Emerging from Lockdown

The second lockdown imposed on us here in the UK over the winter period, has been arduous. It has heavily impeded our freedoms and our ability to get out rambling across the countryside; I narrowly avoided cabin fever!

The beginning of May saw the easing of the restrictions and I took advantage of a week’s leave by taking a short trip to Mow Cop on the Cheshire/Staffordshire border, calling in to see my Dad on the way.

This folly was built as a summerhouse in 1754 by Randle Wilbraham of Rhode Hall; purposely built to mimic a castle. In 1937 it was handed over to the National Trust who have looked after it since.

It was a wet, windy and cold day. In keeping with the unseasonably cold weather we were experiencing. The cop seemed to be on a weather front; looking towards Cheshire there were blue skies but dark and stormy towards Staffordshire.

From here I took at trip to the other side of the Pennines to see my brother and his partner, whom I haven’t seen since Christmas 2019.

The plan was to do some walking but the bad weather continued it’s damp theme. So we decided to visit Castle Howard.

If you are fans of the TV series ‘The Great’, you may recognise some of these pictures, as the estate is the setting for parts of the show.

We first wandered around the rose garden, the flowers were not in bloom yet and the gloomy weather gave it a drab look.

We continued walking around the grounds coming up along the Atlas Fountain that the rear of the castle over looks. This fountain features a few times in the TV show.

Unfortunately due to Covid restrictions we were unable to go inside the Castle; it would have been nice to see the interior, for the very least to dry off a bit! I stupidly decided not to don my boots, resulting in my trainers being completely wet through!

Residing to our wet fate, we continued to meander through the grounds, to sound of my footwear squelching. On our now very soggy map, there is an Aztec pyramid within a wooded part of the estate. With the promise of an exotic building, we continued our exploration.

After about 30 minutes winding our way through ‘Ray Wood’ we stumbled across the the pyramid. It was some what of an anti-climax, as I was expecting a large building nestled within the wood.

However it was a collection of decorative bricks! We then made our way to the Boathouse before following the path past the front of the castle.

The views were great despite the weather. How the other half lived back in the day! The opulence on show starkly demonstrated the separation of those with money and those without it.

The amount of wealth the Howard family must have possessed when it was first built in 1701 is certainly evident. A whole different world!

Having seen all we could, we headed back to Leeds and my whirlwind tour visiting my family came to an end; I took the long drive back south to Northamptonshire.

Fast forward 3 weeks and further lockdown restrictions eased as June arrived. The first weekend in June marks the start of my annual pilgrimage to the Lake District, for the Keswick Beer Festival. Unfortunately for the second year running it has been postponed due to Covid.

Having already booked accomodation in advance and not to let an opportunity of spending time in the most scenic part of England pass by; we are still heading up. I aim to conquer some more Wainwrights and enjoy the return of our freedoms!

Bank Holiday Monday couldn’t arrive soon enough. I shoved my hiking clothes in my trusty Berghaus Leviathan duffelbag, chucked my faithful Osprey Talon backpack into the boot of my car and headed to my Mum’s in Warrington where I am due to meet my Brother on Friday, to travel up together.

The sunny weather followed me up as well! I couldn’t resist making hay while the sun shined and went on a short walk along the Bridgewater Canal to the Leigh Arms, at Acton Bridge with my Mum.