Down to St Alban's

We had a clear drive to St Alban's arriving just after Lunch. We were to have dinner with our niece, Liesel & her husband Adam.  They had just got a new addition to the family - a labrador puppy.  We left our car at their place & walked into the centre of town. It was about a 20 minute walk, good to stretch our legs after the driving. We ageed to separate so that I could look for something for Tony's Birthday. Tony went off to the famous Cathedral & I was able to find a few things. There are many of the older buildings renovated & used as shops around the centre of town. 

We both enjoyed ourselves & met up to walk back together. We all met up )including Adam's parents & decided on Thai Takaway .... soon we were seated, enjoying our meal & where much  discussion unfolded.  To finish the evening we were taken on a lovely walk around their area. Then we left for the half hour drive back to Val's where we had a ithr couple of days before Tony prepared to fly home.  As we walked, we noticed that the feel of St Albans was just as lovely as many other towns in England, with the housing & narrow streets & gardens so typically English.

Pipa took to Tony very quickly. She just loved lots of cuddles.  The doggie sitter arrived as we left on our walk.  

Family reunion over dinner  - so nice to be in Adam & Liesels home.

Our walk together included Adam carrying Pipa who thought it was pretty good !! 

Back to Congleton & Biddulph ..

After a very wet morning in Kendall where we were soaked almost to the skin, we decided to start our travel back to Congleton for late lunch & then to Biddulph to our friends. 

Arrived in Congleton & found an old renovated pub built in the 1700's. Lovely lunch together. We stepped out side & what did I spy  a quaint shop (lots of quaint shops here in the U.K. !!!) that sold vintage & chic homewares. Lots of old vintage teacup sets, Chrystal & cut glass ware along with cutlery. Decorative signs & furniture filled the rooms & rooms upstairs too. I scored a couple of things then time to get to Veronica & David's. 

Veronica & David had booked tickets to see a play 'Anna of the Five Towns', by Adam Bennett - it was a play at the time of the Industrial Revolution in that area concerning the potteries. We went to dinner together at the Theatre, then the play.  It was one of the best plays we have been to & so well done. It was very pertinent to me with having discovered more about my family. The pictures around the back of the Theatre where we sat were impactful. 

The next day - Sunday we went with Veronica & David to where they worship, which is very community oriented & is the centre of much social work in Congleton.  Then we were taken on a drive to a French Restaurant in the countryside called  'La Popote Bistro' which was in renovated stables.  The food, & surroundings were very English & that's why Veronica & David wanted to take us there. Next door was a church built in the 1100's. It is still used, & popular for weddings. It has been fully heated!!  In the evening we were taken to their friends for coffee. A lovely end to the day. 

Monday morning saw us packed ready to drive to St Albans. It was so hard leaving these special friends who had extended themselves to make sure we saw as much as possible in the short time we had with them. It is friendships like these that you know is a God encounter !!

The 1700 yr old pub in Congleton.  

The vintage & chic shop. 

More of the little shop ...upstairs was very squashed.   

The Entrance to the Play .. 

It was Theatre in the round.  

The back drop to the play - enlarged photographs on a sort of fabric, of the smoke belching from the many Chimneys at the Potteries in Stoke-On-Trent.  

Entering the renovated stables of 'La Popote Bistro'.

The garden outside the Bistro ... 

Our Table ...inside as it was still drizzly weather.  

The Church built in the 1100's & beautifully kept.  

Inside the Church felt very regal.  

After lunch we went on a lovely drive to 'The Castlethorpe Manor'.  We had Devonshire Tea & then wandered around the grounds. It was amazing that the weekend before, the grounds had held 10,000 Christians as they gathered for 2 days to listen to bands, worship teams & testimonies with many conversions. .....called 'Big Day Out' .

Part of the grounds around the lake at the Manor.  

The view from Veronica & Davids friends home ....this was 9.30 at night !! What a lovely end to the weekend.  

Journey to family sites on way to Kendall

On our way to Kendall we had planned to get to a couple of places where my Dad's family came from. This was so rewarding as we found them all. One of the loveliest moments was going into the church where my great, great grandfather & grandmother were married in the Methodist Church, Longton. It was so sweet inside.   It was near here, that we discovered a lovely cafe called the 'The Village Teapot'.  It was a cold & wet day & this little cafe was packed out. 

After this we went on to Preston where we found another family place. Driving through Preston left me with an uncanny feeling, as deeply rooted in this area was much sadness. The cotton mills & some mining that were in operation through the industrial revolution were run almost like Dickinson times as many children were used, many accidents happens as well as deaths from some of the accidents. Sickness too from the pollution that came from the large chimneys belching fumes day & night.   I was glad when we were away from that area.  Many more connections were made as we stopped along the way, then drove onto Kendall. 

