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

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

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

Flood alerts in Cumbria

Flood alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency for all of the local area after heavy overnight rain.

We were woken up at one point during the sleep time,  so we thought we should go and investigate where all the rain goes, so we headed to Bitts Park and the River Eden.

We are pleased to report that although the river is quite high it is not dangerously high and is not at risk of causing much damage in this area as yet.

The river was a muddy bubbling torrent of water trundling downhill towards the sea.

Flood level

Water has broken over the natural River Eden banks opposite the Carlisle Cricket Club but is being contained by the second line of defence, the raised pathways through the park.

Flood water would have to rise another metre or so to overtop these.

Carved in to one the bricks is a previous high water mark.  Today the water is well below the 1852 mark.

More rain is due overnight so maybe this mark maybe reached.  That sounds like an excuse to come for another walk.

Walking under the bridge we could see into Rickerby Park.  At the far end of this park is where the Cumberland Show used to be held.

This year the show was cancelled due to high river levels. Next year the show will be held at Carlisle Racecource.

Just a quick update today as we now need a bath to get cleaned up.  It is muddy work this investigation work.

Take care tonight and tomorrow morning just incase you get flooded or scared by the rain.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

We visit Allonby on the Solway Coast, Cumbria

Earlier today we headed west to Allonby on the coast of Cumbria just south of Silloth.  Our approach to the area was met with a bit of rain, however once the car was parked the sun came out.

Stretched out before us was plenty of grass to run on so we took full advantage to stretch our legs and get aquainted with our surroundings.

A strange swooshing sound filled the air and the grass smelt a bit different but we were just glad to be exploring once again.

Following a grass path we came upon a small bridge which we crossed and after negotiating a sandy overgrown banking we rushed exitedly to the source of the swooshing sound.  Dad said it was the sea, however Charlie saw it as just water and ran headlong towards it.

Yuck, the water tasted horrid and not at all like the water in the river at Dalston the other day.  Now this takes some getting used to.

It feels like water, looks like water and is cool like water but the taste on our delicate lickers is really bad so we avoid drinking anymore and just play.  Mum says the water is salty and we shouldn’t drink it…. A bit late now mum!

On the horizon Dad spots a load of wind turbines and thinks it must be the Robin Rigg windfarm.

We tried to count the number of white poles sticking out from the sea but the view was a bit hazy.

Stepping away from the water to get dried off a little, mum spotted a red beaked bird she thought was an oystercatcher. It had black feathers on its back and a bright red or orange beak which made it stand out from the pebbles on the beach.

With the rain clouds moving away the sky cleared to give a bright blue sky and with it came the sunshine.

Mum and Dad now wished they had left their coats in the car as they were starting to get a bit hot.

First experiences.

For Charlie this was the first time at the beach and he soon learned about the strange stuff called sand. Wet sand is very sticky and soon he was covered in the stuff all the way up to his tummy.

Mum said it would drop off as our fur dried.  We hoped so, otherwise the backseats of the car were going to be covered!!

Stripes of debris on the beach marked out the various tide marks and they made for some great sniffs. Large amounts of seaweed, that is what mum called it I think, stretched into the distance along with the occasional traffic cone and broken car headlight.

Charlie tried to count the number of stones and pebbles but had to give up at four, when he ran out of paws.

Allonby Bay is on the Solway Coast, an area designated of outstanding Natural Beauty, stretching from Rockcliffe Marsh on the Scotish Border to just North of the historic harbour town of Maryport.

Leaving the sea behind us we move inland a little and onto a grass path. To our right are the sand banks with the sea beyond.  Occasionally, as we walk with our backs to the village of Allonby, we smell the sweet scent of wild rose bushes.

Mum says that these plants must have been here for some considerable time as they are around 20m across and adds that she has never heard of roses growing in salty areas.

Many bees and other insects can be seen on the flowers gathering up the pollen and nectar. Possibly these bushes are the only source of food for miles around.

