..... is the sight of the Cumbrian fells in the distance, after miles and 
miles of 'pleasant' flat countryside and 'pleasant' small rolling hills down 
south.  We were only away for the weekend, but all these comfortable people 
down south with their gently rolling countryside and expensive motor cars 
were already starting to get me down. The roads are clogged with traffic and 
the streets are clogged with people.

Oh I do love Cumbria! It's so nice to be back!

ally

a l l y wrote:

> .... is the sight of the Cumbrian fells in the distance, after miles and 
> miles of 'pleasant' flat countryside and 'pleasant' small rolling hills down 
> south.  We were only away for the weekend, but all these comfortable people 
> down south with their gently rolling countryside and expensive motor cars 
> were already starting to get me down. The roads are clogged with traffic and 
> the streets are clogged with people.
> 
> Oh I do love Cumbria! It's so nice to be back!
> 
> ally 
> 
> 


I agree with you, Ally. From Lancaster onward it only gets better and 
better and better.

I had the pleasure of descending from 40,000 ft above the Irish Sea one 
morning last month (in an airliner), and circling down in a loop which 
passed over the wind turbines in the  Morecambe Bay area, and caught the 
shadow of the fells to the north. I could barely believe that I had seen 
them after all that time.

Then we approached Manchester, and noticed how very green Cheshire is. 
After we landed , I headed off onto the M56 and then joined the M6, up 
through Lancashire and then over the Ribble into the real North. It 
fairly lifted my spirits to be on well-marked, pothole-free roads with 
decent drivers. Thank your lucky stars for English winters and summers.

At Burton services outside Kendal I decided to stop and make a quick 
call to Mr P, who would be awake by now in Long Island, to share my 
glee. I got a cup of hot, strong English tea to take away, from a 
friendly woman who didn't seem to mind serving it to me, and enjoyed 
spending my first five pound note and getting pound coins and 
twenty-pees in my change from an equally pleasant soul who thanked me 
for my trade.

I managed to figure out how to open and close my windows and how to 
change the radio from the inane pop channel. Failing to locate Radio 4, 
I plumped for Classic FM and headed off towards the Lakes.

It was the day before St George's Day, and they struck up some patriotic 
music. I was beginning to realise how familiar the area was, and how I 
remembered a little row of houses at Stavely, which is now sensibly 
bypassed. They were playing "Jerusalem" and I realised that it was years 
since I'd heard it. Then, just as I went round a corner into Windermere 
there was the lake, deep blue reflecting the sunny sky, with the 
Langdales, gnarled and looming behind it. There was lush grass and trees 
all around. It really was a very green and pleasant land, and it was 
home. I still remembered the one-way system in Ambleside, and the places 
  I went with my mother as a child for picnics, which have never 
changed. There was light relief when a sheep wandered onto the road 
where it bends very sharply a couple of times, just before Rydal Water. 
The traffic drew to a standstill for a short time. But the sun was 
shining through the trees and the lake was reflecting the light, and 
everything was familiar. It was wonderful, after years of fitting in 
with the unfamiliar. When the familiar is also beautiful, it's awesome.

I don't know if driving while completely overwhelmed with emotion is an 
offence, but I committed it although I did pull over when I could, and 
took some photos of the Lion and the Lamb before climbing over Dunmail 
Raise - to the strains of "Land of Hope and Glory." If I had made a film 
of my return, I could not have picked a more appropriate soundtrack.

There was blossom in the hedgerows, there were lambs in the field, and 
stone walls and every blade of grass was green - and how I enjoyed 
reliving that just now! I will play that over and over.

It got even more emotional as I stopped and took a snap of St John's in 
the Vale. Then, at Dale Bottom I saw Skiddaw for the first time, and 
moments later, passing some roadworks and thinking what a breathtaking 
location it was for the workers, I saw The Lake as I started to come 
down past Lonsties into Keswick.

As tearjerkers go, for me, it was a 4 K film.



