Categories: uncategorized
Date: 04 May 2009 06:55:06
Had a friend staying for the weekend and so yesterday went and did a bit of heritage. We went to Barnard Castle, a typical, picturesque northern market town. Barnard Castle itself is an English Heritage property. The grounds were vast with a beautiful sea of green grass punctuated with dandelions and daisies. It's the sort of place in the summer it would be wonderful to take a book and just go sit and chill. Alas yesterday it was too windy and an ickle bit chilly.
The ruins of the castle are more intact than the average, although most of it is just walls. There are also some beautiful views you can get over the River Tees.
The town of Barnard Castle is, to some extent, lost in time... yet v. much in our time. The oldy worldy garage was selling bio-fuels and Costa Coffeee was in evidence along the high street. Of course we didn't end up in Costa, that wouldn't have been in keeping with a day out. We enjoyed the delights of Penny's Tea Rooms. I understand from my friend the toasted cheese scones were delightful. Myself I was in cream tea mode and so had a warm fruit scone with jam and cream which was delicious. The price was reasonable and they certainly didn't skimp on the cream or jam. The tea was proper Yorkshire tea, (not sure what that means in practice, but it was a good cup). Think it may have been the same tea room as I visited in November when I went to the Bowes Museum which is just down the road.
Also went around a gallery displaying the work of a local artist whose name I didn't catch. It was the ground floor of a community hall and all rather quaint.
All in all the sort of day where one doesn't mind the guilt of not working and leaving behind the pile of marking. Was also great to catch up with my friend who had made the trek up from Kent to see me.