Back to the UK after 50 years

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Finishing off Chester. If you are nearby it is well worth spending a few hours here.

Outside the Town Hall - a bronze statue gifted to the city by the Chester Zoo



Grosvenor Bride - "This elegant stone bridge across the River Dee, seen from the city wall as you pass Chester Castle, is actually a Grade I listed building. It was the longest single-span arched bridge in the world when it was opened by (the then) Princess Victoria in 1832"



Another "Bridge of Sighs"





The train trip to and from Chester was not the most scenic one I have ever taken. The line often runs through cuttings or with trees hiding it from view. And when views were available they were often just of flat farmland.



This was one of the more exciting sights



Occasionally you would pass by a small town



Once again we got both English and Welsh language information

 

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Our second day trip was a mini-bus tour to the Lake District. This can be visited by train from Manchester but then you are restricted as to what areas you can see. The company we went with was Rabbie's Tours and the price was £164 including a 45 minute 'cruise' on Lake Windermere. Due to traffic delays on the return trip it turned out to be close to an 11 hour trip.

We had visited the Lake District in 1976 and it was so cold and wet we spent very little time there. Unfortunately this pattern repeated itself as we experienced the coldest and wettest day of our trip.

A stock photo of one of their vans. All the tour companies seem to use the same 18 seat Mercedes vans and their prices are basically identical.



The inside of the van. It was pretty comfortable but a little short on legroom. I sat in the middle rear seat so I could stick my legs out but this also meant I was right over the rear axle so it was a bit bumpy.



On the way out of Manchester

London Road Fire Station opened 1906 and shut down in 1986 with a variety of failed redevelopment schemes since then.



A former cotton mill - Victoria Mill built between 1869 - 1873. It operated until 1960 and is now mixed residential/commercial use.



A bit of rolling countryside



Bowness Pier on Lake Windermere



Our boat



The tour



My wife found this little display

 

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From the boat.

Leaving the pier





Claife Viewing Station is a 19th century viewing platform on the western shore of Windermere, designed with coloured glass panels to frame scenic views of the Lake District.






Some fishermen







Storrs Hall Hotel







Car ferry



As good as the weather got for the day

They are made of sterner stuff than me. Being out on paddleboards in this weather - brr.

 

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We had time for a quick walk around Bowness. I can't imagine how crowded it would be in peak periods. It was not the most scenic town I have seen.

Old Bowness





Bowness





Then we moved onto towards Grasmere







The grave of the doyen of the "Lakes Poets" William Wordsworth is in this village - complete with fresh daffodils







A lovely little stream runs next to the graveyard





We bought some of the 'famous' Grasmere Gingerbread. It was ok but not my favourite version.

Grasmere Gingerbread Shop | The World's Best Gingerbread

Discover The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop tucked away at the corner of the churchyard of St. Oswald’s Church, Grasmere just North of Lake Windermere.

www.grasmeregingerbread.co.uk

The bakery is housed in the old Village School





All us foolish tourists queued up in the rain to buy our gingerbread. Later in the day we stopped at another village which had an outlet for the gingerbread - it had no queue whatsoever.



This is the full size of the shop.





The Beatrix Potter industry is alive and well



My wife had Mushroom Soup for lunch and I had a healthy egg, sausage and bacon roll. We shared a pasty. I also had one of the worse Ginger Beers I have ever had. I think because of the Sugar Tax in the UK on soft drinks and the like artificial sweeteners are used extensively and this seriously affects the taste. Plus this Ginger Beer was full of 'botanicals' which tasted pretty horrible. Absolutely not within cooee as good as Bundaberg Ginger Beer or for older West Australians like me Weaver & Lock.