out West

Oh to be beside the seaside again last week - such joy!

August 2019 Morecombe Bay

So naturally we started with Morecombe itself.  Despite growing up with New Brighton, Southport and Blackpool as my go-to seaside towns, I'd never been to Morecombe - until now!  And I just love a seaside town, the air, the light and the bustle.

And Morecombe prom has evidently been given a beautiful facelift - very impressive wide sweep, shared amicably by walkers and cyclists, beautifully planted grasses, stylish seats  and that stunning backdrop of the Lakeland fells. 

The sunshine was a joy - we'd battled over from Sheffield that morning, eating our butties in a service station car park somewhere around Manchester in such driving biblical style rain we'd not even dared make a dash to the loo!

But typically for the West coast, the rain lifted and the sun came out, just for our visit!

We strolled along the prom (prom, prom) from end to end, luxuriating in a warm sea breeze and blue skies - finally treating ourselves to a cuppa with a view, in the recently refurblished Midland Hotel - a striking Art Deco relic of the great railway age and opposite a pretty stunning station building. 

Then of course it was time for an ice cream, but not before a peek at the renovations going on at the palatial Winter Gardens

 So many streets of stunning old houses and not enough time to explore

 but always time for a bit of sunshine and that smile

And then we headed north via Carnforth Station, film set for Brief Encounter.  We were too late for the iconic cafe but was interesting to have a peek through the windows.

Next we headed to our holiday destination - Arnside and Silverdale, very deservedly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  And after checking in to our wonderful AirBnB we were just in time to see the last of the sun setting over River Kent Estuary and the mighty Lakeland Fells while we ate our evening meal.

I'd been wanting to visit this part of the coast for many many years - loving the way it sits there on the map nestled between the Lakes and Lancashire, almost like a shallow peninsula.  On the OS map there are few roads and the many nature reserves and hill viewpoints have to be reached by footpath.  There's the famous Leighton Moss nature reserve and the National Trust areas and all the many other parts of the AONB including limestone pavements at Gait Barrows and on parts of the coast.  It's also famous for it's butterfly population, birds, wildflowers and treacherous quicksands.  We'd both grown up being warned by school and home about the quicksands on our local beaches but it had been a long time, so this was a good reminder to take care.

Next morning we started off in Arnside with a cracking artisan coffee at the lovely Moochin' About.  

Then walked south along the rocky beach, marvelling at this estuary and it's wide expanse of sea, sky and mountains. 

Turns out you can do mud walks from Arnside over to Grange Over Sands, led by a Queen's Guide, no less!  This looks so amazing and is now on our must-do list.  Cedric Robinson, the Queen's Guide who's led the walks for 56 years retired this year, however a new guide has been appointed and the tradition continues.

So after a great picnic on the little prom at Arnside, we drove over to Silverdale to do some coastal walking there too.  The sun was blazing and the skies blue and the wide expanse of the estuary running into the Irish Sea was just magnificent.

We were staying just below Arnside Knott (a Marilyn if you've ever heard of those?), so we pottered up an ancient rutted track to an even more ancient and faded wooden topograph, telling us that we could see almost every Lakeland peak worth mentioning from that one viewpoint!  Absolutely stunning, just reminded us of our first distant view of the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho a couple of years ago.

Then it was back to Arnside promenade to join the queue for some spectacular fish and chips at Arnside Chip Shop and a setting sun across the railway bridge.

And having spotted that there railway bridge, we had to make the spectacular 4 minute train journey from Arnside to Grange over Sands the next morning before we headed home.

 To arguably the most picturesque train station ever - perched on the estuary

Then back again to Arnside and our drive home to Sheffield.  End of a fabulous stay.

sky high

Great exhibition at Park Hill flats at the moment in Sheffield - Love Among the Ruins.  Some brilliant photos from 1961 and 1988 - the black and white and colour contrasts are poignant too.  And also incredible film footage from the early 60s when the bustling shopping area in the flats was in full swing and a vibrant community thrived.

