Christmas 2022 / New Year 2023 British Isles trip

This is the first part of our trip, before Scotland.

Derby

On 19 December (2022).

Derby is the capital of Derbyshire, on the bank of the River Derwent, settled as a town by the Romans as Derventio. It became one of the emblematic places of the Industrial Revolution for the rapid rise of the textile industry, which left iconic buildings in the city.

The main street.
Upwards, towards the cathedral.
The cathedral is where Bess of Hardwick is buried.
A typical side street.
Beautiful historical Edwardian buildings now home to chain businesses.
The Hippodrome Theatre, abandoned to itself, still more gracious than the Costa disgrace.
St Werburgh's Church (this is where Samuel Johnson got married)
Near the center of the city center.
At the fish market in the Lock Up Yard.
Luz in the
The guild hall in the falling night.
In the Sadler Gate street.
Christmas decorations on the cathedral.
Old pub.
A museum, testimony of the industrial revolution, which we had no time to visit further than through its glasses.

York

On 20 December (2022).

York is the capital of Yorkshire, and the inspiration for one of the most important and famous city on Earth: New-York. It is where Constantine the Great became emperor, later converting to Christianity and thus becoming the first Christian emperor.

The city is one of the most beautiful in the UK. It retains its city walls, which feature four main gatehouses, or 'bars': Bootham, Monk, Walmgate and Micklegate Bar. They restricted traffic in medieval times and levied tolls.

The most important place is the Cathedral, known as the York Minster, which is full of details. As an example, there is a monkeys funeral in the lower border of the Pilgrimage Window stained glass [1], mimicking human endeavors, or the Doom stone, a 12th century carved stone in the crypt depicting damned souls engulfed in a hellish cauldron.

One of the four bars, the Monk bar.
This leads straight to the city walls, which provide a privileged walk around the city.
The main site in York is its Minster, or Cathedral.
The curious Monkeys' funeral (details), an interesting symbolism from c. 1325.
The chapter house, it was holding a meeting of Christmas trees.
Gargoyles in the chapter, tortured by neglect.
Luz in session.
Now in the choir (in a forbidden part).
In the crypt, Julia showing Luz how to pray (on tomb of Saint William, Patron Saint of York).
The demons of the Doom stone.
Julia is more interested by Christmas trees than antiques to store bishop garnments.
Children in cathedrals.
Julia with roman frescos in the underground museum.
The Horn of Ulphus, or Ulf, a Viking nobleman.
Back in the Minster.
Busy streets approaching Christmas.
We found the whereabouts of Guy Fawkes ('s parents).
Timber,
and Bricks.
Clifford's tower.
Market near the Shambles.
The Shambles, the medieval street.
On a carousel found between a narrow street and a .
Luz in the Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate (neither-one-thing-nor-the-other).

Gordale Scar

On 21 December (2022).

We passed by the Yorkshire Dales and this was our first encounter with this outstanding AONB, which became an immediate destination for further explorations. The spot chosen by Elena for our current visit was Gordale Scar. There is a burger van in front of the Gordale bridge that fits in a tiny loop that seems almost designed for this purpose. The facility is even mentioned on maps! We enjoyed a selection of its British delicacies before embarking on our little hike for this day, the famous Gordale Scar, followed by other neighboring highlights.

Our base point: the Gordale bridge.
Before the gorge.
Julia fearing nothing.
Less assurance in the gorge's throat.
Luz contemplating.
On the way back.
Now heading in the other direction.
Janet's foss.
On the next day (22 December (2022)), we passed by the Scaleber Force.

The Isle of Man

We spent Christmas in a lovely cottage on the Isle of Man, which had always been a much wanted destination. As it is likely that we will not return, for lack of opportunities as opposed to lack of interst, all our recordings are to be found on the dedicated page for this peculiar land, not part of the UK.

Lancaster

On 27 December (2022).

Lancaster is the capital of Lancashire, on the border of the beautifully named "river Lune". We visited as we passed by after spending our first night back in England and, for that matter, in the UK, near the hamlet known as Aldcliffe. In Lancaster, we spent most of our time in its cathedral, the castle being closed (we were not sure if it could be visited at all, having all the features of a serving jail) and the outdoors being windy and rainy. Surprisingly, this imortance and famous place was empty (but open). We still had time to go in the noria, at the insistence of Julia, who however complained right away of the weather not being suitable for a ride.

The River Lune, in the Aldcliffe Marsh.
The canal between Aldcliffe and Lancaster.
The Lancaste priory (was closed).
The Lancaster castle (was closed). We could only go around it.
Left alone in front of closed doors in the wind and rain: oh Lancaster, why did you abandon us?
The Ashton Memorial, the cathedral and the noria, offering themselves as alternatives.
The Lancaster cathedral.
A surprisingly safe haven given the adverse climate outside.
By the altarpiece.
Detail: the arrest of Jesus in the garden.
The baptismal stone.
View of Lancaster from the noria. The castle in the distance.