Tuesday 18th August - Carlyle

We left Keswick after saying our goodbyes to Andrew and Tracey and headed up the motorway to Carlyle. It only took about 50 minutes and as it was way too early for us to check into our B&B we headed into the main part of town for a coffee. We found a park almost opposite The Lanes Shopping Centre and paid our Pay and Display. £2.70 for 3 hours. You cannot go around England without coins in your pocket as it costs at every carpark no matter how far you are from the town and a variety of costs - mostly £1 per hour but we have paid £2 and toilets we pay for the use in most of the popular places and 40p per time. On one occasion we both went into the same loo for the payment of just 40p for us both!!

We had coffee at Costas and wasn't too bad. Jan has reverted to one shot flat whites or lattes or cappuccinos as some places don't do flat whites and I now just have double espressos We found the information centre and headed off for the Cathedral.
The Cathedral was founded in 1122 and battered by centuries of Border warfare. Services have been said or sung in it every day for 900 years. The magnificent barrel shaped vaulted ceiling of the Cathedral are a wonderful blue and gold. So high up too.
Opposite the main entrance of the Cathedral is the Fratry, a monastic building dating back to the 13th century. This was formally the monks dining hall and now houses the library. The Undercroft of the Fratry is now a restaurant.