Museums

The Dales in the Damp

September 3, 2011

This morning, looking in any direction from my home in the Eden Valley it seemed clear (although actually it’s ‘misty’ and unclear in a literal sense) that whether to the north (The North Pennines), to the west (The Lake District) or to the south-east (The Yorkshire Dales) it was quite probable that people were going [...]

Read more →

What to do in Keswick … Indoors.

July 19, 2011

Keswick is a marvellous centre for Lake District outdoor pursuits, but also there are things to do and to see under the cover of a roof. Today, following a morning at the Keswick Convention, I walked past three very interesting places (well, more really, but I’ll mention three) all very close to the centre of [...]

Read more →

The National Coal Mining Museum

February 22, 2011

Driving down the M1 south of Leeds I’ve often noticed the signs for the National Coal Mining Museum but until today had never taken the time to investigate. My wife and I were driving home from North Yorkshire and had nothing else planned so thought we’d take a look.  We were not disappointed. The main [...]

Read more →

The Ruskin Museum, Coniston

December 28, 2009

The Ruskin Museum has developed considerably over the years that I have known it. Nowadays it covers a wide range of local themes and deals extensively with the lives of two great men, from very different spheres of activity, associated with Coniston in the English Lake District. John Ruskin, the eminent nineteenth century literary and [...]

Read more →

Four seriously damp but totally delightful days among the English Lakes

August 11, 2008

I hesitated before starting to write this. After all, why should anyone else be interested in a record of how my wife and I spent a few days in the Lake District. We’d driven north to look after grandchildren for a few days, then there was a gap before I had to be north again [...]

Read more →