Ike and Jane went to visit the Holy Island which is also known as Lindisfarne in Northumberland. The island can only be accessed by a causeway when the tide is out so it is important to get the tide times to avoid becoming stranded on the island when the tide comes in. Short history of Holy Island Holy Island has a history from the 6th century AD and it was an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. After the Viking invasions and the Norman conquest of England, a priory was re-established. A smal ..read more

Jane’s friends invited her and Ike to join them on a coach trip to Campbeltown. On the day of the visit it was raining but as the coach travelled through Loch Lomond and Inveraray, the weather started clearing up. It was over four and a half hours to Campbeltown and on the way, there was a driver’s break at Luss. When the coach arrived at Tarbert at the top of the Mull of Kintyre the sky had brightened and the sun came out. The mood of everyone on the coach also brightened at the prospect of a sunny day in Campbeltown. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky. The original na ..read more

After watching the Jacobite Steam Train leaving Mallaig on the way to Fort William (see the previous post), Ike, Jane and friends got back on the minibus to travel to Glenfinnan to watch the steam train travelling over the Viaduct. Glenfinnan is halfway between Mallaig and Fort William. The steam train had left Mallaig at 14.10 and was due to cross the viaduct at around 15.10. There are also two steam trains running on Saturdays so there was a chance to see the two trains crossing the viaduct. Jacobite Steam Train at the Glenfinnan Viaduct The minibus got to Glenfinnan and Ike, Jane and friend ..read more

Ike, Jane and friends decided to go on a guided minibus tour of Glencoe, Glenfinnan and Mallaig to visit the historic places in the western highlands of Scotland. Jane said she had done this trip a few times on cycling holidays and it was very scenic. They caught the minibus from Buchanan Street Bus Station at 08.00 for a busy day out in the Highlands. The weather was cloudy as they travelled through Dumbarton and Luss to the first stop of the day at Tarbet. This is near the top of Loch Lomond and is the ferry departure point for many places around the loch. Ike, Jane and friends went for a sh ..read more

Back in the spring Ike and Jane decided between themselves to visit the small island of Inchailloch on Loch Lomond. They took the train to the town of Balloch in Dunbartonshire and then a small bus to village of  Balmaha on the south of the loch. This is the shortest ferry service to the island. A longer ferry service leaves from Luss Pier on the west of Loch Lomond. They enjoyed taking that boat trip on another occasion. The boat which transports passengers to Inchcailloch is called “Margaret”. Jane told Ike that this is the boat she has travelled on for as many years as she can remembe ..read more

Ike is away with Geography Cat’s friend Jane. He, she, and friends visited Luss on the western shore of Loch Lomond. Luss is one of the most popular places in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park in Scotland, and it boosts fine views of Ben Lomond. There are waterbus and cruise options to and from Luss Pier and the adventurers decided to take the Cruise Loch Lomond’s 90 minute cruise on the loch. Ike looks over Loch LomondIke looking towards Luss Pier The ferry was due to depart at 11.30 so they had time to walk around the village in the warm sunshine. There were a number ..read more

Ike and the Mr Men were as excited as Heather and Mark were to see the sun come out for their last day of exploring. The first stop was a drive over the famous Buttertubs Pass. If heights make you feel queasy this may not be the best road for you! However, as Ike was wearing his seatbelt, he felt perfectly happy, and he was very glad it was so sunny! The Buttertubs Pass is a high road in the Yorkshire Dales. The road winds its way north from Simonstone, near Hawes, towards Thwaite and Muker, past 20-metre-deep (66 ft) limestone potholes called the Buttertubs. It is said that the name of ..read more

After a few dry days during his adventure with Heather and Mark, the weather was back to pouring with rain, so all thoughts of the planned walk were abandoned, and instead Ike went to visit Sedbergh, the book town! It’s a very good place to go on a wet day. Sedbergh is England’s official Book Town. You can choose from a huge variety of books, from cheap reads to collectables, available from a wide range of book sellers in shops & cafes. You can even sit and read a book in the Book Shelter! It has three independent bookshops within the town itself, ranging from the massive Westwood Books t ..read more

After such an epic adventure the previous day, Ike, Heather, Mark,and the Mr Men had a lie in before taking a walk around by where they were staying. They wanted to finally get the Hawes Church multi-cache, for which they had worked out the coordinates a few days ago. They followed a footpath, and enjoyed the views of Wensleydale, before coming to part of the old packhorse route from Settle to Hawes, see the accompanying photo with information. First geo-cache They walked up the packhorse route, which is now a rough farm track, drivable, but definitely not fast! They found two caches along her ..read more

Ike, Heather and Mark, and the Mr Men were all delighted to see the sunshine was back, and knew this was going to be a good day of exploring. Their first stop was at the Aysgarth Edwardian Rock Garden, a real little gem of a place and highly recommended if you happen to pass by. Aysgarth Edwardian Rock Garden must be one of the most unusual Listed Buildings in the Yorkshire Dales. It was commissioned in the years prior to the First World War by Frank Sayer-Graham who owned the cottage opposite. Frank Sayer-Graham was a local landowner and by all accounts a colourful character. He dealt in rar ..read more