This week saw us
collecting our zippy little six-speed diesel Kia hire car and setting out to
trip around England. After watching the Korean’s Black Eagles synchronised fighter
jet routine at the Waddington International Air Show I have a newfound respect
for all things Korean.
After a traditional
fish and chip lunch with Gary and Donna Brooks at Cleethorpes following a tour
of the 100 Squadron museum at Waltham, we hit the road for… well I wasn’t sure
where but during the course of the day we went past former RAF bases Lindholme
(now a prison) and Finningley (now Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster), where
Edgar was based in 1943.
Saw Andy & David’s
Vulcan Bomber languishing with some mechanical problems on a runway at
Finningley, so we stopped to take some photos. Continuing on we eventually
found some lodgings at the Chevin Inn in West Yorkshire that unexpectantly but happily
turned out to be a mere two miles from the home of Margaret Berry who we were
meeting the next day.
Margaret is the widow
of Edgar’s good friend and fellow Lancaster pilot Jim Berry who sadly passed
away last year. During the war Margaret was a WRAF (Women’s Royal Air Force)
Sergeant and watch-keeper at the Lindholme control tower. One of life’s true
treasures; had she not been heading over to the south of France with her family,
I would have kidnapped Margaret and taken her along on our most excellent
adventure.
After a lovely morning
looking at photographs and lunch with Margaret, we said goodbye and headed up
to RAF Leeming, the home of 100 Squadron, Squadron Leader Bruce Farquhar and
his Hawk fighter jets. We spent a fascinating few hours at the base and were
lucky enough to see the last Tornado fighter jet fly in; its final flight
before being decommissioned.
From RAF Leeming we
drove towards the Yorkshire Dales and stayed at a traditional English pub, The
Golden Lion in Leyburn on the eastern edge of the Dales. Our plan was to drive
through the middle of the Yorkshire Dales the next morning but our plans were
thwarted due to unseasonal flooding which caused road closures.
Not to be deterred I
found a (goat) track north of the main road which turned out to be part of the
Pennine Way (famous English hike). For the next few hours I felt as though we
were on the set of “All Creatures Great and Small” and perhaps we would encounter
James Herriot around the next corner (we didn’t). All we passed in the fog and
rain were hikers, stray sheep and the magnificent English countryside until
eventually we came to the county of Cumbria and the beautiful Lake District.
The 18th
century Brakenrigg Inn at Watermillock was our accommodation that night
overlooking the beautiful Ullswater Lake. Before leaving the next day we
enjoyed a two-hour ferry ride up and down the entire length of the lake. Of all
the country we covered on our Excellent Adventure, the Lake District has been
the most picturesque of all.
Last Saturday night we
arrived at The Fountain, a 1769 inn at Ingbirchworth formerly known as The Rag
& Louse. On Sunday we started heading towards Oxford and got as far as
Shakespeare’s home, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Back in 1685 when William
Shakespeare set out to London he was a young, twenty-one year old man, married
with three children and no career in sight to support his family… I can’t help
thinking he turned out ok.
Not far out of town we
discovered The Blue Boar Inn near Temple Grafton. Established in the 1600s and
now with free wifi (wireless internet…. is anyone else finding this
amazing?!).
After a delicious
roast beef dinner with Yorkshire pudding we set about meeting some of the locals
(Gemma, Sam, Cathy, Gerry and Chris), who were great… as was the Navy Rum which
has been making a big contribution to this week’s column… hoping it turns me
into a literary genius…
Tomorrow (which
technically is last Monday to you dear readers), we will be staying with former
“Cadell” jillaroo Sarah, who lives with her husband Tony on their farm south of
Oxford.
By the time you read
this we will be in Paris on the final leg of the EAAEEAE (Edgar and Annie’s
Excellent Epic Adventure to England). Hmmm… I may need to change the acronym
for next week’s column to EAAEEAP…
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