A visit to see Niece #1

This is a bit of an epic, you may want to get a drink, there are lots of pictures to click on, have fun.

Big sis and M where going up to Lancaster to see K (the freshman) on Sunday and asked if I'd like to tag along.
Having nothing better to do and wanting to see K and her new stomping grounds I took Big sis and M up on their offer.
The drive up to Lancaster was quicker than I expected and the weather was less than spectacular, but at least I wouldn't need the coat I had in my rucksack
And as you can see there is a torch in the net, like I said I always carry a torch when I'm travelling, you never know when you'll need one.

One thing I can say about Lancaster is it's quite hilly, K will be a lot fitter by the time she graduates. No matter where you are in the place you're on a hill and given the choice of either up or down.
And considering it was a Sunday town was quite full
Seeing as it has just gone 12 noon we decide to get a bite to eat, unfortunately it's in Mac Donald's, I'd have preferred Burger King or at a push a sandwich from Sayers or Greggs, ho hum.
You'll notice though, that the shop (they're NOT restaurants) isn't as gaudy as the ones you find elsewhere, it's almost as if they tried to make it blend in with the rest of the stone buildings surrounding it.
I had a Big Mac™ meal.

We do a circuit of the town, it's a lot smaller than I had imagined and doesn't take too long to walk around, here are some views of the town...
While we walk around the town I see that they have a Victoria monument in a square in front of the town hall, but we're going in the wrong direction, not a problem as I'll get to see it later once we've been to see the castle.
A castle! Brilliant! I haven't been to a castle since I was about 14, this day is getting better and better. But like most castles it's on a hill, OK around here it's on a bigger hill. Onward and upward...
On the way we pass this cross
and here is the Lancashire rose at its base (a red rose for Lancashire and a white one for Yorkshire).
Anyway, onwards once again
What was the name of that street again?

And now for the smallest building with the thickest tiles I have seen in quite a while...

Just next door is a fine example of an early free hospital

Anyway, behind me and up the hill just a bit more I can see the castle, I can't wait to start walking around it and asking the curators all sorts of damn fool questions.
Hang on a minute, some thing's not quite right here, if I could just put my finger on it, hmmm.
The doors are shut, that's what's wrong. The entrance must be through a postern. Here's a look at the figure 2/3 up and set into the wall.
No, things are still not right here, what does that sign on the left hand side of the entrance say? I'll have to get closer.
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE TAKING THE PISS!
It's a smegging prison!?
Bloody cons in this country are pampered as it is, now they're living in grade 1 listed buildings and stopping the general public from looking around it's heritage. It's just not fair.
So as I stand there thinking really bad thoughts, there is a rattling of keys in the little door, the door opens and a bloke with a huge grin on his face steps through the door and the prison guard behind him wishes him good luck before closing and locking the door.
I think that if I ever get sent down for anything, I'll ask if I can be sent to Lancaster castle.

It's not a complete washout, there is a walk way around the out side taking you to the rear of the quite small castle and to a church.
And just in case there is any doubt about who all the castles in the UK belong to there is a small sign just above head hight.
Below is the walkway from below, you go from right to left and on down the steps.

and now for a close up of the fountain, fitted to celebrate queen Victoria being on the throne for 50 years (one hell of a potty break).
and here's the church
In the next picture you can see the Lake district
Can you see it?

Anyway, at the back of the church is an overgrown footpath that will take us down to the river and back around to town.
About half way down we come across this sign...
COOL!
Here we have the foundations of the Roman bath house, this is fantastic, I've only ever seen them in books or on the tv
This is all there is and it's behind a rusty fence, oh and the board explaining the archaeology is hidden from view by the overhanging branches of a tree and the 4 foot tall grass, grass that's buzzing with even more airborne insects than the rest of town.
You sort of get the feeling that it was only discovered when they where digging the foundations of the concrete monstrosity that squats over it, regard...
If I had my way I'd tear that building down and develop the site as a heritage site. Some town planners just need shooting.

Off we go again, this time in a downwards direction...
at the bottom of this path is a small river, no pictures of that though, well once you've seen one small river, you've seen 'em all.
But here's a signpost for you all to enjoy...
And of course no trip to Lancaster whilst visiting Niece #1 would be complete without a trip to ...
...so that Big sis and M can make sure K has some more supplies, more free food for the impoverished student, aren't dad's great.

Once out of the supermarket we head straight to halls...

...so that K can put the shopping away and get the frozen stuff into the fridge. Niece #3, N, came with us as well, so after the shopping had been put away N&K catch up and do each others hair while the grown-ups go for a bimble. I want to see the Victoria monument and Big sis and M want to find a decent hotel. On the way back into town we have to pass the monument, we're taking a different route than the one we took earlier.
Here's the monument.
and now from the front
As you could see there are some friezes around the base, here they are for your pleasure (and mine)...
but in this next one you can see where some wags have scraped the oxide away or used chalk in certain areas giving some of the people moustaches, including Florence Nightingale and some poor chap has been given horns. The little tykes.
So we've seen the queen and now we have to find a hotel. We find one and go in to check it out, well Big sis and M do, I just follow on behind just looking at stuff. They start talking to the receptionist and I continue to look around me, place looks nice. I can't remember the name of the place because of what I next see sitting at the end of the counter, something in my head goes "Fizzzzt!"
A bloody Christmas tree!
(checks the month on the paper in the lobby, just in case the front door was the Guardian on the edge of forever, no it's still September 2007)

Come on! we haven't even had Halloween yet!
Or bonfire night .
The fact that retailers (and small groups of nut jobs), keep bringing important festival dates forward each year in order to squeeze yet more money out of the general public, well it just presses all my buttons and grinds my gears.
I start to splutter indignantly and can't help the expletives that get past my teeth. The shops have had the Halloween stuff out for the last 3 weeks as it is, what's next Easter eggs in july, get them early, avoid the rush!
GITS!

Anyway, big breaths (yeth and I'm not even thixteen yet), I'm calm again and we're walking down the road when M points this out to me...

All that's down there is this closed coffee house and here's the ally from the next street...
But this next one had me gasping for breath in between snorts and giggles...
And in this next one you would think that the holiday company Thomas Cook would think of moving.
It's nearly time to go home and so we head back to halls to pick up N and say goodbye to K.
On the way we come across this pub
You'll notice the brass plaque and the scroll like thing on the right. The building is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in England...

We say our goodbyes, drive off and promptly get lost.

We got home eventually.

TTFN