Print This Post

Carlisle Railway Station tv advert for Homebase

Carlisle railway station has been turned in to a film set this week as the DIY chain, Homebase produce a tv advert.

Bright colourful stripes have been painted on walls, sofas and chandeliers have all been installed and hundreds of extras have been recruited.

The waiting room on platform four has been turned in to a lounge,  a garden has been created and the connecting bridge has been painted in multi-colour stripes.

Visitors arriving at the station have been amazed at the transformation and many people are requesting on the social media site, Facebook that some of the installed features remain once filming ceases over the weekend.

Carlisle railway station is managed by Virgin Trains

Here are some pictures taken earlier today

 Print This Post

Funny image from Cockermouth

Any visit to a town that is trying to recover from a major incident always makes you wonder if you could do more to help and in many ways also slightly depressed.

So it was when we visited Cockermouth over the weekend.

Background

Just in case you are unaware of the hours of news footage towards the end of 2009,  Cockermouth and the surrounding area had severe flooding following heavy rain during November.

The Main Street in the town had torrents of water cascading down it, over a metre deep.

As a result many town centre businesses are displaced and the builders and drying contractors have moved in.

Open for business

Away from the skips and florescent safety gear clad workmen, life continues and Cockermouth, like many other areas affected in the storms, is open for business and is welcoming trade.

Our walk took us through the middle of the town and at the far end, feeling quite helpless, our spirits were raised, well at least mum and dad had a giggle, when they came across this financial institution.

As we have mentioned many businesses have moved from their normal premises and have sought alternative accommodation.

It would seem that this pension trust service, Wensley Mackay, now offer more than just financial support.

Flood recovery fund

Set up immediately after the flooding the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund has now raised in excess of £2m to help individuals and families suffering financial hardship and to support community projects recover.

Update 17 Feb 4pm – Flood fund now closed – BBC News

Until next time,

Buster and Charlie

 Print This Post

We visit Isel and Cockermouth

In the words of the Rogers / Hammerstein song ‘ Oh what a beautiful morning’ and what a great day it has turned out to be as we left the city behind and headed in a south-westerly direction for the hills.

Mum had a grand plan for today with a mission to find a carpet of snowdrops for dad to photograph.

She had read in some article that a church in the Cockermouth area near to Bassenthwaite Lake was reported to be the ideal location.

All seemed to be going to plan until mum sort of mentioned that she had forgotten to pick up the map and directions for our destination.  By now it was too far to turn around so we started to explore.

Road closed

Turning off the A591 we headed towards Sunderland, just because dad had never been to it. Before anyone asks, Sunderland the village in north Cumbria and not Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.

Little exploring to be done here however it did give mum the chance to check the map.  Nearby was a river and a footpath.  Had mum come good after all?

Mum was back in charge,  as we headed down some narrow roads.

Occasionally dad would gently swerve to try and avoid driving through steaming piles of  ’rural essence’  left by a farmer spreading muck nearby.

All was going well, up to the point where the road was closed.

It was not mum’s day and as we were starting to get all excited dad decided we would find somewhere to park and go for a walk anyway.

Isel Bridge

Somehow dad always seems to manage to find an adventure and today was no exception as we walked over a stone bridge turning left on the opposite bank and onto a well trodden grass path.

The overnight frost had hardened the ground and we were able to take a good sniff around.

It turned out that we had arrived in Isel with it’s small church, a few houses and farms and our new walk.

Isel Bridge, now behind us, has been closed following the floods back in November.

Many routes in the area have been disrupted due to safety works, inspections and remedial maintenance needing to be carried out on them.

Interestingly this bridge, with the C2026  on it,  has been closed in the interests of road safety and to avoid damage to very minor approach roads. Is that code for a ‘rat run? ‘

River weed

Our path took us upstream along the side of the River Derwent.

Across the other side of the river the wire fence had become a washing line for river weed as it hung drying in the winter sunshine.

I don’t think the farmer will be along in a hurry to clean it off. It may however be great nesting materials for the birds in the spring.