So on Saturday we'd booked onto a walking architecture tour of the undeveloped parts of the now derelict site.  Being fenced off and unmaintained, the weeds have flourished since my last visit.  Andrew Jackson from the Twentieth Century Society led the walk.

Here's one of the 4 pubs on the site - we were inside this a couple of years ago to see a great video installation as part of the Art Sheffield 2016 festival - Up Down Top Bottom Strange and Charm

some of the original mosaics and signs remain

This dry hot summer has given the landscape a kind of pampas grass feel as we look over to the developed Urban Splash section.

Always loved the walkways

and here's another of the pubs

and some wild colour

This is the site of the original Grace Hill Nursery.  Piece in the Sheffield Star on the move to the new site.

More of the colourful mosaics that have stood the test of time

Recent fire damage to one of the blocks

New home of the lovely S1Artspace in the old Park Hill garages - and the flat roof was originally a play area.  S1Artspace rescued this from demolition by moving in this summer.

And for the final bit of the tour we headed into the new Urban Splash part of the development - where some of the original staircases have been kept in.

but the "milk float" corridors have been narrowed a bit to provide more private entrances to the flats.  Loved the personalised glass corner displays at each flat.

Unsurpassed views across our wonderful city of Sheffield

Good appreciation of the original concept of the graduation in brick colours from red at the bottom to pale yellow at the top.  These were replaced with bright panels in the first phase of development but will be retained in the future work.

And a feel for the great open public space behind the flats.  Which could easily have ended up housing a multi story car park if developers had got their way.

A great day - and ended with a relaxing coffee at the lovely South Street Kitchen which opened earlier this year.

landmarks

Part one - Friday, Saturday and Sunday 23,24,25 February 2018

Our weekend started here!!  After a hearty homemade soup with dear friends at the Sawmill Cafe in Stratford, a truly fabulous performance by School21 students of Les Mis - moving, inspiring and wonderful

Let's pause for a rousing chorus ....

Then good beer and good company at the Secret Weapon followed by bed and breakfast at our usual lovely Dalston gaff!

Saturday

And we were on our way west out of London.  First gastro stop a great little find - The Tin Kitchen up on a hill in High Wycombe.  Fabulous brunch to fuel us and off into the sunny Chiltern Hills - red kites soaring overhead too many to number.

Collected the fifth member of our little crew, meandered through the sunny Oxfordshire lanes and went for a little leg stretch in the lovely unspoilt and unpopulated Warburg Nature Reserve

with lots of beautiful bare trees playing with the winter sun

Checked in at our Sonning hotel, the Great House, then off for our fabulous evening meal at the Wellington Arms, Baughurst.  And what an amazing landmark-eve treat that was for the birthday boy!!

Sunday - the Big Day dawns

And it's Happy Birthday to You ......... breakfast brunch and another big 'O' birthday conquered!!

lots of pressies to open

and a winter's amble beside the mighty Thames

and maybe time for a blast of that old song family Waugh used to march along to on country walks when we were little:

We had the three men - if only we'd had that boat!!

Next it was over to Henley on Thames to see the David Chipperfield's lovely River and Rowing Museum where we indulged in an afternoon tea (yes, food again!!)

and a spot of Wind in the Willows jollity

whilst hankering after a boathouse on the river!

The sun shone and it was just the happiest of happy birthdays.

Then, as the afternoon drew in it was time for the big birthday surprise  .......

A Swim and Dine package at the oh so wonderful and newly renovated Thames Lido in Reading - what a treat

We were given fluffy towels, bathrobes and flip flops and there we were, February 2018, one of the coldest winters for years, lounging OUTDOORS in the hot tub and braving the beautiful clear waters of the swimming pool, with the odd hot respite in the sauna - and it was totally fabulous and luxurious and special.

And there was more to follow - a sumptuous and delicious 5 course taster dinner in the fabulous restaurant spanning the edges of the pool

It was nothing short of magical

And here's the special birthday boy once again - the proof of a happy day is in the pudding as they say!! ha ha.  And of course in the smile.

HaPpY hApPy BiRtHdAy DeAr MiKe   X x X x X

and the celebrations continue in Marshes and Mud - read on if you dare!