Filed under Books, Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013

The Battle of Flodden Why & How by Clive Hallam-Baker

Synopsis (from back cover):

Every step in thes fields is a step into history…

Why was the battle fought at all?

How did the armies come to meet at Branxton?

Why did the Scots move from Flodden Hill?

Why did Surry plan his attack?

Why did Home & Huntly leave the field?

These are just some of the questions asked about the Battle of Flodden.  There are answers but they may not be the ones you expect…

The battle of Flodden why & how explans the strategies and tactics of Flodden.  Describes the ground over which the Battle was fought and takes you along the battlefield trail as if you were a soldier on that fateful day.

Review:

I picked this book up from the Coach House which is just around the corner from where the battle of Flodden  took place.  It looked interesting and I thought it might add to my knowledge of the battle.  As my visit co-incided with the 500th anniversary of the battle I intended to explore the area again.

The book is informative and can be used in different ways.  Before describing the battle the book gives an overview of the way of life and the way warfare was conducted during the middle ages.  The book goes on to list the main protagonists and the types of weapons that were used during the battle and why and how the battle were fought, the consequences of the battle and how the outcome shaped the lives of both nations.

The topography of the land is described accompanied by colour photographs which help to illustrate the contours of the land.

The battle field trail is covered from the points of view of both the Scottish and the English, giving a feel for what it could be like for those involved in the combat.  A wider tour of the battlefield is included which is intended for walking, cycling or driving.  During my stay I used this trail and found it very interesting and informative.

The book concludes with other useful information about the area and Flodden connected sites, including suitable places for refreshments.

I thoroughly recommend the book which can be purchased from ‘The Remembering Flodden‘ website.

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2 Comments CherryPie on Sep 30th 2013

Filed under Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013

Cherie’s Place – Thought for the Week

The appearance of things changes according to the emotions; and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.

Kahlil Gibran

Altered Perspective

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8 Comments CherryPie on Sep 29th 2013

Filed under Anecdotes, Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013

Newcastle & Crookham – Day Ten

The Orchard

The alarm seemed to go off very early this morning…

Mr C quickly did his packing before we went for breakfast.  There was a lot of banter as Toby served breakfast.  When one of the other guests asked him if he was alright this morning, he looked at us and said  ‘No not really’ and we fell about laughing, much to the puzzlement of the other guests.

After breakfast we loaded up the car and settled up the bill with Toby who then went to get Leona so we could say our goodbyes.  We exchanged email addresses and Leona said next time we are in the area, we must call in to have a coffee together, because at the end of this season they will no longer be running the Coach House  It was a sad moment that we were all rescued from by another client turning up to pay his bill.

Doris & Delilah

We set off on our journey home via Mainsgill Farm thinking we might have lunch there.  It was very busy and crowded and not what we were in the mood for so we decided to drive on.   Whilst we were there I noticed that Kevin the camel was not around but I noticed two younger camels who turned out to be Doris and Delilah. Later I found out that Kevin was no longer with us.  He will be missed, he was a magnificent creature.

Tranquility

After driving a little further we arrived in Brough where we found just the right sort of tea shop for our mood.  It was small, busy and quiet.  Overlooking the tea shop were the ruins of Brough Castle which we went to explore after lunch.  We then resumed our homeward journey.

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18 Comments CherryPie on Sep 28th 2013

Filed under Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013

52 Photos Project – Gallery 23 – In the Circle

Wallington Walled Garden

More ‘In the Circle’ can be found in the gallery.

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6 Comments CherryPie on Sep 27th 2013

Filed under Anecdotes, Heritage, Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013

Newcastle & Crookham – Day Nine

Alnwick Castle

In the morning we visited Alnwick Castle which was labelled a ‘must do’ on Mr C’s list.  We both enjoyed revisiting the castle and were rather relieved that we were English Heritage members, which allowed us discounted entry to the castle which normally costs £14.50.  After I bought up yet another book from the gift shop, we lunched in the cafe before driving along the spectacular coastal route towards Bamburgh Castle.

St Aidan's Church

We stopped in Bamburgh so that we could visit St. Aidan’s Church, a place I had never even noticed let alone visited before.  In the graveyard there is shrine over the grave of Grace Darling who was famed for rescuing survivors of a shipwreck in 1838.  Opposite the church is a museum dedicated to Grace Darling, which we have penciled in for a visit next time we are in the area. The church itself was very interesting and well worth a visit. I was quite fascinated by the shadows cast by the Angels that top a recently installed commemoration to St. Aidan.

