Hometown, Hardware and Hostess Caroline

On Saturday morning we left our lovely garden surround at Tudor Farm to make the journey into our North Irish hometown, Irvinestown.  The farms and dwellings of many cousins are in the area.

I remember visiting in this little town with my parents in 1968.  It hasn't changed much and the old church clock tower still guards the cemetery where my great, great grandparents are buried.  I wish I had taken a picture.  The shopping was just too much fun.  Our hour visit to the hardware store might have been a frustration to the clerks.  They had to dodge us in the narrow aisles on a busy morning.
But Oh, the small woodstoves, small appliances, cookware, teapots and table settings.  Much to see for tiny house lovers.

We stopped for a hike at Castle Archdale Park and found a busy little campground with lots of Halloween activities going on.  The autumn colors of the huge old trees set a nice background for our walk down to  Lough Erne before returning to our B&B.

See our little Citroen C1 to the left by our entrance door.  We rested a bit before our long awaited dinner invite to Caroline's.  As soon as we set our plans for the trip Caroline invited us to dinner.  (That was over 4 months ago.)  My most recent trip to Ireland was for Caroline and Dean's wedding on Lusty Beg Island - in view from our B&B.  Caroline and Dean have a lovely home that we were eager to see.

The sun was beaming down on Lusty Beg Island as we left for dinner.

The farm, Ferney, where Caroline grew up has always been a favorite dinner invite for many past visits.  Her parents, George and Maureen, have made us so welcome and invited other cousins too-including Robert and his mini-bag pipes and Jean with her accordion.  It was nice George and Maureen could be Caroline's guests this time.

We had been told what a great cook Caroline had become, but had no idea of the feast that awaited us.  The table was set like a cooking magazine cover and the bowls of food were too many to fit on the table.  I ate enough for 2 people and then it was time for dessert; Caroline's specialty.  There were 7 different desserts.  I can't even name them all.  My favorites were the Apple-Blackberry Crumble, with homemade ice cream and the Custard Triffle.

It was wonderful to sit around the woodstove after dinner and chat with George and Maureen and share our experiences in Dean's home country, England. Dean and Caroline reminded us to add Wiltshire to our next visit.  The evening ended with a great visit from Alan, Caroline's brother  and Lana, his wife.  Our fine time together was just too short!!

Ferry to Northern Ireland and Co. Fermanagh

I am fortunate enough to have visited family in Ireland on 7 visits since 1968.  My parents made many more visits and once they took the ferry from Scotland I think.  Since Terry and I love ferry travel and I had always wanted a notion of Ireland's distance from England, we took the ferry from Liverpool.  We boarded the ferry at 9am for a 10:30 departure and arrived in Belfast at 6:30pm. The trip took a full day on the Irish Sea, south of the Isle of Man and up the coast of Northern Ireland.  It was cloudy and windy as we approached the Isle.

The weather cleared as we passed St. John Pt. Lighthouse ( I think) on the end of Ireland's Ards Peninsula.

The sun set into the sea as we approached the Belfast Harbor.

The beautiful ferry trip views kept us busy going from our bow front table out to the decks on each side.  The tea and meal service was pleasant too.

We spent 2 rest days at a lovely farm B&B near Belfast.  The breakfasts were wonderful-great fresh berries of all sorts each morning and lovely farm hill views.  Our cousin, Gwen escorted and hosted us at her home a few miles away with a fantastic welcome dinner with her family.  It was great to be at 'home' there again.

 My Irish family originated in Co. Fermanagh in the central Lough Erne area.  So we were soon off for the weekend to a lakeside B&B about an hour and a half away.  Gwen packs the best lunch and snack bag in Ireland so we found a perfect view spot to enjoy it.

Autumn in Ireland is really beautiful and many 'locals' told us this was one of the prettiest in years.  Not bad, eh?

Terry and I had never stayed near the Lough so this B&B location was just perfect!  Here's the view!

Needless to say we were enchanted!  Our room had it's own patio and a couch and extra bed!  Spacious!!

Best of all was the very special time with our family.  My cousin, Letty , invited us for supper and tea at her house on the day we arrived.  Supper is usually about 7pm after a nice chat by the peat fire and then about 8:30 or 9 pm it's time for tea.  After a supper that's always a feast,  I am amazed that I can find room for tea and more delicious snacks and desserts ( like just a "wee tart").  Letty's daughter, Avril, and her 2 adorable children came for tea.  We had a wonderful time together!  I shared with them our vow to never stay away as long again (8 years)!!

