Thread: Ramblings from the UK.

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Johnboy, sorry to hear of your issues. A friend I work with bought a new Chrysler mini van for his wife and he never thought to check for the spare tire at the purchase time. He found out before she went on a trip that she didn't have one. He wasn't thrilled at all. It seems the auto manufacturers will do what ever to cut costs these days. Anyway, your trip sounds very nice! I've been following on google too. I'm not sure we'll get to any of the places you're going. Stay safe and have fun!

Johnboy, I like Ryan am sorry to hear of the problems and he is correct, most of us will never get there but we have enjoyed the ride with you, I am already wondering where "we" will go next with you?? Heck until a month ago I would have thought something called black pudding was inedible!

Thanks for the kind words folks; and glad that you enjoy my scribbles.

Thursday 2nd June.

Dithered about a bit this morning before getting mobile, the dashboard was telling me that tyre pressure was low, and I've got my Irish up enough that I'm not going to check them, Enterprise (who have a yard just across the street,) can do it.
So I made them.

There's also a wee furniture store on the corner just across the road; and they have the perfect present in their window for a mate that has a birthday coming up shortly. So I had to wait for them to open too...and that wasn't until just after 9:30.
Crikey...a basic law of trade...if the punters can't get in they can't buy...if they can't buy you don't sell = no income.
Eventually sorted, tyres pumped, purchase made, and on the road heading for Beatrix Potter Gallery this time, not Centre, at Hawkshead.
Shortage of parking here too, finished up parking in an area 'Reserved for Local Disc Holders Only. All Others Clamped.'
I'll take my chances.

Spent a delightful hour or more revisiting my childhood through the Gallery via Peter Rabbit, Jemimah Puddleduck et al, returned to the car, worked out our next call, and... hello...here's some clown in a uniform bearing down on us.
"Good morning Officer, am I pleased to see you! Could you please tell us the route to Conistan?"
So he spent the next five minutes explaining in fine detail the same route we had already plugged in to Lucy...then sent us on our way with a smile and a wave and no ticket...you just got conned bro.

The route we'd chosen took us over the fells (moors,) to Coniston, initially through narrow single car-width lanes enclosed on both sides with six foot tall stane dykes with the occasional passing bay...slow 2nd and 3rd gear driving. Once out on the fells proper the road was no wider; but you could at least see opposing traffic approaching.
Very scenic.

Arrived Coniston, and lunched at Headwater Hotel, which was the base for both Malcolm and Donald Campbells' water speed efforts in Bluebird.
Next stop was the local museum which paid homage to both Campbells, had the remains of the (crashed boat. It was this crash that killed Donald Campbell.) Bluebird on display, but also had displays of Arthur Ransome's works.
Very interesting...they even had the original dinghy 'Amazon' on display, which had featured in many of Ransome's books.
Spent a happy couple of hours here.
So on toward Whitehaven.

And the clutch started slipping.
Badly.
Bugger.
And I'd lost half the length of travel on the clutch pedal, it was smoking and had that clutch-pedal-slipping smell.
Limped to our destination for the evening, Moresby Hall, booked in, by then it was 5:30, so no use ringing Enterprise, the car hire people, so rang AA...again.
They'll have a man here by 6:30.
Yeah right!
He arrived 7:30.
Got in the car, started it, put it in 6th gear, let the clutch out slowly...and it stalled.
Did the same again...and again...and again...and it stalled every time...not a hint of slippage.
I was standing there with my mouth so wide open it could've held a fortnight's rain.
"How on earth did you achieve that?"
He explained that it's quite a common fault with this particular model of Vauxhall, the clutch pedal mechanism doesn't return fully, leaving the clutch not fully engaged; hence the slippage. He'd just put his toe under the pedal and lifted it to the full length of its stroke.
Problem solved.
I've felt like a big damn-fool at other times in my life, but never a bigger one than right now.

You live and learn.

Friday 3rd June.

The proprietor of the pub we're staying in gave us the gen on where to find a parking place in Whitehaven, so this morning we went and sussed it out.

All good, so parked up for two free hours and went to find the Rum Museum @ 27 Lowther St in Whitehaven.
Spent pretty well all our free allocated parking time in there!
A very interesting museum that's very informative without becoming too academic or pretentious; but covering all aspects of rum's history involving the slave trade in the Caribbean, and American, Scottish, and English involvement over the last 300 years.
Pirates and Spaniards were in the mix as well; it was obviously very lucrative for those involved...especially the Jeffersons, who owned this particular distillery and Bond Store.
(Makes me wonder if the were tied up with Thomas Jefferson, who's plantation at Monticello we visited last year...) A fascinating experience...thoroughly enjoyed it, Although I didn't really enjoy the free tasting at the end of the tour,,,too spicy for my palate. But I drank it...and Rosie's as well...I ain't gonna waste it!

