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Thursday 27 February 2014

Holiday in North Cumbria at the top of the Pennines



Recently we had a delightful holiday in a tiny hamlet called Garrigill near the highest market town of Alston, reckoned to be 1500 feet above sea level.
The cottage that we stayed in was called Isaacs Byre, which is a converted cow shed, if you care to take a peek, or those who haven't already, here is the link...www.isaacsbyre.co.uk
It was the most quirky little cottage, In a corner, in the centre of the sitting room was the biggest wood burning caste iron stove I have ever seen, I swear it would create enough energy to fuel The flying Scotsman (train) from Penzance to John O'Groats
. It had two large comfy sofas and a decent sized TV, one thing I hate is a fiddling little TV in a holiday let.
The cottage had been lovingly restored by the present owners, who lived in a larger cottage next door.
We were welcomed by Judith-ann (owner), bearing a large pot of hot tea and some delicious home made biscuits, very welcome after feeling the lowering change of temperature.....
I shall not be typically British and  complain about the weather, because it was mid winter in January, in one of the coldest parts of England, so what would one expect?
Well, it all lived up to my expectations, a cosy little cottage in the middle of nowhere, a well stocked fridge and wine rack, a few good books to read in front of a roaring log fire, and then ..........

'The wind was blowing , the snow was snowing...what did I care, I'd got my love to keep me warm'

  Oh boy! did it snow.....
.huge snow flakes twirling around in a fluttery routine then dashing against the panoramic double glazed windows.
 The poor sheep, huddled together, against the ancient hand built stone walls, being typically British sheep and baahing in unison about the weather  Ha ha !

 Himself laughed at me when I expressed my concern for the sheep being cold.. 'Good grief' said he, 'Maybe we should invite them in for a cup of tea and a warm, in front of the fire'.
Eyes raised to heaven, I retorted,' I thought the farmer would put them away in the barn at the top of the field' Mr funny face !

Then, just as if  by magic, the farmer, in his tractor and his trusty sheepdog Jennie, appeared, leaping alongside him, in gay abandon, yapping at the snowflakes....rounded up my little woolly friends and locked them in the warm dry barn.
The farmer gave us a cheery wave as he and Jennie, trundled back to the Farmhouse..

.Oh I do love country living...., I'm sure I wasn't mean't to be a Townie!
 Di..(more to follow)

 This the first time I have actually managed to publish some pictures, I tried to put one of the snow, at the end  but it didn't appear, I'll try again when I write part two....where are you Anne when I need you ?..xxx

9 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! When you first wrote that you were there at the cottage, I googled it and WE WANT TO LET THE SAME PLACE! Maybe IF we get to Glasgow, we could take a weekend to spend there. I bet there are lots of photo ops around there and nice long, but slow, walks! I'm so glad you had a wonderful time and I am so looking forward to seeing you again!

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  2. It looks like a fabulous place to stay :-)

    Well done for getting your pictures working :-) You will sort out the teething problems.

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  3. Hello Trubes welcome back and well done for getting your photos up...you and your hubby certainly had a super time,even though it was winter. You were certainly well looked after
    , and sounds like you were right at home.

    Too get the photo at the end...go to your posts are, tick box and edit...go to the text where you want it to appear under...go to add photo as you did before ..find your photo upload ..click on it and it should then appear on your blog. .it should save automatically then publish again .

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  4. Hi Diane , did you do photos following my instructions? I am chuffed ..and well done to you ..I think it is great to help someone and you understood me..so much harder to write it down take care xxx

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  5. Leslie, you really must try to get a booking at Isaacs Byre, the scenery around is breath taking, totally different from the Lake District, which is of course, a National Park, well worth a visit too. North Cumbria borders Northumbria and some of the scenery very much reflects Northumbria and the North Yorkshire Moors. It sure is wild and rugged, you'll love it...Oh I do hope you come over to the UK again,x. If you let me know asap of your dates etc I'll try and work out an itinerary for you re your Liverpool visit...tell me what you like..ie Museums, Catherdrals, Art Galleries. Beatles etc.
    There is so much to see and do in and around the City, so just let me know, also we will be taking another week's holiday cottage break, so it would be useful to know your dates before I book anything, would be terrible if we were away when you visit...
    As you will perceive, I am the entertainments officer in this relationship... Ian just picks up the tab ! Ha ha!
    love Di..xx

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  6. Hello again Cherry Pie, You'd love it, wonderful photo opportunities, walks etc, the place is full of historic interest.
    You can book direct from their web site, it's cheaper than using the agents, also there's a lot of information on Trip Adviser, that's where I found it.
    Just ploughing through all the info and cd re the new camera, all very exciting for me...I've had a couple of bad years re my health so I'm determined to get on with my new hobby, it has been a bit of an awakening!
    I don't doubt we will have another holiday in Northumberland, we didn't get to Alnwick Castle and gardens, which I would like to visit...
    love Di..xx

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  7. Hi Anne, I am so grateful for your help in getting my photo's on my blog, I'm really thrilled, I've got so much to write about, and your instructions were really easy to understand.
    We're ploughing through all the data re the new camera, managed to take a photo of the cat so far!
    It is a pity we don't live nearer to each other, would be such fun.
    love Di..xx

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  8. We must like the same places, I had a farm house near there ( 1 mile to be exact) I restored a few years back, nice but bleak, good snow though.

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  9. Hey Thud...Fancy that!..
    Understandable, though, being 'educated' Scousers we do seem to have similarities..
    Yes it is bleak in that part of Cumbria but that's just why I fancied it....I half expected Kate Bush to sweep across the Moors looking for Heathcliffe, (If you're old enough to remember that crazy song )...or have read Wuthering Heights by one of the Bronte sisters....

    Good to hear from you,
    Di..xx

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I usually like to reply to your comments but for some reason when i do post a reply it just diappears, any advice would be most welcome,Thanks Di x

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