21-JUN-2008
Saint Stephen's
London! Following a red-eye from Ottawa to Heathrow, we spent a weekend wandering through London with friends. Stops included the Cabinet War Rooms Museum, the Churchill Museum, the Foreign Office, the riverbank, Hyde Park, and a variety of pubs -- along with several rides on the top of double-decker buses.
22-JUN-2008
Paddling
Nick, Katharine, and Richard dipping their feet at the Diana fountain on Sunday. Swans, graylag geese, coots, moorhens, and ubiquitous Canada geese were to be seen at Hyde Park. By the end of the weekend, we were firmly in the right time zone and firmly walked off our feet.
22-JUN-2008
View from Top Bunk
We took the sleeper from London Euston to Glasgow, arriving well-rested if un-showered at 7:15 in the morning. We spent the morning visiting Saint George Square and the Glasgow Cathedral. While many expressed horror at our choosing to spend a day in Glasgow instead of Edinburgh, in the end it was a good choice -- the rail connections made more sense, and we found more than enough to occupy ourselves for the day.
23-JUN-2008
Glasgow Cathedral
Inside the Glasgow Cathedral. Construction began in 1197, with bits being added on through the following centuries. As such, it is the oldest building in Glasgow. Much of the roof timber is apparently still from the 14th century! The organ is quite stunning -- beautifully painted -- and it was being played while we were there.
23-JUN-2008
Light and colour
Detail of a window in the nave of the Glasgow Cathedral.
23-JUN-2008
Blackadder Aisle
Detail of the ceiling in Blackadder Aisle (Glasgow Cathedral). The Aisle was built in the 15th century, during the primacy of Archbishop Blackadder, and the carved bosses shown in this photo are typical of the late medieval period.
23-JUN-2008
Kelvingrove
Here is where we spent our afternoon in Glasgow -- the Kelvingrove Museum. In fact, we could have spent several afternoons here -- there is lots to see, lots to do, and lots to hear, including daily organ recitals. Oh, and there's a nice coffee shop. The Museum opened in 1901 as part of the Glasgow International Exhibition. The current organ is a mish-mash of the original 1901 organ, the repairs done after bomb damage in the Second World War, and a major restoration project in the late 1980s. Perhaps the best piece in the museum is Fulton's orrery, completed in 1833 after 14 years of work -- a good lead-up to a history of science conference!
23-JUN-2008
Heads up!
Expression masks hanging from the ceiling of the first floor of the Kelvingrove Museum.
24-JUN-2008
Lochs and lakes and trees...
After picking up our rental car, we visited the Auchantoshan distillery and then took the ferry to Duneen. Waiting for the ferry, we saw our first eiders -- and on the long, winding drive from Duneen to Oban, we saw gannets and oystercatchers. The drive was lovely -- lochs and gently rolling hills, and lots and lots of mist. We stayed the night at a gorgeous B&B in Oban -- a renovated 1875 manse with nine bathrooms.
25-JUN-2008
Dunstaffnage Castle
This here is Dunstaffnage Castle, built on a large rock in the Firth of Lorn, a short drive from Oban. Built in 1275, it was captured in the 14th century and turned over to the Campbells. Its claim to fame is that Flora MacDonald was imprisoned here after she helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape dressed as a maid. Apart from the outside walls, very little of the castle remains -- but it was possible to see features such as the bread ovens and loo chutes.
25-JUN-2008
Bird watching
Janet, bird watching during a break from the rain. Our drive from Oban to Spean Bridge was very wet -- but, along with Dunstaffnage Castle, there were plenty of mostly-indoor activities along the way. We visited the "Hollow Mountain" power station at Ben Cruachan., which has two nifty features; the first is that the turbines and operation rooms are all buried inside the mountain, and the second is that it operates what is essentially a battery: during periods of low power use, excess power in the wires is used to pump water from Loch Awe to an upper reservoir, formed by a dam. Rainwater tunnels have also been built through the mountains to funnel rain into the reservoir. Then, during periods of high power use, the water in the reservoir is used as normal hydro power.
25-JUN-2008
Bonawe iron works
This site wasn't entirely indoors, but indoors enough to keep us relatively dry. This is the Bonawe iron furnace, which produced iron between the 1750s and the 1870s. The site of the furnace was based on the availability of trees for charcoal and, at its peak, over 600 tree cutters and charcoal burners worked here. This photo shows some of the charcoal sheds, where charcoal was loaded in from second story windows at the back. The iron made here with either cast into pigs, and shipped back to England, or made into cannonballs.
25-JUN-2008
Inside the furnace
Detail of the furnace room itself (upper story).
25-JUN-2008
Glen Coe
Glen Coe -- absolutely stunning, even in the pouring rain. Glen Coe is a long valley which climbs from Loch Leven (a sea loch) to the Rannoch Moor plateau, which sits at an altitude of over 1000 feet. The road through is a narrow two-lane track, and we were lucky enough to drive it twice, and absorb the scenery from both directions.
25-JUN-2008
Rain, rain on the lens
Waterfalls, hills, and mist in Glen Coe. It was cold here, and difficult to take pictures because of water on the lens.
25-JUN-2008
Glen Nevis
This is no longer Glen Coe, although in some ways it looks quite similar. It is in fact Glen Nevis, next door to our B&B in Spean Bridge, and one valley over from Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Great Britain. Glen Nevis is the site at which many of the outdoor scenes for the Harry Potter films were shot. Again, we had mist and light rain, but this was -- after all -- Scotland!
25-JUN-2008
A wet Richard
Richard in Glen Nevis, looking cheerful despite an entire day of rain. That's our rental car in the background.
26-JUN-2008
A blustered Janet
Janet, demonstrating that when it wasn't raining, it was windy! This is the back side of Glen Nevis, near the Commando memorial.
26-JUN-2008
Glenfinnan
From Spean Bridge, we drove west along the Fort William-Mallaig train route, stopping first at Glenfinnan. The monument visible here, erected in 1815, marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard at the beginning of the 1745 Jabobite Rising. The water visible is Loch Shiel, a freshwater loch.
26-JUN-2008
Loch Shiel
Loch Shiel - just gorgeous. And no more rain!
26-JUN-2008
Hogwarts, here we come!
Richard timed our trip such that we caught the Jacobite steam train passing over the "Harry Potter" viaduct -- it makes the trip from Fort William to Mallaig once a day, and a small group of varied tourists made the climb to this viewpoint.
26-JUN-2008
View towards Skye
From Glenfinnan, we drove west to Lochailort and followed the coast south-west around the Sound of Arisaig, from where this photo is taken. The road passes the Seven Men of Moidart (of which three remain), at at Salen we turned directly east towards the "western-most point on the British mainland". The twisty, windy single-track road was nerve-racking but the scenery beautiful.
26-JUN-2008
Kilchoan
Near Kilchoan, the last point of settlement before the W-MPBM. I won't mention the price of petrol...
26-JUN-2008
Ardnamurchan
Destination reached!: Ardnamurchan Point. The view out over the sea gives on the Inner Hebrides - that is, if you can stand up and look out without being toppled by the wind. The lighthouse was built in the 1840s by Alan Stevenson, and is made of pink granite.
26-JUN-2008
Flora
Tiny, delicate flowers clinging to the rocks near the lighthouse. The day after our trip here, we drove from Spean Bridge to Glasgow, return the rental car, and rode backwards on a train from Glasgow to Carlisle. We then caught a Carlisle to Leeds train, which took us along the stunning Settle-Carlisle rail line. From Leeds, we hopped to Harrogate, and spent three days with Heather and Grandma. Having learned on our first evening that Richard had never been to Durham, Heather was quick to correct this flaw in his education...
29-JUN-2008
Durham
... and she took us to visit Durham Cathedral and the University. The cathedral is immense, and spectacular: again, we were lucky enough to hear the organ playing. It bills itself as the "greatest Norman building in England", and it is not an exaggeration. Construction began in 1093, and the most recent major addition (the central tower) dates from the 15th century. We spent an afternoon exploring the cathedral inside and out.
29-JUN-2008
She searches for seashells (and fossils)
From Durham, we drove to the seashore...
29-JUN-2008
Wheee!!
Our plans to cross on the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge were nixed when we discovered that the bridge is closed for repair. When it works, it carries a suspended gondola with up to 9 cars across the river in just under two minutes.
29-JUN-2008
Whitby
The harbour at Whitby, at sunset. I love the light and color captured in this photograph.
30-JUN-2008
Yorkshire
In support of my quilting endeavors, Heather took us to a lovely quilting/embroidery shop in Embsay. Afterwards, we picnicked at the North Yorkshire Moors National Park visitor centre, where there were stone walls and sheep aplenty.
30-JUN-2008
Fountains Abbey
Our next stop was Fountains Abbey, near Ripon. Founded in 1132, and closed in 1539 with the Dissolution of the Monasteries, this is one of the largest Cistercian abbey ruins in England. We had a fabulous time exploring the abbey itself and the adjoining Georgian water gardens.
30-JUN-2008
Spaces
Imagine what it must have been like when all the windows were filled with stained glass!
30-JUN-2008
Arches and spaces
More detail of the abbey; this is looking north from the nave.
30-JUN-2008
Fountains cellarium
The Fountains Abbey cellarium, where the monks stored their food. The vaulted stone ceilings are spectacular.
30-JUN-2008
Goose, Greylag
A greylag goose by the Georgian water gardens, displaying its wings.
01-JUL-2008
Skipton Castle
From Harrogate we went to Leeds, to spend a few days with Anne. The first afternoon, we visited Skipton Castle, the courtyard of which is pictured here. The yew tree was planted in 1659 by Lady Anne Clifford. This was the most intact castle we visited, and it was easy to imagine the medieval kitchen, the banqueting hall, and the watchtowers as they must have been when occupied. During the Civil War, the castle -- with its underground water source -- withstood a three-year siege by Cromwell, and finally surrendering with honour in 1645.
02-JUL-2008
Walking near Wensleydale
We hiked with Anne from Blubberhouses through Wensleydale - lovely views and lots of sheep.
02-JUL-2008
Six miles later...
Colorful grasses near the end of the hike.
02-JUL-2008
Purple trumpets
Foxglove was in bloom across England and Scotland for the duration of our visit.
03-JUL-2008
Kirkstall Abbey
This is Kirkstall Abbey, also Cistercian, near Leeds. Built in the late 12th century, this was the best-preserved abbey of our trip. We also visited the Abbey House Museum, which re-creates several streets from late Victorian Leeds.
03-JUL-2008
Inside Kirkstall
Detail of the Kirkstall abbey nave.
03-JUL-2008
Dress up!
Monk Richard, Kirkstall Abbey.
04-JUL-2008
At last, a conference
Keble College, Oxford, where Janet's conference took place. We travelled by train from Leeds to Oxford. The college itself was peaceful enough (but for 500 academics), but the streets of Oxford were overrun by tourists...
06-JUL-2008
Skeletons and trusses
The Museum of Natural History in Oxford. After the conference, we took the bus back to London, where we spent the Sunday afternoon watching the Wimbledon final with Nick and Katharine.