Jp

> .... is the sight of the Cumbrian fells in the distance,
> after miles and miles of 'pleasant' flat countryside and
> 'pleasant' small rolling hills down south.  We were only
> away for the weekend, but all these comfortable people down
> south with their gently rolling countryside and expensive
> motor cars were already starting to get me down. The roads
> are clogged with traffic and the streets are clogged with
> people. 
> 
> Oh I do love Cumbria! It's so nice to be back!
> 
> ally 


I always make a day of driving up from the Manchester area. 
There's something about the area between Manchester and Bradford 
that I find interesting. Towns like Todmorden and Hebdon Bridge 
in particular. Then up and over the moor to Howarth, sometimes 
into Bingley and Bradford or other times directly north to 
Wharfedale - Bolton Abbey, Grassington and all the way up to 
Aysgarth - then west to Sedbergh where I always stop for coffee. 
Although last month I didn't follow this traditional route. I 
Drove the M66 to Rawtenstall, then Burnley then the A682 to 
Settle. Then up through Ribble Head with it's fantastic viaduct, 
off the B road to Cowgill in Dentdale then to Sedbergh. Fabulous 
area. After coffee I go to the Firbank road (B6257) just west of 
Sedbergh. From the church you get magnificent views of the 
Howgill Fells. That's when I start feeling Like I am finally in 
Cumbria. It's not the lakeland fells for me, but the Howgill 
Fells that I look forward to seeing upon arrival.

Johnny-back-roads-all-the-way

a l l y wrote:

>
> Oh I do love Cumbria! It's so nice to be back!
>
> ally


Didn't know you'd been away. Ah well - a belated 'Missing you" then... ;)

Kez. . .

"Dirty Sanchez"  wrote in message 
news:428a1016$1_2@mk-nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com...

>a l l y wrote:
>>
>> Oh I do love Cumbria! It's so nice to be back!
>>
>> ally
>
> Didn't know you'd been away. Ah well - a belated 'Missing you" then... ;)
>

It was only 3 days. Just nipped down south to see Steve's family who have, 
for some reason which escapes me, moved away from Cumbria.

ally

"Jpinny"  wrote in message 
news:gnlie.22664$NZ1.3655@fe09.lga...
..

>
> I don't know if driving while completely overwhelmed with emotion is an 
> offence, but I committed it although I did pull over when I could, and 
> took some photos of the Lion and the Lamb before climbing over Dunmail 
> Raise - to the strains of "Land of Hope and Glory." If I had made a film 
> of my return, I could not have picked a more appropriate soundtrack.
>

Gosh, you make the return to your homeland sound so good that it seems 
almost worthwhile going away for a few years, just so that you can 
experience such an emotional return.

I don't think I could bear to be so far from home for so long. I can see 
Scotland from my window right now - just across the Solway - and although 
it's not Edinburgh, it's my land and it comforts me to see it.

Many of my ancestors were veteran travellers, though - they settled all over 
the globe, some of them never coming home. My granny married and lived in 
India for many years, while her twin sister married an Aussie and went home 
with him. Those twins, so inseparable as children, never saw each other 
again.

ally

"Jpinny"  wrote in message 
news:gnlie.22664$NZ1.3655@fe09.lga...

8><------------------------------------------------------------------------

> I don't know if driving while completely overwhelmed with emotion is an 
> offence, but I committed it although I did pull over when I could, and 
> took some photos of the Lion and the Lamb before climbing over Dunmail 
> Raise - to the strains of "Land of Hope and Glory." If I had made a film 
> of my return, I could not have picked a more appropriate soundtrack.
>


Did you notice the WWII type F/W 24 pill-box on the western side of Dunmail 
Raise?  I took a visit last Wednesday and re-photographed it.  Pictures are 
on my web-site at:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rwbarnes/defence/dunmail.htm#dunpill

Nice example of a pill-box amidst a stunning backdrop.  Oh, how we take it 
for granted!
--

Regds,

Russell W. B.
http://www.huttonrow.co.uk

"Russell W. Barnes" <russell dot barnes @ huttonrow dot co dot uk> wrote in 
message > Did you notice the WWII type F/W 24 pill-box on the western side 
of Dunmail

> Raise?  I took a visit last Wednesday and re-photographed it.  Pictures 
> are on my web-site at:
> http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rwbarnes/defence/dunmail.htm#dunpill
>
> Nice example of a pill-box amidst a stunning backdrop.  Oh, how we take it 
> for granted!
> --

Gosh, I've driven up that road many times and never noticed it! Must look 
next time....

ally

"a l l y"  wrote in message 
news:3evcpuF55mdlU1@individual.net...