Looking out across Allonby Bay is this seat in memory of Christine Marrs. This bench, one of many along the edge of the path, caught our attention due to the flowers planted at either end of the mounting plinth.

Screwed to the upper rail is a plaque which reads

‘ In memory of Christine Marrs
Beloved wife of Ernie
Donated by Stuart and Christine (C.S.H. TSPT ) 2006′

We pause for a brief rest whilst dad ties his shoelace and then we are off once more on our adventures.

Underfoot the path is dry and the grass tickles a bit as it is slightly brittle after all the recent sunshine.

Charlie is about ready for another drink so we decide it is time to turn around and start our return journey.

Although this is the main path, a number of other smaller paths lead off and to get more sniffs, our return route took in some of these.

Down one of the paths we came across the small bird in the photograph to the right..

Without the binoculars mum could not see the bird clearly enough to identify it.  She thought it maybe some form of bunting or a warbler. Do you know?

Only one windsurfer was out on the water today. Many websites indicate that the strong winds make conditions here some of the best in the country for this sport.

Across the water, in the distance can be seen the Dumfries coastline with the town of Dumfries to the right and just around the corner Kirkcudbright to the left

Almost back to the car and we take a slight detour into the village and come across The Ship Inn.

To the left of the main door is a blue plaque indicating that Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins stayed here on Wednesday 9th September 1857.

Both were good friends and stayed 2 nights in Allonby during a walking tour they were undertaking.

It is here that our walk for the day ends as we return to the car for a well earned drink and a rest.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Lime kilns, castles and scarecrows

Bank holidays spent at home and out of the rain seem to be a thing of the past as we manage to get into the big world once more.

Lime kilns and castles were on the agenda yesterday as we went in search for content for one of our other websites called heritageandhistory.com.

Our first stop for a sniff and stretch was a small village called Orton.

This village is situated a few miles NE of Tebay just off the M6 and is known in the area for the farmers market every second Saturday of every month and Kennedys chocolates.

Our approach to All Saints Church was greeted with flags as the annual scarecrow festival was taking place.

Whilst we shelteredf rom a slight rain shower in a pop up tent erected in the church yard, Mum went into the church to be greeted by many happy friendly folk. She emerged with a scarecrow trail map and small booklet about the church.

Scarecrow number one was easy, a big christmas pudding at the entrance to the church.

Now to find the other 30 scattered around the many streets and gardens. You can see some of the ones we spotted in the gallery below this article.

Half way around and Charlie spots water. Like a magnet to a can he is attracted to this stream and he goes for a paddle.

Dad notices that this bridge is very unusual as it has two gaps for the water to flow through. Further investigation reveals that on the other side of the bridge the water is diverted in two different directions.

One stream continues straight on the new stream heads off left alongside the road.

We are not sure why this diversion takes place so maybe someone can advise using the comments area below.

After spending a good few hours in Orton we return to the car and head off into the hills in search of lime kilns.

Dad now got lost.

The map came out and the usual comments of why don’t they put roadsigns on some of these junctions was heard. Things were not helped when we saw this sign warning of rhino.

We have noticed recently that although the M6 seems to be getting millions of pounds spent on new electronic signs the backroads, where it could be argued are in more need of signage, seems to be loosing out.

So we say please bring back the fingerpost roadsigns on our rural roads to stop Dad gettng lost.

Single track roads and quite a bit of reversing later we emerged onto a road know as the Tommy Road between the A683 and the B6259. Observing what looked like a lime kiln to our left dad parked the car and we got out.

We were glad of the walk as all the stream water we had swallowed in Orton was now in need escape and the last 10 minutes in the bumpy car had not helped. Oh such relief.

After a walk over the mossy tuffets to the top of a nearby hill to take a look at the view we returned to the now deralict kiln constructed into the hillside.

