Sunday 15th September 2019
With all the anxiety concerning Brexit and whether or not we will remain in the EU, whether there will be a new referendum or perhaps an election, we have decided not to go to Europe this autumn. Everything is so uncertain and we are so angry with the farcical way we are being railroaded out of Europe by our incompetent Conservative government (known in Europe as Clowning Street) that we have decided not to risk being somewhere in Europe and finding an election or second referendum has been called and we will not be able to get home in time to vote.
Monday 16th September 2019, Heysham
We drove up from Exeter yesterday and camped near Knutsford on a very pleasant site where we were the only touring visitors. Everyone else lived in static caravans with doric columns and/or baroque curlicues. Overhead ducks entertained us all evening and again from dawn with their cheerful conversational squarking as they flew off for the winter, joining up with similar flights as they disappeared from view beyond the trees. Cheshire struck us as delightful with its red stone churches, red brick houses and cottages glowing beneath an autumn sunshine.
This morning we rang Alan whom we have not seen since his friend, and our neighbour, Hilary, died two years ago. It is also some thirty years since we were up in this area of England but we simply carried on where we'd left off. Parking Modestine we drove off into Warrington with Alan for a coffee and news catch-up.
Then we drove to Heysham from where the ferry leaves for the Isle of Man. There seems nothing else of merit here where we are camping as we wait for tomorrow's ferry. It cost us almost £500 return for a journey lasting 3 hours each way! We could have crossed the Channel, driven to Southern Spain, crossed to Morocco and probably returned as well for what the ferry is costing us!! But if we don't do it now, we never will!
There are only two ferries a day and as I avoid night driving with my bad eye we will not be crossing until tomorrow afternoon. Next we experienced the delights of Morecombe! Arriving in the town in bright sunshine we parked near the seafront and made our way against a strong headwind along the front in search of somewhere for a coffee. It was not long before we realised coffee was something that had not yet found a niche in the town! An Aldi supermarket was the most exciting thing we saw. It was the first and almost certainly the last time we will visit the town. Its such a pity as out across the huge bay were the blue hills and peaks of the North West and they looked most inviting. The town has nothing of charm to offer that we could find and it struck us as a depressing place to live. No wonder so many people in such areas of the north voted in support of Brexit! As Alan said earlier, if it doesn't affect the South East it's simply ignored by Central Government. Maybe if we lived in run-down Morecombe we'd end up supporting the Brexit vote!! But why do they blame Europe rather than Westminster?
Morecombe. Lancashire.
With so little to see or do we walked briskly along the sea front and returned to Modestine feeling angry for the people of Morecombe, let down by the government, with nothing to do and nowhere to go, side streets full of second-hand shops, pawnbrokers and broken pavements. So we have returned to Heysham and found a campsite near the ferry, ready for tomorrow. The sun is shining, we have a bottle of wine and a couple of interesting books to browse so we are content enough amongst this nomadic camp of retirees who have chosen to live in a field, their prefabricated plastic homes propped up on bricks while they sit outside, cat on knee, looking out in the direction of the Isle of Man as the sun slowly sets.
Tuesday 17th September 2019, Isle of Man
Last night Ian dropped his computer and the screen is irreparably broken. Hopefully the information is not lost but he will have lost contact with the wider world until we return home. Last night was not agreeable; we were the only tourers on a residential site, far from the facilities and it seems expensive for what we have. But it was convenient for our ferry departure in the afternoon.
This morning we decided to see whether Heysham was anything more than a departure port for the Isle of Man. We sought out the village centre and found it to be charming - everything Morecombe was not. The pretty cottages lined the steep narrow streets, their gardens bursting with bright autumn flowers. The greatest delight was the wonderful little church dating back in part to Saxon times perched on a rocky eminence overlook the vast muddy expanse of Morecombe Bay. Inside were carved Saxon monuments dating from the 9th century and showing a clear Viking influence with its carvings of humans and animals. Higher still, behind the churchyard was the even older ruined chapel of St. Patrick surrounded by graves hewn into the rock. Legend has it that St. Patrick landed just here, driven ashore by a storm when returning from Ireland.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Passing through a pretty community garden where we exchanged pleasantries with a couple of volunteer workers we discovered their community cafe where we were offered coffee and biscuits.
Time to return to the port and check in for our IOM ferry. We watched fascinated as huge containers were loaded by remorques that shunted massive containers up onto the top level of the ship. Everything needed on the island passing through this port has to be shipped over on the three hour ferry crossing along with the tourists. M & S, Parcel Force, Tesco, everything has to be containerised and transported across, and the ferry company has a monopoly here. Hence, I suppose, a rational explanation as to why our ticket was so expensive. We were advised that Wednesday evenings are not a good time to cross unless we'd book well in advance. Apparently Wednesday is medicines day and the ship is groaning under the weight of everything from cough mixture to catheters.
Three legged man decorating the carpets on the ferry
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Heysham. Lancashire.
Blackpool tower seen from the ferry.
Rig in the Irish Sea
The crossing was smooth and comfortable though much more low key than those crossing to Europe. Here passengers are carried as an addition to the work of the Island's link with the outside world. We passed a couple of oil platforms and a huge offshore wind farm along the way, We mused as to whether the Isle of Man, as a crown colony, separate from the UK, could serve as a stepping stone between Ireland and Britain to avoid, or overcome, the problems posed by the Irish Backstop. The Isle of FFMan ferry company already serves Dublin, Belfast and Liverpool as well as Heysham! But why should we solve the problems of our PM as he navigates his Ship of Fools through the choppy waters of Brexit?
We landed around 6pm and within minutes found ourselves driving through the streets of Douglas towards the site where we are now camped. There was nobody on duty so we have made ourselves comfortable on this island farm and will presumably meet our hosts in the morning.
