Travelling through England to visit our Son Day 7

 

The hotel we stayed in in Morecambe was the Strathmore Hotel.  It was extremely dog friendly and right across the street from the dog friendly beach!  It is also within walking distance to the main part of Morecambe where there is a great selection of restaurants and other things.  

Flood wall

I was fascinated by the flood wall that borders beach promenade and is about 4 feet high.  

The other great thing about this hotel is that it is a half hour drive to the Lake District and, in the other direction, a half hour drive to the part of Yorkshire that we love! So I believe we will return to this hotel a few times! 

Our plans were to visit the Lake District and take as long as we liked since we are going home a day early.  But things did not go to plan! After breakfast at McDonald's (!), we drove to Windermere. We knew it would be crowded but the amount of crowding took us by surprise anyway.  There was no place to park in Windermere!  We did stop at the garden centre in Ambleside, which is always great fun!  But we could not use this space to visit the rest of Ambleside.

The replica of the little house 
in Ambleside.  
This was at the garden centre!

There is a little house there that sits over the water and we like to stop there, and there is a fabulous coffee shop there and we were really looking forward to a repeat of the apple pie we got the last time we were there..... The parking lot we depend on was totally full, and we circled it 3 times in a vain effort to spend some time in Ambleside. 

So, on to Grasmere.  This is our favourite Lake District village and we have spent the most time here, so we expected to bank on our local knowledge and find a place to park.  Well, we did! But it was only a spot for one hour.  And we were extremely lucky to find it.  So we grabbed that one hour with both hands and made the most of it.

The queue never moved!

Another thing we really enjoy is the famous Grasmere Gingerbread, sold at a darling little shop just outside St Oswald's church.  That did not happen either. The queue for this local delicacy was way too long to spend the better part of our precious hour. Alan did try to wait it out. I stood in the queue while he visited the church. Then we traded Skye and I visited the church....he has barely moved.  So I convinced him we needed to give up the idea of getting the gingerbread.  

Always only been in my photos from the church side, 
until today!

We then enjoyed a wander around this darling village and then stopped at the coffee shop that I always take a photo of when we visit St Oswald's!  I never actually expected to be sat out on the balcony that overlooks the stream that goes by, but this was my lucky day.  We shared an apple pie and carrot cake.  Skye just enjoyed being there.

St Oswald's church across the water

Here are some random photos taken in Grasmere in the very short time we had:  

This was a hotel in the
late 80s.  We stayed
upstairs where those
3 windows are with 
Mom and Bob.  
We all loved this hotel, 
when it was a hotel.

I love all the buildings in Grasmere!

I wonder what language has been hidden

Inside St Oswald's 

Just walking around Grasmere

Skye made a hit where ever we were

On the way to our car, we got a meal deal from the Co-op and then took our car out of that precious parking spot and headed back to Scotland. 

And there is no place like home, it felt great to get home a day or two early.  It is nice to travel without an itinerary or definite plans and this is the first time it did not work out, but the rest of the trip was tremendous and I am delighted we got to do this. 

Travelling through England to visit our Son Day 6

Alan and I bade farewell to our son and his partner and began our journey home.  It is always sad to say goodbye to him but it really as a great visit and so nice to be able to see his house and also spend some quality time with him and his partner.  

We woke up to rain and it rained really hard for most of our drive north.  Really unpleasant road conditions that made us think about simply going home….

But the sun came out and we realised, after 7 hours on the road, we really did not need to drive another 3 to get home. So Alan found a reasonably priced hotel in Morecambe and we jumped at the chance to rest and relax at the beach! 

When I say reasonably priced, it has begun to be a struggle to find reasonably priced hotels or B&Bs.  It seems everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of all these folks doing “staycations” and prices are continually rising.  I know the hotel industry has taken a hit just like so many other industries, but it also seems so unfair to make hotels so much more expensive.

Anyway, we had a lovely interlude in Morecambe.  The hotel is more old fashioned with a very old fashioned sort of clientele.  They even had entertainment at night!  

This was across the street
from our hotel

But before I talk about that I will tell you about our stroll along the promenade and our lovely picnic dinner at the sea side.  Ok, it was Burger King but there was very little to chooses from and this seemed the ideal choice.

View of tomorrow's destination - 
The Lake District!

Our fancy dinner on the beach

Morecambe

this was a gorgeous way to be 
able to identify the mountains
on the horizon

After we retuned to the hotel, Alan went out to catch a different angle of sunset he is used to and then we went down to the pub for a drink.  

I got a bit of sunset 
after our drink in the pub

And lo and behold, there was an entertainer and people sat around the pub waiting for him to start.  We found a table right at the back and settled Skye in as best we could. Of course, the entertainer noticed her and came to meet her, then he introduced her to everyone in the pub!  The waiter brought her a lovely bowl fo water too, not just a dog dish but a nice bowl since he said she could not be in a pub without a drink! 

