Dalemain Estate, Lake District, England

How do I describe Dalemain? For us, it was one of those serendipitous moments that we will never forget. We were still in England, though headed back to Scotland, and we were still in the Lake District. Travel Buddy mentioned that she would love to stop for some tea. Great idea, I said, except we are clearly way out in the country, and won’t be near a town of any size for quite some time. We’ll find a place, she said. Followed the road around the bend, and there it was: a sign advertising tea and scones!

We pulled off, and discovered Dalemain Estate, an incredible place that has been in the same family for eleven generations! Despite a few vehicles in the carpark, we were startled to discover we were the only visitors at that time, and so settled in the Medieval Hall for our tea and scones. Before long, they arranged for Our Bob to come in and light a fire in the massive old fireplace for us, which we thoroughly enjoyed all to ourselves!

Inside the Medieval Hall Tearoom:

Outside, views of the stables, shop, and outbuildings:

Looking back at the estate, as we were leaving:

What an amazing treat, and completely random. Such a great find.

Conwy Castle, Wales

The chief difference between Conwy Castle and Caernarfon Castle, is that while Caernarfon Castle is a free-standing structure, Conwy Castle is literally built into the city walls around Conwy. This makes for some very different views.

This is a view of the very prominent bridge leading from one part of Conwy to the castle, itself. However. In a bizarre twist that I could not get a clear answer for, there is no access to the castle from the bridge. Not now, not ever. Talk about a bridge to nowhere, this one leads to a wall. Utterly confusing.

This is a picture of the village just outside the Conwy Castle gate:

The castle walls as they connect to the walled city:

A view from inside the castle:

Current castle resident:

A couple views of the castle, itself:

Conwy Castle is neither as grand or as historically relevant as Caernarfon Castle, but I would definitely recommend a visit if you can. Just the walled structure alone makes for an interesting visit.

Random Pic of the Month (September)

This snowy egret picture evokes both happiness and sadness for me.

Happiness in that it’s a pretty decent picture of a beautiful bird that called our neighborhood home for part of the year, every year.

Sadness, because this bird was killed by a couple of young boys, just because they could.

I like looking at this picture because it reminds me of the wonder that was. But I don’t look at it often, due to what happened afterward.

Humanity is so hard to understand, sometimes.

Caernarfon Castle, Wales

Caernarfon Castle is located in northwest Wales. It is in a beautiful setting, right on the water. Not only extremely picturesque, this is the traditional home of the original Prince of Wales. Everyone crowned prince in this capacity since the first (back in Edward I’s time) through today’s current placeholder, Prince Charles, has been crowned here.

It has amazing views.

Sorry about the angle of the 2nd picture, above. I wanted to show the view from that side, but my shoulders wouldn’t fit through the opening well enough for me to get the right shot. Oh, well.

Here’s a look at the castle from its proper front.

And here’s some pictures from inside.

It is a beautiful castle, reflecting an impressive history. If you get one chance to see a Welsh castle, I strongly suggest this one.

#250!

I am totally surprised to have reached 250 posts, already. I have a feeling it will take me much less time to reach 500!

Meanwhile, I anticipate a lot more of the same content. 

I have several posts to do yet on Wales, England, and Scotland. I also have a number of posts I may write on previous travels, both abroad and here in the U.S.

I have lots and lots of posts ahead on the genealogy findings both for my and Travel Buddy’s families. Despite the discovery of a wealth of knowledge in 2013, 2014, and 2015, I am even now still organizing that information for posting purposes.

I will be bringing back the Random Picture posts which I really like, since they allow me to share pictures I wouldn’t have an opportunity to do so, otherwise.

I also anticipate a return to a number of writing projects, and a few posts will likely emerge as I continue on that path.

Thanks to all of you sticking by me on this awesome journey. I really do appreciate you!

Betws-y-Coed, Wales

We had a wonderful opportunity to stay at an inn in Snowdonia, the section of Wales that hosts skiers in the wintertime. Tucked into the Conwy Valley, where three rivers come together, is Betws-y-Coed (roughly pronounced: bet-us-eh-ked), an absolutely charming and beautiful mountain village.

The accommodations we chose was the Pont-y-Pair Inn at the village end of the Pont-y-Pair Bridge, which is positioned over the Pont-y-Pair Falls. (Catching the theme, here?) It was in short distance of other restaurants, many shops, and easy walking paths, which we took full advantage of.

It all started when I wanted to eat dinner at a carvery, where they have several meats for you to choose from, sort of like a buffet, but the meats are really tasty and well-prepared. The only place in town that was serving this type of meal was the Pont-y-Pair Inn. So we ate, and realized they had rooms available, and so decided to stay. The breakfast was every bit as delicious as the dinner the night before.

Welsh for soup and sandwich.

The village itself was just adorable, with largely 19th century buildings. It would be fun to come back in the wintertime, just to experience the same in snow.

Scarborough, England: Part IV – The Grand Hotel

We stayed in the Grand Hotel, which was built in 1867, and had a wonderful view of the South Bay. The dining rooms, lounge, lobby, and private rooms all hearken back to a different time period, most ostensibly the 1920s.

If you were on the upper level, where the Grand Hotel was located, and you wanted to quickly reach the ground level, where the shops, restaurants, and entertainment was, you just took the funicular.

It’s so difficult to get to, I don’t know if we’ll ever return. But this was one of the top surprises in destinations we’ve ever hit in all our travels.

If you find the opportunity, GO. You won’t be sorry.

Scarborough, England: Part III – The Sea

The lighthouse was getting a well-deserved make-over, but is still in use, over 200 years later.

The long pier offered a grand view of the town’s South Bay. We watched the tide roll in and roll out from a unique side-view of it all, parked on the pier.

 

The North Bay offered great views of the surfers.

We had outstanding seafood, in part no doubt to the local fisherman.

The funniest thing about the picture above? My grandma’s parents were a Scarborough and a Fletcher. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction….

Next up: Scarborough, Part IV – The Grand Hotel

Scarborough, England: Part II – The Castle

An old ruin of an 11th century castle atop the hill overlooking the town confirmed Scarborough’s ancient history, which actually dates to the 10th century, with Viking ancestry.

The town afforded many different views of the castle from varying directions.

The Scarborough Faire, as it turns out, was a six-week festival that began in the mid-1200s, and ran for 500 years. That must have been a sight to see!
It must have taken place relatively near the castle, if not on the grounds themselves.

Next up: Scarborough, Part III – The Sea
and Scarborough, Part IV – The Grand Hotel

Scarborough, England: Part I – The Town

Scarborough is one of those truly out-of-the-way places that I have wanted to visit for awhile, mostly due to the song, “Scarborough Faire,” and the fact that my paternal grandmother’s name was Scarborough.

But it is located on the coast of England, in North Yorkshire, not on the road to anything in particular, and it just seemed too remote for us to travel to for some time.

Then we found ourselves with some extra days to take a road trip through part of England, and Scarborough was suddenly on our itinerary!

We had done no research ahead of time, preferring to discover the area as we went. We were absolutely unprepared for what we found.

For one thing, we had no idea this was a seaside resort, with shops and views of the fishing boats and wonderful details from several different eras in all directions.

Plenty of historic buildings at every turn. This next building I only saw because I had walked down the street to get a better look at something else. But on my way back, I spotted this:

The newer section of town was very eye-appealing, too.

 

Great views in every direction:

Also, evidence of a good sense of humor:

Next up: Scarborough, Part II – The Castle
Also: Scarborough, Part III – The Sea
and Scarborough, Part IV – The Grand Hotel.