landmarks

Part one - Friday, Saturday and Sunday 23,24,25 February 2018

Our weekend started here!!  After a hearty homemade soup with dear friends at the Sawmill Cafe in Stratford, a truly fabulous performance by School21 students of Les Mis - moving, inspiring and wonderful

Let's pause for a rousing chorus ....

Then good beer and good company at the Secret Weapon followed by bed and breakfast at our usual lovely Dalston gaff!

Saturday

And we were on our way west out of London.  First gastro stop a great little find - The Tin Kitchen up on a hill in High Wycombe.  Fabulous brunch to fuel us and off into the sunny Chiltern Hills - red kites soaring overhead too many to number.

Collected the fifth member of our little crew, meandered through the sunny Oxfordshire lanes and went for a little leg stretch in the lovely unspoilt and unpopulated Warburg Nature Reserve

with lots of beautiful bare trees playing with the winter sun

Checked in at our Sonning hotel, the Great House, then off for our fabulous evening meal at the Wellington Arms, Baughurst.  And what an amazing landmark-eve treat that was for the birthday boy!!

Sunday - the Big Day dawns

And it's Happy Birthday to You ......... breakfast brunch and another big 'O' birthday conquered!!

lots of pressies to open

and a winter's amble beside the mighty Thames

and maybe time for a blast of that old song family Waugh used to march along to on country walks when we were little:

We had the three men - if only we'd had that boat!!

Next it was over to Henley on Thames to see the David Chipperfield's lovely River and Rowing Museum where we indulged in an afternoon tea (yes, food again!!)

and a spot of Wind in the Willows jollity

whilst hankering after a boathouse on the river!

The sun shone and it was just the happiest of happy birthdays.

Then, as the afternoon drew in it was time for the big birthday surprise  .......

A Swim and Dine package at the oh so wonderful and newly renovated Thames Lido in Reading - what a treat

We were given fluffy towels, bathrobes and flip flops and there we were, February 2018, one of the coldest winters for years, lounging OUTDOORS in the hot tub and braving the beautiful clear waters of the swimming pool, with the odd hot respite in the sauna - and it was totally fabulous and luxurious and special.

And there was more to follow - a sumptuous and delicious 5 course taster dinner in the fabulous restaurant spanning the edges of the pool

It was nothing short of magical

And here's the special birthday boy once again - the proof of a happy day is in the pudding as they say!! ha ha.  And of course in the smile.

HaPpY hApPy BiRtHdAy DeAr MiKe   X x X x X

and the celebrations continue in Marshes and Mud - read on if you dare!

of mice and poets

Wednesday 23 August

Off we three venture again on our now annual magical mystery literary dash up North! This time in search of the Brynmor Jones Library . . .

To view the wonderful Hull City of Culture exhibition on Philip Larkin's life and work - New Eyes Each Year

After a much needed coffee boost, we meet one of the Larkin Toads inside the library

And here we are at last, actually inside what was once Philip Larkin's office, as Chief Librarian of the Brynmor Jones Library at the University of Hull

A highlight was leafing through book after book of copies of his poems and revisions

Finally we reach the exhibition which is really well curated and quite fascinating.  There's a great Guardian review here and one of the many highlights was a series of Super-8 films taken by the library staff themselves larking about (with Larkin)! in short vignettes.

Another interesting article here questioning Larkin's relationship with Hull over the years.

But it was now time to move on and into Hull proper.  
A stunning coffee at Caffeinated - in the lovely renovated Trinity Market - right opposite Holy Trinity Church, recently rebranded as Hull Minster

and more incredible literary associations as we learn that Andrew Marvell was born in Hull and his statue is right outside the old Grammar School he attended.  And here he is with one of his biggest fans!

Some really grand buildings in Hull

and we loved the striking and moving artwork inside the Minster - The Electric Fence by Annabel McCourt which is part of the Hull City of Culture 2017

and the Minster itself - beautifully light, airy and colourful

where we discovered two lovely old Mousey Thompsons

However, it was now onwards and Northwards with a quick peek at the gigantic Beverley Minster

before our upwards climb onto the North Yorkshire Moors and our first heady sniff of purple heather and fresh air

Cue ofcourse a bit of the wonderful Joan Baez

We pause at the top of Sutton Bank, ready for our 1 in 4 drop down into Rosedale Abbey

and here we are at our lovely B&B - Sevenford House

and a very welcome welcoming cuppa!

beautiful gounds

and soon we are off for a walk down the lane for supper at the White Horse Farm Inn which has changed hugely since Mike and I camped nearby in the 70s, but was still friendly and served good beer.
Thursday morning dawns brightly and after a stunning breakfast . . .

. . . we are given a great hiking route from Ian, the owner at Sevenford.  Starting at the phone box in Rosedale East we venture up onto the old iron ore workings railway line

meeting noisy friends en route

and discovering the magnificent old lime kilns dotted around these hillsides

and again a song springs into my head, the wonderful bleak but beautifully haunting Dalesman's Litany sung by Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. I've always loved the bit about Sheffield's furnaces ..

and here are two ex-steelworkers enjoying the fresh air

spied on by a passing hiker - ha ha

and what's this tempting oasis?

a little piece of heaven

in the shape of Maggie's cosy cafe

Dale Head Farm Tea Gardens

High up on the hillside away from it all, with the most fabulous homemade sandwiches, soups and lemon drizzle cake!

but all too soon we were off back to find the car

and hurtle to York (what a magnificent station!) for fond farewells onto the London train

But the quest didn't end here.  The two final muskateers continued on the Andrew Marvell trail to look for Nun Appleton Hall and Bickling Hall, where Marvell was a tutor Fairfax's daughter Mary from 1650-52 and where, during this period, he lived and wrote poems such as Upon Appleton House.  An extract from the poem is shown on this Poetry Foundation webpage if you care to read.
However, this old gate was as far as we could get as there were many private property signs and the present Hall lies close to the River Wharfe. There's a very thorough article on the estate with a great map which might have helped us more on the day had I found it then - you can read more at Historic England, Nun Appleton Hall.
We also used this useful piece from the Andrew Marvell Society to locate Bilbrough, where Marvell wrote "Upon the Hill and Grove at Bilbrough", and found the present Hall and the church, with the Fairfax family graves.

So all in all a wonderful whistlestop two days -  here's to the next adventure!