We kept well away from the kiln itself to ensure we didn’t get hit on the head by a falling rock however we did have a good sniff around.

Used now by the sheep as a place of shelter these structures were once used to produce quicklime by heating up limestone rocks.

Quicklime was used as an additive to building mortar and as a render on walls.

The tower of All Saints Church in Orton visited earlier would have had a lime render giving the white appearance which can be seen from miles around.

Looking back towards the car we became aware of this very confident sheep who tried to block our way.

Mum thought he must be guarding something, so we gave him a very wide berth and kept our distance.

He was very scary with his big horns and stance on top of a small hill, even dad looked worried.

Dropping further down the hill and over the Settle to Carlisle rail line we arrived at the ruin of Pendragon Castle.

According to legend, Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur, is said to have built the first castle here and unsuccessfully tried to divert the river to provide its moat

Mum and dad are of a certain age that whenever King Arthur is mentioned they quote Monty Python and this was no exception. We climbed the hill to Spam, spam, spam… and a certain parrot sketch.

Walking around the base of the castle many holes, possibly former windows, just needed to be looked into.

The many sheep and lambs had left a number of trails through the ruin as they searched for shelter from the weather on this exposed spot overlooking the river Eden.

Measuring about 20m square the Pendragon Castle we see today is said to date from the latter part of the 12th Century and is built on a hill.

This offers a commanding view of the nearby countryside and with its walls over 2m thick in places, a strong defensive position.

Charlie investigates the many sniffs inside the ruin whils mum and dad try to work out what the building would have looked like all those years ago.

Many small plants have started to live in between the stones of this now giant rock garden giving the walls a pink and green look. More contents for mum for Naturearoundme.com during the next few months

Our investigations were being watched by a friendly lamb who seemed very interested in what we were doing in his back yard.

We left the site just as a minibus full of visitors arrived clutching cameras, tripods and rucksacks full of stuff.

Our final visit of the day was as the small village of Outhgill in search of the Jews Stone.

Not sure what we were looking for we parked the car in a road to our left just before the church and dad went for a look around.

Amazingly we were in the right place and ahead of us, surrounded by a wooden fence, was a single stone column with green lichen growing on it.

At the base was a large interpretation board explaining all about the monument and the history. Dad will write this all up later over on Heritageandhistory.com.

It seems that the stone is a replica of the “Jews Stone”, which was set up in 1850 by the eccentric William Henry Mounsey ( 1808 -1877).

It is over 2m high and about 10cm square and is made of a limestone known as Dent Marble.

With our challenges for the day accomplished we headed homeward relieved that we had not been caught by any bad weather .

As we past Appleby the signs had been posted warning of slow moving traffic.

Appleby Horse Fair starts in a few days time and with it comes a large number of horse drawn vehicles.

We return home safe and well after a very busy day. Dad downloads the pictures from the camera and mum gets the dinner ready.

Stew is on the menu with little trees . Mum has spent today, Sunday, planting loads of seeds to grow next years supply of turnip and little trees in the allotment.

We just love them fresh from the fridge. Trees are given as a general reward whilst a nice piece of cold turnip is favourite after a meal to clean our teeth.

Thats all for now

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Gallery

Walk: Cummersdale to Denton Holme. Carlisle

Just off the Dalston Road in the south west corner of Carlisle lies the small village of Cummersdale.  

Our walk starts on the far side of the village down by the River Caldew at map reference NY393531.

We park the car in the free road edge car park and head off towards a factory gate.  

The factory, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby City, is the Stead McAlpin, Cummersdale Print Works.

To the right of the main gate is a tarmac path sandwiched between the factory, on our left and the river to our right.
 
A word of caution here and we must say that the path is shared with cyclists, so take care not to get in the way.
 
The path is well maintained and is of a tarmac construction bordered by a wooden fence to one side so we feel safe and above all stay clean.

Once the factory is behind us we exit onto some wide open fields with the path leading off into the distance.

