite small, but has a bay with old fashioned fishing boats turned upside down and used as storage etc. They even have doors with locks!  They reminded me of Peggitty's home in David Copperfield, and I kept expecting to see her coming out with her basket of washing! There is a small castle with sits at the end of what appears to be a long finger of land.  This castle was used as the setting for Macbeth, the Polinski production. Now you have the land picture superimpose you mind with the most incredible clouds and quite eerie light. The clouds suddenly ended and the light appeared under the edge. It was very dramatic! Real end of world or God peering down stuff. Don't think I told you about Durham Castle . 

You cross over a bridge which has a statue of a Lion on it, however there is an oddity with this Lion, his tail sticks straight out (almost like a horse doing his business).  Judith said there was a story as to why but she couldn't remember what.  The castle has statues all around the top, but the look like real people.  I thought perhaps it was a good trick to make the invaders think people where watching all the time! So now to Edinburgh .  The train journey is rated as one of the most picturesque in UK , and I would say that was right.  It travels along the coast line so the views are spectacular, also travels over a huge Viaduct, designed and built by Stevenson.  It is really high, and I kept telling myself it had stood all those years it would not fall down just as I went over! Edinburgh has a unique beauty; it appears very austere with its grey buildings and grey cobbled streets but the buildings are really interesting. They have these "step" like edges to the roof.  I think they are called Crows steps, something like that. Edinburgh Castle ! 

My imagination went haywire over this one.  On the walls there are huge braziers and I kept thinking of them lit to guide Mary Queen of Scots home after some harrowing times.Saw the room where she gave birth to James.  Not real big or palatial incredible to thing someone who figures so predominately in the history books was born in such a small space. No bigger than a cupboard really!  It was wet and cold the whole time I was there but I got some great photos of the castle etc at night, with the lights and misty sky.   Caught the train to Glasgow and then the bus to Stranaer. Didn't see much of Glasgow , except they have some really great street art, statues etc.  Really different and imaginative. For example, there was a clock on a pair of huge running legs outside the Railway offices. I think the North of the UK has changed quite a bit in the last 10 to 15 years.  Gone are the row upon row of houses and the ugly industrial buildings. Which is good for the environment but not sure what the people now do for employment? I'll just tell you about the trip over to Ireland and then close.  I'll keep Ireland for another day. OK so I'm on the bus, not too many people on it. 

Stranaer is on the West coast of Scotland so we took the coast road for most of the way, but headed inland sometimes. I saw things which I thought I would never see.  You know the pictures of cattle that appear on the toffee wrappers? Long, shaggy hair, quite short with two big horns? Yep there they were just munching away like they were ordinary cows!  Don't they know they only exist on toffee wrappers!  And Black sheep.  Well I have seen blackish sheep before but theses were Black as Midnight . The scenery was another TV show come to life, the falls stretching out, the heather and bracken turned brown, with the green course bushes dotted here and there with small patches of yellow from the last of the flowers. Then down into a valley, through a tunnel of trees, still with the browns, russet and yellow of autumn.

Through a tiny village, small cottages set behind stone walls and over arched stone bridges with swift flowing streams, tumbling and gurgling over mossy rocks,  to climb once more towards the falls. It was incredible to look back and see, through the clouds and mist islands seemingly floating like great beached whales, or the smaller rocks closer to shore, like seals pulled up on the beach.  The sea was like glass with only the occasional ripple from the odd fishing boat. It was a lovely journey, I am so glad I could not afford to fly to Ireland , I would have missed all that beauty. So to the ferry, a huge Cat, with every mod con on board, very smooth crossing to disembark in Belfast ....The whole journey took nearly 12 hrs but was well worth it. OK you have all wasted enough time reading this, and I have more exploring to do, another Pub and some more Guinness! Bernard Shaw quote...." Work is the curse of the drinking class..." something like that anyway.  So I'm off