Saturday, August 17, 2013
Day 1 Manchester to St. Bee’s
Subtitle: Planes, Trains and Ancient Remains
After dining sumptuously at Michael Caines at the Abode Hotel (great tasting menu and cocktails, plus wine pairings) in beautiful downtown Manchester, and sleeping until merely 1030 am at the Radisson Blu at the airport, we hauled our jetlagged hineys to the airport train station, which was a short distance from the hotel. Amazingly, we had ordered our outbound tickets to St. Bee’s from our home office in Knoxville. And the train was on time. It was an hour’s journey to Lancaster where we and our 65# bag changed trains on the Northern Rail to St. Bee’s. Along the route to St. Bee’s we passed the Sellafield Nuclear Plant, which is apparently being dismantled.
We arrived in St. Bee’s in a misty drizzle and made our way up the ancient streets of St. Bee’s to find our accommodation for the evening—Fairladies’ Barn and Guest House. We ensconced ourselves in the downstairs apartment and unloaded our crap! Then for a toodle around the ancient city of St. Bee’s. Legend has it that the town was named for St. Bega who was an Irish princess that refused to marry the man appointed by her dad and escaped here in a small boat. It is said she wanted to open a nunnery. Convenient for bards writing great lines for Hamlet.
Although that does not appear to have happened, there was a monastery. The red sandstone church is gorgeous and a great architectural feature as is the private school that operates across the street from it. Although the only conversation we’ve managed to hold with a live St. Bee-er regarded the coiniverous British phone that ate his 20 pence, we did look at the lovely cemetery that holds quite a few of it’s prior residents located on the church grounds.
Then we were off to dinner at the Queen’s Hotel. I don’t think the queen has a darned thing to do with this hotel, but the food was tasty and filling and we enjoyed some hand pulled beers. The restaurant was quite busy, although the hotels all seem to be filled with folks dining out and drinking – must be the thing to do on Saturday night in St. Bee’s. Paul especially liked the Cumberland Ale, and I threw down for the Sheep’s Thrill.
Then we were off to the guest house to get ready for tomorrow’s long hike – 14 miles over to Ennerdale Bridge.
Paul’s Ponderings: We ate at the Queen’s Hotel. Our advice: make a reservation to dine in St. Bee’s or you’ll be waiting an hour and a half for dinner. I was very impressed with the Sellafield nuclear plant that we rode by on the train.
Day 1 Manchester to St. Bee’s
Subtitle: Planes, Trains and Ancient Remains
After dining sumptuously at Michael Caines at the Abode Hotel (great tasting menu and cocktails, plus wine pairings) in beautiful downtown Manchester, and sleeping until merely 1030 am at the Radisson Blu at the airport, we hauled our jetlagged hineys to the airport train station, which was a short distance from the hotel. Amazingly, we had ordered our outbound tickets to St. Bee’s from our home office in Knoxville. And the train was on time. It was an hour’s journey to Lancaster where we and our 65# bag changed trains on the Northern Rail to St. Bee’s. Along the route to St. Bee’s we passed the Sellafield Nuclear Plant, which is apparently being dismantled.
We arrived in St. Bee’s in a misty drizzle and made our way up the ancient streets of St. Bee’s to find our accommodation for the evening—Fairladies’ Barn and Guest House. We ensconced ourselves in the downstairs apartment and unloaded our crap! Then for a toodle around the ancient city of St. Bee’s. Legend has it that the town was named for St. Bega who was an Irish princess that refused to marry the man appointed by her dad and escaped here in a small boat. It is said she wanted to open a nunnery. Convenient for bards writing great lines for Hamlet.
Although that does not appear to have happened, there was a monastery. The red sandstone church is gorgeous and a great architectural feature as is the private school that operates across the street from it. Although the only conversation we’ve managed to hold with a live St. Bee-er regarded the coiniverous British phone that ate his 20 pence, we did look at the lovely cemetery that holds quite a few of it’s prior residents located on the church grounds.
Then we were off to dinner at the Queen’s Hotel. I don’t think the queen has a darned thing to do with this hotel, but the food was tasty and filling and we enjoyed some hand pulled beers. The restaurant was quite busy, although the hotels all seem to be filled with folks dining out and drinking – must be the thing to do on Saturday night in St. Bee’s. Paul especially liked the Cumberland Ale, and I threw down for the Sheep’s Thrill.
Then we were off to the guest house to get ready for tomorrow’s long hike – 14 miles over to Ennerdale Bridge.
Paul’s Ponderings: We ate at the Queen’s Hotel. Our advice: make a reservation to dine in St. Bee’s or you’ll be waiting an hour and a half for dinner. I was very impressed with the Sellafield nuclear plant that we rode by on the train.
Wow, sounds like a great trip, can't wait to read them all. BTW signed up for the dinner blog, keep those coming :-)
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