For our final day of our trip away we decided to stay closer to home. We had thought about driving in the opposite direction and heading for the Yorkshire Dales rather than the Lakes, but decided against on the grounds that (1) the weather looked a bit iffy, (2) we needed to get the car charged ready to head home the following day, and (3) we were tired after the previous days excursions. It was a good call. I found us a walking route near Penrith, which turned out to be a feast of history (which made me happy!) and to have an excellent cafe on route (which made us both happy!). Even better, it was flat. No climbing! M is happy to trail round historical sites with me as he enjoys the walk and the scenery, but has very limited interest in history - generally just things he can identify with on a personal level. It is also always down to me to choose our route and be in charge of the map (or, these days, the app) as he has absolutely no sense of direction.
Considering we have stayed in Appleby so many times, I am amazed that we had never explored this area before. First stop was the ruins of medieval Brougham Castle. We didn't go in - it is managed by English Heritage and thanks to the pandemic entrance has to be booked in advance - but admired it and took photos from the road. We have driven past it many times, but had never stopped to look properly.
We then cut across some fields and followed the river for a while, before reaching the village of Eamont Bridge. The bridge itself was the ancient boundary between the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland, now amalgamated to form Cumbria.
We crossed the road and took a loop round to a prehistoric site, Mayburgh Henge. The henge is thought to be between four and five thousand years old, and stands in the middle of a circular bank built of small stones and pebbles. There was once either one or two circles of standing stones surrounding the great stone in the centre. Now it stands alone, ancient and mysterious - the presumption is that these sites were built for religious and ritual purposes, but beyond that we can only guess how they were used.
We then headed back to the main road and found another giant stone, this time a modern one erected in 2000 to commemorate the millennium. It is a 50 ton block of granite from a local quarry, carved with an alpha on one side, an omega on the opposite side and a cross in the centre.
Eamont Bridge also has a second prehistoric site, known as King Arthur's Round Table - it is far too early to be associated with "Arthur" (if he ever existed), but it is round, hence the name. Arial views show the circular raised "table" mound in the centre very clearly, though one edge is now under a road. My photo only hints at some earthworks, but it was the best I could do!
Then it was back to the middle ages, with this lovely little chapel dedicated to St. Wilfred which is accessed through a door in the wall running alongside the road and up some steps.
From the chapel there is a footbridge across the road to the ruins of Brougham Hall, a large fortified medieval manor house, now the focus of a major restoration project. The outer buildings are still atmospheric ruins - this had me thinking of the ruined Cair Paravel in Prince Caspian. Much of the main courtyard has been restored and the buildings put back into use as shops and workshops for local crafts people and artists. There was also a cafe where we had a delicious lunch, run by a local charity in conjunction with a home for young mentally disabled adults and selling home cooked food.
After we left Brougham Hall it was a short walk back to the car - just as well it wasn't too far as at that point it started to rain. Just before we got back to Brougham Castle we past earthworks marking the site of Brocavum, a Roman fort. You can just about see some raised ground in amongst the sheep. There really was an unbelievable range of historical sites and areas packed into this small area!
After our walk we drove into Penrith and (eventually) hooked the car up to a charging point in the car park of a supermarket which had a cafe, so while the charger was doing its thing we went for coffee and cake in the cafe, then for a short stroll around Penrith where I spotted this sign opposite the Church which made me chuckle.
In comparison this weekend has been very lazy - for me and TG, at least; M has been at work and H is studying. Yesterday TG and I watched the film Enola Holmes on Netflix, which we both really enjoyed. M and I also binge watched Road Kill over the weekend, a short BBC political drama series about an ambitious minister with a dodgy private life. TG and her friend went shopping in Milton Keynes this afternoon - the first time she has gone somewhere by train on her own, so a new milestone. I don't think they really wanted to buy anything, just to enjoy the fact that they are old enough to go out independently.
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