Northumberland in spring . . . continued from page 1 iStockphoto.com/Gordon Cable Hadrian’s Wall didn’t do the job it was supposed to, but it succeeds today as a popular tourist destination in northern England. are machine gun bunkers on the knolls above the beach. The invading army would’ve had a tough time. Interestingly, one of the bunkers is located on the site of a Neolithic fort, constructed to repel invaders coming from the sea. We took the train north to spend two nights in Edinburgh. Since Thatcher, British Rail has been privatized and there are several competing companies, resulting in not being able to get on a train going your way, even though it’s bound for your destination. There are also competing bus lines—in Edinburgh we had to look carefully at the bus identification before boarding. We stayed in South Queensbury on the water, where we had a superb view of the old 1890 Firth of Forth cantilever rail bridge (still in regular use) and the 1964 suspension highway span. Edinburgh was wonderful—the latest super-modern Scottish Parliament building contrasted vividly with medieval Holyrood across the street. We were there the week after the Queen’s birthday, and I enjoyed pictures of Elizabeth from childhood to her 80th birthday portrait. The endless books of names of the Scots who killed each other, together with the tattered flags of the warring clans, still grace the Edinburgh Citadel, a reminder once again of the continuing barbaric nature of humankind. On the way back we alighted at Berwick, where Ian West was to pick us up. We had a couple hours, so we had a lovely stroll on the banks of the River Tweed, marveling at the 140-foot high, 28-arch railway Royal Border Bridge, dedicated by Queen Victoria in 1850 and still in use. It had never been repaired until some work was done in the 1990s. It’s a marvel, and we used our photo of the bridge as our computer wallpaper! Ian West is the perfect host. He lives in the village of Longhirst, a settlement of about 20 houses with no store. But it does have a conference center situated on a large country estate. We visited castles and homes in Northumbria, saw the remains of many of the famous Newcastle coal mines, and enjoyed contacts with the villagers. The famous Trevelyan family (many students in my English history classes struggled with his histories) lived a few miles from Longhirst, and we toured the family’s lovely home. A number of letters were on display, testifying to the community and welfare work of the family. The whole estate is very well preserved and a real gem. The “tre” prefix is Cornish meaning family, and the Trevelyans originally were Cornish, but they had lived in Northumbria for several generations. Northumbria is delightful in the spring—flowers everywhere. A wonderful place to visit.
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