We’re all awake between 5 and 6 for a change. We’re so lucky this holiday to sleep until 8 (Olga and the kids, that is; Tim is always awake at 6). Zeno is busy closing all the curtains of our caravan as he has seen a wolf outside.
Cleo wanted to step on her scooter, go to the play ground, visit a castle and a church. And this is exactly the plan of the day, in the right chronology. So everybody seems to get what they want.
First thing we have to do is to find a petrol station as the warning light was on for the last 20k yesterday. It’s another 20k to get there and we manage to reach it with 2.5 liters to spare. From here it’s just a short drive to the castle of Carlilse.
This red stone castle is the most besieged castle in the UK as it’s right on the border between England and Scotland. It was built right on top of a Roman fort. Originally built by the son of William the Conquerer, Rufus. It soon changed hands and served as the court for the Scotish king David in the first part of the 12th century. It would be besieged many times and would also.be the last English castle to be besieged at the end of the 18th century.
We tour the walls and climb the donjon, and go to the Cumbrian millitary museum since the castle was also the home of the local infantry regiment. They were sent to all the major conflicts in the last three centuries including operation Market Garden. Olga chats with the museum staff and they show her an album about the battle and tell about their yearly trips to Oosterbeek where more than half of the batalion was captured or killed.
We walk into town, do some shopping and visit the cathedral, the smallest Norman era cathedral in England. It misses its nave because protestant troops sacked the church after the last siege of the town. We do our weekly grocery shopping since this is the closest supermarket to our holiday park and head back.
After a very late lunch Olga goes on a hike along the Hadrian’s Wall path towards its western end and takes Zeno in the Deuter. Tim and Cleo play games and read books. The starts to rain when we have dinner, we enjoy the cosey sound of the rain drops in our caravan for the rest if the evening.
