Not Around Preston

Alston is a pretty village in Cumbia - though well east of the Lakes. It claims to be the highest market town in England at 1000 feet above sea level, sharing the title with Buxton. It is an isolated town - for England - with the nearest neighbour over 16 miles away by road. It is northeast of Penrith, and the nearest motorway, and the road goes over Hartside summit, 1903 feet above sea level. It is not a road to try in bad weather, but on a nice day you do get wonderful views over the Eden valley. We parked near the market cross, and headed up Front Street. And I do mean up... The town is built on a hill side. On the other side was a post office. the pillar box says "GR" on it, making it over 70 years old. This interesting building was the Carlisle and Cumberland Bank, apparently rebuilt in 1898. A bit further up is the Quakers meeting house, dating from 1732. On the other side is the old grammar school, converted into a fire station. I cannot imagine there are many examples...

Arnside is just over-the-border in Cumbria, across the Kent Estuary from Grange-over-Sands. It is best approached by the B5282 - the other roads are somewhat narrow - and from that road there is a good view of the estuary. As it nears Arnside, the road follows a disused railway that used to connect to the West Coast Mainline at Hincaster. This is the view of Arnside station from the footbridge, and you can see the estuary beyond it. The old railway joined this line just beyond the platform, from the right. After going through the station, the line crosses the estuary on a viaduct that is just over 500 m long, built in 1857, and reconstructed in 2011. This is the view upriver from the beyond the railway. The road from the station heads to the front, then curves left to run along the estuary. There is a pub, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, on the corner, and a free car park on the other side of the road. Looking towards the sea. Further along is a second pub, the Albion, looking rather more busy...

Dunham Massey is a Nation Trust property in Cheshire; a hall and park near the village of the same name. It is one of the top ten National Trust sites, and the only one of ten that had an increase in visitors during COVID.  The last time I visited was the day before I got married, over 30 years ago, with my mother, aunt and sister. Since then they have built a fancy new visitors' centre at the entrance from the extensive car park. There is a small lake, fancifully called the moat, but I suspect was constructed as a mill race. Standing beside it is an oak tree that is over 500 years old - older than the estate! The path leads to the back of the stables. The hall dates to 1616, though it was remodelled three times since. The stables states it was built in 1721. The other side of the stables. From here you can see the house itself. The brick facade looks much more modern than 1616; part of the later remodelling I guess. From the front of the house, a number of paths radiate outwards. ...