As with traditional beach holidays, the hotel provided entertainment and one part was a music quiz.  This was presented in a way that surprised me since it was not a “music” quiz, but a trip down memory lane about theme songs to tv shows and commercials.  Thankfully Alan remembered most of these, I did contribute to knowing the theme song to Dr Kildare though! 

Skye tried to help!

A socially distanced
prizegiving!

And who would have guessed? We tied with another team to win, with 17 out of 20 answers! The entertainer asksed what subject we would like and the other team suggested geography, we agreed this would be ok. And the tie break quuesiotn was….what Is the capital of Peru, and we won!  

A very different type of evening for us!

Travelling through England to visit our Son Day 5

 

Ascot racecourse

Today is our son's birthday! This is the first time we have actually been with him on his birthday for at least 10 years!  So we were very excited about this.  In saying that, with the build up of things we had to do before leaving for this trip, I was unable to plan anything, not even buy a card, so it was simply the joy of being with him!  And that is enough.  I hope it is enough for him too!  oh, cash in a card, but not the same as a gift wrapped parcel...

He should have had the day off for his birthday, but there were things he had to do so Alan and I went shopping to buy stuff to fix their patio and step and just to have a look around.  This is a new area for us, he has only been here 3 months.  We had loads of time to look around and this shop even has a fantastic food section, with American, South African, Polish and Asian aisles.  Bliss.  I did control myself but it really was hard!  

It was a working birthday today

We eventually wandered back to their house (both working today) and fixed the patio and step as best we could.  Then we walked into their local High Street.  We walked by the Primary School at play time and a whole bunch of kids ran to the fence to pet Skye. Or rather they were shouting "I want to tickle him"!  We let them pet Skye through the fence giving everyone who wanted to a chance to "tickle him". Skye loved it too and was not offended no one noticed she is a girl. 

The high street is not very long but the shops were interesting. The charity shop there had some gorgeous clothes in it but nothing I could justify buying.....so I got a 50% cashmere and 50% silk pashmina made in Nepal, and it is gorgeous!

Back to our son's house for lunch, then he took a break for a run and we drove to Ascot racecourse for that. It is possible to go to the centre of the racecourse and there is a 2 1/2 K track which he uses for a 5k run.  We walked along and enjoyed being there, we even found the place where the Queen sits when attending Royal Ascot! 

Look right in the middle and see
the sort of round place....

The round place is where the Queen sits!  

We wanted to take them out to dinner to celebrate his birthday, but this was really difficult on a Monday!  We eventually found a place - we had to drive though!  I was already getting spoiled by all the choices near enough to walk, but this was not the night for that.  Food was great and then we went home for birthday "cake".  I was very grateful to his partner because she got a Lemon Meringue Pie for him.  I had told her he really enjoyed them for his birthday,  but possibly things have changed in the past 10 years! He did seem happy enough and that is all that mattered.

Travelling through England to visit our Son Day 4

Windsor Castle

Yesterday we all woke up incredibly early so the day started then! 

Looking away from Windsor on 
The Long Walk

Martin and Sarah took up to Windsor and we did the "Long Walk" to the castle.  We actually parked nearby and got to the long walk about in the middle of it, between the statue mentioned in the link and Windsor Castle.  It was a great walk, warm and sunny day and we took a break about halfway so Junior could play with a bunch of dogs that were having a great time together. 

Looking toward Windsor

Alan and Skye had turned back much earlier. Skye is still a very young dog and with all the playing around with Junior and then long warm walks, it has been a bit much for her.  And this is also a good excuse for Alan since he has a sore knee that walking is not helping with.

I have been to Windsor twice before, once in a tour bus with Mom when I was 12 and once in the car with Alan.  I imagine we parked sort of outside and walked in.  But the way the long walk arrives in a part of Windsor I had never seen. There are darling pubs and gorgous houses to feast your eye on.

We took a break and had a coffee before heading back.  Where we sat, I could see just a bit of Windsor Castle and joked that if Alan had been with us, he probably would not even have sat down for a break but continued on to take photos of the castle......well, I finished my coffee before my son and his partner so I decided I needed to get closer and take some photos too.  Why be in Windsor and not even look at the castle? That is when you know you are local.....and I am not!

Windsor Castle

Our son and granddog 

walking toward the castle

It was  a long, hot and tiring walk back to the car and all of us fell asleep in various places, mine was outside on the patio seats with my jacket over my shoulders!  This was ok except we had plans to meet a dear friend at 5pm for dinner and we all started waking and moving around at 4:55!!!!  

We literally ran to the Dog and Partridge, where our friend had been patiently waiting!  The rest of her family, husband and children were at a birthday party and meeting us later.  Isn't it lovely to live in a place where you can walk to go out to dinner, birthday parties and friends' homes?  This friend is literally family to us all, but in a very creative way.  My mother married a man with children and this gave me the privilege and honour of having the title of "Aunt", since I am an only child and so is Alan.  So by default, he is also lucky about my mother's choice so he can be an uncle! Take this further, one of my darling nieces married a man who calls one of his cousins "brother".  This brother also calls me Aunt. He and his wife now live near our son and we literally had a family reunion over dinner and then at our son's house, when Alan and I finally got to meet their children! I don't think it gets better than that.  And yes, I did hug them....First hugs of the pandemic.  It just felt right.  

