Edinburgh to Leeds

The weather forecasters got it right today.  We had a near perfect day yesterday, this morning when we left, it was seriously raining and didnt stop until our second stop for lunch near Durham.  Our first stop was a quick " shopportunity" at Jedburgh.  The Scottish border ends just south of Jedburgh where you enter Northumbria in England.  

Just a bit further south at Newcastle upon Tyne,  where although we could not get out of the bus due to rain, we got our first glimpse of Hadrian's Wall.  This wall was commenced in 122AD and was built by the Romans to guard and protect the British Empire which ended at this wall.

Almost impossible to believe that this wall has 2000 years of history.  The Romans pulled down most of this wall when the Roman Empire broke up in 420 AD, so what is left is really just some of the foundation of the wall which was 3 metres wide at the base and 6 - 12 metres high and was about 73 kms long.

Still raining a bit, we headed to the city of York, another place rich with history.  There are many figures of cats in the streets of York.  It is believed that these were placed to provide protection against the rats which carried the Bubonic Plague, and hopefully scare the rats away.  Im not sure they were all that effective!

This is a photo of The Shambles, one of the best examples of a medieval street in Britain.  The upper storeys are almost within touching distance of each other due to movement of the old timbers.

 

This is the famous Newgate Market area, which must have been appalling in its day, with rotting produce and fish left to moulder on the cobblestones.

Such amazing old architecture!  Paul had clearly worked up a thirst after all this, so needed to try one of these, called The Guzzler, a local brew, at the pub called The Last Drop so named for its locality to the gallows!

Ahhh, wishful thinking!!!

This is the York Minster, which is a cathedral which is Anglo-Saxon, has the seat of a BIshop, and is a missionary teaching church.  It has a full history including Reformation and fire.  The present building was begun in 1230 and went until 1472, and it has never officially been completed. Inside looks like this.

Absolutely amazing.  Now we are in Leeds, although haven't seen much of it yet, so look forward to that.

Good night.