Today we went on a cross-farm walk called the Tasty Lancashire Cheese Trail. This walk takes you across a number of different farms where they make cheese. THere are little signs guiding you along the way, but they are small and nailed to little wooden posts. There are little stiles that help you to step across the fences as you go from one farm to another. We were walking across fields where sheep and cows were grazing. They would just stare at us, and the sheep would usually bleet. We definitely had to watch our step so we didn't take home with us some unwanted sheep or cow byproduct. We walked right across this one farm yard with chickens and geese, between the house and the barns, and the owner greeted us and asked if we were enjoying our walk. They are so friendly here. If we were walking across private property back home, I would be afraid that someone would start shooting at us or sick a pit bull on us.
We ended our walk at Mrs. Kirkham's Cheese Farm. The name really intrigued me, so when we got there, I asked if we could see around the farm and how they made cheese. We were given our own private tour and saw how they make this special Lancashire cheese. It tastes really good, better than cheddar, but different from jack or swiss. I met the owner, John Kirkham. He looked to be about 70. We compared our family histories, and he showed my his copy of the Kirkham coat of arms. We figured we were probably related back about 4 or 5 generations. He was very pleased to meet us.
Later in the day, we hopped on board a train that traveled through the Yorkshire Dales. I have long been a fan of James Herriot's books about a veterinarian practicing in the Yorkshire Dales just prior to World War II, and have wanted to see the Dales. We decided to take a train because the roads are narrow and I can't really enjoy the scenery when I'm concentrating on avoiding oncoming traffic. Most of the farms were sheep, separated by rock walls. The landscape was pretty barren, and the fells were quite high and beautiful. THe train took us over a high pass, into the fog, through a tunnel, across a viaduct, through tiny little towns, all in comfort and relaxation. We stopped at a little station that had been in operation for about 130 years. It looked like it came right out of a Sherlock Holmes movie.
We finished our day by attending a temple session at the Preston Temple. It was so beautiful and peaceful in there. And when we came out and walked around the grounds, we were treated to a beautiful sunset. What a perfect ending to a wonderful day and to our stay here in Lancashire. Tomorrow, we're off to Scotland.
Just a quick update about the food here. Yesterday, we stopped at a restaurant and I thought I would try something different. I see jacket potatoes on the menus alot, so I though I would order that with a steak and ale pie and mushy peas. That's right, the peas are all mashed and put in a little cup. The steak and ale pie was nothing more than a beef pot pie. And the jacket potatoes - a baked potato. So nothing really unusual about it other than the mashed peas. Now that we're going to Scotland, I've got to get the nerve up to try the haggis.