Next stop was the Haig Colliery Mining Museum. This pit was sunk in 1914. and closed March 1986. During this period it had three major disasters, one fella told me that around 1100 lives were lost in total. So it would've been an interesting place to visit.
But it has closed.

But it's a beautiful sunshiney day; so we went for a walk along the cliff tops instead.
We could see a land-mass out there, but lacking local knowledge didn't know whether it's Ireland or the Isle of Man.

Ravenglass Railway. Don't go. Totally tourist oriented. Get 'em in and gut 'em. The museum part of it could've been interesting; but I'll never know. It was closed...at the height of their tourist season. We didn't stay long.

Back at the hotel and wandered up the hill and across the road to view the church and its surrounding cemetery.
St. Margarets Church Moresby.
Built I'm told in the mid 1800s it's obviously in regular use, but it's looking decidedly tired and dilapidated, the stained glass leadlight windows are in real danger of collapsing, and even something as simple as a lick of paint on the beautiful wooden doors wouldn't go amiss.
Wandered around the cemetery too...it's unkempt, unloved, and uncared for. A flock of sheep wouldn't go amiss here either to keep the grass down.
So many of the tombstones read: 'Killed in Such-and-such Mining Disaster. aged 41, Killed in So-and-so Mining Disaster, aged 25', and so on and so on...tragic.
So many young lives wasted wantonly by the mine owners; and all for the almighty pound note.
I'm a firm believer in Trade Unions, (provided they're uncorrupted, and don't start to think the tail can wag the dog,) the unions have done great things for the working classes over the years.

I digress.

The oldest (semi) legible tombstone we found here was dated September 17 1663.
And that's a long while ago.

All good.
A great day out in the sun.

[QUOTE=johnboy;557938]Friday 3rd June.

I'm a firm believer in Trade Unions, (provided they're uncorrupted, and don't start to think the tail can wag the dog,) the unions have done great things for the working classes over the years./QUOTE]

Excellent commentary on a very delicate subject, at least in this neck of the woods.

Seems many of the worker safty laws that count were written with some workers blood for ink

That car sounds like a pile JB! Hopefully it makes it through your trip. Hopefully enterprise doesn't find out you're a hot rodder! They'll blaim you for the additional wear and tear!

Originally Posted by johnboy

....provided they're uncorrupted, and don't start to think the tail can wag the dog.

I'd say you've just defined the dilemma! Show me a trade union that's not corrupted, and that doesn't believe that they can "wag the dog"' Back in the day of the sweatshops the trade unions provided a necessary function, but since then....... As Ken said, a commentary on a sensitive subject, and it may well be an entirely different story in NZ compared to the USA.

Originally Posted by rspears

I'd say you've just defined the dilemma! Show me a trade union that's not corrupted, and that doesn't believe that they can "wag the dog"' Back in the day of the sweatshops the trade unions provided a necessary function, but since then........

Well said. I've been on both sides of the fence; as an employer and an employee. And I can state categorically that if I have a good man in my employ I'll bend over backward to retain him.
But if he wants to play silly games I'll wallop him so hard with silly games he won't know whether it's Saturday or raining.
I think I've mentioned on here before that a previous employee once described me as: 'The hardest bastard I've ever worked for; but also the fairest and best boss I've ever had.'
So things have to be reciprocal...it can't be all give on the bosses part...the employee has to deliver as well

Originally Posted by rspears

As Ken said, a commentary on a sensitive subject, and it may well be an entirely different story in NZ compared to the USA.

We've had our share of short-sighted union officials...in the '70s - '80s Ken Mair was directly (or indirectly,) responsible for the closure of four freezing works...Longburn, Patea, Southland, and Waitara.
50% of the population are of below average intelligence; and they make up the bulk of those working in semi-skilled jobs in freezing works. So they couldn't see that it was Mair that lost them their jobs, he didn't close the freezing works; it was the bosses that shut them down wasn't it?
Not Mair.
Literally thousands of jobs lost; and entire towns virtually destroyed.

And let's not get on to Roger Douglas...

Yep...we've had them too.

But that's not to say that all union officials are bad news. There are many doing a fantastic job for the people they represent.

Saturday 4th June.

Wandered down for breakfast about 7:15, only to be told that breakfast won't be available until around 8:00. We're paying 100 quid a night here for bed and breakfast, that's about NZ $200; so I'm not leaving here breakfast-less!
So we waited 'til 8:00 and got our brekkies.

First stop was Keswick where we stopped at the Derwent Pencil Museum in the grounds of the Cumberland Pencil Co., Manufacturing Pencils Since 1832.
On the door of the museum was written: 'Closed for Refurbishment.'
Sigh.

Okay, carry on, and a few miles down the road was a sign pointing to 'Greystoke!'
Well dang me!
I didn't know that the place actually existed!
Those of you out there that (like me,) spent their childhood with their nose stuck in a book will know that 'Lord Greystoke' was the real name/title of Edgar Rice-Burroughs' famous fictional character Tarzan.
(A piece of totally useless information of interest to me alone.)

