PHOTOS TO FOLLOW
On our way to the Coo Palace we stopped overnight at Ivy House in Braithwaite. Dating back to the 18th century, this lovely dark green building spent its previous life as both a school building and a vicarage.
We stayed in 6 - Dock. A small double room, with a view towards fells, but perfectly adequate for our one night stay.
We enjoyed a delicious dinner and breakfast in the dining room which is lovely and the staff were friendly and helpful.
A beautiful sunny day so after breakfast we decided to go for a walk. We needed to look no further than Barrow Fell starting in Braithwaite.
Directions:- With the bridge behind you take the lane down the side of the village shop signposted Newlands, Buttermere. Very soon turn right up a bridleway over a cattle grid. Follow the path to the right of Braithwaite Lodge. Go ahead through a gate signposted Newlands up to a bench with a fine view towards Skiddaw. Go through a small gate, turn left and very shortly take a path on your right signposted Barrow to start the ascent proper.
The fell itself is quite steep in places but we kept stopping to turn round and admire the ever expanding views behind. As you climb the views on your left open over Newlands Valley and to Catbells. We carried on up a series of false summits!!!
As you reach the cairn marking the summit a magnificent 360 degree panorama comes into view over Bassenthwaite Lake, Whinlatter Forest, Grisedale Pike, Causey Pike, the Newlands Valley, the Helvellyn range, Derwentwater, Keswick and the Skiddaw range. Similar to Catbells with a lot less people. When Phil arrived at the summit he had it to himself. Jaw dropping views.
And so weset off for The Coo Palace, a drive of approximately 100 miles, roughly two hours.
About Coo Palace. Originally named Corseyard Farm and know now as the Coo Palace, this architecturally unusual building was built between 1911 and 1914. Erected for the Manchester businessman James Brown, it was designed in the Gothic Revival style to resemble a fortified caste. Its purpose was a Cattle Shed and it housed a herd of 12 cows. Rearing high above the whole steading is its grandest feature, the water tower with battlemented corner turrets and a smaller round tower on top. However upon completion the tower was found to be useless as a means of supplying water. It eventually fell into a state of disrepair and lay derelict until it was bought by HPB and converted into accommodation. Work was carried out on the site between 2018 and 2020, and it opened to receive guests at the start of 2020.
We are so lucky to be staying in one of the fabulous front line properties, overlooking the Isle of Man, E23, Lady Teasdale, named after this coo.
Within five minutes of walking in we understood why it's expensive on points, it reflects the development cost and EVERYTHING is top quality. Its just WOW, isn't it?
Dinner time! It's Thursday and the Bondholder Dinner. A "pop up" restaurant in the Club House with local hosts James and Marion Logan.
Marion is a wine expert, while James is a top chef. The emphasis is on putting the fun in fine-dining, and fine wines - with plenty of jokes along the way. Anyone heading to Coo Palace be sure to book for a convivial evening and a dinner to savour.
The next day, we went for a swim before breakfast. It's a small pool but we used it every day and mostly had it to ourselves. There is a jet so you can get a good 'long' swim without moving. It's lovely.
A trip up the tower was very interesting. Paul, one of the site guys, gave us a guided tour. Ask at reception for this.
After lunch we wandered down to the "secret beach", a comfortable walk from site and offering fabulous views out over the shore to Ardwall Island. Here you'll also find the ruins of James Brown's impressive bathing hut.
There are a wide variety of shells including the unusual "Pelican Foot" shells.
By an old slipway, which was for James Brown's personal fishing boat and hidden to the right is a small cave with a natural chimney reputed to have been used for smuggling contraband.
Apparently much of the contraband was stored on the Isle of Man - which was independent during the 18th century - and brought in fast moving smuggling fleets to the Scottish mainland. Poet Robert Burns was amongst those trying to halt the free traders in the area after being appointed an excise man at Dumfries in 1791. At one point, the cost of tea was made up of 70% fee for the Exchequer.
Friday evening the Fish and Chip Van arrives. Fish and chips are scrummy anywhere but much better at the seaside. The fish was so fresh. We treated ourselves to fish, chips and mushy peas and sat eating them overlooking the sea.
If you fancy a lovely potter the walk from Kippford to Rockcliffe is one of the most scenic in the area with great views. We parked at Kippford Village Hall. There is a collection box for donations by the door of the hall. After walking for a few minutes you'll come across a local artist's house and garden. Strategically placed eyes make otherwise normal stones and bits of driftwood into magical beasts peeping out at you along the path.
If yo do the walk as a circular route, it's a tad over three miles. From Rockcliffe take the road up the hill and follow the Jubilee path back to Kippford. At a path junction, take the left-hand path up a short but steep climb to reach the Mote of Mark, the site of an Iron Age hill fort. The Mote of Mark was occupied around the 6th century but destroyed by fire in the 7th century. It now provides a magnificent viewpoint to survey the scene across the estuary and over to the mountains of the Lake District. Descend back to the Jubilee Path.
