Glasgow-Carlisle-St. Bee's

As I sit here in the cozy lounge of Abbey Farm House B & B in St. Bee's near the west coast of England sipping my hot Tetley tea and munching on a biscuit, I am delighted the rain has stopped and the sun is emerging from behind the rolling hill pastures demarcated by stone walls and dotted with sheep.  It's all so veddy, veddy civilized.


We spent the day in Glasgow settling in to our guest house, fighting jetlag, and marveling over the cool, windy weather--think early November in Southern Indiana. We were so refreshed after the stifling summer heat we didn't mind donning our polar fleece jackets and headbands.

Glasgow is not as picturesque as many parts of Scotland, but it certainly has its charms.


Jo and I enjoyed the highspeed train that whisked us directly to Carlisle the next morning where we promptly checked into our b & b and indulged in a lunch of fish and chips--no longer served wrapped in newspaper :-(  but still soggy with grease and served up with plenty of salt and vinegar :-)


After touring Carlisle Castle and cathedral and having a wonderful Italian dinner, we snuggled into bed to await our first day with the group.


Today our group toured a section of Hadrian's wall built in 180 B.C. by the Romans to keep out the hordes from the north. We also toured Birdoswald Fort, an outpost for the Empire that was manned by Romanian soldiers (from Romania, not Rome). Edward I died near here of diarrhea and Bonny Prince Charles led the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745. 


Lots of history here in the old country!

After touring Glasgow by the red double- decker hop on/hop off bus , we were walking back to our hotel and chanced upon a street performance that stirred our hearts. I felt as if I were watching ancient Scots preparing for battle. In one word: impressive!

Tony was our great host at our B&B in Carlisle.

Hadrian's wall was originally 12-15 feet tall but over the centuries local citizens have used stones from the wall to build their farm houses and pasture walls. Is that bad because of a destroyed artifact or is that good because they were recycling?

I was looking forward to a good soak in this claw foot tub but the boiler was out so no hot water. Bummer! But the room is still beautiful if less than functional.