The Other Eden

We have recently returned from a few days break in the north of England, “Up t’ north” as they say. However, sad to relate, we didn’t see one pair of clogs nor even a shawl wrapped around the shoulders of the mill girls as they ended their shift. No mills actually, they have all been closed down, their work sent to foreign parts and the mills converted either into apartments or taken over by the National Trust so that we can still see what life was like in the good old bad old days.
In truth, we were farther north than the old industrial north and stayed along the not so far from Penrith, an area we had not really been to before and wish we had as it is truly an exceptionally beautiful area and still for the most part unspoiled. It is one of those areas where it is still possible to drive along relatively secluded roads, motoring as it was always meant to be, but now rarely ever is.
On our way up there we stopped in the little market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland having followed the A66 from Scotch Corner. This road is good, mostly dual carriageway, although you could almost guarantee that where it changed to single carriageway you would come behind an army convoy off on manoeuvres somewhere on the Pennines.
The tree-lined main street of Boroughgate lies at the heart of the town’s heritage, at either end of the thoroughfare High and Low Crosses mark the original boundaries of the market.


Boroughgate, Appleby-in-Westmorland 

At the top of the hill lies the castle, or what remains of it. Unfortunately, having walked to the top to see it more closely we found that it was closed for renovation work, so we crossed over the road to watch the lambs.


Tea Time 

This is one of those places where the town and countryside blend into each other.
At the bottom of the town runs the River Eden along which a very pleasant parkway has been created, from which you can follow its banks and watch the activities of the ducks.


River Eden 

Close to where we were staying was Acorn Bank Garden & Watermill, a property owned by the National Trust and worth a visit, although I think that the gardens would certainly be more interesting a little later in the season, but the walk to the watermill was very enjoyable, again following the River Eden amongst the remaining daffodils. The mill itself is no longer working, no shawls or clogs here either, but it has been well preserved by the trust.


Acorn Bank Water Mill 


A glorious drive through the Pennines takes you to Alston with the climb from the Eden Valley to England’s highest market town over Hartside where you get spectacular views of the rugged Pennines and glacial valleys.


Looking towards the Lake District from Hartside. 

In 2001 this route was nominated one of the Top Ten most scenic drives in the world. From Hartside (1903 feet) you should stop to take in the spectacular views of the Eden Valley; the Lake District National Park; the border city of Carlisle; the Solway Firth and Scotland.

Alston is now a seemingly very sleepy little town which was once one of the countries foremost lead mining areas.


Market Place, Alston 

Now it harbours a fine collection of gift and art shops and also some little shops that seemed to belong in another age, run seemingly by the local witch covens, although at no time did we feel anything other than most welcome.


There are still many wonderful places to visit in the UK, and we are still finding places that have eluded us over the years. The tendency when we were younger was always to consider the needs of our children when looking at the options for holidays. Now we can please ourselves and do what we want. As we discover more places within the British Isles, the desire to go further afield seems to fade somewhat. To my mind these days, it seems that the effort involved in getting to more exotic places outweighs the benefits when you actually get there. Perhaps I’m just getting old. Or wiser?