LAST WEEK IN ENGLAND

Hadrian’s Wall – Yorkshire Dales

After bidding Scotland good-bye, we set off to explore Hadrian’s Wall, the defensive fortification built across northern England by the Romans from 122-128 AD to keep out the savage Scottish.  It was an enormous undertaking by the Romans:  120 km long, 5 to 6 m high and 2 to 2.5 m thick, with forts and turrets every 500 m.  We spent the morning stopping at many interesting points along the wall, including Chesters Roman Fort and Museum.

Everyone’s favourite stop was walking along the wall at Walltown Crags - a short stroll up a hill dodging the local sheep and we were on top of a well preserved section of the wall.  The views were spectacular, and Hadrian’s Wall impressive, dramatically snaking and diving along the hilltops (where it has done for nearly 1,900 years).

We zig-zagged our way south to the Yorkshire Dales, stopping at Hartside Summit to soak in the beautiful views.  We were lucky enough to witness an old steam train on the Carlisle to Liverpool line, hurtling along at full speed (about 100 km/hr) and blowing enormous clouds of smoke into the air.

The Yorkshire Dales is a region of rolling hills, lush valleys and craggy limestone cliffs with crystal clear streams, mossy dry-stone walls, unspoilt villages of brown stone and slate rooves   ...   and sheep.  A beautiful corner of the world.

York - Warwick - Oxford

Onto York, the walled Roman city that was later conquered and held by the Vikings for hundreds of years before the Norman Conquest.  We walked the wall, saw York Minster (cathedral) and ambled through the Shambles (overhanging timber framed shops which were mainly butcher shops dating back to the 14^th Century).

The Jorvik Viking Centre was the highlight of our visit as we journeyed in a time capsule back to around 900 AD to learn about the brutality of the Vikings and their way of life.

The museum is on the site of the archaeological diggings of the old settlement of Jorvik.  Clifford’s Tower, the old fort tower built in the 1300’s, was our last stop for the day and gave the children an opportunity to dress up to be kings and queens for a while.

Warwick Castle, although very commercialised, was a fun day for everyone.  We saw knights on horseback jousting, plenty of sword fighting, and story telling (about dragons, of course).

Various activities were on offer for budding knights and princesses, including archery and juggling lessons with the Court Jester.  The most interesting part of the day was watching the “Flights of Prey” show with magnificent birds of prey, some with wingspans up to 8 feet, flying around the castle grounds and swooping the spectators.

On to Oxford, and the spirit of learning lingered in the streets and old buildings as we walked around the historic Oxford University.  Some of the residential colleges were like grand palaces with fortress like walls, stately buildings and very “English” gardens, with deck chairs lazily spread across the manicured lawns.

We walked up the narrow spiral staircase to the top of St Mary’s Church to overlook the city and the heart of the university, Radcliffe Square.  

London - Dover

Next on the agenda was a visit to Hampton Court, the largest and grandest Tudor structure in England.  It was built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in 1514 but passed to King Henry VIII when the cardinal fell from favour - he was unable to convince the Roman Catholic Pope to allow the divorce between Henry and Catherine of Aragon (his first wife).

We wandered the many rooms and out into the grand formal gardens, which have been painstakingly returned to the period of Henry and a later king, William III.

It was interesting to learn that the monarchs would only live in one place for a short period of time as they (and their massive entourage) would deplete the local region of food and other resources, and the rooms would become so dirty and smelly that they would pack up their furniture and move on.

We spent an interesting afternoon at the home of Charles Darwin, where he lived for forty years and worked on his revolutionary theories and the book, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”.  The book shook the Victorian world and has influenced thinking ever since.

The garden contained areas that Darwin set aside for his many experiments, including his weed garden which illustrated the struggle for existence in nature.

We thought we had better make it three castles in three days just to get our required dosage before leaving old England, so we ventured to Dover Castle.  The castle, perched proudly atop the White Cliffs of Dover, boasts a long and eventful history.

It became a Norman earthwork castle soon after 1066 and was garrisoned uninterruptedly until 1958.  Although it has an interesting medieval history, it was its more modern history that captivated us. 

During World War II, this frontline fortress once again was the centre of activity with 250 year old tunnels being recommissioned for use by the British Navy.  In 1940, these tunnels were the engine room of Operation Dynamo, the rescue mission of over 338,000 Allied and British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk (they were only expecting to save about 30,000).

These troops had their backs to the ocean and were fighting to save their lives as the Germans cut them off.  The rescue attempts by a massive flotilla of 700 naval, merchant and civilian boats were nothing short of miraculous.  There were incredible stories also of the ingenuity of troops on the ground - when the beach was too shallow for the ships to come in they built a jetty out of army trucks into the ocean and climbed upon them to reach the ships.  It was a powerful presentation.

Off on the ferry tomorrow back to France to make our way up to Belgium and The Netherlands.

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