Kendall is quite a large town but not as touristy as Windermere in the Lakes District. We arrived at the Guest House where we were staying for 2 nights.   Changing we went off to explore where we might have dinner.  The owner of the guest house had recommend a couple of places. We ended up at a great Italian Restaurant (so good that, getting back late the following night we ended back there again !!). The owner shared at breakkie the next morning how he & his wife had worked in London but wanted a more gentle life to start a family.  This unfolded with running the guest house & being able to be part of the Catholic community in Kendall.

Well the next morning saw us up & driving to Wendermere where we walked for a little bit through the Town thena lovely walk along the lake. We discovered we could take our car accross to the other side on the Ferry.  That worked well & saved time. We got to the other side & no soon we got to an old castle that had an outlook high up over the lake....

From there we ambled around going through Beautrix Potter areas, the farms near where she drew, painted & wrote stories. Then off to Wray Castle.  Homeward bound via Newby Bridge, whereupon we had a Gin & Tonic on delightful wrought iron pink & white chairs beside the river ....

One of the places where my family had farmed.  

The beauty of the area was just breathtaking & so good for the soul.  

Boats on the lake close to Windermere.  

Awaiting the ferry & this lovely view.. 

Along the drive ..

Wray Caslte - built by a retired Dr with money from his wife's money (she inherited much as the family produced Gin). They had no children & were good friends with Beautrix Potter.  

Beautrix Potters Gallery ... so touristy that we settled for a lovey book, an ice cream & a walk in fields near the village where Beautrix would have spent time writing & drawing. Also saw many ducks (Jemima Puddleduck), which was near the lovely old Catheral. 

The ducks  with their own pond. 

The Spa & Holiday Hotel at Newby Bridge on the way home to Kendall. 

Its windy, but the fruity Gin (from that area) &  Tonic with delicious nibbles. (worth waiting till the end of the day after skipping lunch as the places were so touristy).

Makes the heart sing with such restfulness & peace, on our way home.  

Back to our lovely guest house - recommended.  

Thanks for your patience with the slowness of my blogs but we have been on the run with so many exciting adventures & late nights. Trying to catch up. 

Off to Biddulph & Lake District ..

We have wheels again ... this means we are able to venture to places off the beaten track to explore on the way to Kendal in the Lakes District. Our plan was to get to Longton & Preston to follow up where some of my family came from.  By Wednesday night we would be with our friends Veronica & David in Biddulph, then head to Kendall as a base for 2 days then back for the w/end with Veronica & David. 

As a lunch spot we came off at a little village call Bicester where we were told about a gorgeous little pub call 'Trigger Pond'.  There was quite a buzz as we stepped inside, as there were quite a few people having lunch in a glassed room. We were seated in a bright airy dining room next to the glassed room.  There were many little sayings written on various boards etc around the pub.  This little place was in the middle of nowhere yet people had appeared from nowhere. It had occurred to us we might not be on the right road as we seemed to drive for a while ...

After this stop we headed for Biddulph. As we got closer it became more familiar to me, having spent some time there 3 years ago with Veronica & David.   It was a lovely reunion & especially as David & Tony hadn't met ... the fun began & they were keen to take us on a drive before dinner which Veronica was making. Our little drive was almost 3hrs whereupon we were taken to the wonderful Mowcop (where Smith Wigglesworth preached to a crowd of 200,000 as revival was breaking out). From there you can see 5 Countys (6 on a clear day, all the way to Wales). We did a circle drive, stopping & taking in wonderful sites, arriving home around 8.30pm. We sat down to dinner at 9.45 pm: a long & exciting day ... 

After breakkie we headed off knowing we were coming back to share the w/end with them, with much planned.  

Veronica & David standing under a Yew tree (the tree that Bow & Arrows are made of). I first met Veronica 6yrs ago at a Healing School in Southhampton.  

Inside Trigger Pond Pub ... 

The quaintness of the Pub

Mowcop - where you can see for miles & the acoustics are so natural.  What a spectacular place where revival was happening so long ago. 

Amazing 1000 year old Cathedral in Congleton where Anglican College Students hold their assemblies & services & very popular for weddings  

Little Moreton Hall in Congleton which was buildt in Shakespeare's time. Plays were held & still are around an open theatre space in the centre of the home. Often summer evenings can be spent here with concerts & plays.  

This amazing old Rectory that was attached to the Cathederal has only recently been sold & will probably be made into appartments. It was the sort of house that when fully restored would be quite magical.  

Our late but beautiful Dinner at the end of our touring ....