Beyond this fence could be seen fallen fence posts and the bend in the river.

Gold

Between us we seem to spot most things on our walks. Charlie and I are in charge of the sniffs and mum and dad keep an eye on bigger things.

After the disappointment of not winning over £100m on the Euro Lottery last night, dad once more was on the lookout for ways to make money and he thought he had found it when he spotted a glinting stone in amongst the grass.

Mum picked it up and after a quick look ruled out gold and instead said it was possibly iron. ‘Oh well, another week at work’, said dad.

Magnificent view

Our path now started to climb between two wire fences alongside a field of sheep.

The damp conditions underfoot made the path a little slippery in places, especially when a tree root came close to the surface.

Suddenly the climb turned in to a set of steep sloping steps down towards the river.

Short leads were the order of the day and we were not allowed to pull incase we pulled mum or dad over. I think it would be fair to say they struggled a bit at this point.

After the fall then the inevitable rise up the other side of the narrow valley and what a reward at the top with the view upstream towards the Cumbrian mountains.

Placed in memory of Maurice Todhunter this seat offers a welcome rest stop and time to take in the magnificent view.

On the left of the image can be seen a trail of silt, rocks and other debris which looks like it has been left, possibly in a slight dip in the ground, as the river has taken a shortcut across the fields.

Fence flap

The path became a little bit more gentle at this point as we left the river path and came onto a tarmac road  but not before we negotiated a well designed stile.

Mum and dad went over the wooden fence steps and we had our own fence flap. Well done to the National Trust for thinking about us and for finding such a simple solution.

Lambs

At this point dad’s inbuilt compass kicked in and rather than turning left heading up hill we turned right, past Kirkhouse Farm with the hens in the yard and alongside a bright green field.

Looking at us through the wooden gate was a proud mum and two new lambs.

So as not to frighten them our mum put us on short leads and we quickly passed.

Turning right we dropped back down to Isel bridge and to where we had started our circular walk.

Church

During our walk we had not spotted the local church so, whilst dad was taking yet another picture, mum asked another dog walker if he knew where it was.

We were only about 100m from it however, following the floods the church and the area around it had become dangerous and it was closed.

Tall metal barriers with assorted parish notices on them prohibited us getting near to the building.  We wondered when it may open again as it seemed to be in a lovely location and no doubt full of history.

Cockermouth

Being so close to Cockermouth, and that Dad needed the loo, we got back in to the car and headed down the road to Cockermouth.

Back in November this town hit the worlds headlines as the main street became a raging torrent of water as nearby rivers burst their banks and cascaded through the town.

Almost three months later and Cockermouth is in part open for business and trying to restore normality.

Open for business

Damage is very much in evidence as you walk along Main Street.

Television images of the wool shop, the police station and the first houses visited by reporters in the aftermath come flooding back as you stand and view the town as the camera lenses did at the end of last year.

Dad has produced a gallery of what we saw today which you can see below this update.

Fed and watered from a couple of the open shops in the town we headed home after an hour or so. Mum clutching some lamb chops from a butcher on the Main Street for supper.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Isel and Cockermouth galleries

 Print This Post

100w bulbs & Arthuret Church, Longtown

Longtown on the Scottish or English border, depending on your point of view, is one of those places where you normally just travel through on your way to somewhere else, unless you need 100w light bulbs that is.  More on the light bulb story later in our update.

Today however we stopped,  just outside of the town at St Michael’s and All Saints church, or Arthuret church as it is more commonly known.

Just  off the A7 around 15 minutes by car from Carlisle is the lovely church. It is the parish Church for the Longtown area and about half a mile from the town.

Cathedral

Parking the car in the large lay-by at the side of the road we crossed into the churchyard through a black squeaky metal gate.

Known as Arthuret church it is a gothic imposing building built in the early 1600’s. The tower was a later addition almost 100 years later.

Short leads were the order of the day as we kept to the paths and maintained good order as we made our way along the path that ran to the left of the church.

