The Lake District and Lincoln, England
Here we are again and welcome back! As promised, I will take you along the Coffin Trail and show you some of the gorgeous scenery to witness, as well as some city life in Lincoln, England…maybe a few surprises as well…let’s go!
There are a great many scenes, like the one to the left, that appear on the Coffin Trail in the Lake District. Even on an overcast day like it was then, just beautiful scenic vistas abound. Sometimes there are farm-type animals in the scene, sometimes farm-type structures or rock walls, other times it’s just the grass and trees. Whatever the case, you have to envision, let your mind do the walking, living in these areas with no, “Roads,” to speak of. Living miles away from the nearest village, or hamlet, and then one day, the unfortunate happens and you suddenly lose a family member. Well, you have an ox-cart but it’s a long way to go, taking days, to get to a town with your beloved family member…
Well, you’re in luck! You can bring your beloved family member, already inside the coffin of your choice, usually made by the family from scrap wood, and you place it in the ox-cart, or horse driven, and you take them to the nearest coffin platform. These were conceived so that the dead could be picked-up, usually by the nearest church, and given a proper burial. Sometimes the dead would have to stay on the platform for several days before a cart would pick them up. Weather was a big delay for these pick-ups. Quite a nice service of the churches that were too far away from the confides of a village.
This is another scene that you will experience along the Coffin Trail. This structure was a stone cottage, most likely a farm house of sorts, that had easy access to water and would have had plenty of access to wood with the forest that would have existed back in the 14th or 15th centuries. The trail was approximately 10 miles in duration and we went all 10 miles. We got caught in a hardcore rain storm that dumped sheets for about 30 minutes. Most of what we wore was waterproof so we didn’t get too wet, but we would have to find trees to get under as the raindrops were huge and just pelted you in an uncomfortable way. Farm structures and more modern looking farm houses we saw and we stopped in a town and took advantage of the coffee/pastry shop they had and got out of the rain, as many others did, and warmed-up with a cuppa and a sugary snack. By the time we got back to Crow House, we were pretty spent. Wouldn’t have known about any of the things we saw unless we took the road less traveled, the Coffin Trail, and we enjoyed every moment of it.
On the way to Lincoln, we stopped off in the little town of Barnard, England. There were quaint little shops and cool looking pubs that lined the some of the main streets within the town. We didn’t really partake in any of them as we wanted to see one thing in particular.
This place is why we made a quick stop in Barnard, England. The remains of Barnard Castle. Barnard Castle went through many changes in the latter part of the 10th century, In the last parts of the 12th century, the stone foundations were laid for what is the remnants you see today. If you were to look at a rendering of how the castle looked in its heyday, you would see it had fairly expansive grounds withing the walls surrounding them. The castle overlooks the River Tees as you’ll see below right.
This bridge that crosses the River Tees and takes you to Barnard Castle was constructed sometime in the 14th century. A refurbishment occurred in 1596. There doesn’t seem to be a proper name for it although, depending on who you ask, it could be called Tees Bridge, since it crosses the River Tees, or, it might be referred to as, County Bridge, since it’s on boundary between County Durham and Yorkshire. No matter the name, this view from the castle grounds of this river crossing is stunning and you can almost imagine no homes and land as far as the eye can see.
Our final stop, Lincoln, England. We only spent one night here and it’s one of those places that I wished we had more time in. Even at night, sometimes especially at night, the streets are pretty cool to walk in and, for me, the vibe can be quite different. There is quite allot to see and, I will plead some ignorance, I didn’t quite research it enough to get a real feel for what is there. But what we did see was pretty cool.
Lincoln Castle is a major Norman castle and was constructed in the late 11th century by William the Conqueror. A Gregorian prison was constructed within the walls of the castle in 1787 and a Victorian wing was added and used from 1848-1878. A new Lincoln prison was opened and the one within the castle walls is no longer used. However, the court still uses Lincoln Castle for case trials.
Some of the interior housing inmate cells within Lincoln prison. The cells were small and housed up to 4 prisoners and often ran over populated. Touring the cells, it was interesting to see the names of some of the inmates, as scribbled by the inmates themselves, on some of the walls and in 3 or 4 instances I could read some of the dates that ranged from the 1800s. If you were executed at the prison, you were buried outside the prison, but within the walls of the castle, in an unmarked grave. We saw approximately 10 to 12 of them. Not even after paying their debts in full, by being hanged, gets their name on a stone marker. And for you fans of British TV and movies, for the series, Downton Abbey, the prison scenes featuring, Mr. Bates, were filmed here at Lincoln Prison.
Lincoln Cathedral is large and looming. This shot was from a particular point in walking around the wall that surrounds Lincoln Castle. It affords one some lovely views of the town and some of the countryside that surrounds it.
An interior wall inside Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral has a long history that is worth reading about. In 1072 the foundations were laid for the cathedral and in 1092 it was completed. The Magna Carta, only 4 original copies exist to this day and all four are in England, one of which was housed in Lincoln Cathedral and is now on permanent loan to Lincoln Castle. If you’re too young to know what the Magna Carta is, you should really read about it. The historical aspects of this document are incredible and are even in-bedded in the development of the original 13 colonies of the United States. Fascinating and very old history.
Alrighty then…I hope you enjoyed this weeks entry. I enjoyed bringing it and reminiscing about this trip as I went along. Next time, I’ll start us off in the Cotswolds, we’ll head over to Dover, yes, I know that rhymes, and finish up in London. There may be some places in between those I’ve mentioned. Until we meet again, as always, be and travel well!
