We stayed four nights in York on our way home from Scotland. Why did I think this was
one of England's major cities? Its population is only 154,000. I've now realized that after London, I've never seen the larger English cities including Birmingham (984,000), Liverpool (864,000), Nottingham (730,000), and a host of others. Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, and now York are way down the list in terms of size. But, I've certainly enjoyed all of these charming and historic small cities.
We did spend a few hours in Glasgow, Scotland on our way back to England, which ranks as the #7 city in the UK (592,000). They say it's not as appealing as Edinburgh, but I liked it and would gladly go back for a longer visit. We walked around a city park and had a nice brunch near the University. From there we overnighted in a stately home-now-hotel near Carlisle, England (yep!) with a riverside path and delightful walled garden.
Then we headed out to explore Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian was Roman emperor from 76-138 AD, and decided to build a wall across England at the northern border of the Empire in Britain (very close to modern Scotland). As with many ancient sites over the centuries, stones were removed to build other things. But in some places the wall remains, with its attendant forts along the way, and remain as fascinating historical sites. For you Game of Thrones fans, I can't help thinking that Hadrian's Wall may have inspired that story's great Wall of the North.
Our final destination of the road trip (via a detour to Newcastle, where Robin's mother grew up) was the county of Yorkshire and its historic city of York. I suppose it was again fiction that drew me there. If you've read "All Creatures Great and Small," you may remember that country veterinarian James Herriot (real name: Alf Wight) cared for animals in the Yorkshire Dales. Then there was the great TV series Gentleman Jack, the story of 19th-century feminist Anne Lister.
After the amazing food tour we enjoyed so much in London, I proposed we try another one in York, especially since I couldn't resist the one named "York on a Fork." I thought the dishes we sampled weren't as superb as those in Camden Market, but it was still a fun way to enjoy York.
On our final day, we enjoyed a drive to a national park area, the North Yorkshire Moors. This landscape, devoid of most anything but sheep, is beautiful in its own way. Making our way back towards York, we visited two grand monastery ruins, Rievaulx and Byland Abbeys. These were thriving communities of hundreds of monks from about 1130 until Henry 8th shut them down 400 years later. Our final dinner on the road was a roast with all the fixings at The Abbey restaurant (including Yorkshire Pudding of course!), which was excellent.
Well, it's a very true cliché: "It's nice to go away, but it's good to get home." All the planning really paid off and we had a fantastic road trip. We loved every day and feel blessed. Scotland is a wonderful place.
Wishing you all a Happy 4th of July. May the freedoms which our ancestors fought for survive! Here in England it is Election Day.
Next: we head to Biarritz, France for a European bridge tournament!
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