Narrow Boats, Canals and the River Avon

Shortly before leaving for our trip we watched a video from You Tube on living full time in a narrow boat on the canals of England.  Terry just happened on it searching for mobile tiny houses.    It was one of our favorite kind of stories about 'ditching the big city job', selling the stuff and adopting an alternative lifestyle.  The narrow boat he had re-done to his needs was just beautiful and he described the joy of finding pretty spots to moor on quiet, peaceful canals.  We'd crossed canals in Sussex, but never saw any boats.

Then as we crossed the River Avon coming into Stratford there were more boats than we could count on both sides of the bridge.  We found parking along the river and walked back to the harbor.  The first view stopped me in my tracks.

Around the bend a tour boat attracted the famous swans of Stratford and we learned later that it was a long boat and about 15 feet wide.

The Inland Waterways Association Long Boat was moored in the town harbor and they answered lots of questions we had about the different boats, the canals and the lock system.  The true narrow boat is only 7 feet wide on the exterior and fits in the older canal locks like the one for the harbor.  They encouraged us to check out the really small one docked just beyond.

They didn't mention the wood stove inside and the peat fire going or the bicycles and the CB antennae Terry noticed right away.  What a great little home!

The next boat over had lots more living space and many more windows.  It seemed lots more livable to me.  After enjoying a stroll around the other boats there, it was time for tea and a scone.  Right behind us was this huge theater (something to do with Shakespeare) including a tea room, gift shop and toilets.

Our stop for tea gave the police just time enough to ticket our car for no 'pay and display'.  We never saw the sign a block behind us, but after all this was Stratford-on-Avon.  No free parking here.  Terry chatted with the policeman who said we could pay up online!  'No problem at all."

The ferry to Belfast would be awaiting us early the next morning in Liverpool so the Citroen scooted us up the M6 and around Birmingham to our hotel in Ellesmere Port.  Our stay in England had been too short, but filled with unexpected fun and adventure.

Another 'Memory Lane' and New Trail Too!

In the early 1970's I spent lots of time and energy exploring the Chapel Hill area on my bicycle and even did a little racing too!  I was attached enough to my bicycle that I packed it in a box and took it to Copenhagen to meet my sister, Jane, there.  When I could not get the bike back together, we decided to eliminate the language problem and go to England instead.  Pictures I'd seen of the Cornwall Coast intrigued me so we set off that direction.  I didn't know that the Cots ('sheep pens') wolds ('hills') were between us and Cornwall.  Nor did I know that this 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' would call me back 44 years later.

I remember that after climbing this dreadful, long and steep hill on our bikes, we rolled into the little town of Chipping Campden.

We were immediately charmed by the warm honey colored stone that made every building.

The fields in all directions from the town were filled with sheep, herders and dogs.  We even stood entranced as a herder directed his dogs by hand signals to round up the sheep.

You can imagine my excitement when the first place I booked for our trip was a sheep farm 'stay' in the Cotswolds.  The farm has been in the family for 3 generations and the farmhouse was built in 1625.  The town of Chipping Campden is about 5 miles away.

Our upstairs room had a lovely view across the hills.

At the top of the hill we found the Cotswold Way another of the 15 National Trails of England and Wales.  It crosses the Cotswolds to Bath.

The view back toward Chipping Campden enticed me on a short amble along the sheep fields as sheep called back and forth.

On this hazy early Autumn morning it was very hard to leave the trail behind,  but Terry had not been to Stratford on Avon and it wasn't too far away.

Lighthouses on the South Down Way

The South Down Way that we stumbled on in the town of Alfriston actually starts 11 miles east where the chalk hills end at the sea.  This creates a view of the "Seven Sisters" cliffs often wrongly named as the White Cliffs of Dover.  This area near Eastbourne is called Beachy Head.

When we learned there were 2 lighthouses within 2 miles,  we had to check it out with this longer walk on the South Down Way.  The day was cold, and very windy on the high cliff path, but the views were incredible!

Our destination was the older, inactive Belle Tout LH on the distant hill.  It was moved back about the same time as Cape Hatteras and is a home now.  We were startled to discover that every ripple in the cliff edge was a sharp glen to walk down and climb back up.  Progress was slow.

