Rental car - Check.
Stop in Bath to visit family - Check.
Armed with English Heritage membership - Check.
Jamming out to music - Check.
My chariot for the trip - Ford Fusion. Surprisingly fun to drive, diesel sport engine!
I made sure to have a stop in Scotland before leaving that favorite country-away-from-home for the year but didn't want to delay my trip - I already knew I'd attempted to fit in more than normal for 7 days of travel!
LINLITHGOW PALACE
My first stop was not very far from Edinburgh airport and was once (still is, really) a palace home that has its place in history cemented by being the birth place of Mary Queen of Scots and was a true Stewart legacy and home. Actually, compared to Stirling and Edinburgh - the closest two castles Linlithgow was truly a pleasure palace with no real defensive walls or towers. Clearly this was built and occupied in a time when the Stewart's were safely in power and enjoyed the benefits of their royal surety! This makes Linlithgow one of the most beautiful palaces - even in ruins - compared to the simpler and more common defensive castles!!
A central courtyard greets visitors with visible marks and graffiti from the monarchs that lived there and a stunning fountain - they even turn it on during summer!
Seen from above. The palace looks to have a simple layout but wandering around the ruins I can say that it is more complicated than in looks! Rooms hidden behind others, fireplaces large and tall enough to stand and dance in (which I really want) and half-levels - this palace and its quaint town should be at least a day trip!
As a self-declared Jacobite (for the pride of it all, heck with religion) seeing this Stewart palace was phenomenal. I didn't plan to visit because of its history but because of it's location but I am so happy I did! Linlithgow also has a neat place in history as having been the home of Mary Tudor, sister to Henry VIII (for rather a short while), before tensions between the Rose and Thistle. Her son was James V and it was her great-grandson, James VI, who later became King after Elizabeth I and united the English and Scottish crowns which would lead into more tumult lasting well into the late 1700's!!! Ahhhh history.
THE NORTH
On my way from Scotland I chose the coastal A1 - often choosing the smaller roads when the presented themselves - and on down to Alnwick. There were even stops to be had along the way! The UK is excellently signed which makes navigation easy, sure, but also means that a drive from A to B may result in stops at C, D, E, and F! I was really good, actually, only making one stop but that may have been because it was getting late and I needed to find my lodging for the night! Doon Hill is in the lowlands and was a farming village nearly 6,000 years ago! Ruins and artifacts remain in their stunning resting place with views to the sea and inland to the south (England). Nice romp around some single lane, narrow roads with grass so tall many American trucks would be hidden!
Finally, though I was unable to visit Alnwick castle the same day as hoped, I made it to a small village where I'd be sleeping for the evening, a small place called Rothbury. It was a lovely and quintessentially English tavern and inn where I had one of the best burgers EVER and a full breakfast spread the next morning. I was lucky, too, while off to the Co-Op to purchase food for the week (have to get by on the skint) I encountered bagpipers and a C5, racing red, and got caught taking a photo (awkward). Can you imagine driving a left-hand drive vehicle on the left side of the road - a very wide and low one at that?! Ugh all the scratches he must have on her from the brush and roads!!!!
She has her own special plate!
Right, back to the important stuff - CASTLES. The next morning I went to Alnwick (said Annick) Castle which is still lived in off-season by the Dukes of Northumberland and family. It was also a filming location in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (you know, that flying lesson when Neville falls and Harry gets rewarded for breaking all the firstie rules?), they had hawks, "flying" lessons, and archery. I did some archery after a lovely tour, of course. It was awesome and I was fab at right and left handed - but better, of course, with my left.
Grounds designed by Capability Brown - Alnwick was the first I heard this name but this landscaper followed me throughout England! The grounds here had "capability".
Alnwick is still lived in and it was built in the 11th Century - after the Norman Conquest! This makes it not only one of the oldest castles in England still standing true but also the largest - it has been added to multiple times. After Windsor Castle it is the second largest castle still lived in!
Alnwick was amazing and I wish I could have stayed for a couple days. SO many tours to take, things and workshops to see and do (and archery for days). Truly is a family place with its gardens, land, and activities!