Alongside the path, to the left and stretched out in many long snake like rows, were hundreds of gravestones of all shapes, colours and age.

Dad commented that for a rural area the churchyard seemed tightly packed and unusual. It almost seemed as if it had cathedral status over the nearby land he said.

Excited to stretch our legs, we spotted a gate at the top end of the churchyard and we headed straight for it.

Oh Charlie

Mum and dad had trouble squeezing under the low branches overhanging the kissing gate and I found it a bit of a squeeze negotiating the swingy gate bit, but we soon got through.

We escaped the churchyard and exited onto the top of a steep slope. It was a good job it was dry and light otherwise we could have run straight ahead and tumbled down the hill.

Mum didn’t like this bit and held on to my lead very strongly. She needs to get a walking stick for dads adventures next time.

Whilst mum struggled to get her head in order, Charlie and dad turned right to see what they could see.

Following the narrow path they spotted a wooden seat overlooking the valley and the flat lands.

If they had gone off with a sandwich and a flask then we would not have seen them for days as they could contemplate the world from there.  Thankfully they returned after a few moments.

Turning right from the gate, Charlie started to pull on his lead.  This usually means one thing, water!

Charlie is something of a divining rod when it comes to water as he seems to be able to smell it or sense it in some way.

Roman Bath

Full length of his lead and straight down the stone steps, he hurtled pulling dad behind like an anchor loose in the sea he turned sharp left. The next thing you heard was a splash followed by, Oh Charlie.

This would be St Michael’s Well that he found as he paddled around in the icy cold water up to his tummy. On a warm day this could be an ideal Roman style bathing pool for pooches as the water and the layout were just in scale for us.

I could just imagine paddling in the pool looking out across the fields then sitting on the sun warmed stones to dry off.

Charlie, now soaking wet below his tummy, had sealed the next few hours of outdoor fun, as we would need him dry before returning to the car so dad decided we would walk in to Longtown.

Starting off down the hill, with the sound of hundreds of geese overhead, we walked in a zig zag pattern, ensuring between us every smell was accounted for.

Arriving on to a wide main street dad decided that we would take the left hand side of the road first then return down the other side later.

Dr Robert’s town

Houses, shops and the occasional side street or ally were passed, until we came upon quite a wide road with what looked like open space beyond.

On our way down the hill we passed a fading information panel explaining that this was Dr Robert’s Town. Seemingly Dr Robert Graham was the person who laid out the town with the wide streets and established the Graham Arms as a coaching inn.

At the bottom of the hill was a metal gate with a permissive path sign to one side. This was all we needed to know we were on another part of our grand day out.

Our path led alongside the River Esk and looking back towards the town we could see five arches of the road bridge over the fast flowing water.

Whilst doing some research after our walk it seems as if the River Esk is the only river in Scotland where you apply to the English Environment Agency for some fishing licences.

Our path was firm underfoot and ideal for a damp day when mum likes to keep us reasonably clean.

After a short while we passed a small United Utilities compound  then a little further we came upon a bend in the river and a few water ponds to our left.  You can see them here on the map.

Maybe these were fish ponds in the old days or maybe the remains of a quarry dad was unsure.

Cider

By now we were getting a little cool with walking in to the icy breeze so we decided to turn around and head back towards the town.

Flashing in the sunlight at the edge of the path we noticed that almost at regular intervals were discarded drinks cans. This spoiled the walk a little but interestingly they all seemed to be a popular cider brand.

Mum and dad wondered if a lorry had fallen off the bridge filled with cases of cider or maybe it was the cheapest brand on the shelves in the local store.  This became the topic of conversation for quite a few minutes.

Arriving back into the town we crossed over the high street just before the bridge and started on our way back towards the car.

Fish and Chips

Frozen paws and rumbling tummies were soon forgotten as the local chip shop, The Border Cod, came into view on the other side of the road.

Mum was quickly dispatched with some money to get a single portion of fish and chips for us to share four ways.

Somehow food eaten outdoors seems to taste really good and these were no exception to that rule, as we sat on a bench and tucked in.