Fields at Flodden

After which we made our way back towards Crookham so that we could experience the ‘Flodden Drive’ as described in ‘The Battle of Flodden Why & How’ by Clive Hallum-Barker.  Along the way we called in at the Chain Bridge honey farm for a cup of tea in their tea shop which is a converted red double decker bus.  I eyed up the cakes but resisted temptation.  The tour around the battle field was very interesting and gave us more insight into the battle and the Scots’ difficulties due to the contours of the land.  We then returned to the Coach House where I packed my bags before our last dinner of this trip.

When we retired to the guest lounge for after-dinner coffee, Leona commented that she wouldn’t pop over later (to lock up); she needed an early night.  But to our surprise as the last of the other guests were leaving the residents’ lounge, both she and Toby turned up for a quick drink with us on our last night. Suddenly it was 1.45am!!!

Preparing breakfasts and long journeys back home sprung immediately to our minds…

Needless to say I went straight to bed after I entered my room :-)

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10 Comments CherryPie on Sep 26th 2013

Filed under Anecdotes, Heritage, Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013

Newcastle & Crookham – Day Eight

Quiet Contemplation

Over breakfast we decided that we would venture across the border into Scotland to visit Traquair House which had been recommended to us by the guests we had been chatting with in the lounge the previous evening. As we left the breakfast room Toby then Leona followed us out into the porch.  They had mentioned when we first arrived that one evening a lot of guests from a television company would be staying one of the nights.  What they had come to tell us was the Roy (Chubby) Brown was staying that night and they hadn’t realised.  They told us to expect some noise in the residents lounge, which was next to our bedroom as sandwiches were being laid on for the television crew after recording his show that evening.

After this surprising bit of information we set off on what was a wonderfully sunny morning towards Scotland, passing some very beautiful scenery as we drove along.  Traquair House was very interesting and there was a brilliant maze with a twist to the solution.  The tea room was exceptional.  The salad garnish that came with my sandwich was almost a meal in itself and leaf tea was served which is unusual these days.

Traquair House

During our drive back to the Coach House we detoured via Melrose Abbey.  I had been once before, many years ago so I had forgotten how impressive it is.  There was scaffolding on one side of the Abbey causing me to be creative with my photography.  When we arrived back at the Coach House later than usual we were advised by Leona that dinner was to be fifteen minutes early because Chubby Brown had given them tickets for his show in Berwick.

Melrose Abbey

Dinner was even quieter than the previous day, there was only one other couple dining in.  Later, after dinner, we carried on chatting in the residents lounge as usual.  As the couple we were chatting to left, Tony and Leona arrived and sat with us.  We sat up ‘very’ late chatting whilst Roy Brown and the TV crew enjoyed their sandwiches at the other end of the room.

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15 Comments CherryPie on Sep 25th 2013

Filed under Anecdotes, Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013

Newcastle & Crookham – Day Seven

The Garden at Wallington

Once again we checked the weather forecast before deciding where we would go for the day.  The weather looked as if it would be marginally better further south so we decided to visit Wallington, another National Trust property. Whilst we were sitting in the car plotting the route and programming the Satnav we  heard a tap on the window.  We looked up and realised that it was Gavin, one of the Aussies.  He had come to say goodbye as they were leaving the Coach House that day.  He said that he had very much enjoyed our company and sense of humour and hoped we would meet again.  He added that we must look him up if we were in Brisbane so we could get together.  He then changed that to, ‘when you visit Australia next year’ ;-)

After this little exchange we set off on our way to Wallington. When we we arrived I suggested that we visit the walled garden whilst the weather was fine.  It turned out to be a good option because it started to rain while we were part way round the garden, but not enough to spoil our enjoyment of it.  Whilst we were having lunch the rain became rather heavy and set in for the rest of the afternoon.  After lunch we went round the house, but decided against exploring the rest of the grounds due to the rain.

We then went on a ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ trying to find a bit of the stone remains of Hadrian’s Wall.  This took us along very quiet, narrow lanes and through fenced off fields which meant leaping in and out of the car to open and close the gate.  Eventually we found a bit of Hadrian’s Wall and braved the weather to take a photograph or two.

Hadrian's Wall

Dinner was much quieter as the Aussies and some other guests had left.  We spent the evening chatting to a couple who at one time had worked for the National Trust.  It was interesting to hear what happens behind the scenes.  After that we decided to retire and have an early night.

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12 Comments CherryPie on Sep 24th 2013

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