Lyme Park on Easter Sunday

Ten years ago on Easter weekend I took a long train ride across the Scottish and English countryside all to catch a glimpse of Mr. Darcy and his esteemed estate, Pemberley.  Ahem, I mean, to see the beautiful grounds of Pemberley.  (Ahem...) Sorry, that's not right either, I mean, Lyme Park, the location of P&P '95's Pemberley.

The 6 hour journey from Aberdeen went through Edinburgh to Carlisle and then to Stockport and finally to the small city of Disley in Cheshire.  Along the way there were beautiful hills full of green grass and sheep.  Because it was spring, there were also lambs. Lots of lambs with their mamas.  I distinctly remember seeing a lamb stand up and immediately topple over onto a brother or a sister.  Could it have been its first time standing?

I traveled with my American friend, Ellie, who was also very excited to visit Lyme Park.  Our Saturday arrival was met with torrents of rain as our taxi dropped us off at the main entrance.  (Rather than walk from the train station in a downpour a la Marianne Dashwood and catching a horrific fever, we opted for the taxi.)

We did the best we could on such a rainy day--we toured every inch of the house!  Lyme Park is part of the National Trust in England, much like our Nat'l Historic Register etc.  It is well maintained and hosts a variety of local functions throughout the year.  No pictures were allowed inside the house, so all I have are postcards of beautifully ornate rooms in a scrapbook.  It was beautiful, and I swear I saw Mr. Darcy run down a set of stairs but then I blinked and the moment was gone.  Sigh. 

By the time we were ready to head to our B&B, it was only lightly raining.  The picture to the right shows the road we walked down to get from the park to Disley and our B&B.  It had a very English country walk feel to it. It was there that I saw what I kept looking for and had never actually seen.  An honest to goodness English countryside footbridge!  So, of course, I had to pose for a photo opp.  (See below.)  After the mile walk from the park to The Grey Cottage,  our wonderful beyond compare B&B!, we had a quiet evening watching British TV and reading a horribly ill written Dawson's Creak spinoff novel.  (Note my enthusiasm about our B&B.  In other words, should you make a trek to Lyme Park, I highly recommend this place!) 

The Grey Cottage

Looking out on a beautiful Easter Sunday morning from Grey Cottage.

On Easter Sunday, the sun came out and we took an early morning walk to Lyme Park one more time before catching the train back to Stockport etc.  An Easter tradition on the grounds of the park is that local families bring their children for an Easter Egg hunt.  We saw tons of children in their Easter Sunday attire running around by the garden finding eggs.  Of course, did I take photos of this event.  No.  So, just imagine children hunting eggs.   It was also delightful to see the park in the sunshine.  We were able to walk outsite and catch that (in)famous glimpse that Elizabeth sees as she approaches Pemberley!

A few more for kicks...

The 'back' of Lyme Park, what visitors see first upon entering from the main gate.

Walking to Lyme Park from Disley/Grey Cottage.  Building in the background is the Cage.  A hunting tower that women would go to in order to watch men hunt.

The Cage a bit closer.

But wait!, there's more!

10 years ago Easter Sunday.... (This is the foot bridge photo I mentioned earlier.)

2010 Easter Sunday.  

Dunnottar Castle

A place needs to be pretty memorable to visit it more than once.  In Scotland that place was Dunnottar Castle.  Recommended to me by a college friend who'd been in Aberdeen the year prior to me, I visited it three fabulous times during my semester in Aberdeen (1. with American friend Ellie Feb 21, 2000,  2. with DH March 27, 2000 and with my parents June 5, 2000).  It was by far my favorite site in Scotland!

Dunnattar Castle is located just south (1.5 miles) of the village of Stonehaven, a mere 20 minute (15 mile) bus ride from Aberdeen's bus depot & train station.  It sits on a cliff hugging the North Sea.  It not an easy journey to get within its walls.  The footpath one takes after the initial parking lot walk is steep and narrow and full of stairs one must traverse both up and down.  On a sunny day, it is bright and invigorating to see a place with such history and on a wet day it is forboding and haunting as an old sea-side fortress should be.  To learn more quickly, read the Wikipedia article. Quick piece of trivia:  The castle was used in the filming of Mel Gibson's Hamlet.

Pictures are a hodge podge of those three visits.

Walking down the main entrance from the road.

The village of Stonehaven, as seen from a footpath walking north from the castle to the village.

One Step Behind or Happy Belated Robert Burns Day

I have good intentions. Really, I do. But as per usual these days, I am simply one step behind.

Yesterday, in mind I celebrated the Scottish celebration of Robert Burns Day or Robbie Burns Day. I thought longingly of partaking in a Burns' supper feast of haggis, neeps and tatties while someone recited the Address to a Haggis. And I lifted my imaginary pint 'o cider to Dear Ol' Robbie Burns. (If you can't remember what he wrote, think "A Red, Red Rose" or "To a Mouse.")

And with this commemoration of Robbie Burns, the Scottish poet, I remember fondly a time not so long ago...Or was it...GOOD GOD!--Was it ten years ago already?...

On January 27, 2000, I embarked on an adventure to Aberdeen, Scotland to study at the University of Aberdeen for 5 1/2 months. In honor of this precious time a decade ago, I will offer a series of photo blog posts commemorating my trip. I just digitized my photos from the trip and am excited to share them online with some far away friends. (Although I now realize that I took extremely boring photos. I might gently borrow some photos from online. DH and M&D, I might be coming for your negatives from your visits! )

*Warning & Note: Should you read this blog and see a younger version of you at some point in the next several weeks, enjoy it and don't hunt me down. :)

Aberdeen: The guidebook I had described Aberdeen as a "Symphony in Gray." Oh how true. And how beautiful. Covered in the local gray granite, even the streets have gray granite in them. While wet and rainy much of the time, the sun seems to make an appearance at least once a day and whether wet or sparkling in the sun the gray of Aberdeen is beautiful.

St. Machar's Cathedral in Old Aberdeen (where I went to church). Located near Seaton Park and University (Uni).
St. Machar's Cathedral from Seaton Park in the spring.

Daffodils in Seaton Park (found online, forgive me).


A street in Old Aberdeen (crossing the River Don? or between Hillhead Residence & Uni? I can't remember exactly and the scrapbook is downstairs and I'm really tired, but I think I could walk right to this bridge if I was there. Funny how memory retains bits like that, eh? (Eh and it's usage: I met several fabulous Canadians in Aberdeen and they really did use "Eh" quite a bit and it stuck.)