"South of Hadrian's Wall"

Between 120-130 AD, when the Romans conquered Britain, the armies built a wall that marked the Empire's Northwest border. The story, according to the Lad, was that the Romans said, "Right, all the people north of here are completely mental. Let's not bother with them and build a wall to keep them out." A fact that he took strange pride in, naturally, as any Scot would. Now, there is also the slightest chance that it could have been the cold temperatures and rough climate that kept the warm-blooded Romans out of Scotland; but not having the heart to hurt his pride that day, I let him have his glory.

And so, we traveled out of the land of William Wallace-sized pride to Northeast England. We walked-about York, which is nothing short of a medieval movie-set. The narrow, meandering streets are rightly called "the shambles," and there are is endless character. Then, we made it out to the Lad's parents home in Beverley. It was a lovely visit, made deliciously complete with a trip to Michelin-star, quaint, country cottage pub - The Pipe and Glass Inn and Restaurant. An all-time favorite of the family's, it was a wonderful evening!

On Saturday we traveled a bit North and visited friends for lunch and another walk-about - this time in the market town of Hexham. There is a gorgeous Abbey, built in 1170-1250. Then, it was on to another enjoyable "Inn & Pub" in Northumberland, for more quiet county-life. 


Sunday brought gorgeous, sunny weather, so we had to head to the BEACH in Alnmouth! People were fishing, walking, playing with dogs. I felt refreshed and very comfortable in my surroundings. The good times continued with a trip to the Alnwick Castle gardens. Amazing water-features, plants and flowers abounded. Of course, I loved the English Rose garden. 

However, my favorite were the ivy-canopied paths that outlined many of the features.Why, you may ask? For a moment, I was in a Jane Austen novel - enough said!