BB2333 : No Matter, We'll Chatter

Out with the Boot Boys today  
Four of us gone to play.
To Cartmel to walk the hills, lunch in our backpacks
It’s freezing, but no matter
We’ll chatter and keep warm climbing up the hills
Out of the village and through a farm,
Horses driven by a machine,
Upwards, getting warmer on this cold and frosty day.
We know the way.

The sun is shining, so no-one’s whining
Reaching the Hospice, a shelter for worse weather,
Greeting the Lady in Red, plotting her group’s next walk.
Many folks up here now, a perfect place to stop and talk

What’s this? Our leader has a brought a great refresher,
Blackcurrant and whisky toddies.
Enough to warm our cockles and sooth our bodies.
What a treat.
Can’t we eat, asked you know who, it’s after twelve?
No, well boo hoo hoo.

Let’s find a seat on the way down, but no benches to be seen,
Improvised with a galvanised cattle feeder we lean on.
Who wants to hang around anyway?
On again heading West, a stile with a tight squeeze, 
Followed by a slippy stream to navigate and clamber over to Rogan’s Farm.
Not much happening now
But we’ve seen how well stocked it is in seasons past.
Past Varley’s Aynsome Manor, past Robin’s old house,
Oh I forgot, we had seen a mouse.

On to the Priory. where Interesting graves outside and in lay
And one of us has relatives on the walls inside,
Where it’s very cosy compared to outside
Final destination the Cavendish Arms but
No sign of his Lordship, so we drank our Theakston’s and sighed.
The end of a grand day out.

Mike B, Wednesday 30th November2023

Relive : To Relive our adventure, click on Robert's picture below:

Additional Comments from Robert

Why ‘Hospice’?

Were local villagers with infectious diseases sent there to spend their final days in isolation? Not so. It was built by the Reverend Thomas Remington of Aynsome as a shelter for travellers, the archaic definition of hospice.

The Reverend was in the habit of walking the fell early each morning to watch the sun rise – hence the Greek inscription above the east-facing door taken from Homer’s Odyssey which, as reported in BB2019, translates as ‘Rosy-fingered Dawn’.

Historian Tony informed us that Cartmel Priory was founded in 1189 by William Marshall, the 1st Earl of Pembroke and dubbed ‘England’s’ greatest knight’.

If it wasn’t for William says Tony, we’d all be speaking French. Aged 70 in 1217, William led his army to victory at the Battle of Lincoln and defeated the French invasion.

“And one of us has relatives on the walls inside” says Mike.

Indeed, Christopher Preston of Holker, who died in 1594, is Robert’s wife’s 15 x great grandfather. His grandson George Preston built the first Holker Hall in the early 17th century.

The estate passed by marriage first to the Lowther family and then in 1756 to the Cavendish family. Thus Holker Hall has never been sold.

For many years, Aynsome Manor belonged to the descendants of the aforementioned William Marshall.

Robert and his new bride stayed at the hotel on their wedding night and were surprised to discover the following morning that the fire alarm had gone off at 3 am.

Do you have any comments or questions?

If so, please click on .  We look forward to hearing from you.  If you do NOT want your comments to appear on this website, please say so otherwise we will assume that we have your permission for publication in whatever responsible manner we consider appropriate.  Alternatively you can leave a comment on Facebook.

If you would like to become a BOOTboys Follower click on to let us know and you will receive automatic notification of new reports.

STATISTICS

BB2333 : No Matter, We'll Chatter

Date:

Wednesday 29th November 2023

Features:

Hampsfell, Cartmel

Distance in miles:

6.7

Height climbed in feet:

700

GPX track:

BB2333.GPX

Comitibus:

Mike B, TV Mike, Robert, Tony

Home

BB04

BB05

BB06

 BB07

BB08

BB09

BB10

BB11

BB12

BB13

BB14

BB15

BB16

BB17

BB18

BB19

BB20

BB21

BB22

BB23

Archive