We should have taken the 8:50 A.M local bus to Carlisle. Instead, we tried to take the National Express bus from the P & O ferry port in Cairnryan, but it was full. So we took a taxi to Stranraer, a port city (left), then a bus to Dumfries, and then a train to Carlisle, England, where we arrived six hours later. If only we had known!
Carlisle is a town, with a large modern shopping center that even has a Merry-Go-Round. We bee-lined to the Visitor Center to buy a guidebook for Hadrian’s Wall, get a city map, and make accommodation plans.
The houses in this area are all made of stone, with slate roofs, and multiple chimneys, all with several flues.Can’t you see the chimney sweepers dancing on the roofs as in Mary Poppins?
Though No. Ireland, Scotland, and England all use the pound, merchants only want “proper money” and frowned on our Ulster (No. Ireland) bills. I don’t know if it a political thing or what, but each country’s currency has the same value. We may have to go to a bank to exchange the bills.
Tomorrow we will bus to the start of Hadrian’s Wall, and then walk back to Carlisle–about 12 miles. Since we will only have a light pack, it should be a good way to get our legs prepped for the rest of the journey. It will be cold and overcast…I hope we get some good pictures.
