The Long Way

Today has very much been a day for doing things the long way. Be it distance, time or both. But it has also had some interesting revelations. And lots of ponderance (possibly more than was required, but these things happen). And *now* the day has chocolate. Which always makes things infinitely better.

So, as my weekends are beginning to do on a fairly regular basis, it started earlier than was entirely necessary which resulted in a relatively prompt departure from Hebden off on the day's first adventure. Yesterday was my last day at work for a week and I'm now looking forward to a week in Morecambe with various friends visiting during the week. However, there was no particular urgency to get over to Morecambe today so I thought I'd take the opportunity to take the scenic route to Morecambe....via Carlisle.

You see, the tourist board people would have you believe that the line between Settle & Carlisle is one of the most stunning in the country, so much so they do regular "go on a steam train and make an outing of it" trips up there. Anyway, bit of a diversion for my usual trips to Morecambe, but thought I'd see what all the fuss was about. Unfortunately my overwhelming sense is that it is, in fact, a lot of fuss. The countryside is nice, but as a train-views connoisseur, it wasn't outstanding. The coastal line up to Aberdeen, and the track between Perth & Inverness would be higher up my list - actually, probably even the Lake-District-and-further-north bit of the West Coast mainline. So in some ways it was a bit disappointing, but I was glad to have done it as I now have my own informed opinion of it...

So that was long way round numero uno.

Having got to Carlisle I thought I'd have a wander around - found an art exhibition at the cathedral, wandered in the cathedral itself and was going to go in the castle but after a "no thank you, I'm happy perusing on my own" conversation not ending and resulting in me having to decline assistance repeatedly, I decided sitting in the sun just outside the castle reading was a much better option. Carlisle seems to be a very tourist-friendly city: there are a number of different sites within very easy walking distance and if you're there for longer there's plenty within easy reach as well. A house which is now a museum (name of which I now forget) had a lovely medicinal / edible garden in the style it would have been a couple of hundred years back which I enjoyed - although the champagne flute hiding in a flower bed was a tad random.

Back to the station (having studiously avoided the many charity shops I saw - only to see a friend had specifically mentioned them on my return to a computer!) and the first train departing going my direction was one...that went all the way around the Cumbrian coast. Another long way round: this time both distance & timewise. When I'd looked up train times Carlisle - Morecambe earlier it was either 1 hr and 7 min, or 1 hr and about 30 min. This train took 3 and a half hours just to get to Lancaster. But that was the way today went - so on I hoped!

It being Cumbria the train went right past Sellafield which brought back memories of going to peace camps there - and turning up by train with a huge heap of stuff! I spent the journey variously snoozing, gazing and reading (a book of little essays on the philosophy of various little bits of life - the easiest-to-read philosophy book I've come across thus far) and found myself in Lancaster just after 7pm. The next train on to Morecambe wasn't for half an hour or so, so I thought I'd pop into town to get some food...

...popping into town turned into failing to get food and walking back to Morecambe, it being a gloriously sunny evening and having spent most of the day just sitting watching the world go by. Don't think I'd choose to walk it again (it's a nice cycle, but a bit longer than I'd choose for a walk which isn't taking in amazing vistas) but it felt like the right thing to do. Albeit the longer (time wise) one. As well as taking the long route, today's journeys have all been a continual "going forward" - none of them have gone back over the same ground. There's something I quite like about that feeling.

The Morecambe house is still standing although I think everyone's out tonight as it's rather quiet - which suits me. Walking along the front I saw one of the flats in the block at the end of my street which look out on the sea was for sale...which reminded me of another property for sale I'd seen in Hebden. I looked up the Hebden one and it was pretty much the price I'd expected it to be. I looked up the Morecambe one and was both pleasantly surprised to see that the property prices seem to be making a bit of a recovery and also completely befuddled by the fact that 2 bed flats were on the market for more than I paid for my lovely lovely house. Craziness.

And after all today's fun and games, I seem to have decided it's time to make a serious dent in my chocolate supplies. Which I'm succeeding in doing rather well :)