100w light bulbs

Right back at the start of this update we promised to reveal the story of the light bulbs, well this is it.

Half way down the High Street in Longtown is the John Graham hardware store.

Written in big letters on boards outside the shop this morning are a number of notices advertising 100w light bulbs.

These kinds of lamp are being banned by the EU for not being energy efficient however many people are still wanting to use them. The BBC reports that many people are hoarding the lamps.

So if you want to get your hands on some old technology then Longtown is the place to visit it seems.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

 Print This Post

Flood signs in Carlisle

Over the past few weeks we have become aware of a few new signs appearing on our walks.

Made in the form of ceramic tiles the small graphical artworks depict a local landmark or the extent of the Carlisle floods in 2005.

Interestingly the tiles seem to be embedded into the new flood defences.

Searching the web we are unable to find out if others exist or if maybe if they are part of a new trail around Carlisle.

The Civic centre tile is to be found on the new subway entrance from Victoria Park.

A red sign with the River Eden in blue is stuck to the flood defences to the rear of The Sands centre just off Hardwick Circus.

Other news

Things are starting to settle down after all the frost and snow over Christmas.

Local fields and the pavements are all clear of the ice and the damp wet normal weather has returned.  We much preferred the ice,  as everything looked brighter and we did not get as dirty.

The grown ups have been busy doing computer web stuff like mad since the holidays. Mum says it is like the modern proddy rug, where you gather all the bits and pieces during the summer then sort it all out during the dark winter nights.

Twitter

Don’t forget you can follow us on Twitter. Our username is ablogfrommydog. Dad has put a blue follow us to the right of this page to help you.

A quick update as we are just going to get a bath then settle down to watch some wildlife tv. Well it is Saturday night.

Untill next time

Buster and Charlie

 Print This Post

The cold weather continues in Cumbria

Week three or is it four weeks now that the temperatures have remained below zero in many parts of the county.

Our regular walk to the park to check on the unfreezing puddle indicated that in part the water has become solid with ice. However, it is very thin and mum stopped us walking on it in case we fell through.

Interestingly, as can be seen by the photograph, the overnight snow has not covered the puddle over, so maybe some heat is still left in our thermal spring.

Maybe dad could buy the land and build a spa complex on it just for pooches.

We do get sore muscles and bad skin like humans, so why shouldn’t we get a bit of pampering…

Snowballs

Today Charlie learnt all about snow balls and chasing them. Mum tried like mad to make them so he could have something to run after.

The latest fall of snow was very powdery, just like false snow you would find in a shop window at Christmas or the stuff straight out of an aerosol can.

Mum had to warm her hands before picking up the snow so a little of it would melt and form a sort of icy-snowball.

Twitter

You can follow updates and exclusive reports as to what we are getting up to via our Twitter feed as well as via this blog. Why not become our friend so we can become yours.

The link to Twitter can also be found to the right of this page (the big blue stripe that says Follow Us)

Video

Dad has been busy with the video and stills camera over the last few days snapping away taking pictures of snow.

He has put together a gallery of some of the stuff taken over the last few days below for your enjoyment.

Both mum and dad are now very busy writing up various articles for some of their websites and just letting us lay by the fire, toasting slowly.

We take it in turns hot-bunking on the rug whilst the other gets comfortable in a cooler part of the house. Mum thinks that maybe we were marshmallows or gods in a previous life.  I suppose that dog is merely god spelled backwards. So following that way of thinking we must also be a wollamhsram. Whatever one of those is?

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Gallery

Some of dad’s pictures and a video he has put together for Naturearoundme.com

 Print This Post

Frosty start in Carlisle, -5 deg C overnight

Bright sunshine and with mum and dad on holiday once more we escaped the confines of the house and out for a walk.

First thing on our list was to check to see if our puddle, the one we spotted the other day, had frozen.

Despite the temperatures overnight dropping to at at least -5deg centigrade the puddle still remained unfrozen.

Mum and dad now wondered what was keeping the water from freezing over.

