Muncaster and Ravenglass by the Irish Sea

After a hearty breakfast we jumped in the car and twisted through the Lake District National Park for an hour until reaching the coast and the Irish Sea. The winds that later hit southern England were building and the waves were crashing into the coast. It was cold but dry where we stopped at the Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway.

The 1 black bubble shows where Muncaster Castle is, the railway starts at the river just up from the mouth on the
Irish Sea. We drove down the white rd from Bowness to the A595 and west for an hour, quite a few road wide puddles to ford.  On the way home we travelled the white rd(A593) past Coniston water to Ambleside and down - one car width in places between Torver and Coniston, only one nut in a white fiat thought he'd have a go at squeezing through at the same time.  He must have had hedgerow scratches down the left hand side of his car but spared the Audi.
Beautiful scenery - not a road to be travelled for the first time in the dark!  Thanks Google Maps.
The green bit is the National Park.

Steam Up - a diesel engine runs the line too

 At the rail ticket office at the beginning of the line in Ravenglass, a dog ticket had to be purchased for Charlie, he preferred the trip back when the girls were sitting in the last carriage - the window was low so he could see out.

A Toyland movie? - Is that Noddy or a goblin in 1st class?

There are short walks all around the little narrow guage railway so in summer walkers can get out - walk through the countryside and get on the train at another station. the ticket is for as many trips as you fancy in the one day.

We went straight up to the end - Dalegarth for Boot. All train passengers and hikers in the area  were kept under armed guard at this station on June 2 2010 after a Taxi driver had shot his twin brother and family solicitor then went on a spree killing work collegues and strangers. His taxi was found at Boot and the visiting train passengers not released from the station until his body was found in woods close by. Those passengers had a very scary stopover, we just had morning tea - cream tea that is with onion rings and a chilli mayo dip - it was cold. The kids took their unsalted hot chips with them in the train - service was not quite quick enough for the turn round time.

Please could I have a turn?

The railway used to service mines in the area and has survived thanks to volunteers and now tourism.

The countryside changed from estuary riverside marshes to farmland, through woods (with signs for squirrels but we didn't see a single one) and up to heather covered peaks. The little river alongside the line was running fast and furious with the recent rain but went unheard because of the frequent steam whistling before every station and the general chuffing of the engine and shaking of the carriages.

M spent some time on the way back hanging out the door trying to get a photo of the engine and train as it curved around the wide bends but high stone fences made this impossible and the guard seemed to be rather excited about this daring feat.

Dalegarth for Boot (terrain too steep for the train to get to Boot)

Music and scenery in the caboose

Steam but no engine as the stone wall cuts it from view

A very anxious guard eyeballs the mad photographer
hanging out of the carriage

End view - no squirrels to be seen

Water wheel powers the old Mill - very tidy conservatory
for nosy tourists to spy in as they roll past

Next we travelled back in land to Muncaster Castle.  It has been home to the Pennington family since 1208 (some say since 1068 - with a few name changes via deed poll when the Lord died without heirs and a non Pennington cousin inherited). It is said to be the most haunted house in England with the most documented stories of ghost activity and sightings, it certainly has had its fair share of murders and deaths on the grounds. They do Halloween in a big way with special creepy night tours, face painting and decorations. Tom Fool lived here, he died around 1600 and was known for practical jokes such as pointing travellers towards quicksand rather than the ford. Tom also carried out orders from Lord Frederick Pennington to chop off the head of a carpenter who fell in love with his daughter and was enticing her away from the family fold - the carpenter is now said to haunt the grounds. The family still live on the property but welcome visitors from 12:30-4pm every Sunday to Friday for the privilege.  They have guest accommodation on site which is very popular at this time of the year. Autumn half term seems to be all about Halloween.

Halloween decorations at Muncaster

Views from in front of the library

The best views of the house, across the valley used to be from the kitchens attached to the great hall, these were converted to a library with a round mezzanine floor by the first Baron of Muncaster(awarded the Irish peerage in 1783), he was a friend of Prime minister Pitt and served in parliament as well as being responsible for planting most of the hardwood forests around the 23000 acre estate. An interesting story about Sir John Pennington sheltering King HenryVI in 1464 after losing the battle of Hexham to Yorkist forces when he scuttled away, one of the only members of the quality not to be executed, is part of the family history. When he gathered his strength (this was the guy who had lapses of mental illness and was married to Margaret of Anjou who seemed to be the power behind the Lancastrian cause at the time) he left Muncaster protection and his drinking bowl with a blessing that as long as it remained intact the Pennington family would maintain their seat.  This bowl is on display as the 'Luck of Muncaster'.

Image from http://www.muncaster.co.uk/history-castle

The World Owl Trust is also sponsored on site. As Charlie was walked past the owl cages he seemed unaware and unconcerned about the twists and shuffles in his direction.  Several of the owl species that were looking at him have been known to eat little deer - Charles was a tempting tidbit.

Sparky the Barn owl

After taking Charles back to the safety of the car we went and watched the Owl show which is part of the grounds entry fee. We found out that for the Barn owl to have its legendary soundless flight it has to do without waterproof feathers, no wonder it likes to live in barns. Parents were offered the chance to give their troublesome children to the Giant Eagle Owl for dinner, they were promised the pellet of bones and hair the owl disgorges after digestion as a souvenir.

