John & Anne Wiley

Our second day in Ravenglass we walked about a mile up the gentle grade to Muncaster Castle where we met up again with our Santa Barbara friends. They’re distantly related to the heirs (exciting for their grandkids), and were doing genealogy research. It was a fun day, and quite different from the rest of the trip.

8274 Regal Roost

More about the Birds we saw in a moment, but first we had to find a way in.

8258 Muncaster Gate

Because we’d gotten an early start, the main gate was still locked but with no cell service we couldn’t find the other gate. After walking further up the road, back down, and back up past where we’d turned back we found our friends. Inside those walls is a wonderland.

153027 Fairytale

Walking around to the front door the misty day opened enough to get a glimpse of the valley domain.

8791 Domain Glimpse

Inside the castle is a rich art gallery and museum, where we wandered the rooms imagining (and reading about) days gone by.

8820 Castle Entrance

Back outside the sky had cleared more, providing another angle on the valley.

121724 Valley Vista

Far in another direction a stout guardhouse perched on a hillock in the lingering mist.

8800 Lonely Outpost

Walking around the other side of the castle we looked back toward the entrance gallery.

143752 Looking Back

Our little group was headed to the castle’s famous bird show, our second of the day. It’s very well done, intimate (wingtips gently brushed several of our friends), and thrilling.

8342 Fly By

8983 Takeoff

The show is narrated by experts who love to introduce these beautiful animals.

8700 Free as a Bird

All of this is in the open air, but the birds choose to stay with their caring keepers. Adding to various silent owls are several other species of magnificent raptors.

8883 Expert Aviator

The second show ended with an amazing show of aerial maneuvers, chasing a lure and catching bits of meat tossed into the air in mid-flight. Quite a memory for this pilot. 🙂

9287 Fast Precision

Much as we loved the smaller venue of the first show, many of us were quite moved by this second one. Part of it was accompanied by epic music that fit perfectly with the grace of these raptors stretching their wings. All too soon we headed back to town for our last night, beginning to pack for our morning train back to London.

From our night in Carlisle we enjoyed another short train ride, taking in the Fall countryside.

8082 Country Life

Now heading West we soon met the coast, turning South along stretches of dry stone wall.

8092 Return to the Sea

Along the way we passed, and on this slower local train – more often stopped at, small towns and villages like Workington.

8094 Approaching Workington

Nearing the village of Seascale we saw a woman strolling the deserted beach, with … could that be her pet Nero dei Nebrodi at the bottom-left?

Soon we stepped off the large comfortable electric train and back in time, greeted by the whistle of this magnificently restored narrow gauge R&ER steam train pulling small open cars into its parallel station.

153255 Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway

Thus began our two nights relaxing in Ravenglass. After walking a block to our cozy B&B and dropping off our luggage we went back and bought a ride on the last round trip train out. Alas, it had a newer diesel engine so being only a few cars back we’d occasionally get a waft of exhaust. With ominous rain clouds gathering we chose one of the hard bench seats (bring a cushion) that has a roof and front window with open sides. Others enjoyed an unencumbered vista from the refreshing open bench seats, perhaps knowing the rain on our window would remain a collection of occasional droplets.

155901 Happy Family

That’s the conductor standing in the next car forward to monitor our passage over switches. It was fun passing the last steam train (engine nameplate Whillan Beck) making its way back to the station.

161337 Whillan Beck

We saw many ruins and stoneworks left over from the Industrial era, when it all presumably looked very different. This water wheel is one of the spiffier examples.

8140 Water Wheel

My love of rock formations and lush multicolored vegetation was also well nourished by the big variety on this small ride. Plant life gnawing at the wizened stone seemed unchanged since long before human eyes first beheld it.

8146 Timeless Shapes & Colors

Dalegarth Station ends the line, allowing me to unfold from the cramped car and savor the look of a stout home beneath carved mountains.

8190 Rugged Beauty

Riding back we chose the last car, spared any whiff of diesel on our gently wobbling roll through a moist verdant paradise, imagining a virgin forest here.