Maybe it was being fed from an underground hot spring left undiscovered by the Romans when they left the area a few thousand years ago.

It is thought that the nearest bath house to us is to be found on the site currently occupied by the Market Hall in the centre of the City so quite a few miles away from our location.

Overhead

Today has been a busy day for the air ambulances in the area.

Whilst we were out on our walk a green and white helicopter flew over us quite low as he went in to land at the nearby hospital.

As we type this blog update we can hear again the sound of whirling rotor blades as for about the fourth time today a helicopter is on route to the helipad at the Cumberland Infirmary.

Really winter

Everything is looking very festive and somehow just right for the season after the weeks of cold temperatures.

For many years our winters seem to have been only wet, damp and miserable however the cold, crisp days with the bright sunshine just seem to have lifted spirits.

It has been very unusual to have a white Christmas all through the holiday period.

We have been out far more in the last few weeks than at times during the summer.  Yes we get cold paws and Charlie gets a soggy tummy but we stay clean.

Peaking through undergrowth

Another thing we have noticed is that when it is cold the sniffs really do smell a whole lot better.

With temperatures dropping outside mum brought some of her plants indoors to escape the frost. In normal times they would be ok in the greenhouse but it anything below -4 dec C she says will freeze their roots and stems.

Suddenly the bathroom and the kitchen look like jungle film sets and at anytime you expect a Bear Grhyls or some other explorer or naturalist peaking through the undergrowth.

Bright yellow flowers surrounded one side of the field we went for a walk in today.  Despite the icy conditions and the recent snow falls the gorse still seems to be flowering.

Mum says this is unusual in the north of England however many reports suggest that gorse is now flowering all year around.

Against the white ground and bare branches of nearby trees the many bushes about 2m high really stood out and provided a happy sunny hedge.

Buster once again wore his blue jacket with the reflective stripes to help keep his hip warm.  He is not really a fan of it as it is a little bit ridged on his back and makes him feel a little awkward. The benefit comes when he gets home and doesn’t feel too clunky and sore.

I love my walks and am always keen to get onto the scent of a new animal.  Today, left in the snow were sets of four paw prints mum thought had been left by bunnies.

Now I don’t know what one of these critters looks like but they seem to have rounded rectangular paws and smell slightly of damp earth. I think they must be fluffy like me.

Coloured snow

It is hard work being out in front on walks and looking after Buster. Sometimes I just take a break and sitting or lying on the snow just take a moment to look around.

Did you know you can eat snow? Mum picked some of the white stuff in her hand and like magic it turned to licky water,  what a great trick.

This got me wondering what would happen if I licked the snow up on my licker.

I have to say it was cold and it sort of crackled but it soon melted and I was sorted. Drinks whenever I needed,  for this walk anyway.

Just a note of caution at this point,  coloured snow is not good.  I need say no more. Yuck.

Husky

Towards the end of the big field we had to descend down quite a big hill. You can see a picture of it to the right of the page.  Next time it snows we know exactly where to come for some sledging. I can run in front with a harness on and pull Buster around just like a sled dog team.

On the subject of sled dogs the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain have been holding a rally this weekend near Penrith.

Usually in the UK the sleds are equipped with wheels and are pulled by a team of dogs over forest tracks. Maybe this year the full experience may have been possible with the sleds running on the snow, as they would do in the frozen wildernesses of Siberia.

Picture

One of the unseen problems with this website is the number of blurred photographs my dad takes of us. This is not, usually, because he can’t take a good picture but because we do not stand or sit still for very long.

Very often dad will load the pictures on to the computer and all you will see across the screen is a black and white blur  or a shaky tan coloured splodge, sorry Buster.

So you can imagine his relief when he downloaded the above photograph from the camera.

Have a safe and peaceful 2010

Until next time

Charlie and Buster

 Print This Post

Christmas 2009 starts with an icy walk

It is officially a white Christmas 2009 according to the boffins at the Met Office and the BBC . The first time for 5 years they say.

