An extended visit to the UK has been planned for some time but as our cyclone damaged house saga progresses at a glacial pace we are very happy to be out of New Zealand for an extended period.

Tudhoe Village

First stop is Tudhoe Village where we are staying with Nigel’s parents for most of June.

The left hand side of the large white house was Nigel’s childhood home while the bungalow to the right is his parents (Eric and Christine) current home.

The village pub, Green Tree, has been serving beer since 1727 and we are wondering if there will be a big 300 year birthday celebration in five years time.

We are enjoying escaping the New Zealand winter and have been blessed with fabulous weather in the north of England. As usual we have been following the maze of public footpaths in the area, along the banks of the River Wear and further afield.

The early summer wild flowers were spectacular as were the last of the tree blossoms. The church below was one that we had not visited before. Whitworth Church is set back from the road and we detoured to take a look after Eric and Christine described going there for candle lit services on Christmas Eve many years ago. The crypt belongs to the Shafto family who once lived in Whitworth Hall. The ‘Bonnie Bobby Shafto’ song was written as part of Robert Shafto’s election campaign to be MP for Durham City around 1760.

Teesdale

We wasted no time in heading to one of our favourite local areas – Teesdale. For once we did not go to High Force but explored another waterfall further upstream, a series of cascading falls known as Cauldron Snout.

We walked up the river while Eric and Christine enjoyed coffee at the Langdon Beck pub before collecting us and returning for a well earned pub lunch.

The Peak District

For our first weekend Nigel’s sister, Sue and husband John had arranged a trip to the Peak District. Just one night away but we managed to pack in some beautiful walks and the accommodation was spectacular.

Hartington Hall is a 17th century manor house that is now a youth hostel. We chose our rooms at random but once Sue and John had viewed theirs they decided that, as overseas visitors, we really needed to experience it. So we agreed to swap rooms not really knowing what treat was in store for us.

The room was oak panelled, with a stone fireplace, mullioned windows and a wooded floor. Nigel had to bend over to get through the door. It was reputed to have been used by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. The ‘Young Pretender’ certainly would not have had the use of a shower which was housed inside a cupboard in one corner. It was so small that it was impossible to bend over in the shower once the door was closed.

Our first days walk took us through the popular Dovedale along the banks of the River Dove and then on a circular route back through the lovely village of Ilam.

The second day was another vaguely circular route through the Derbyshire countryside with a slight detour to see the grassy mounds that in 1069 were a Norman motte and bailey castle – Pilsbury Castle. The white blossom is hawthorne and has been particularly spectacular this year.

Northumberland

Our next excursion took us north. Nigel’s brother, David and wife Kath, had taken their caravan to the Northumbrian coastal village of Beadnall. We took Eric and Christine to spend a day with them.

Time to walk along the coast to the little fishing village of Seahouses (pub lunch of course) and then back to Beadnell to explore the old lime kilns and tiny harbour.

The Lake District

With the north of England officially experiencing a heart wave (more than four consecutive days with temperatures over 25˚) we headed west over the Pennines and into the Lake District. Our home with Eric and Christine was a two bedroom chalet on a campsite in the village of Braithewaite close to Keswick.

Many long walks for us and scenic drives with Eric and Christine all in the best weather imaginable for the English Lakes.

We also found time to catch up with an old university friend who we had not seen since Nigel’s 50th birthday party thirteen years ago. Graham Taylor and his wife Joanne now live in Kendal in the Lake District and as keen walkers were happy to spend a day walking the fells above Derwent Water with us.

The Yorkshire Dales

Another day trip with Eric and Christine. This time we drove through the beautiful James Herriot country of North Yorkshire to the National Trust managed Aysgarth Falls. Eric and Christine passed away an hour in the visitors centre and cafe while we viewed the falls and enjoyed a circular track with distant views to Bolton Castle.

Last day out before we head south

For our final outing before heading to Dorset we visited the very familiar territory of Weardale. This time Eric and Christine headed well into the Pennines to the cafe at Killhope Mine while we followed the Killhope Beck until it was joined by one more stream to become the River Wear and then continued downstream to the tiny village of St Johns Chapel.

A little serendipity came into play when Eric and Christine drove around the corner just as we emerged from the riverside footpath onto the main road. Another beautiful walk in fabulous weather. Next stop Dorset but we will head back to Durham at the end of August.