8224 Where Giants Stood

Too soon we arrived back in Ravenglass. Strolling down Main Street past our lovely Rosegarth B&B we stopped in at the quiet and friendly Pennington Hotel dining room for an excellent light dinner and a toast of delicious Strongbow Cloudy Apple on tap.

8252 Relaxing Day’s End

Our southbound train from Glasgow was soon gliding through the beautiful Scottish countryside toward the English border.

8015 Leaving Scotland

One stop on our way stood out in particular. As we rolled up to the platform, a somber mood seemed to envelope the train. We knew the history here and thought that was the reason, but later noticed three embracing couples in this pic and realized 2018 was 30 years since the tragedy. Typing this almost four months later, I can still feel the powerful silence of that stop.

8025 Lockerbie Station

Somehow the 40 miles or so across the invisible border into England, to our overnight stop at Carlisle, distracted us from past to present. The short walk from the station to our hotel brought us to a downtown core in stark contrast to bustling Glasgow.

174301 Carlisle Core

A small city like this surely had things going on, but none of those things seemed to be happening anywhere we looked. Glancing back toward the station across the ancient town square we’d crossed to the hotel revealed someone finding solitude on a bench.

174302 Silent Square

Stashing our stuff, we wandered over to the cathedral complex where stonework speaks of centuries.

8055 Carlisle Cathedral

From there, a short walk brought us for a view of the stout fortress.

8072 Carlisle Castle

Since the museum there had already closed, we strolled back alleys into town for a few groceries. As night fell, the moon hung over the quiet town on our stroll back to the hotel for an improvised dinner in our room.

8081 Quiet Night

Morning dawned sunny for our quick breakfast at a bakery across the square from our hotel.

102228 Morning Light

At last we saw a mix of locals and visitors, before catching a train to our “rest stop” on this fast-paced trip.

We woke well ready to explore Edinburgh again in more depth, undeterred by heavy overcast and occasional drizzle. That tower on the hill was taunting us again, but first we set out on foot.

7491 Taunting Tower

Some of the narrow back alleys and walkways appropriately append “Close” to their names.

7494 Call Close

Walking up the Royal Mile we noticed motorcycle police passing down the hill clearing the street and we wondered why as we stepped to the sidewalk.

7498 Parting the Crowd

Turning to look back up the street this stoic, fervent and loud parade marched into view. Despite the drums and noise of it, both they and the awed audience seemed to maintain silence.

7501 Loud Silence

After the rather long and slow procession passed, the mood was powerfully enigmatic as we joined those resuming toward the castle.

7510 Mixed Crowd

Soon the street was packed, so we decided to pause for lunch and found a dining balcony with this view.

7519 View Table

It seemed there was some other big event coming up, with bleachers set up outside the inner gate making for a happier mood than during the parade.

7522 Royal Smile

Rather than pay to go inside the next gate, we decided to take the bus tours and found they provide many different perspectives on the castle.

7585 Bus Top to Castle

We took several tours, and added to castle views they introduced us to many more things of course. Like this monument to Prince Albert depicting the people’s mourning of his passing.

7619 Mourning Albert

More castle views from the bus open upper deck provided context with the city skyline.

7673 Castle Context

One tour took us out toward that tower on Calton Hill, where we hopped off for the brief walk up and paused for yet another city view.

7711 More City View

Looking past a cemetery and beyond an array of architectures was Salisbury Crags, the other main hill gracing the city core from this side.

7715 Ramp Cliff

My camera’s longest zoom revealed some of the hikers enjoying the cliff edge view there.

7734 Selfies & Scenery

We didn’t go up in the tower, but the surrounding views gave us a tiny taste of what flying low and slow here would be like. As with the city below, there’s also an interesting mix of buildings.

7720 Tower Companions

Eventually we walked back down the hill and caught another tour bus that provides glimpses of the Holyrood Palace complex.

7765 Holyrood Palace

We have about 400 pix from this glorious day, but I’m merciful. 😉