Now on the way to London and leaving UK

Leaving Newcastle on our way to London by the A1 motorway.  We had seen enough castles, ruins and hedgerows.  Harry and Ros had invited us to stay with them in the small town of Sawtry just off the motorway, a short way north of Cambridge, that positioned us within easy distance to London to return the rental car next day and get organised to fly out of Heathrow early the following morning.

On the suggestion that Durham was worth a visit we stopped in on our way south.  It is a very old town, well maintained with a lot of history.

The plaque says it all.

Kath pondering enrolling!!!

Durham Cathedral the oldest part built in 1093.  To the left of the square was the building shown above.

Down a side alley this structure gives some idea of the changes that have taken place over the years.  Out of sight and out of mind.

A barber's shop in an historic building with a customer entering.

However there was also a modern side to Durham.

Also a modern side to the countryside with this coal fired poer station.

The piles of coal to be burnt to generate electricity.  I does seem illogical to burn coal, to heat water for stream to drive turbine to generate electricity then have to cool the steam once spent.  The electricity is then transmitted to houses and factories to provide lighting and heating.  How much of the the original jouls of energy in the coal arrives at the heat socket in the house or factory as electricity?  To say nothing of the pollution effect.

Away from the urban areas the agriculture was varied but cropping dominated as we travelled south.

It offerred many sympathetic views of an ordered countryside.  

Northumberland 30 August - 1 September 2011

We were working out way southward from Scotland heading to Newcastle-upon-Tyne particularly to meet up with Martin and Mary Whitby.  Ray had worked with Martin when he was on sabatical at Lincoln College in the late 1970's.

Mary gave us the opportunity to experience an "allotment", being a plot in a community garden.  Residents can obtain rights to use a given area of land to grow their own vegetables and flowers.  Many people were working in their garden and chatter with others continued.  Work done and we were heading home.

Then off to see the sights.  This garden open to the public - for a fee.  Located west of Newcastle below Hadrian's Wall.

Unfortunately we had missed the best of the rose gardens.

However a few blooms remained.

Including this double yellow rose.

The fox is keeping an eye on things.

Secret views through the hedges.

The official entry in days gone by would have been via a draw bridge.

The formal part of the garden with box hedges, complete with pidgeon house.

A view back to the water feature before we leave.

On the way out we pass, actually went into, the tree house.  It contained a tree top cafe, decks and swing bridges.

Having absorbed the garden it is off to the nearby town of Corbridge.

Window shopping is the order of the day.  Mary expounding the virtues of goods in the shop.

A bit of a woolly feel about it.

The Black Bull not to be outdone by the woolly chap down the street.

The blacksmith's forge, now a gift boutique.

Every town and village has something of particular historic interest.  Even the Vicar was at risk and needed to live in a defended house.

Inside the nearby church.

Taking a break. Kath, Mary & Martin.

After lunch the cleaning team pass through efficiently picking up any crumbs.

...that Mary or Martin may have left.  The next day we head south on our way to London, from...

...a modern variant of terrace housing and ...

the intensive farmland of Northumberland.

Edinburgh SAC

On 30 August we headed out of Edinburgh to meet Alex Moir at the Scottish Agricultural College farm about half an hour south of the city.

Here is Alex near the high point on the farm where not farm from here we could see Edinburgh in the distance.

The city sprawls out.

The rough nature of the hill country can be seen in the foreground.

The Highland Blackface sheep graze in the heather, the fresh growth of which is palatable.  It is periodically burnt to induce fresh young growth.

 Some are quite handsome.

These animals are well adapted to the conditions and the forage.

A general view in the area showing the progression from good pastures on the lower downs to the heather covered higher hills.

Good pastures sheltered by hedgerows being grazed by cattle.

 Some very good crossbred sheep.

A bull in the green house gas emmisions trials.  A very complex trial that has recently started.

Grain trials being carried out on anther part of the complex.

We then head south for Newcastle upon Tyne.

Edinburgh

Following "The Scottish Wedding" on 26th August we headed south on 29th August, spending a day in Edinburgh.  During the previous week we had taken the train on the evening of 23rd to Edinburgh for the Tattoo then returned the next morning to Aberdeen. So the day in Edinburhg gave us a chance to have a look around the inner city.

Grand old granite buildings of the inner city.

A castle on a granite cliff.

Not so celebrious buildings.

 Another example of inner city buildings.

The Royal MIle runs from the castle to Palace of Holyroodhouse and contains many of the must see tourist places.  It was Edinburgh Festival time so lots of street performers.

The Kiltmakers shop,  all things Scottish.

The pipes were also very much evident.

The side kick handing out leaflets for some Edinburgh show.

Adam Smith  - in Edinburgh!!!

Street entertainers - some very still.

And others very much alive and dangeerous looking.

The Royal Mile looking toward "The Hub".  The church in the centre backgrund now a cafe among other things..

A very dignified lady watching the tourists go by with barely the blink of an eye.

The sign says it all.  Only a few days earlier we had walked through here for the Edinburgh Tattoo.

In the parade ground where the Tattoo performance is performed.  The castle seen here in the background.

Bridge across the old moat to the drawbridge into the castle.

Edinburgh Castle not the only impressive building along the escarpment.

An interesting and surprising find selling genuine jewllery made in the Orkney Islands.

Another living statue.

The gold man atop the dome did not move.

Some streets off the Royal Mile were a little narrow but just in case the locals did not think so bollards were placed across the entrance to keep motor vehicles out.

That was inner Edinburgh for us, and we headed to the outskirts for the night.