Woke this morning feeling reluctant to begin our journey south back to the crowds and noise of busier places, reluctant to leave our B&B on the banks of Loch Lomond (where me and my sweetheart will …… as the song goes), reluctant to leave the rugged Scottish countryside which carries with it a sense of ‘otherness’, but leave we must, with the sun struggling to peak through the grey sometimes showery sky.
The little village of Luss, just up the road from our B&B, is very quaint, and very compact with narrow lanes, lots of character, apparently has been used as a setting for various TV shows. We check out the local craft and souvenir shop and then we are on our way. The beauty of the land quickly fades away as we head towards Glasgow. It appears Scotland is divided into two – the south with its cities, flat land and industry and the north with its rugged and mystical beauty.
We are heading for Sedberg a town just off the M6, the main motorway running up the west side of England. It has really been planned as a stopover to break the long journey from Scotland to Wales. I don’t expect the day to be that interesting, this also explains my reluctance to leave the north.
Our first stop is at a service stop on the motorway – for coffee and to stretch our legs, but it turns out to be such a nice spot, with good coffee, wireless internet access and a view over looking a pond complete with ducks, that we spend sometime there and end up having lunch there as well.
I drag all our maps and tourist brochures in from the car and we plan the next few days (with some help via phone from one of our trusted advisors (located in sunny Noosa)), deciding to spend an extra day in Wales and cut back a day in the Cotswolds. I also ring James to remind him to water the plants – “what plants” he says!
After leaving, it doesn’t take us long to arrive at Sedberg, which is just on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. The countryside, of course, is gorgeous, and the town of Sedberg is lovely and we do a short historical walk around the town – so many book shops, a shame books are so heavy, not suitable for return flights to Sydney!!
We drop into our B & B but no one is at home so we check out Cautley Spout – which is a local waterfall – to get there we had to walk across the fields scattered with black faced sheep and a few horses. Very pleasant indeed!
Our B and B for the night is called St Marks and was built in the 1870s. It used to be the manse (local minister’s house) many years ago. It is quite large with this great big arched shaped wooden door that feels like a hobbit door! We are served tea in the sitting room and talk about politics, global warming, Jamie Oliver and the education system with the other guests.
We were also informed that there will be no electricity in the morning from 8:30am but that’s no worries says our host – she can cook breakfast the old fashion way using her auger ( which I presume is a wood fired stove).
As we drove into Sedberg to find somewhere for dinner we were greeted with the pearling of church bells for several minutes – rather beautiful.
The day has been full of pleasant surprises. I should have known that there are not many boring places in Britain.
