A Few Photos from Northumberland Trip, return today.

The pictures show Budle Bay, Bamburgh Castle, George the dog (mine!), Stublick Moor (bog & hill), Pennines with some vestiges of winter snow on the way from Alston to Hartside Pass, views from Hartside on the way down to Melmerby looking west towards the Lake District.

Bamburgh was on Saturday and the weather was good with no wind. It’s awful when the wind blows.

On a day like today, it really was a good day to be alive in that place right then. On Stublick Moor, one of my favourite places, and dropping down Hartside with the Lake District chiselled black above the white fog.

Budle Bay is full of birds and bird-watchers

Budle Bay is full of birds and bird-watchers. The tide goes in. The tide goes out. Budle Bay is full of birds and bird-watchers.

Viewpoint of Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh church contains the burial place of Grace Darling with the RNLI museum over the road.

Inside the church, the very spot where St Aidan died, in 651 AD is marked with a candle thingy.

The church is visible in front of the castle to the right, with a square tower. The wooden buttress that Aidan was leaning on when he died is stuck up in the roof so people can’t chip religious relics away!

It’s actually a wonderful place to be, even if you’re not a christian, like me, but especially if you have a liking for history and how events from the distant past affect our lives even now.

If Aidan hadn’t have done his stuff, then the Archbishop wouldn’t be pontificating and making a furore this weekend – as there wouldn’t have been English Christianity, or Bishops etc, and thus possibly no North American Christian fundamentalists. Funny how it works, init? Apparently, when the Vikings invaded 140 years later, Aidan’s bones were picked up and eventually found their way to Glastonbury, down here in Somerset.I wasn’t alive then so I can’t vouch for it though. 😉

If Grace Darling hadn’t have done her stuff, then Sir William Hillary would have found it harder to build the RNLI into the organisation it is today. Her example was (and still is) used as an example of selfless courage.

George, the Bearded Collie

George is a Bearded Collie with more pedigree than the old queen. They are also called beardies, and the dogs are too.

Stublick Moor

Stublick Moor.

The chimney was at the end of a mile-long flue!

The chimney was at the top of a mile long flue to suck lead fumes out of a smelter.

This was 150 years ago. Or so. No industry now. It’s really peaceful.

Stublick Moor

Stublick Moor.

One of my favourite places in the world.

Calming George

George, the dog, was good and didn’t worry the sheep as they were all in a nice tidy group.

He gets worried when they are all spread out.

His natural inclination is to herd them up.

He goes for the stragglers to get them in line.

I’ve seen him do it. With cows as well.

Down the hill past the old mines. Left at the T junction then on to Whitfield and then up and down to Alston.
On the way up to Hartside heading west.Snow still on the Pennines (well, it is the beginning of February but with global warming, it just feels wrong now to see ANY snow!)

Looking and going down Hartside, west.

The snow poles are visible! You know when you’re in a dodgy place when you see the snow poles.

This road was made by John Macadam and he graded it so that a donkey could safely pull a half ton cart up the hill over 200 years ago.

Macadam’s name continues in the word “Tarmac” i.e. tar-macadam

At the weekends in good weather, Hartside resembles a motorcycle race track except they all stop and get off at the cafe at the top.

Fortunately, they keep killing themselves, so it’s Darwinian natural selection in action.There really should be more evolutionary biologists up here.

It’s like a field trip.

Unfortunately, lots of twat Subaru fart cars are making an appearance now.

One nearly made a major smash right in front of me in Bearsbridge, Whitfield (30mph zone!)

The person entering the road near the shop coming from Vindolanda just saw the twat in time so didn’t pull out. Else they’d be dead. The twat was on the wrong side of the road overtaking a whole two cars! Gosh. On a blind left hander with a road entering from the right.

In a car, their stupidity will take someone else with them.

What a fucking cunt.

Like I said; just before the blind left-hander.

Like I say. What a fucking cunt.

M5 Avonmouth at sunset. Nearly home!