After consulting our trusty map (even if all the vital bits are on the crease between two pages) we saw that the drive from the Lake District to Liverpool was not particularly long. We had made a date with John's Uncle Walter (actually the husband of John's mother's best friend - got that?) to call in at his place for afternoon tea and we didn't want to confuse him (he's 87) by arriving too early. Walter lives between Southport and Liverpool.
Soooo .... with a few hours to fill in, where should we go?
The Yorkshire Dales was high on the list. We'd driven through the Yorkshire Moors on the way up to Scotland on a rainy day two weeks ago and the scenery was spectacular. It could only be better on a fine day. So, in a surprisingly short time we were in the Yorkshire Dales. It was delightful! Barb kept hearing piano music in her head: the opening theme to "All creatures Great and Small". She half expected to see James Herriott come pootling around the next bend in the drystone walls which lined the road on either side on his way to see Mrs Pumfrey and Tricky Woo.
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| beautiful Yorkshire Dales |
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| Barb chanelling James Herriot |
Above us the green valleys were criss-crossed with drystone walls and rose to steep barren escarpments. As we rounded yet another corner we gasped to see another viaduct at Ribblehead, and the most breathtaking so far. The train line that connects Settle to Carlisle still runs this route across the viaduct and is considered one of the most fabulous train journeys of the UK. You can see why!
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| The Ribblehead viaduct |
As we drove along we dodged groups of walkers who appeared to be dressed in team colours. Seemingly there was some competition we were unaware of and they all seemed to be enjoying their exertions on a sunny Saturday morning. It was hard not to feel happy as you passed fields of buttercups and gently grazing sheep.
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| fields of buttercups |
We eventually passed through the Dales and headed coastwards. We arrived at Southport, a bustling seaside resort town. The town has a very long pier jutting about a mile out into the very shallow bay. Apparently the tide rushes in at a very fast rate around here, but when we arrived there was a vast stretch of wide beach and many vehicles were parked along the actual beach itself.
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| Southport |
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| the pier at Southport |
Like Blackpool and Brighton there were the usual carousels and showground rides, icecreams and amusement arcades beside the beach. Trams ran the length of the pier to cater for those unable to walk the length of the pier or who were too tired to walk back after walking out (John: that was us, but we realised much too late).
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| carousel |
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| cars on the beach |
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| tram on the pier |
It was very enjoyable and the large number of families around seemed to be making the most of the warm sunshine. John was very taken with how low key and gentle it all was, like something from another era. After spending quite a bit of time walking around Southport (and having a nice lunch at a very busy Italian restaurant) it was time to head off to Uncle Walter.
We found him (after John nearly got lost but didn't 'fess up to Barb till the crisis was past) waiting for us, very pleased to see John and to meet Barb for the first time. He was extremely chatty and although looking fairly thin and frail still lives an active life. He carries on caravanning with his club and had lots of stories to regale us with. He misses Brenda, his wife who died several years ago now, but continues to enjoy life and stay positive.
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| John and Uncle Walter |
We arrived at Childwall Abbey in Liverpool, our accommodation for the night. It's actually over a pub, so we're hoping the Saturday Night crowd aren't too noisy tonight. In the absence of a GPS Google Maps worked really rather well, or perhaps we're getting better at undersatnding it.
Tomorrow, back to Susan's near Saffron Walden via Conwy Castle in North Wales. Check this on the map and you'll see we're loopy!
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