Liverpool, 29 September 2007

I know its been a while since I posted anything on the blog, but recently it has been fairly uneventful over here - the Monday to Friday work routine is starting to kick in. I have had the last few weekends in Manchester, and had a few day trips here and there.

One Saturday morning, Marian and I decided to take a trip to that other major city of the North-West, and great rival of Manchester, Liverpool. Separated by about 8o km of motorway, Scousers and Mancunians hate each other with a passion. Manchester United versus Liverpool matches are fiercely fought, even more so than the United - City derbies.

Liverpool was the major port of the UK up to the start of the twentieth century, and the waterfront skyline along the Mersey is very impressive, a testament to the time before air travel, when the big shipping companies such as Cunard and White Star were dominating the trans-Atlantic passenger trade.

When we were there, there was a jet boat race on the Mersey. Here are some fairly random photos from the day:

Some Street Buskers Showing off their Football Skills

St George's Hall

Edinburgh, 22-24 September 2007

On Saturday, Maz and I drove up to Dundee, where we stayed with Maz's friend Denise who is studying Civil Engineering at Dundee University.

Dundee sits on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, and permanently moored on the waterfront is the RRS Discovery, used by Captain Robert Falcon Scott for his first Antarctic expedition (1902 - 1904). The Discovery was built in Dundee and launched in 1901. The ship spent two seasons in McMurdo Sound, and controlled explosions were needed to free it from pack ice before returning to the UK in February 1904.

The following morning, Sunday, we took the bus down to Edinburgh to see the All Blacks v Scotland rugby match. On the way down we crossed the Firth of Forth, passing by the famous Forth rail bridge:
The atmosphere in Edinburgh was great, with loads of All Blacks fans in town.
Our seats were right up in the back, but the atmosphere provided by the enclosed stadium was suitably noisy, and the Scottish anthem was very inspiring - though not apparently inspiring enough for the Scottish team, who failed to trouble the scorer.

Blackpool, 19 September 2007

On Wednesday, Maz and I took a trip to the seaside resort of Blackpool, Lancashire. In its heyday (1900-1950) the factory workers of northern England took their annual holidays there en masse. It remains the UK's most popular seaside resort, but has a slightly run-down and tacky feel to it - like a '60's time capsule.

One of the main attractions is the famous Blackpool Tower, built in 1894:

There are a number of piers that contain amusement parks and cabaret shows:
We took in Pleasure Beach, the major amusement park in Blackpool. Lots of roller coasters and merry-go-rounds etc..

Yorkshire Dales, 16 September 2007

On Sunday Marian and I hopped in the car and drove to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, about one and a half hours' drive north of Manchester.

We parked at the village of Grassington, and took a really scenic and quite gentle walk through the pretty countryside to the village of Burnsall, where we had a delicious lunch at the Red Lion Hotel.

The scenery was beautiful; the villages and rolling hills, with their drystone walls, were right out of "All Creatures Great and Small" (as an aside, the town of Darrowby in the famous books by James Herriot doesnt actually exist, but is largely based on the village of Thirsk where Herriot - real name Alf Wight - lived and practiced).

On the (Very Narrow) Road to BurnsallBurnsall, on the River Wharfe
The Red Lion Hotel, Burnsall

Peak District, 5 September 2007

On Wednesday I took the day off, and Marian and I took a drive into the Peak District. We parked the car at the village of Litton, and walked to the nearby village of Cressbrook. Along the way we passed through some classic rolling Peak District countryside. You half expected to see James Herriot attending to a sickly cow:

At Cressbrook there is an old cotton mill, built in 1815. Like all of the mills at the time, Cressbrook Mill employed children, mostly orphans from London, in conditions that amounted to little more than slave labour. Perhaps these were the "dark Satanic Mills" referred to in Blake's "Jerusalem".

Cressbrook Mill
The Dale of Water-Cum-Jolly Behind the Mill

Cressbrook Hall, Built by the Mill Owners, Overlooks Water-Cum-Jolly

Ferry to Manchester, 2 September 2007

I had a good week in Mayo, and on Friday Marian's friends Geni and Denise, and Geni's kiwi boyfriend Kieron, drove up from Limerick to Westport. We met at Henehan's Pub in Westport on Friday night.
On Saturday morning, Marian and I had one last swim at Old Head - sadly possibly my last of the summer. Then it was all go, packing Marian's worldly possessions into the corolla for the trip to Manchester. After saying our goodbyes, we hit the road for Dublin.

After battling the Dublin traffic and one-way system, we were pretty frazzled, but went out for dinner with a friend of Marian's from university, Diane. Dublin looked like a lively place, but we didn't have any time to look around.

Early on Sunday morning we drove down to the docks to catch the ferry to Holyhead. The ferry took just over three hours, but the sea was quite calm.

Clare Island, 27 August 2007

On Monday morning, Marian and I took the 15-minute ferry ride to Clare Island, which guards the entrance to Clew Bay. As with most Irish landmarks, Clare Island has a rich history. In particular, it is associated with the “Pirate Queen” Grace O’Malley (Irish name Gráinne Ní Mháille, also known as Granuaile).

O'Malley was born in Ireland in 1530, when Henry VIII was on the throne of England. She was the daughter of the chieftain of the O'Malley clan, which controlled most of what is now South-West County Mayo. The O'Malleys were a great seafaring family and taxed all those who fished off their coasts, which included fishermen from as far away as England.

Grace O'Malley summered in Clare Island, in the Castle overlooking the harbour where her fleet of ships would be safely anchored. She engaged in revolutionary activity against the English crown, and her castle was attacked by an expedition from Galway intended to get rid of her. However, they were put to flight and barely escaped. In 1593 O'Malley sailed to England to petition Elizabeth I for the release of her two sons. Elizabeth apparently took to O'Malley, who was three years older, and she granted O'Malley's requests provided that her support of Irish rebellions and piracy against Great Britain ended. Their discussion was carried out in Latin, as O'Malley spoke no English and Elizabeth spoke no Irish.

Marian and I had a nice day walking across the island to the lighthouse and back. Here are some photos:

On the Way to Clare Island

The Harbour
Grace O'Malley's Castle
The Lighthouse, built in 1806 (Maz in pink staying well clear of cliff)
Croagh Patrick in Background (we climbed that last week)


13th Century Abbey