We see no evidence of sheep or cattle but to be sure, we stay on our leads.  

We meet a number of colleagues happy to be out for their walks.  

Many are running free and throughly enjoying a good run as they can see their humans for quite a distance.

The hedges to our left look as if they have been recently cut as they have sharp angular sides and a flat top.

Mum keeps us away from them as she says that we may get sharp clippings or thorns in our paws.

Charlie finds many new sniffs and has to investigate everything crossing back and forth across the path.

Mum gets a little annoyed as our leads get caught up like the strings of a kite flying in a blustery wind.  

Many new green tubes seem to have been tied to sturdy wooden stakes along this part of the path. Dad explains that the tubes are protecting new trees growing inside from being eaten by rabbits and other animals.  They also act as a defence to strong winds and extremes in temperature

After a few years the new trees will grow big and tall and be able to look after themselves as they poke their leaves above the tubes, he adds.

This area is known as Cummersdale Holmes and is maintained by Carlisle City Council.  

Since the floods that affected large parts of the city  in 2005 this area has been classed a floodwater storage zone.   

Leaving the path for a minute or two we turn right towards the river and follow the line of a recently installed post and wire fence.

Ahead of us is the eastern outline of the city and slightly to the left are the large gasometers clearly visible towering above neighboring buildings on this edge of the city.

At the bottom of this slight hill is what appears to be a wildlife pond behind a fence.  

A notice clearly displayed warns of deep water so we keep away and continue towards the river. 

Charlie stands at the river edge and looks down on to a rusting pipe.

At some stage this was possibly covered by rocks and buried but the constant flow of water now has it revealed and the rust has started to form.

We keep away from the river edge as it looks a little fragile and don’t want to fall in. A small notice a little further on warns mum and dad of the danger and they keep us on short leads for a few minutes.

Here we meet up with two scottie dogs out for a walk.  Their pristine white coats have a tideline of general dirt from their adventures.  

Because of their really short legs even dirty grass leaves a mark on their sides.  

We say hello and continue on our way.  Maybe our paths will cross when we return?

Our grass path leads on to firmer footings as we leave the park area and exit to the rear of the former Ferguson Mill complex.

A once thriving cotton mill business the mill brought prosperity and employment to the City throughout the 1800’s and into the latter half of the Twentieth Century.

Ferguson Brothers Ltd opened the The Holme Head Works in 1824, although there was probably a mill on the site since Medieval times.

The mill processed cotton brought in from the United States, through the Port of Whitehaven and for a short time, Port Carlisle.

The sprawling complex has now been turned in to flats, sorry apartments, with some evidence still remaining of the buildings former life.

Above, what was possibly the main doorway into the offices, is an inscription ‘Ferguson Brothers Limited Registered Office’

Badly flooded in the storms of 2005 this area is undergoing flood defence work and river management to secure premises from any repeat damage.

You can clearly see the new wall built on top of the old as we ran down to the water for a well earned drink and a paddle.

It is hard to imagine that the water would even have been above my mums head as we mess about on this bit of shingle beach.

Ahead of us is not a tidal wave but the water cascading down a weir.

A salmon run is positioned in the middle of the fast flowing water to allow atlantic salmon to return to the spawning grounds in late November to early January.  

The source of the Caldew is on the western slopes of Skiddaw, with tributaries draining the western slopes of Great Calva, High Pike and the Caldbeck Fells.

The works to protect this part of the city  involve replacing some of the old bridges that cross from the Denton Holme area in to the Boustead Grassing area of the city.

Two bridge sections and  a works compound cause us to detour from the normal course of the path as we start to really appreciate the scale of the massive £24m scheme.

We are almost half a mile from where similar works have just finished in Victoria Park and these are only two locations of many dotted around the city.

We decide it is about time to turn back when we spot a little way further, one of the recently installed completed bridges.