Pulled off for a late lunch at a Subway at some out-of-the-way fuel station. Decided to tour this area a bit to see what's here; so started on a mini Tiki Tour...and came across a shop called 'Simply Dutch' in the wee village of Leeming Bar. (North Yorkshire.)
'We buy and sell everything' it said across the front; so that's got to be worth a look.
And it was.
'We buy junk and sell antiques', said another sign inside. And that was true. An amazing collection/selection of damned near anything you'd care to name.
Very very interesting indeed.

Around the corner was a wee pub, the White Rose, so we decided to enquire if they had a room to spare for the night. They did; so we took it, and then wandered around the village itself.
There's a railway station immediately behind the pub, a branch line that has been closed by British Rail; so a bunch of rail enthusiasts have taken it over, along with assorted rolling stock including locos (steam and diesel.) and assorted carriages.
Had quite an interesting talk to a fella there, who told us to do a tour of the next village along while we're here...Bedale. (sp. It may have two 'e's.)
This village epitomised the image I had in my head of what a rural English village was like; the shopkeepers were amiable personable people, and the locals stopped and chatted in the street.
"Hello Mrs Jones; 'ow's your Bert's lumbago?"
Loved it.

Back to the White Rose; and it turns out that the chef there, Gordon, is a Kiwi from Auckland! Hates it here, and badly wants to return to Godsown country. But he and his wife has split; and this is where his kids are.

Another good day.

(A piece of totally useless information of interest to me alone.)

Ummmm . . . nope. I was a Tarzan fan from the time I could read. Movie serials, TV programs, comic books, etc.

Back to the White Rose; and it turns out that the chef there, Gordon, is a Kiwi from Auckland! Hates it here, and badly wants to return to Godsown country. But he and his wife has split; and this is where his kids are.

Exactly the same reason my brother is still living over there in Middlesborough although his son has finished university and started an excellent job as a Design/Mechanical Engineer with Caterpillar UK at there assembly plant between Middlesborough and Newcastle.

Sunday 5th June.

Departed the White Rose a bit after 8:00, brekky this morning started a bit after 7:00; so everything happened a wee bit earlier than has been happening.
The proprietor's father was there to help out, and after breakfast came out as we were packing the car.

He told us that a 'must-do' was the village/town of Thirsk if I had ever read any of James Herriot's books; because this is where they were based; on Thirsk and the surrounding areas. I don't know whether I've read them all (All creatures Great and Small was the first as far as I know,) but I've certainly read a lot of his work and enjoyed them.
So that was our first stop, took us about three hors to 'do' the place, about two of those hours were spent in the museum The World of James Herriot.
A great way to pass a cold overcast morning.
All good.

And so into York itself, an absolute nightmare of a place to drive with winding narrow streets and route indicators so grubby and overshadowed by advertising hoardings that by the time you see then it's too late to react.
Thank god we came a day earlier on Sunday rather than Monday...the traffic will be worse to-morrow.
We spent the rest of the day wandering around the very inner city. I'm told it was originally built by the Vikings; which ain't so long ago when you compare it to Orkney!

We didn't find either of the two hotels we were told to look for; instead we're booked in to the Royal York Hotel which is right next to the station. I can see the trains as I sit here at the window, which, thank God, is double glazed!

And we found where to return the car on Tuesday.

So that's all good too.

Monday 6th June.

Wandered along to the railway station first, spoke to the man at Enterprise car rentals, (their office was closed yesterday,) then sussed out where the return car park is at the station.
So that's all good.

Then walked to the National Railway Museum about a quarter of an hour's walk away, although it took us a bit longer than that; we stopped in a wee park that had been a mass burial ground for cholera victims some time in the early 1800s as I remember - forgot to write it down.
Across the road to another wee park immediately outside our hotel, and there in the middle of a flower bed was a stone about seven inches across and carefully hand-painted with the legend: David Warren 9/9/13.
Don't know what that's about; but it must mean something to someone.

Then wandered up to the museum, arriving about 10:30. First thing I noticed was a wee 'road-train' thing I'd seen touring the roads of the city yesterday, and had noted that it tracked true even five cars back...so I asked the driver if the back axles of the trailers were contra-steered and would he mind if I had a look at them.
"Yes and no," was his reply; so I crawled underneath one. Yep, he's right; they're contra-steered alright...a very simple arrangement but obviously very effective.
Okay, in to the museum, it's free to enter, (I like that,) but a small donation would be appreciated. So I gave them six quid; is that small enough?
There's just so much to see here that words couldn't possibly do it justice. Best advice would be to visit:

nrm.org.uk

(Hope the link works.)
We left there about 3:45, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
She dipped out about 1:30, spent the rest of the time there sitting in a shady spot in a sort of coffee garden place...and I only opted out when my bad knee and back started to complain.

Highly recommended.

Active Link - National Railway Museum Neat place!