There and Back

A city since 1094, Norwich is the county town of Norfolk and unofficially seen as East Anglia's capital. From the Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution, Norwich was the largest city in England after London and one of the most important. The city is the most complete medieval city in the United Kingdom, including cobbled streets such as Elm Hill, Timber Hill and Tombland, ancient buildings such as St Andrew's Hall, half-timbered houses such as Dragon Hall, The Guildhall and Strangers' Hall, the Art Nouveau of the 1899 Royal Arcade, many medieval lanes and the winding River Wensum that flows through the city centre towards Norwich Castle. The city has two universities, the University of East Anglia and the Norwich University of the Arts, and two cathedrals, Norwich Cathedral and St John the Baptist Cathedral. Norwich Cathedral is dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is...

Cornwall / Devon is a wonderful part of the UK. Amongst many others of course!. This holiday was to be with Matthew and Vicki plus their gorgeous son Adam. Welcombe was our destination - just inside Devon but right on the border with Cornwall. Not far along the road from our holiday let was Welcombe Mouth Bay with its lovely waterfall crashing over the edge and running to the sea. Very picturesque! We had some lovely walks just from here. Looking up the beach to the waterfall. A good example of the rock strata further along the beach. Another lovely spot not far away - Hartland Point ..... ... this had a bigger waterfall called Wayefalls, and (below) a nearby camping spot - stunning! If you are in this part of the world, you have to visit Clovelly. It has a harbour and is a tourist attraction notable for its steep pedestrianised cobbled main street, donkeys and views over the Bristol Channel. At the 2011 census, the parish...

A mixture of images from more of our Dales exploration starting with a visit to a ruined abbey. Yorkshire certainly has its fair share of these!  Jervaulx Abbey is the country's largest privately owned Cistercian Abbey, most others being in the hands of English Heritage or National Trust. It is situated in East Witton near the city of Ripon, was one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, England, dedicated to St. Mary in 1156. It is a Grade I listed building.  At the height of its prosperity the abbey owned half of the valley and was renowned for breeding horses, a tradition that remains in Middleham to the present day. It was also the original home of Wensleydale cheese. In 1279 Abbot Philip of Jervaulx was murdered by  one of his monks. His successor, Abbot Thomas, was initially accused of the crime, but a jury later determined that he was not to blame, and another monk fled under outlawry.  Like many of the 900 or so religious building in Henry VI...

On the way to our holiday cottage in Marrick, we stopped at Richmond where we visited the castle and toured the town before doing some shopping. Richmond Castle is the best-preserved example of an early Norman castle in England apparently. Probably begun in the 1070s by Alan Rufus, who had fought at the Battle of Hastings, it was expanded in the 12th century by his great-nephew Conan, who built the keep. By 1540 the castle was derelict, but it later became a popular tourist destination. During the First World War it was used as a prison for conscientious objectors, including the Richmond Sixteen. Who? - The Richmond Sixteen were a group of "absolutist" British conscientious objectors during the First World War. Conscripted into the British Army in 1916, they refused to undertake even non-combatant military duties. Brought together at Richmond Castle, Yorkshire, most not knowing each other previously, they were transported to France, where they were court-martialled and form...