The smooth white pillars of the new bridges will allow water to pass uninterrupted on the way to the River Eden about a mile away.

With the photograph taken, we turn around and commence our return journey.

In the spring sunshine the new walls with their white stone caps do not seem out of place and could be said to improve the area.

It is a well known fact that a wall, especially with a flat top, is a magnet for young boys and Charlie is not the exception.

He desperately wants to be lifted up and in the end dad gives in.  

Charlie becomes king of the castle, but is on a short lead so he doesn’t jump or fall off.

We are now walking into the wind and the air takes on a new scent as we approach the Pirelli tyre factory in the distance.

You can faintly smell rubber in the air.

It is not a bad nasty smell, just unusual if you have not experienced it before.

We decide that we will take the path all the way home and avoid the river edge.

The path would be ideal for child buggies, bikes and possibly wheelchairs if you have someone to push or a motorised unit.   

These comments bring us on to the gates at either end of this path.  

Our best description is that they were made by a former shipyard worker as they are the biggest gates we have ever seen.

With narrow swing gates, gaps and wide gates they are a sight to behold.

Charlie eventually finds that he can fit through one gap but is not sure why a solid gate, possibly from a high security prison, is at one end.

If you are ever wanting to see an example of engineering by committee it has to be these structures.  They could however be art?  In which case marvelous, a good use of funds and what an expression of stability.

Our walk is almost at an end but not before dad bursts out laughing at the scene the other side of the wire fence, as we pass back alongside the print works.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Further information

You can download a guide to walking in this area produced by the East Cumbria Countryside Project 

Flowers, updates and floating humans

With the dry weather continuing, we returned to Rickerby Park in Carlisle but this time headed back towards Eden Bridge.

It seemed that many dogs were taking their humans for a walk along the riverbank and we said hello to them in our customary way.

We came upon our first floating humans this morning, and I have to say they looked rather funny. 

They were in the river, in front of the Sands Centre, and they had a single brightly coloured leg which was stuck out in front of them.  

They bobbed around on the water using their arms to waggle a stick firstly to the left, then the right as they attempted to swim upstream.

Don’t they know that it is much easier to swim with the flow of water and that sticks are for fetching!

Our walk continued up to Eden Bridge where we turned right and climbed the small bank up to the ornate gardens.

Eden Bridge Gardens, or known locally as the Chinese Gardens, are actually Italian inspired and are undergoing a large amount of restoration work.

A scheme, funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund, started in October 2008 and will result in the gardens returning to their former glory.

Behind the formal garden, with the covered seating area, is a pond and embankment.

This area has all been cleared of dead shrubs and overgrowth and is allowing light back down to soil level with the result that long forgotten plants can now flourish.

Charlie inspected the crocus, daffodils and iris from his vantage point overlooking Scotland Road, whilst I took a bit of a rest on some bark chippings nearby.

You can read more about the gardens over at Heritage and History  where my mum writes regularly about the restoration work.

Leaving the park and traveling into town across then under Eden Bridge, we noticed the path, which had been previously closed for flood defence work, had reopened.

This path had been closed since August as work to create a flood barrier was carried out.  We have reported many times on this work and it was great to see all the metal grills have been removed and we can take a close inspection of the work.

Charlie, as always, was out in front and was impressed with the finished re-aligned  subway entrance.

White capped walls and soil embankments give the whole project a natural feeling and Buster and I agree that it is much improved from the old main road crossing point.  

Charlie inspected the new steps and the ramp and took a good look at the pristine white coping stones wondering how long it would be before some human came along with a marker pen or a spray can and made their mark.

Now we just wait for the underpass to be cleaned up and improved so it looks as professional as this new installation.

Work continues on the flood defences elsewhere in the city with the builders recently moving in to an area to the rear of the Sands Centre.

Our circular route took us next in to Victoria Park and we were greeted with a path lined with colour.

Thousands of crocus flowers had erupted since our last visit and now provided the park with a carpet of purple, white and yellow flowers.

