Days out – Page 10

So, Where Are Paddy and Plunkett This Week?

Posted on September 18, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

We left them here last week… but what on earth is that in the background?

(If anyone guessed correctly, I’ll be super impressed!)

This unusal-looking bridge is part of the newly revamped and reopened Gobbins Cliff Path, which is about half an hour’s journey outside Belfast, on the County Antrim coast! The original Gobbins path opened in 1902, as the expansion of Northern Ireland’s railways helped to open up parts of the province which had been difficult to reach before. The Gobbins was a genuine old-school tourist attraction, purpose-built by the Chief Engineer of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Company to encourage people to visit this part of the country, and to show off the area’s spectacular coastline!

However, the Depression in the 1930s and the growing popularity of cars meant that the railway company could no longer afford to maintain the system of bridges and walkways that made up the path. And when the Second World War broke out, finding people to look after The Gobbins was hardly a priority! It started to fall into disrepair, and a partial reopening of the path in the early 1950s was scuppered by a landfall shortly afterwards. The Gobbins closed in 1954, and was fully abandoned seven years later. Since then, there have been a couple of attempts to reopen the attraction, but nothing came of them… until now! Thanks to a combined effort (and some all-important funds) from the local council, the EU and the Ulster Garden Villages charity, a full restoration started in 2014… And now it’s open for business!

Hey, it looks like the boys are ready to start the tour!
Here we go! It was a bit breezy, so they had to hitch a ride with some of the human visitors…

…But not the whole way! Here’s Plunkett posing with the restored Tubular Bridge, the most distinctive part of the path.

And again, at Sandy Cave. Apparently, this spot was popular with Victorian picnic parties… and smugglers! My Secret Seven-reading 8-year-old self would have loved this place!

The path carries on for nearly a mile and a half, and includes five bridges and a narrow cave tunnel! Check out some of the highlights…
https://me.sh/vhdbvd4

But even walking on little short Beastie legs, the tour was over all too soon… Time to get the train home, lads!

We’ll see Paddy and Plunkett again soon, I’m sure… And if you’re in the neighbourhood, why not take a trip to The Gobbins yourself? You can find out more about booking here.

See you next time!

Weekly Photo Challenge – Monochromatic

Posted on September 16, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Weekly Photo Challenge

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Monochromatic.”

Beasties tend to be quite colourful little creatures, so a monochrome Photo Challenge really is a tricky one! However, I thought it might be a good opportunity to fiddle around with some effects… so I sepia-tinted some photos of Victorian Explorer Beastie’s day out in the old seaside resort of Bray, which is just over half an hour south of Dublin city centre by train!

The retro effect quite suits him, doesn’t it?

If colour’s more your thing, though, you can check out the original pictures here!

Paddy and Plunkett's Gift From Scotland - CrawCrafts Beasties

Paddy and Plunkett Come Home…

Posted on September 11, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

… And look, they brought me back a present!

As some of you already know, I am a little bit Scottish – the “Craw” in “CrawCrafts” is taken from my family name, Crawford, a legacy from my Glaswegian grandfather. UK residents will probably also associate the name with a popular brand of Scottish shortbread… although unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a family connection there!

Anyway, it turns out that the Crawfords have their own family tartan… and the boys were able to scavenge me a piece! I’m already plotting ways to use it – and I love the fact that it’s red and green, two of my favourite colours!

However, these restless Beasties barely had time to hand over their gift before they hit the road again…

Or rather, the rails. Here they are taking the train north, to get a sneak preview of a rather special new vistor attraction in Northern Ireland. They’ve promised to share the full story next week, but in the meantime, here’s a peek at where they’re off to…

Does anyone know where they’ve gone?

Paddy at the Kelpies - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Wild Horses, Country Residences and Little Woolly Monsters!

Posted on September 4, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

After an enjoyable trip to the Orkneys, Paddy and Plunkett have finally decided to head back to the Scottish mainland! The next stop on their journey was to visit the giant Kelpies sculptures in The Helix parkland, just outside the town of Falkirk in central Scotland.

These two massive horses stand guard over the eastern entrance to the newly extended Forth and Clyde canal, and they’re fast becoming one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks! Kelpies are mythological water creatures that feature heavily in Scottish folklore – pretty much every major stretch of water in the country has a resident kelpie. They usually take the form of a large and powerful horse, and their rather spooky modus operandi is to tempt humans to hop aboard, before plunging back underwater and having them for dinner! However, though the Kelpies statues may take their name from these otherworldly aquatic beasts, they are intended to represent the hardworking horses who pulled the barges along the canals back in the day… a fitting tribute, I think! The boys had lots of fun posing with the sculptures, despite the photography challenges posed by the breezy weather…
https://me.sh/3bk69gt

They also watched a barge full of visitors passing through the lock gate on the canal!

They resisted the urge to join them though… They had an appointment with royalty!

This rather lovely place is Dumfries House. Back in the mid 2000s, its future was looking a little uncertain… the house was due to be sold, and its original Chippendale furniture (including some custom-made pieces) auctioned off. At the eleventh hour, the house, the estate in which it stands and its entire contents were purchased by a consortium headed up by Prince Charles, so that it could be preserved intact, and used to bring revenue to the surrounding area.

