LAST DAYS IN ENGLAND

ROBIN HOOD’S BAY – LINCOLN

We left Robin Hood’s Bay and our B&B, which had once been a captain’s house, not by foot but in a taxi.

An old captain's house

 We’ve hired a car for 2 days to transport us south. It's a Vauxhall Corsa about the equivalent size to my Mazda 2, so we literally squeezed in with our 4 large pieces of luggage.

Amazing feat of squeezing 4 big bodies and 4 backpacks into tiny car

 We had a rushed trip to York and were impressed with the large cathedral, York Minster, with its exquisite façade and stained glass windows. We enjoyed wandering around the cobbled streets within the city wall.

Historic York

At about 2 we drove south along a quick flowing motorway, M18, arriving in Lincoln at about 4. Bob had found a B&B, The Cathedral View, in the Cathedral precinct – with a 900 year-old history.

900 year old boutique B&B in Lincoln

We were absolutely blown away by Lincoln’s Gothic cathedral – a magnificent building with graceful supports to the ceiling, light and space, cloisters with wooden ceiling and exquisitely carved animals at the apex of each.

Spectacular Lincoln cathedral

 

Lincoln old town

 

There were memorials to their esteemed figures in the cathedral’s history. For example, there was a special plague to Joseph Banks, a Lincoln resident, for his environmental work in the colonies and in England.

Memorial to Joseph Banks

We were so enchanted with the building that we decided to go to Sung Evensong at 5.30 – a service led by the Dean of the cathedral and the service sung by a visiting choir.

LINCOLN to ASTON CLINTON (near Oxford)

Pleasant drive south – east to our friends, Ann and Paul, in Norfolk. They have recently moved into a renovated nineteenth century granary on a sub-divided farm. We took a public pathway from their house, through a wood, ending up in the local church cemetery, which was across the road from the local pub, The Half Moon, where we had lunch. Very enjoyable meal with friends we haven’t seen for 36 years.

Visiting friends in renovated granary in Norfolk

We eventually navigated our way to the outskirts of London to drop Bob and Julie off at friends and then we tentatively drove to Aston Clinton with only a few hiccups. We had a very warm welcome from Martin and Rowena, Mark’s cousins.

During our stay at Aston Clinton we had some happy meals with the extended family.

Family meal with the Deans, Mark's cousins

 We also visited a fascinating Rothschild stately home and estate, Waddesdon Manor. Coincidentally, there was an exhibition of Edmund de Waal’s ceramic work. He wrote ‘The Hare with the amber eyes’ about his Jewish/ Russian ancestry and the rise and fall of their banking empire in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He was invited by Lord Rothschild to do a ceramic installation for each room reflecting his impression of the setting.

Waddesdon Manor

Martin took us to nearby reservoirs and the Grand Union Canal, which was part the main transport system before the Industrial Revolution. We were fortunate to see how the canal lock system operated when 2 attractive narrow boats needed to negotiate the locks.

Long boats on Grand Union Canal

We had a wonderful time with the family and look forward to return visits.


　
M&M