Dad took the chance to take many photographs, as these little fragile signs of spring only last a few days.

Our walk was almost at an end as we returned back into Rickerby Park but not before we noticed a new gate had been installed.

We mentioned a few weeks ago that a new sculpture had appeared in the park, well these new gates are part of the same project.

Being a bit wider than the old gates allows for buggies to get through a little easier for athletic dogs like Charlie to get underneath.

 

That is all for now.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Putting the lights up in Appleby

We have had a busy day today with an early Sunday start.

Our day started with a car journey towards the East and our first stop was Appleby

Many people know this small town for the horse festival that takes place here every year.

 

Parking the car in the car park of the Appleby War Memorial Swimming pool we walked across the food defence barriers and onto the river path.

The path leads alongside the River Eden and towards bridge shown at the top of this article.

Flooding is a problem in this area and the height of the River Eden here is often used as a  warning to flooding risk further down the Eden in Carlisle.

 

Following the road from the bridge and into the town we make our way up the hill on our adventure.

Christmas is coming to Appleby as we pass the volunteers putting up the Christmas lights.

Hundreds of coloured lamps are being removed from their cardboard sleeves and then hung from the strings of wire around the town.

Half way up the hill we look through an open gate and into a lovely courtyard.

The courtyard is surrounded by a number of cottages, all with bright red doors, and form the Hospital of St.Anne.

Founded by The Lady Anne Clifford these houses, known as Almshouses are still in use and offer homes for widows from the area.

The cobbled courtyard is open to the public most days and is well worth a visit.

Outside the entrance to Appleby Castle is the High Cross.  It dates from the 17th Centures and has on the town facing side the inscription ’Retain your loyalty, preserve your rights’

A bench mark cut exists on the west face of the cross on the base just above the steps. These marks are used in map and survey works by the Ordnance Survey.

The windvane is dated 1936.

At the top of the lime tree avenue is Appleby Castle.

 

Sadly the castle can only be observed through the padlocked gates.  

Large white notices attached to the gates indicated the castle may not be open to the general public.  It is privately owned.

The castle was founded at the beginning of the 12th Century.

Lady Anne Clifford made the property her home and restored large parts of it.

To the right of the gates is the North Lodge.

When we visited a cardboard film character peers out onto visitors.

We walked back down the hill and back to the car as we needed to get to our next adventure in a place called Kirkby Stephen.  

More on this tomorrow, when will find out why our paws are a bit sore now and why we need a good nights sleep.

Until tomorow

Charlie and Buster.

Bonfire update

The public bonfire display is starting to take shape.   It looks like a stage like structure made of wood and many wooden pallets.

After the recent rain the field is really starting to churn up now as the workmen build the great bonfire.

This seems like a good time to ask humans to think of us animals as bonfire night approaches.  We don’t like loud, unexpected noises and can get quite scared.

Please don’t lock us into a dark room alone, leave a light on for us and maybe the radio if you are going out.  More advice can be found on the RSPCA website.

The RSPCA recommends the Sounds Scary! CD therapy pack. This includes two CDs of firework, gunshot and thunder noises, together with a comprehensive information booklet and easy to follow instructions.

Get the CD
To purchase the CD at a special RSPCA discounted price, here is a link www.soundtherapy4pets.com/rspca 

 

Colder weather

What a change in the weather. One day it is very soggy, the next very cool but dry.  

 

On our walk today I managed to go trampling through the fallen leaves.  They crunched under my paws and put a white dusty stuff on my tummy.  Mum says this is something called ice.  I liked it and it it made my tongue cold.

 

We extended our walk today and visited a garden.  We had to walk near a busy road, but it did not worry me on my lead.

 

Mum has written all about  on Heritageandhistory.   She needed a few more pictures before some renovation work takes place.

A quick update tonight.  So untill next time

Charlie and Buster

Next Page »