The house was opened to visitors in 2008, and since then other parts of the estate have been repurposed and put to use as well, providing education, employment and income to keep the project running. And there really is a lot going on there… for starters, you can stay on the estate! Paddy and Plunkett snuck into this beautiful, cosy room in the old stable block, now converted into a pretty spiffy guesthouse…

…And then took a tour of the Walled Garden, to check out the conservatory and herb garden!

Although the boys were also tempted by a tour of the house or a visit to the Arboretum, they realised that the date on their ferry ticket was…
Today.

Uh-oh… RUN!!

Phew! Made it, with seconds to spare!

Have a safe trip home, boys!

More From Orkney!

Posted on August 28, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

I have to say, I’m incredibly impressed by the amount of interesting things Paddy and Plunkett have found to see and do on Orkney! For some relatively small islands, there’s a lot going on!

After their visit to Skara Brae, they decided to pop down the road to visit Skaill House, which is the “big house” of the Breckness estate, where Skara Brae is located. In fact, it was the 7th laird of the estate who first started excavations at Skara Brae back in 1850. According to this article I found, he used the house’s dining room table to display his finds from the site! Skaill House has been open to visitors since 1997, and it is just full of treasures, including this rather fearsome tigerskin rug…

Hey Plunkett, watch out for those teeth!

The boys also got to see the actual dinner service from Captain Cook’s ship! These well-travelled plates made it back from the famous explorer’s ill-fated final trip to Hawaii, and ended up here because Orkney was the ships’ first port of call in Britain on their return journey.

Am I the only one who’s having a hard time imagining intrepid explorers and salty sea dogs eating their dinner from one of these pretty floral plates? It certainly looks like the Beasties are bemused by them too!

After a spot of lunch, the lads thought they’d check out the Ring of Brodgar, which is part of the same UNESCO World Heritage site as Skara Brae.

This stone circle (officially described as a “Neolithic henge and stone circle) is the third largest in the British Isles, and the most northerly. It’s quite a mysterious place – its age is still uncertain, and although an archaelogical excavation took place in the summer of 2008, many questions about the site, such who built it and why, remain unanswered.

Unfazed by unsolved historical riddles, Paddy and Plunkett were at least able to establish a purpose for one of the stones now – as a handy viewing platform!

Then they rounded off their day with a visit to the working blacksmith’s workshop in St Margaret’s Hope…

… And a wee dram*!

Uh-oh… Too much, perhaps?

Let’s hope this doesn’t spoil their holiday! I wouldn’t like to be in their woolly little shoes tomorrow morning…

* “A wee dram” = “A spot of light liquid refreshment”

Beasties Climbing Olive Trees - CrawCrafts Beasties

Explorer Beastie’s Day Out at Kew Gardens

Posted on August 23, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Weekly Photo Challenge

http://me.sh/18cehthx

OK, so I had a go at making a Mesh Gallery for this week’s challenge… let me know if it works for you all! I decided to use photos from Explorer Beastie’s trip to Kew Gardens last year – he had a great time hanging out with his buddy Garcia Beastie, as you can see!

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Today Was a Good Day.”

Plunkett Investigates Skara Brae - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

This Is What Happens…

Posted on August 21, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

…When you let a pair of adventurous Beasties out into the world, and then forget to check up on them regularly. With so much else going on last week, Paddy and Plunkett’s ongoing Scottish adventures kiiiinda slipped through the net… Sorry lads!

To try and get my attention, they decided to abandon the Scottish mainland and visit the Orkney Islands – an archipelago of around 70 islands that lie 10 or so miles north of the northernmost point of Great Britain. Having put their hiking boots on (with debatable success), it was time to head out and explore!

Their adventure started in Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkneys! It’s a town and port on the largest of the islands, and about 9000 people live there. It’s also got history – the first mention of it was in the Orkneyinga saga, a part-fiction, part historical account of the lives and times of the earls of Orkney, written by an unknown Icelandic author in around 1230. According to the saga, Kirkwall (or “Kirkjuvagr”, as it was then) existed as far back as 1046… That means that in a few years’ time, the people of Kirkwall can legitimately celebrate the 1000th birthday of their home town!

However, Paddy was apparently more interested in checking out this creepy grinning skull on one of the tombstones in St Magnus Cathedral!

Mind you, it looks like Plunkett was too afraid to even venture inside! Oh no, wait… he’s just getting himself some lunch.

Probably a good idea, since their next move was to cut across the middle of Mainland Orkney to Stromness…

…And from there, make their way over to the west coast to see Skara Brae!

Skara Brae is a Neolithic village, sometimes called “the Scottish Pompeii” because it’s so incredibly well preserved. However, it’s much, much older than Pompeii – it’s estimated that the eight houses here were occupied between 3180-2500 BCE (thanks for the numbers, Wikipedia!), meaning that Skara Brae predates both the Pyramids and Stonehenge!