As you can see it just got more and more beautiful as we walked.

Being at the base of the hill before the chalk trail started was enough for us as the winds got stronger and colder, so we turned back towards the Visitor Center.  There is only so much beauty you can take in.

As we returned the second lighthouse, Beachy Head,  which is active and replaced Belle Tout came into view.  It was much closer as we climbed down one of the glens.  It was built in 1899--quite a feat for the times.  Our earlier view of it from the cliff top shows the cliff heights.

Hastings-- Old and New

From our arrival at Gatwick Airport in London we followed the signs to car rental and got our little Citroen, C1.  Then with all the bravery we could muster, we installed the UK chip for our GPS system and set off  for Hastings.  First challenge was getting out of the crowded car rental center.  Second, was staying on the left side of the road.  Third, was navigating the narrow streets with cars parked both sides half on the sidewalks.   Terry did a wonderful job and I was a nervous wreck.  The only time I screeched was when we nicked just one mirror on the hilly streets of new Hastings.

Streetside Cash

Since it was a Friday we needed a bank and cash for the days to come. ( Cash at the airport is always very costly.)  Terry carefully navigated several city roundabouts to find parking near a bank,  while I grabbed my "Global Card" to get some Sterling.  Well...... the only way to get cash in the UK is with a card that has a pin number.  Panic set in as I realized that 2 of my 3 cards had no pin numbers  and my debit card in the ATM machine was my only option.  So there I stood on the street getting money for 4 days worth of expenses.  Enough to make me a little nervous about the street people around me.

Foyle's War Locations

Finally at our lovely B&B, we could hardly keep our eyes open until 7 pm.  Our wonderful hosts, both London natives,  gave us a tour map for Old Hastings and the Foyle's War locations the next morning.  If you haven't seen this BBC Series, don't miss it!  The location area is like stepping back in time.  So different from the busy seaside town of new Hastings crowded with shops, cafes and rows of Victorian hotels.

In the series Foyle was the police superintendent living in this house during WW II.  The cases he has to solve are mostly war related and full of history.

The town streets twist up to the cliffs above the sea with narrow lanes and alleys.

Terry hardly fit in this alley that led to a house door.

In one of the episodes a bomb fell on the local Pub and Inn.   I thought of this as merely another scene in the story not a reality of WWII in Hastings.   We found a memorial sign and garden that mark the spot where the tragedy occurred.  All the other buildings around it were not damaged.

The local church is in many episodes that depict the loss of lives in the town.

Of course, we couldn't leave Old Hastings without a' spot of tea'.  Our hosts get all their bread from Judges Bakery and advised we stop in for a tea and scone.  They were so right!!!

Down Memory Lane and Some New Trails Too! ----- Sussex, England!

A long time ago-- in 1965-- I studied for 6 weeks at the University of Sussex in England.  The new Library behind Terry had just been dedicated by Queen Elizabeth in Nov. 1964.

 Just last year it was listed as a Historic Place on it's 50th Birthday.  We had to search the now huge campus to find it and get special permission to enter.  I was beyond happy to see the corners where I had studied just the same.  The windows weren't open as they always used to be though.  I remember I was always chilly in there!

Returning to Sussex was the main reason for our visit to England.  I had always wanted to see the rolling hills and seaside again.  Many times we had been about 40 minutes away at Gatwick Airport on our way to Ireland from Raleigh.  Then last winter our neighbors, John and Pat, got us hooked on the BBC Series, 'Foyle's War' set in the town of Hastings on the Sussex Coast.  Suddenly we both had an interest in Sussex and it's history.  So we spent 3 days exploring the Hastings area east of the University.


One of our favorite towns was Alfriston, a stumble on, when we were forced off a roundabout by an accident ahead.   The very narrow crowded streets were scary, but a nice lunch at the deli in the Post Office strengthened us for exploring.

Some of the timbered buildings looked very old.

The tea shop we enjoyed later was built in 1480.  Terry had to stoop under the doors and timbers.

We didn't know that the courtyard seating had this view of the green and Church.

I remembered reading about a trail to a nearby town so after tea we wandered down a promising lane and to my surprise

 we found one of England's 37 National Trails leading to several towns and the seaside.  We only walked a little across the White Bridge to gaze at the hills beyond.

But --- you got to love a country that values walking enough to have 37 trails like this!