After Alnwick I drove all the way down to Birmingham to stay for 3 nights - from there I planned on branching out around the midlands and north. The best thing about Birmingham besides the price (compared to Portsmouth and London, anyhow) was the library. As a non-city person, Birmingham had little to offer beyond a pillow ... but the library is pretty damn cool. Multiple levels with some half-levels, books only reachable by ladder! If only I had remembered to grab my charger when I took the taxi into the city!!!! As it was I only got about an hour of work in then took to finding owls in the city ...
The building on the lower left behind the owl is the library.The owls were apart of the "Big Hoot" an artist initiative to raise funds for a rare disease center for children - they were everywhere! I have photos of 15 and never strayed far from the library!
Outside of Birmingham, though, my itinerary included stops along Hadrian's Wall, Bolsover Castle, the Peaks, and Peveril Castle.
HADRIANS WALL
Of the utmost importance to a classicist like myself, Hadrian's wall still boasts tons of sites and hikes! I finally signed up for an English Heritage membership at one of the sites and greatly enjoyed romping about. One day I'll have to return simply to hike and camp along the wall.
The wall stretches east to west from Newcastle Upon Tyne to Mayport in the west and was erected in c. 120 BCE and was a barrier between Roman lands and the barbarians in the North (those pesky Scots who weren't Scots yet, at the time). This means that there are still stretches of an impressive stone wall and ruins of forts and camps along this northern region of England. So much to see! I settled with only stopping at Chester's Roman fort and museum and Housetead's fort. Housetead's was the best because there was a portion of the wall you could walk on!!! Dreams do come true. Sometimes.
Never get tired of seeing all this!
I would have kept walking and walking from here but sadly the day was wearing on into sunset. So, as I have said, one day, there will be a trip back whose sole purpose will be hiking about the UK!
BOLSOVER CASTLE
Another place I went to visit was Bolsover castle, home to the Cavendish family for quite some time. Granted, this land and estate was in play long before Charles Cavendish made it his residence, but he is the most fascinating owner (along with his rather controversial family) because of all the horse stuff!! That's right, there was an indoor ring with seating and a loft seating as well as indoor stables larger than many country homes! And they were indoor!
All about the equines! Sadly I missed out on the demonstrations sometimes held here but am happy enough with having seen the castle and written down the books that English Heritage had on the castle and their horses!
I visited Bolsover twice, on this first road trip and later (after the completion on the dissertation) on my second road trip. Both times I explored the riding wing of the property for a long time while bustling through the rest; so I cannot do the main castle much justice but it was clearly a place of pleasure and comfort rather defense or asylum.
The "little" castle - this was built as the main living quarters for the Cavendish family.
Sadly the Cavendish family only held Bolsover for less than 200 years - starting in 1600 and ending around the 1770's. Connected to the formidable Bess of Hardwick (Charles, the first Cavendish to have Bolsover was her son), Bolsover and its occupants saw tumultuous years between royal successions and political ploys.
PEVERIL CASTLE
Also located in the vague "midlands" of England, Peveril castle is entirely a ruin located atop a steep and breath-taking (literally) hill. I am quite sure I found it by accident but even if only for the drive up to Castleton (in Derbyshire) it is beyond worth the visit. The castle, like many in England, was founded and built sometime after the Norman conquest. Also like most, it passed through the stewardship of many people due to politics being so ridiculous. So....not a whole lot has changed!
These photos do little to no justice to the breathtaking scenery surrounding Peveril castle. High, green, and majestic hills dotted with crags and sheep - this is a true happy place. 
Sadly Peveril castle has been a ruin and unimportant in history for a very long time - it began falling into disuse and repair back in the 1400's! Despite all that, though, the lovely village of Castleton (and its caverns) remain a popular destination in the Peak District.
After driving about the north and the midlands I made my way down to Bath, where I returned my faithful (of one week) Ford and visited the Tarts! That entry, though, will be on it's own as I hate to prattle on for too long. Suffice to say that driving about England and Scotland was awesome and I may have considered keeping the car and dashing my hopes for receiving an MA before 30 years old (but now, at least, that's one thing I can cross of my pre-30 bucket list). While exploring new places has merits I must say that there is so much to see in the UK that I will likely return here before anything else!!!
Happy driving and keep to the left!
