Rambling Russells

With a threat of a break in the beautiful weather we have been experiencing we set off for a ramble on the train. The Cumbrian Coast Day Ranger ticket allows unlimited travel between Carlisle and Barrow in Furness, along the Cumbrian coast. On a warm, sunny day it sounded ideal - at least part of the way! We decided to aim for Ravenglass and visit the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. The last time we went was about 20 years ago so it was definitely time for another visit. An early start meant we caught the train from Gretna to Carlisle and had time to buy a cup of coffee before boarding the train for the next part of the journey. Concrete Bob came into the station right on time and we boarded and found seats on the correct side of the train to see the views and take photographs. (Could have done with slightly cleaner windows - but couldn't do anything about that!) We passed through many stations on the journey... Dalston is the home of  Rose Castle -  the site of ...

WWT Caerlaverock are hosting 11 lego models for 6 weeks this year. We decided a visit was in order to view them. The first model greets you at the entrance... Lottie the Otter We visited the hides on our way around the site. The swallows were nesting in the eaves of the roof and provided spectacular views as they swooped right in front of the windows to go to their nests. The blue sheen of their feathers and their tail streamers looked stunning in the sunshine. Crane There were numerous damselflies around some of the ponds. The bright blue ones were the most obvious to see. Most were flitting around but we did find a couple sitting on a wooden rail basking in the sun. Fred the Frog The models are all quite large - 3 to 4 feet high! They have a board that gives information about the real animal as well as details about the model - such as how many bricks were used to build it and how many hours it took to construct them. They all have their own name too - such as F...