Our day started with a quick walk in the park then back home to our prezzies.

Here is a gallery of our day so far.

Thank you everyone for our gifts.

Happy Christmas

Buster and Charlie

 Print This Post

Frosty Carlisle but no snow yet.

Frosty ground and brilliant sunshine – just perfect for an early morning walk and that is exactly how we started the day.

Mum and dad promised that we would get out today ahead of the forcasted snow, which as yet has not arrived.

Buster has taken to wearing his fleecy jacket at this time of the year to try and keep his hip warm.  For an old man he does very well on our expeditions.

The frost over the last two nights had made the ground all firm and non-splodgy so we were in for a long walk as we would stay dry and above all clean.

Dad did not fancy getting the car out today as he didn’t want to de-ice it or face the busy roads full of Christmas shoppers so instead we walked to the starting point for todays walk.

Engine Lonning was once a busy rail yard for the  London & North Eastern Railway.  The rail yard closed in the early sixties and nature has been swift to reclaim the area.

Recent renovation work in this area has improved the major paths through the site and on a frosty day like today it is fantastic.

Wooden steps lead down towards the former Waverley Bridge where we come across some naturally made ice pops.

Water, dripping from underneath the bridge arches, has frozen to form clear icicles which are glinting in the sunshine.

Dad takes some pictures then breaks one off for us to lick.  For some reason they don’t smell right so we decline a cool drink.

He now has wet paws which start to get really cold in the fresh air.

One the other side of the  River Eden, mum notices that what appears to be hundreds of trees that have been recently planted.

It also looks as if the river bank has been taken away to allow the river to flood onto this area.

Resetting the food chain

After all the recent rain, this spell of dry hard frost is great to seal the arrival of winter and to reset all of the natural rhythms of nature.

Bugs and plants will especially benefit from the cold as it will ensure that the food chain is kept in check and that plants get their winter rest.

Recent warm winters have kept many plants awake and bugs and other insects have not been knocked back by what should be natures leveller, the cold icy UK winter.

Mum had noticed that in our garden the daffodil bulbs had already started to peek through the soil and that many of the bushes had started to grow new green buds.

Sunlight

Clear, fresh sunlight this morning made some of the plants shout out to be photographed.

Golden cones on this Larch tree twinkled with frost and almost seemed to glow as the low sunlight shone through the branches.

Our walk continued along the path past the river monitoring station and towards the Sheepmount Stadium.

Passing straight in front of the stadium we  entered onto the playing fields beyond the astro-turf all weather pitches.

Footprints could be seen on the frozen grass where animals and people had been before us. Sunshine flooded the very tops of the trees and in the calm still air we took a moment to look around.

Monster

Nothing was moving on the fields. In the bushes to our left blackbirds scurried amongst the undergrowth in search of beetles whilst above them could be seen the occasional flashes of red as a robin stood guard.

Across the field and onto the lower field we tramped, our footprints left on flattened grass testament to our passage.

Through the ground came a monster rumbling towards us. Breaking the silence a DRS train thundered on the tracks across the bridge which we had walked under about 40 minutes ago.

Direct Rail Services (DRS) is based about a mile up the tracks from here and has recently been in the news helping communities in West Cumbria after the floods.

Working on behalf of  Northern Rail, DRS are providing additional capacity between Maryport, Flimby, Workington North and Workington to help residents of these areas move around after many bridges were washed away in the bad weather.

Brick

Whilst we watched the train, and to avoid mum getting scared of being under the bridge as the train went overhead we waited, and looking to the ground dad spotted a brick peeping through the low grass and mud.

Unusually this brick had the words ‘Phorpres Electricity’ stamped into it.

Searching the web when we came home seems to indicate that this brick may have been made in London at the London Brick Company works.

Further research by dad possibly reveals that Phorpres was a trade name which came about due to the number of times they were pressed ,four times = four press = Phorpres.

All dad can think of is that the brick came from an electricity building at some point in it’s history. Maybe you know more about this brick?  Let us know via the comments area below.

