(Thanks for reading. Click on the title for more.). We awoke in our new hotel with the vague memory of “breakfast not included” and an early tee time. This meant that we needed to be on the road with just a cup of tea and the vague notion that I had packed an energy bar into my golf bag a few days ago. And I have to take a minute to tell about last night. We arrived in the wind and mist and it was ooh so cold. The Horse and Farrier is a fine establishment, but I didn’t realize that there is not a hallway between the hotel and the restaurant. We tried to enter from the back but found the door locked with a combination, so had to fight our way through the weather to the restaurant, warm and inviting, to be ushered back out and around the brick work and iron gates, back up to the locked door, only to find the combination is written in large black numbers on the wall above. Our laughter warmed us us and it all worked out fine.

The next morning, and 40 minutes down easy roads, we arrived at Silloth Golf Club right next to a ship loading dock. It was on the water, all right! The clubhouse is up on a hill from the parking lot, a steep climb to what looked like an old-fashioned shipping tavern, where the crew of whalers used to hang out until the golfers took over. The building was ancient and classic, but the paint was thick and new, and carpet freshly laid. Lots of narrow doors leading to fine spaces inside. It was a very cool clubhouse.

The pro shop was small but well equipped with anything a guy would need, but absolutely nothing for women… not a blouse, pair of shoes, or even golf gloves. After playing the course, I see why. While the course is so beautiful that I had to stop and take more pictures than golf shots, it was treacherous in places. The rough was full of deep heather and lavender, colorful, but impossible. John lost a ball on the first hole and another on the second. Luckily, I packed two extra boxes for him as he was again carrying his own bag. 

The starter told us that the course was flat with a few undulations…hmmm.. not quite the way we saw it. It was definitely hilly with just a few flat areas. Mostly, Scottish style—9 out, 9 back in. And the tee boxes were fairly close to the greens, nothing too far to walk but often up a path to an elevated tee. Many of the carries off the tee were almost too far. I made all of them but only because I have good aim and land the ball in just the spot I choose, most of the time. I did wonder how the ladies at the club faired and so asked. The starter told us (after the game) that lots of players, men too, can’t reach the fairway from the tee boxes and so have to use the alternate blue and black tees as needed.

Anyway, it was a beautiful course on a beautiful day, but we will not return. Not only is it remote, it is a little wild and woolly for us. Too many lost balls for John—but he was happy to par the last hole!

After golf, we hurried to the Carlisle Castle (1066) for our one hour tour, because that’s all the time we had until closing. What a great traditional castle! My desire was to see Hadrian’s Wall again because it started here in Carlisle and went all the way across Britain to Newcastle. Here, however, the stones of the wall were used to build this fine castle. The original Roman stones can be identified here and there by their markings, which were fun to find. This was the kind of castle that has withstood time. The walls were thick and the turret stairs strong. There was a motte and bailey and a portcullis.

It had a moat, a bridge to enter, and an arch where the ticket taker worked (in today’s times) or the guard would stand his post of old. We climbed up to the rampart and down into the dungeons, found room upon room up one flight of stairs and more rooms up another flight. Floors had been restored so the whole place was fun to romp through. This is probably the best old British castle we’ve seen and well worth the visit. 

We were pretty tired after 20, 000 steps it was time for a cup of tea and a soft chair. Luckily, our room has both! Early to dinner, early to bed. Good night.