With eyes closed this owl from
the Americas has really long lashes 

Watch out - flying owls about

Eurasian Eagle Owl - one of the biggest
owl species in the world.

I'm safe - bigger than a mouse

Willow and I thought the cutest of all the owls was the Mottled owl - is stared at us as we approached its cage with its head turned backwards and slowly batted its long eyelashes at us. Nana thought the Aussie owls looked miserable in the 12 degrees (which apparently is 5 degrees warmer than normal - even the extensive plantings of rhododendrons were confused and budding up) and Petal thought the Eagle owl was just like Sharna in bird form.

We caught the pony trap back to the park entrance and headed back to Bowness.  We chose the scenic route and think we may come back to do one or two of the walks in summer.  I am very glad that it was still light as we drove through the very narrow twisting roads across the top of the pass, past Coniston water and back down to Lake Windermere. If we do come back to the Lakes District I'll check out 'The Rum Story, an exhibition full of smugglers and pirates, in Whitehaven but I'm thinking that I may not be able to drag the family to The Cumberland Pencil Museum, home of the world's biggest pencil in Keswick by Derwent(as in the pencil manufacturer) water. If this sounds like your cup of tea check out this site-http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk/.

Poor horse has lost his head

Fashion in the Lake District this Autumn:

Teal and tan - get pants to match your dog's head!

Camouflage patterns and fur - not much on Charles

Blue and snowflake beanies - Nana got a purple cable knit and a pink and brown fancy with a touch of fur.

The day we left saw us visiting one more lolly shop for supplies for the long trip home - Yes the girls got an ice cream! Nana bought Kendal mint bars and fudge, Petal a bag of rock candy sticks and Willow spent her money on a scarf in a store called Quirky. M and Charles just wanted to get going!

We stopped for lunch at one of the service centers on the M6 and got KFC so we could shred some chook for Charles! Nana and I ordered but things were very busy and very slow. A grumpy old man behind us asked how much we were ordering, I started to explain that there was no gravy so our order had to be changed which was holding things up but he just wanted to have a go so off he went accusing us of being thoughtless and making everybody in the queue have to wait longer because we were being greedy. M spotted a snarl on my face and sent Willow to find out what was going on - she was sent back promptly to the table so she wouldn't hear Nana's no messing about response.  The grumpy old dude got his turn and ordered gravy and mashed potato then stood at the counter abusing two different counter girls for not having it and demanding to speak to the manager. He sat in Nana's line of vision who gave us a running commentary of his slurps and mumbles. Just before we left a lady came up and laughed with us about the grumpy old b..ger getting his comeuppance. I was hoping we wouldn't see him on the road home!

Waiting with cold feet for lolly choosing to be over

Grumpy dude at rear below the brown sign on the ceiling (not in the checked shirt!)
Services bridge over the M6 - Seeing huge trucks charge towards and under you is a little disconcerting.

Thinking about:  All Hallows Eve,
Sometime in history someone decided that there were lots of Saints who didn't have their own party day so a day in May was put aside for them all to be celebrated. Popes Gregory III and IV moved this celebration to Nov 1 to try and twist the Samhain festivals into Christianity. This was a time when the days were getting dark in Autumn and the pagans reasoned that the physical conditions of the world reflected what was going on in the spirit world.

They thought the veil between living and dead thinned through the darker months so to keep the ghouls on their own turf they dressed up as ghosts to scare them away, this was called guising, the root for the modern word disguise. Dark ages logic seems locked in that place between waking and nightmare.

An Irish legend of 'Stingy Jack' tells of a miserly farmer who cheated the devil and was cursed to wander the earth with only a candle inside a hollowed out Turnip for light. Irish immigrants to the States found pumpkins easier to carve and they look a lot prettier too so the Jack'o'lanten was created. The fun of Trick or treat was first recorded as a term in the US in 1927 and may be based on the European tradition of gifting to the poor on All Hollows day.

Probably the scariest thing that ever happened to the Roman Church on October 31 was the year(1517) Martin Luther nailed his disgust of indulgences(the selling of certificates for quick trips to heaven authorised by the Popes to raise cash) and other non biblical practices on the church door (read late medieval noticeboard) at Wittenberg.  His words began " Out of love of the Faith and the desire to bring it to the light..." He then listed 95 'issues' with the Christian church of the day to be discussed under his chairmanship. Many people have been killed and tortured because of the actions on this halloween battle of light and dark.

For the sake of kids and the intoxicating availability of stuff in the stores, we had a box of treats and a glittery battery operated ghostie in our window.  Three groups of disguised kids came and grabbed - so the custom, despite the retailers yearnings, isn't as popular here in Britain as in the US. The kids seemed pretty keen to get their hands on the snack bags of halloween shaped mini digestives and gummy body parts. Even the fruit growers tried to shift more product by selling mandarins and oranges in black and purple boxes with ghouls floating around with skeletons. It occured to me, as one little boy squealed in an ecstasy of greed pulling out handfuls of chocolate ghosts, that the really scary thing about halloween is the celebration of 'I want it' - rather opposite the sacrifice and considered selflessness of most of the Saints celebrated the following day.
Light and Dark - the ever present battle.