Thats all for now.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

 Print This Post

100 posts and a walk in Carlisle

Celebrations are the order of the day as we clock up one hundred posts on this version of our blog.

Long term readers will know that actually the number of posts we have published is a lot higher than this but the clock was reset when we moved to this software called Wordpress.

Did you know you can follow us on Twitter?  Our username is ablogfrommydog

Looking back over the last 100 posts we have done quite an amazing amount of stuff and explored some fantastic places.

Today we have been on a walk taking full advantage of the overnight frosts hardening the ground and in turn making them un-muddy.

Our circular walk started at the Stoneyholme golf course car park just off Victoria Place in Carlisle. Here is a link for  Google maps.

Cranes

Leaving the car park and golf course buildings behind us we crossed over the bridge  and entered into Rickerby Park.

The River Eden was still flowing quite quickly and had the colour of whipped hot chocolate.

Two cranes dominate the skyline as they keep watch over the new Richard Rose Central Academy on Lismore Place.

Costing about £30m to build it is hoped the new school complex will be complete by  January 2011.

The cranes – a Potain and a Liebherr – were supplied by Kier Plant and are 34m and 24m high with a 55m radius.

Debris

Following the edge of the River Eden towards the town we pass this debris covered wire fence.

Many tonnes of grasses, twigs and litter have become lodged against one side of the wire.  It is not hard to work out that the river flows past this location from right to left.

Looking across the river and towards TheSands sports complex some damage looks to have been caused to these railings.

Ahead of us and balanced on one of the Eden Bridge supports is this very big log.

Maybe this former tree was carried down stream during the last flood and became stuck here.  Let’s see how long it lasts?

Restored

Our path now leaves the river edge and after climbing the bank we take a look at Eden Bridge Gardens.

You may remember that earlier this year a programme of restoration and renovation was undertaken on the gardens which are locally known as the Chinese Gardens.  You can find out more about the work done here over at heritageandhistory.com

We leave the park via the steps and exit onto Stanwix Bank crossing over the River Eden via Eden Bridge and onto the path by the side of The Sands.

Flood defences

A new sign has appeared around the town recently marking the 2005 floods in the city. Bright red with an outline of the River Eden in blue the sign simply says ‘Flood January 2005′.

Five years have almost past since the horrid floods of 2005 when all of this area was underwater. The new flood defences will hopefully make this a thing of the past.

Keeping The Sands  Centre to our right we make our way down a few steps and onto a path by the side of yet another golf course called The Swifts.

Golf

This facility  was one of the first official PGA Golf Starter Centre’s and features a tight par 3 course, 16 bay driving range, grass hitting area, practice bunker and a chipping facility. Whatever that means:-)

Hidden in debris on this side of the river dad notices this post marking the Eden Riverside trail.

Not exactly a modern sign, we wondered how long it had been in place and doing it’s duty.

Also lurking amongst the branches mum spotted this golf club.

Resting high up in a tree we puzzled for a while how it would become in such a position.

Given it would not float easily we concluded that it must have been placed here by a frustrated golfer who had lost his grip and thrown his golf stick high into the air.

Maybe it is waiting for next autumn to get down from the tree along with the elephants.

Four years

What a memory my dad has for images, maybe he is an elephant?

As we rounded a bend in the river dad spotted a row of bushes and commented that he had a photograph in the archive, which currently contains over 60,000 images, of when these bushes were planted.

Sure enough he was right and here is the proof.  Interestingly the image was taken almost exactly fours years ago to the date (27 Dec 2005).

The large image is from 2005 and the inset is now.

Kyack

Floating down the River Eden to our  left was this man in a kyack. Had he travelled far and what had he seen on his travels. Given the high water he possibly had travelled for many miles.

If you were this person then please get in touch so we can find out about your journey and what you had seen?

Our journey now ended where we began.  It had taken about an hour but had been great fun. Thankfully we would not need a bath as we had kept very clean if not a little damp from the damp grass.

Until next time and post 101

Buster and Charlie

Next Page »