Day 2 (Pre-Hike Day 2 of 2): Trains in the Rain

Greetings from St. Bees, the start of England's Coast to Coast trail! As the title suggests, today was a great day to spend a few hours traveling by train from Bristol to St. Bees.

After some delicious pastries for breakfast in Bristol, we were serenaded by the bells of Bristol Chapel as we prepared for our departure.

The bells of Bristol Cathedral: I believe they lasted about 20 minutes, perhaps longer. I don't think many people sleep past 9 am on Sunday in this city!

En route to Bristol Temple Meads station with our wonderful hosts

Bristol Temple Meads Station...a beaut!

We had a series of three trains today: from Bristol to Birmingham, Birmingham to Carlisle, and Carlisle to St. Bees. Through the rain we were able to get our first glimpses of the English countryside, which make us even more excited for the hike to come.

These cattle and sheep didn't seem to mind grazing in the rain one bit. With pastures that green, I don't blame them!

An aquaduct in the rain: it was quite impressive in person.

The heavy rain delayed our arrival in Carlisle enough that we missed our preferred train to St. Bees. However, this turned out to be a happy accident as it gave us time to visit the stunning Carlisle Cathedral: we even caught the postlude on the 4,000 pipe organ, which was impressive to say the least. This may be one of my favorite cathedrals I've ever visited: the ceiling was celestial perfection.

Local red sandstone was used to build Carlisle Cathedral in the 1300s. The stonework details were amazing.

Looking towards the east window from the choir. The ceiling literally sparkled.

We arrived in St. Bees with just enough time to get settled at Stonehouse Farm B&B before grabbing some fortifying nutrition at the Manor House.

Dad in front of Stonehouse B&B, our lodging for the night.

Bangers and mash after a long day of travel: Dad's steak and ale pie was equally as filling and scrumptious.

With stomachs full of delicious British fare and hearts full of excitement, we are ready to tackle stage one of the trail tomorrow morning!

Today's Step Total: 9,820

British ( Breeds of Animals Seen:

Dogs: Bedlington Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier, King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel, Border Collie, English Setter

Cows: Blue Albions, Jerseys, Belted Galloway (OK, not technically British, but close! And so striking in the green pastures.)

Sheep: Suffolks, Texels, Scotish Blackface (OK, also not technically British, but they were super cute!)

Horse: Shire, Hackney Pony, Gypsy Vanner (One last time: not British, but close. Next time this will be titled "UK Breeds of Animals Seen" :-) )

Until Tomorrow!

Kelsey and Brian