Our four nights accommodation in Cheltenham was not disappointing to leave. Its only redeeming feature was that it had a little microwave which meant we could save some money on food.
We journeyed north towards Chester and the Wirral peninsular with the express intention of visiting a couple who have been friends of my Mum for 70 or so years. It was a delight to spend some lovely time over a pot of tea with Margaret and Norman. We saw, displayed in their lounge room, a porcelain lace-draped bell made by Mum, a cedar vase sent as a gift from Mum & Dad for Margaret & Norman’s 40th wedding anniversary, and Norman took great pride in showing us his souvenir boomerang bought on their visit to Australia 20 years ago. We had great conversation covering so many things, and we drove back to Chester with very glad hearts.
The next day we took ourselves on a morning walk around the amazing city of Chester and were impacted by the huge number of tudor buildings, a beautiful river, lovely bridges, and the impressive Christmas decorations adorning the streets. They have cleverly incorporated the Chester University, Law Courts and Museum into the ruins of the old castle, and the Chester Racecourse, the oldest in England, was a lovely green, just waiting to be ruined when the racing season starts next spring.
We then got on our way to The Peak District in the heart of England. What a feast for the eyes and heart! This part of England is truly wonderful. We meandered our way through hills and dales, through farms with amazing stone walls winding their way through lush green fields dotted with cows and sheep of multiple breeds. Quintessential England you might say. Absolutely beautiful. We came to the delightful little village of Bakewell, and the weekly Monday market was buzzing with activity. It was amusing to see that a little bridge in this hamlet in central England has taken on the role of so many in Europe with padlocks and declarations of eternal love. But we had to admit, the view over the stream below had a certain romantic flavour to it. Bakewell is legendary for, yes, baking, and the Bakewell Pie has become famous over the centuries and is regularly found on pub and restaurant menus across the country.
Before checking in at our accommodation we wanted to do a Peak District walk and couldn’t resist the beckoning of Stanage Edge. This 8 kilometre cliff line through the National Park provides miles and miles of walking opportunities for locals, but it was so unfortunate that our time was limited and we couldn’t do more. We made it to the top of the cliffs and in the fading afternoon sun thoroughly enjoyed the views over Hope Valley on the west and the heather covered moors on the east.
It was wonderful that evening to meet up with Michael and Eike Harvey at a restaurant in Glossop and not only share a meal, but also talk about strategic church growth and discipleship models. Michael is the strategic thinker and mover of the worldwide ‘Back to Church’ campaign who EFAC Queensland had as a speaker in 2013. He’s doing some fantastic things across the UK and the world, and is working on new ventures which he hopes, in God’s grace and timing to have influence beyond the UK as well.
The next morning we visited Baslow, another quaint and beautiful village on the way to Chatsworth, a stately and vast home which has been used in films and TV series, and mainly recognised from its use in the movie Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen. Being near Christmas it was adorned through all the rooms with incredibly intricate and beautiful Alice in Wonderland tableaus. This was both endearing and disappointing as the displays mostly hid the magnificence of the rooms. We did however get a wonderful look at the famous ‘Veiled Lady’ statue which beguiled us with its illusion of layers which are simply not present. As we made our way out into the grounds we were again enthralled with the variety of displays and sections, ranging from cascades, fountains, ordered gardens with beautifully managed topiaries, natural woods, tree-lined walks and sculpture filled hideaways.
Our accommodation for the two nights in this area was a delight and we so wished we could stay longer. The view from the breakfast room was beautiful and the hospitality and food was terrific.
But move on we must, and our next destination was the Lakes District, another place which promised so much.
As we journeyed north we took a short detour west to see the city of Blackpool, a holiday resort for the English before Spain took over as the getaway mecca. Its tower, modelled on the Eiffel Tower was the centre of an esplanade of family fun with two piers stretching out into the bay each adorned with fun parlours. This city was a kind of ‘must do’ for me as I have been known on occasions to recite the Stanley Holloway poems telling the tale of The Lion and Albert. These iconic stories are etched into the Blackpool psyche in so many ways, and not the least with The Albert and The Lion pub proudly displaying stanzas of the poem and a 3D plywood lion on its walls.
We arrived at Windermere in The Lakes District mid afternoon, and quickly explored the town and lake in the fading daylight as the sun disappeared and left us walking in the dark by 4.40pm.
Our exploration of the The Lakes District took us to Keswick, always paramount in the collective mind of evangelical Christians as the home of great Christian conventions. The town itself wasn’t as pretty as Windermere but the surrounding Lakes and the drive we took was stunning to say the least. We journeyed around Derwent water, ventured along the tiny lanes into Borrowdale, and continued through the Honister Pass to another beautiful village, Buttermere. The sights along the way included many which I call idyllic – old stone bridges over wonderful rocky streams flowing down rich green hills with little waterfalls at regular intervals. What a magnificent day. From the villages we saw the one that took my heart as the prettiest was Ambleside, which unfortunately I couldn’t take photos of as there was nowhere to stop, it was raining heavily, and the light had faded too much anyway. But still, I reckon that’s an easily justifiable reason to come back one day.
As we left Windermere the next morning it was raining cats and dogs as we made our way to the motorway to Scotland. But that’s a story for another day.
Chris and Lynda Johnson 