Kirjahaku

The River Skerne is about twenty-five miles long. It begins its journey in an unlikely spot somewhere between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange; it ends just south of Darlington at Hurworth Place, where it joins the River Tees. As the crow flies, the distance from source to mouth is only sixteen miles. Despite its shortness, the river flows through areas that provide an insight into the history of lower County Durham.

Having been some time since I completed my Crossings of the Tees, I decided another project was called for. The Wear - at its closest only some fourteen miles from my home and flowing from high Pennines heathlands, through a gorgeous valley to its industrial mouth at Sunderland where it enters the North Sea - seemed an obvious choice. The history of the population of the Wear valley is closely linked to the history of the Industrial Revolution, its upper reaches flowing through lead mining country, its lower reaches through the Durham coalfield. Limestone quarrying, lead mining and coal mining encouraged the early adoption and development of railways.

Following my Flying Visits to Scotland's Airports and Islands and Grand Tour of (much of) Scotland's Northern Coasts &Central Highlands, the possibly temporary easing of Covid-19 restrictions, after what seemed like an unending lockdown, encouraged me to start again my endeavours to visit those islands and other places of interest in Scotland that I had not previously visited or had given less attention than they deserve. This is not a guidebook Places of interest visited are selective, not comprehensive. Do not expect recommendations of where to go, how to get there, where to stay and eat, and what to do when you get there. That is the province of D&K, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides etc. As well as an account of my tours, flights and visits, it contains snippets of history, geography, wildlife and, hopefully, amusing or poignant human stories. It also contains snippets of my family history, which drove one of the trips. It is essentially an account of the ramblings, in body and mind, of one individual - me.

If this title seems a little pretentious, I can only say, in my defence, that it was the title of the second Noble Caledonia cruise to be embarked upon after the partial easing of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2021. Places visited included such diverse locations as the remote archipelago of St Kilda, the Hebrides, Loch Torridon, Rathlin Island, the Giant's Causeway, Anglesey, St David's, Lundy, the Isles of Scilly, and Fowey, all the time accompanied by a team of enthusiastic experts to point out items of interest.

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