>
> "Russell W. Barnes" <russell dot barnes @ huttonrow dot co dot uk> wrote 
> in message > Did you notice the WWII type F/W 24 pill-box on the western 
> side of Dunmail
>> Raise?  I took a visit last Wednesday and re-photographed it.  Pictures 
>> are on my web-site at:
>> http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rwbarnes/defence/dunmail.htm#dunpill
>>
>> Nice example of a pill-box amidst a stunning backdrop.  Oh, how we take 
>> it for granted!
>> --
> Gosh, I've driven up that road many times and never noticed it! Must look 
> next time....
>
> ally


We anoraks look out for that sort of thing:o)  - A little piece of history, 
nontheless...  Look just above the water pumping-station.
-- 

Regds,

Russell W. B.
http://www.huttonrow.co.uk

Please replace appropriate text with punctuation to reply!

>
> 

Russell W. Barnes wrote:

> "Jpinny"  wrote in message 
> news:gnlie.22664$NZ1.3655@fe09.lga...
> 
> 8><------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>>I don't know if driving while completely overwhelmed with emotion is an 
>>offence, but I committed it although I did pull over when I could, and 
>>took some photos of the Lion and the Lamb before climbing over Dunmail 
>>Raise - to the strains of "Land of Hope and Glory." If I had made a film 
>>of my return, I could not have picked a more appropriate soundtrack.
>>
> 
> 
> Did you notice the WWII type F/W 24 pill-box on the western side of Dunmail 
> Raise?  I took a visit last Wednesday and re-photographed it.  Pictures are 
> on my web-site at:
> http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rwbarnes/defence/dunmail.htm#dunpill
> 
> Nice example of a pill-box amidst a stunning backdrop.  Oh, how we take it 
> for granted!
> --
> 
> Regds,
> 
> Russell W. B.
> http://www.huttonrow.co.uk
> 
> 

I think my dad once pointed them out. There's the shadow of a story in 
my memory. I think I remember seeing them from the bus on the way home 
when I lived in The Smoke when I was first married. I'm going to check 
my photos to see if they're on there!

Jp

Jp

> Russell W. B.
> http://www.huttonrow.co.uk


I'm just browsing your homepage now, Russell and it's just absolutely
fabulous. Balck Path (lonning) and Coprus Hill just make me wish I were a
child again and that little row of shops at Harrington down on the quay
stick in my mind. The barber's striped pole where my Dad used to have his
hair cut, the steps down, a pub. I wish someone had taken a picture of it. I
would love to see it again. I only have it in my mind as a child's memory.It
was a time when pink, flat bubble gum and a picture of Ginger Rogers and
Fred Astair were hardly the go.

Edith.

"Russell W. Barnes" <russell dot barnes @ huttonrow dot co dot uk> wrote in 
message news:JOGdnUJLetbIGRffRVnysw@brightview.com...

>>> --
>> Gosh, I've driven up that road many times and never noticed it! Must look 
>> next time....
>>
>> ally
>
> We anoraks look out for that sort of thing:o)  - A little piece of 
> history, nontheless...  Look just above the water pumping-station.
> -- 
>

"Water pumping-station"?? Never even noticed that. Maybe it's time I stopped 
looking at the scenery and started noticing real things!

ally

"a l l y"  wrote in message 
news:3f0k23F5apu2U1@individual.net...

>
> "Russell W. Barnes" <russell dot barnes @ huttonrow dot co dot uk> wrote 
> in message news:JOGdnUJLetbIGRffRVnysw@brightview.com...
>>>> --
>>> Gosh, I've driven up that road many times and never noticed it! Must 
>>> look next time....
>>>
>>> ally
>>
>> We anoraks look out for that sort of thing:o)  - A little piece of 
>> history, nontheless...  Look just above the water pumping-station.
>> -- 
>>
> "Water pumping-station"?? Never even noticed that. Maybe it's time I 
> stopped looking at the scenery and started noticing real things!
>
> ally

It's either a pumping-station or a treatment-works.  ISTR it being to do 
with the water drawn from Thirlmere en-route to Manchester.  It isn't too 
visible from the road, as it's down an embankment.  It and the pill-box are 
about half-way up Dunmail Raise.
-- 

Regds,

Russell W. B.
http://www.huttonrow.co.uk

Please replace appropriate text with punctuation to reply!