The story of how Skara Brae came to be rediscovered is also pretty interesting… It seems that no-one was aware that there had been a settlement here until the winter of 1850, when a severe storm lifted the topsoil covering a lumpy hill known as Skerrabra. Once the storm clouds had dispersed, locals were intrigued to find the outlines of a number of small houses, complete apart from their roofs! The site fell victim to a number of well-intentioned (mostly) amateur archaeological excavations in the years that followed, until another storm in 1924 swept away one of the unearthed houses. It became clear that this important find could be completely lost if it wasn’t properly cared for, so a professor from the University of Edinburgh, who revelled in the glorious name Vere Gordon Childe, was put in charge of all further efforts to make the site secure and investigate its history. His work started in 1927, and today Skara Brae enjoys UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Plunkett was certainly interested to see these ancient underground houses!

Meanwhile, Paddy was getting up close and personal with the Neolithic furniture – it was full of Beastie hiding places!

I wonder if there were Beasties back then?

More Paddy and Plunkett adventures next week – I’ll definitely be keeping a closer eye on them in future!

Goth Beastie Closeup - CrawCrafts Beasties

Weekly Photo Challenge – Creepy

Posted on August 19, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Weekly Photo Challenge

Oh wow, I’ve actually been looking for an excuse to get on board with the Weekly Photo Challenge for months… So today’s task on Blogging 101 couldn’t have come at a better time! Here’s my first ever entry… My original Goth Beastie, hanging out in a local graveyard. Don’t have nightmares, now!

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Creepy.”

99 Beastie's Icecream Cone, by CrawCrafts Beasties

Beasties, Beans and Blogging

Posted on August 4, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

It’s been a busy couple of days in Beastie Towers… and beyond! On Saturday, we took part in our first market in aaaages, at the Ha’Penny Flea. Because Beasties don’t take up much room, we got a really good spot by the front door, so we were able to enjoy a little bit of the sunshine. The weather was behaving surprisingly well for a bank holiday weekend!

At the market, a couple of my newer Beasties (who haven’t really had a chance to make an appearance on the BeastieBlog before now) headed off to new homes. Ready to meet them?

First of all, one of my Summer Edition Barróg Beasties was snapped up by one of my regular customers! This is 99 Beastie, because summer wouldn’t be summer without dollops of snowy-white vanilla ice cream served with a chocolate flake on top…

And let’s just have a closer look at that ice cream cone, shall we? YUUUUUM!

By the way, if anyone knows why we call this type of ice cream a “99”, please enlighten me in the comments… so far, the only explanations I can come up with are a) that they used to cost a mere 99p back in the good old days, or b) that if you eat 99 of them in one sitting, you’re in real trouble.

Another Beastie who left with a new family on Saturday was Tea Lover Beastie!

It is possible that they are more of a coffee-drinking household, but Tea Lover Beastie is more than happy to try new things!

Also making the journey to a new home today (thanks to the wonders of Etsy) is one of my little fleecy “Mame-Chan” beans!
She’s on her way to Alyssa, in the USA… thanks, Alyssa!

And finally, you may notice a little bit of extra activity on the BeastieBlog over the next three weeks. I’ve just started WordPress’s Blogging 101 course, in the hope of making my little corner of the internet a nicer place to be! Yesterday’s challenge was to introduce myself to the world and my new classmates, so I took the opportunity to refresh my About page. If you have a second, please go and check it out… I’d love any feedback you might have, even if it is “I liked it better the way it was”!

Thanks for reading!

Goth Beastie in Glasnevin Cemetery, by CrawCrafts Beasties

Glasnevin Cemetery, With Goth Beastie

Posted on July 31, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Knitted Beasties

Call me macabre, but there’s nothing I like better than wandering around cemeteries. They’re peaceful, interesting and a little creepy at the same time. And Dublin’s Glasnevin Cemetery is one of my favourites! Luckily it’s just across the river and up the road, in the inner suburbs on the north side of the city. Opened in 1832, it now covers an area of around 124 acres, and is the final resting place of 1.5 million of Dublin’s departed. On my most recent visit, I was accompanied by Goth Beastie. She looked strangely at home among the gravestones…

If you’re interested in Irish history, Glasnevin is a must-see. Many of the significant figures from our recent past are buried here, including Daniel O’Connell, whose campaign to allow Catholics to be offered the same right to a dignified funeral as Protestants led to the establishment of this very graveyard! An early-mediaeval style round tower stands on his tomb, and it can be seen from pretty much anywhere in the cemetery – it’s in the background of this photo…

Glasnevin is also home to some beautiful old trees, which line the pathways between the graves…

And there’s such a huge variety of styles in the monuments here, too! There are underground crypts…
…Traditional crosses…

…And some more understated ones. Goth Beastie was particularly taken with this one.

But it wasn’t long before the sun got too high in the sky for certain pale-faced Beastie ladies! There was just time for Goth Beastie to seek out a little cool shade before we headed for home…

How do you feel about graveyards? An interesting place to spend an afternoon, or too spooky for words?

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