Oh, by the way, dinner was fabulous too. All but one of us got a Sunday roast, either chicken or beef and they were wonderful. Both dogs were with us and presented with dishes of roast beef when we sat at our table.  I think they hope we go back soon!

 

Travelling through England to visit our Son Day 3

 

Fabulous lunch was waiting for
us when we arrived at our son's
house!  And delightfully 
presented!

After 2 days of travelling, this was the day we finally got to visit our son after an absence of being in the London area for almost 2 years!  The last time we came to London to see him was October 2019.  The pandemic stopped us from travelling for a long time, although we have not gone 23 months without actually seeing him...he has come up to Scotland for various and allowable reasons (when needing an allowable reason was required). But we have still missed being in his home turf and also seeing the house he and his partner recently bought. 

 But first, we had to get there! 

Breakfast at the Falcon was lovely and, this time, we remembered to go to the dining room and get our orange juice and cereal!  They gave Skye a sausage so she was very pleased with the way her day started!  

I missed the last walk to Haseley church since I had to wash my hair....

Then, we did take a slight detour and visited Hatton Locks before heading down London way.  

Hatton Locks was almost directly across the street from our hotel and we passed the turn off each way when we were going places the 2 days before. So curiosity got hte better of us and we turned in to have a look.  We had no idea this was such an amazing place! So we paid for parking and spent about 30 minutes there, enjoying a short walk and also watching one narrow boat deal with a few of the 21 locks.  

What the Captain and the crew of the 
Whippet Express had to look 
forward to!

This boat was called The Whippet Express and is a privatley owned narrow boat which is usually permanently docked elsewhere, but the owners had been on holiday and were on their way home. Just watching the sheer physical labour it takes to maneuver the locks exhausted me! And they had only just begun! 

If we are lucky enough to return to this
area, I hope we are able to do the walk
along the Locks!

Patience and sheer physical strength is
all you need to travel by canal boat!

After this refreshing interlude, we headed off to the London area. Our son no longer lives in actual London but closer to Windsor and this whole area looks incredible.

We were greeted with a tour of their new home, which is beautiful and very interesting. And then a delicious lunch sitting out on their patio. 

Well, the 3 of them and the two dogs were out there, I was sat at the dining room table attending an AGM of Trefoil Guild Scotland!  After having to cancel last year's we all felt the need to have an AGM, even if it had to be virtual.  And it worked out very well!  We had a great number of members attending and our guest speaker, Jess Smith, was as entertaining as she was in person when I saw her with another organisation.  The first time I saw Jess Smith, I was inspired to buy 2 of her books, but I now realise, I need to buy them all!  

Yes, here I am in the living room while they are
in the sunshine!

The dogs didn't mind 
waiting for me!

This is the second meeting I have "attended" since leaving our home in Scotland on this trip. And it is so nice to have the freedom to not be home and still attend and participate in meetings.  I am not sure I am going to cope with having to be physically present at any one location and particular time anymore.  The pandemic might have had some very terrible consequences, as we all know, but there are other tweaks that have been made to everyday life that I cannot see changing back.

The family waited very patiently for me to finish and then we drove to Virginia Water, part of the Windsor Great Park, to walk around this lovely park. It also has interesting ruins that reminded me a bit of other places we have visited.  It must have been all the rage in parts of Britain during a certain era to change the direction of waterways and build all kinds of follies and other structures.  

There is even  a bit of actual Roman ruins, called the Leptis Magna ruins!  This park is huge and it was quite late thanks to my meeting so we did not walk much further than the ruins.  Before we turned back though, our son bought us all ice cream!  It was so nice to stand along the shore of Virginia Water, simply being with them, eating ice cream on a lovely summer' day.

Two friends on the drive back 
to our son's house

Drove back to their house and then walked to a pub nearby for a drink in the afternoon.  Another lovely thing to do while it is still summertime.

Back to their house for a fabulous bbq.  

We wanted to watch the final of the US Tennis Open with the two teenage players.  Such a wonderful accomplishment for both of them.  Found the station at the right time and placed ourselves around the tv to settle in. However, there was over an hour of build up before the game and this was too much for the men. Both gave up the ghost and fell sleep sitting on opposite ends of the sofa.  I gave up being in the middle of these sleeping beauties and sat on the floor - where I promptly also fell asleep. 

It ended up just the two females as the men went to bed. And it was fascinating watching these two perfectly matched young women play against each other.  I really wanted to hold on to the end, but I couldn't and I went to bed.  It was nice waking up to the news that Emma Raducanu won!