We rounded off the walk with a lunch at The Ark, Kippford. Lovely little gem of a place. Staff super friendly and the views over the estuary perfect.
Another interesting walk is The Inbye Trail near the Big Water of Fleet Viaduct. It's a 3 km walk in the Cairnsmore of Fleet National Nature Reserve. It's an easy walk taking about an hour with fabulous views of the Clints of Dromore and the Viaduct, which was featured in the film The 39 Steps.
Park at the visitor centre at Cairnsmore of Fleet National Nature Reserve. The route has waymarkers. If you want more of a challenge the path allows access to the Mountain End route offering more difficult and strenuous walking up the Clints themselves.
(About 500 million years ago, Scotland w.as part of a continent called Laurentia, and England was part of another called Avalonia. Between them lay the 1000km wide Iapetus Ocean. Over a period of 80million years the continents would drift towards each other; where they met the ocean floor was pushed down (subducted) below Laurentia's southern edge. Sediments deposited on the down-going plate were progressively scraped off and plastered onto the upper plate in a pile of sandy and muddy sediment which overtime was compressed into greywacke (coarse, muddy sandstone) and shales to form the foundations of the Southern Uplands. During this disturbance molten magma welled up and intruded into the greywacke and shales, cooling as granite pools in the sedimentary rock. At Cairnsmore of Fleet NNR you can see both the sedimentary rock and the now exposed granite in the Clints of Dromore and Cairnsmore.)
There are a series of five sculptures created by artist Matt Baker in collaboration with poet Mary Smith. These sculptures are integrated into the landscape and aim to reflect the processes that shape the area, particularlu the granite formation.
Sculpture Ocean with poem. Turned inside out, upside down, ocean's floor rose into light seabed became mountain peak, rocky crags where peregrines fly and ravens cry.
Gatehouse of Fleet is a pretty little mill town, well worth spending an afternoon in. It's set on the banks of the River Fleet and surrounded by rolling hills. It's instantly recognisable in photographs with its iconic clock tower that stands tall at the end of the main road. The town used to be a hive of industry, with mills, a brewery and its own port. These days, it's quiet and peaceful. It's the kind of place you can stroll round at your own pace.
The Mill on the Fleet is the big deal in Gatehouse. As its name suggests, it's a former working cotton mill, built in 1788. It was restored by the local council in the 1980s and is no converted into a visitor centre, a great second-hand bookshop, a cafe and a pop up art shop.
You can find the original gatehouse of Gatehouse of Fleet (!) by the Murray Arms at the end of the main road. There's a plaque on the wall so you can't miss it.
This marks the spot where, back in the 18th century, the local lairds decided to make some money out of passing travellers. Rather than opening a gift shop like most people, they built a stone gait-house. 'Gait' was the old Norse word for 'road'. They built it near the bridge, where they set up a toll booth for people to cough up money for crossing the river, and a coaching inn. People travelling on the route from Dumfries to Stranraer, which is now the A75 road (no toll booths anymore!) used it as a good stopping point. This was especially handy for staying overnight to avoid travelling in the dark, when all the local bandits and highwaymen came out.
Since those days, much has changed. There are no bandits (as far as I know...) and the building is now expanded. It's now the Murray Arms pub/hotel. This is where that famous poet with good taste in pretty Scottish towns, Robert Burns, stayed when he called in at Gatehouse of Fleet in 1793. He wrote the first draft of one of his well-known poems here (Scots Wha Hae).
We decided to have Sunday lunch at the Murray Arms restaurant. The roasts we ordered, lamb and beef, were absolutely delicious. Top notch! It has been beautifully renovated and the staff were warm, friendly and efficient, inviting us to have a pre lunch drink in the wee Robert Burns lounge.
After lunch we discovered a secret garden tucked away off the High Street. It's pleasingly symmetrical! You'll find it tucked away off the main road through an archway in the old town hall.
Whilst out and about in the local area you absolutely have to spot some Belted Galloway cows. Keep your eyes peeled and scan every field you pass for a glimpse of these bad boys. It is mandatory to pull over for a photo when you see some.
The Belted Galloways, or 'Belties' as they're known are the local breed of cow. I call them the "Oreo" cookie cows They're roughly ten times prettier than your Friesian cow and although they don't have the appealing hairdo of a Highland cow, I actually prefer them. They look like they're wearing a chic white waist-belt with an otherwise all-black outfit. And that's the kind of sleek monochrome outfit any trend-setting bovine should be in.
They're also much fluffier than most cows and because they are not really seen much around the rest of the UK, it's a real treat when you find a herd of them all munching away and looking cute. You'll spot lots of Beltie memorabilia in gift shops.
