Going home
- robin hood and hadrian
My MOST FAVOURITE place in England was Robin Hoods Bay;
It was the most beautiful little village.
It felt strangely familiar, although I had never seen it before.
It is supposed to be the place where Robin Hood left to go to France.
The village was right down the bottom of a very steep hill, and the sweeping view of the Bay was beautiful.
You could see the houses in the distance, with the smoke from the chimneys, swirling around in the wind, as you progressed down the hill.
The stone buildings in Robin Hoods Bay were really close together, and built up the side of the hill, with a network of lovely stone pathways and steps between them.
We could see inside some of the houses, and they looked like the interior of old sailing ships.
With lots of wood, and railings and stair cases and the kitchens looked like ships galleys.
While we were walking around the boats at the shore………
I could imagine the old fisherman sitting around, next to their boats, smoking their pipes, and repairing their nets.
Telling their yarns, over and over again.
The smell of the salt, stale fish and seaweed wafting from the nets.
And the women in their long, swishing skirts, petticoats and aprons.
The ribbon ties on their pretty cotton and lace bonnets, blowing in the breeze.
Hurrying up the pathways with their cane baskets on one arm, laden with fresh fish or pork sausages, and fresh vegetables to cook for dinner.
A chubby little child scrambling up the rocky path, holding his bonnet with one hand, so it wouldn't blow off, and clutching his mother's skirt with the other.
It was always windy in Robin Hoods Bay.
Jolly women, sweeping the stones outside the front door, smiling and waving to each other.
Cats sunning themselves, where they could find a warm spot.
Smiling dogs running behind the cane baskets waving their tails, and hoping to get a share of the goodies in the basket tonight.
And the wafting aroma of apple pies and other delicacies, baking in their ovens.
My imagination went wild every time, when we visited Robin Hoods Bay.
We visited many times, and had many a fun picnic there.
I would really love to live in Robin Hoods Bay, maybe I did once upon a time - who knows?
Roman Roads and Hadrian’s Wall;
Another great fun thing we did was to follow the Roman Wall - built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, to keep out the wild Scots.
Hadrian's Wall - all across England.
I remember one trip to the wall well, because I tripped up landed fair and square on my bum, and had to walk around for the rest of the day with a freezing cold behind.
Bits of Roman road were always out the middle of nowhere, but always in a dead straight line and, sometimes, the puddles were frozen, or it was very wet and muddy.
In some places, there were the fallen remains of bridges, built all those hundreds of years ago - Lucy loved these, lots of huge stones to climb over and jump off!
There were quite a few sections of road left, and we walked along every bit we found.
Some roads are covered in asphalt and used as highways. Until the Motorways were built, they were the only straight roads in England. Watling Street is a typical example.
The roads were built through bleak, bare and inhospitable countryside.
I could imagine, the soldiers, in their leather sandals, marching along, with their feet half frozen!
Thinking of their family and friends back home in Italy as they trudged along.
Wishing they were back in Rome, sitting under an olive tree in the warm sun, drinking wine.
Or perhaps strolling around the Forum with friends, with the warm stones beneath their feet.
According to history, the weather in England was much milder back then.
Even so, it must have been miserably cold out in the open countryside in winter.
There were remains of Forts, and Roman settlements, all equipped with running water and under floor heating.
And here were the poor English peasants, living out in the open, in their primitive huts, where the only running water, even for the Nobles of the land, was in the river!
It was fascinating walking around these ruins, and seeing how advanced they were in their building methods, and home comforts.
The Wall started somewhere in Cumberland in the west, near the present day Scottish border. It ended at Wallsend, would you believe(!), now a suburb of Newcastle, on the East coast.
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