Day 59: More rain, more temples and Laurel and Hardy

Sorry to say goodbye to Conrad. The room was so comfortable I could happily have stayed another couple of nights but then my blog name would have had to be changed to Around the Coast in 86 days. Not quite the same vibe to it somehow.

He sent me off with a must see must do list....interestingly all well outside Barrow-in-Furness.

First stop was Walney Island. To get to it you cross a bridge from the docks and go through a 1940’s housing  development. Walney is a 10 mile long island reputedly the windiest in Britain. I can believe it, as it is like being on a sandbank with sea to the right of the road and a vast marsh flat to the left. Its famous for sea birds, Natterjack toads and grey seals. I saw birds and grey skies but no toads or seals.

I stood in the nature Reserve car park and could just see Piel Island with its Piel castle remains. It was originally built by the monks of Furness Abbey to protect their harbour from those pesky Scots. There were very few houses on the South part of the island as it was mostly agricultural and nature reserve. I saw lots of horses and this intriguing sign just off the road.

The road ended in the reserve, so Gloria and I wended our way back in the rain towards our next suggested stop Rampside lighthouse also known as The Needle. It’s in the little village of Rampside. It’s the only surviving of 13 such towers originally built around Barrow in the late 19^th century to guide ships into the town’s port. Its 66 foot tall.

Close by is this house with 12 chimneys. According to Google its Rampside Hall built in the 17^th century and the twelve chimneys have given it the nickname the Twelve Apostles.

The village Hall was advertising a market, so I went in expecting a kind of farmers market. Instead it was a regular weekly gathering of the residents for coffee and chat. There were a couple of stalls, one selling cards and one vegetables. The village community policewoman was there. Masses of locals were sitting at a long trestle table as someone was regaling them all with what was going on in the village over the next week or so, including a great idea – the whole street garage sale! 

No tea for me sadly but again another example of positive community spirit.

Taking the coast road again towards Ulverston I could not even see the sea – it was so far out.

Even in the driving rain what I could see was lovely. It would be a wonderful route in fine weather.

But by now the rain was so heavy I could hardly see in front of me.

Suddenly – about two miles from Ulverston a flash of gold at tree top level to the left. I had to investigate and found myself in yet another scared site – and it was another Buddhist one at that.

There are certain themes that seem to bump up against each other on this trip. Soldiers, writers and now temples.

This time, what a relief. Everything I had expected to experience at Samye Ling and sadly did not, I did feel here. The difference? I felt warmly welcome here. The Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre was about a modern expression of Buddhism that I could identify with.

The community were keen to engage with the random visitors, there was a shop and a cafe that was open and serving homemade soup and cakes and light meals.

Photos

The temple was open and you were allowed to take photos

I was invited to stay for a 15 minute meditation and I did and it was lovely. One of the women monks there was happy to answer all my curious questions about the community, what her robes represented and how the place and the residents functioned.

When the Buddhist community moved into Conishead Priory it had been empty for 4 years and was derelict. Now it is an international education centre for Buddhist studies. Today there are teachers here from all over the world including Brighton, doing in service training to take back to their own centres. The spiritual director here is a woman. I loved it.

Ulveston was a delightful little market town nearby with great individual shops and cobbled streets. 

And another kind of shrine...

Ulverston is home to the world famous Laurel and Hardy Museum.

This is Mark Greenhow whose granddad had an obsession – Laurel and Hardy memorabilia.

In 1960 a biography was published that stated the Stan Laurel had been born in Ulverston and the resulting tourists came flocking to the town searching for signs of their film hero. The locals said “Go and see Bill...”

Eventually all the hundreds of artifacts were housed in the old 1930’s cinema where it is today. It was opened by the comedy actor Jeffrey Holland who is touring the country with his one man show playing Stan Laurel.

What better place could Mark have found to run his grandfather’s museum? He has a shop, a cafe in front of which he shows black and white films on screen. The museum is a quirky little gem. People were loving it.

It’s been such a lovely day so far despite the awful weather. Thank you Conrad.

Last stop on your list

So why am I here?

a)     to visit an abbey?

b)     to see a rare breed farm?

c)     to eat sticky toffee pudding?

d)     for a loo stop?

e)     to check out another National Trust property?

D and C in that order.

Cartmel looks like a stage set village.

It has its own small but perfectly formed race course.

A priory ...

But most important of all...it is foodie heaven

Cheese...

A micro brewery...

And the world famous Sticky Toffee Pudding from the village shop cafe.

The pud was devised in Cartmel and sold in front of the shop more than 20 years ago. For fans they also make:

• Sticky ginger pudding
• Sticky chocolate pudding
• Sticky banana pudding
• Christmas pudding and 
• (for Beloved number one daughter) – Sticky toffee apple and rhubarb Crumble!

After that I didn’t need any supper when I rolled into Morecombe to stay with Susan in Bare. She tells me Bare is a village on the edge of Morecombe. I can’t see the join personally. Her house in a street of same looking 1950 houses is very different.

It looks as though it has been constructed of leftovers from all the ruined castles in Lancashire. It kind of has.

There was once a mansion at Rawtenstall that was wrecked by fire and auctioned off in the 1920’s. Two decorators from Morecombe bought a job lot and built this house using the original yellow sandstone, original windowsills and carved heads at the windows and doors. Fortunately inside it is modern and has 21^st century plumbing!

It had been raining all day. I am very damp. This lovely lady Susan has put a hot water bottle in my bed.

Night all.