Isle of Man Day 4 - Laxey Reprise

Pictures from our final morning in Laxey:

Isle of Man Day 3 - Mt. Snaefell and the Mann Cat Sanctuary

Even though we had already achieved our purpose in coming to the Isle of Man, we agreed to visit the Mann Cat Sanctuary. Since the sanctuary visiting hours were in the afternoon, we began our day with a stroll through town. Here is part of the Laxey harbour at high tide:

We stayed in the top floor of the white house on the hill in the far background:

 The small Laxey wheel from an old lead mine:

We then decided to take the electric tram from Laxey to the top of Mt. Snafu Snaefell, the island's highest point. They say the view is tremendous on a clear day:

From there we retraced our steps to Douglas on the electric tram:

This time we opted to walk along the promenade:

 

 After a rather rushed lunch at the Douglas train station, we finally made it on board:

 Any resemblance to Thomas the Tank Engine is not coincidental:

We got off at Santon, two stops down the line, and then walked to the Mann Cat Sanctuary, where we discovered that one kitten is not too many:

 

 

Isle of Man Day 2 - Cregneash

Our destination on day 2 was the old Manx village of Cregneash south of Port Erin, where there was reputed to be a Manx cat.

I thought it would be nice to combine this outing with a unique Manx travel experience, taking advantage of our 3-day "Go Explore" travel pass.

This turned out to be a mistake. The first electric tram from Laxey to Douglas (with stunning views of the Isle of Man coast) left at 10:15:

The horse tram around the Douglas harbour took longer than I expected.

 Despite the smiles, there is no need to do that again!

By the time we made it to the Douglas Steam Train station, we had missed our train and had to wait for a bus. We finally arrived in Cregneash two hours before the site closed and two hours after our usual lunch time. But our mission was doubly successful:

Delicious lamb soup hit the spot, and we had enough of a taste of the scenery to decide that if we ever return to the Isle of Man, a more extended visit to Cregneash will be high on our list of things to do.

 Not on my list of things to do again is attempting to wade in the Irish Sea:

Laxey Beach

Isle of Man Day 1 - Laxey

We arrived at our Airbnb in Laxey around 3 pm last Friday, which gave us plenty of time to look around. Laxey beach when the tide is out:

 The photographs don't do justice to the "moving picture" experience of actually being there:

 After a nice supper at the Mona Lisa restaurant, we took a stroll along one of the harbour piers:

 The harbour entrance at low tide:

 The view from the top (taken on day 4):

Martyrdom and Motivation: Robert Falcon Scott, Roald Amundson, and the Cambridge Polar Museum

"Youth" by Kathleen Scott

My daughter and I took an Easter break outing to The Polar Museum at the Scott Polar Research Institute last week. The Institute takes its name from Robert Falcon Scott, who arrived at the South Pole on 17 January 1912 only to find that the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundson, had got there 34 days before him. The bodies of Scott and his companions were found on their return journey just 11 miles from a cache of food and supplies. Scott's diary, discovered at the site, chronicles the ill-fated expedition's harrowing final days, and concludes with the plea "for God’s sake look after our people."

It was a bit odd, I thought, to name a research institute after an explorer who came in second and who did not live to tell the tale. But when the diary was published it caused a sensation. So much money poured in to "look after our people" that some was set aside to found the institute. The story about the heroic explorers was used to drum up support for the first world war. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Scott Polar Research Institute was built right beside the church of "Our Lady and the English Martyrs" or that a sculpture donated to the institute by Scott's widow, Kathleen, looks rather like a crucifix. 

Scholars debate why Scott failed and Amundson succeeded, but the museum keeps it simple, explaining that Amundson beat Scott to the South Pole because he had only one goal--to be the first one to reach the South Pole--and he pursued it single-mindedly. I'm sure there's a lesson there somewhere...

(In case you are wondering, s. enjoyed sitting by the Cam and feeding swans much more than the museum.)

Cross-posted on gervatoshav.

Norfolk Rhapsody

On our bucket list was a trip to the coast. We settled on Old Hunstanton Beach in Norfolk (click here for a map):

  The main draw (for me) was the red cliffs:

Next stop, Castle Rising, once owned by Isabella, "The She-wolf of France," and her grandson Edward, "The Black Prince":

 

In 1544, King Henry the VIII either gave or sold the castle to Thomas Howard, and it has remained in the Howard family ever since--which makes me wonder: Did my ancestors live here?

(My great-great-great-grandfather, Barnabas Howard, was born in Pennsylvania in 1791. I have not yet been able to trace a connection back to Thomas Howard or to his niece, Catherine, Henry's ill-fated 5th wife.)

Of the three Norman castles we have visited in England, Castle Rising was by far the most fun, partly because it doesn't take itself too seriously:

It also has particularly well-preserved earthworks or "baileys":

Wicken Fen and Ely

We rented a car so that we could drive to a few more out-of-the way places around the countryside. Our first stop was Wicken Fen, renowned for its birds, but on this early April day children on Easter break were more in evidence:

From Wicken Fen we went to Ely Cathedral, this time taking the West Tower tour, 288 steps and 215 feet up to the highest point of the cathedral:

 The view from the second landing:

It's already a long way down:

It was a beautiful, unusually clear day, and the view was superb. Here you can see the Octagonal Tower that we climbed on our last visit to Ely Cathedral:

Our guide was excellent--well-informed, enthusiastic, with an outstanding presentation about the history of the cathedral and the surrounding monastery:

 After the tour we enjoyed the cathedral in other ways--t. interpreting the ceiling, s. deep in a book:

Me, inspecting the Prior's Door: