England - The Hike to the Black Cow Pub on Christmas Eve

The next morning started similar to the one before.  Coffee in bed and then porridge for breakfast.  The biggest difference this day was that the rain had stopped and we'd be hiking to the Black Cow Pub at Dalbury Lees for lunch.  It was also Sydney's 16th birthday and I knew it would be one she'd never forget!

I hadn't done much with my hair the day before since we were staying indoors but since we were venturing out, I decided to curl it.  I had purchased some adapters prior to leaving so I could use my U.S. appliances in the U.K. outlets.

Warning to all:  read the instructions and especially pay heed when it says to not use the adapters with irons.

I went to pick up my curling iron and it melted in my hand leaving me holding a glowing red element.  I quickly unplugged it and threw the whole thing in the sink.  Lesson learned.

This was all that was left of my curling iron!

This was our first venture out of the cottage since arriving and Dana and Roger had warned us about the mud.  I was wearing three year old boots I'd purchased at Target that had no tread left on them.  It made for a challenging hike through the fields. 

We bundled up and started out.  

There was lots of mud!

...and more mud!
It really was a lot of fun though!

In England, they have public footpaths that guide you through the countryside.  The only problem is they aren't always well marked which makes for a challenging fun time.

A well-marked footpath

This is what happens when a footpath
is NOT well marked.

...and this

Even our friend John Betjeman
can't find the footpath sign!

Another thing I was introduced to during our hike was a stile.  Handy little inventions, they are!

stile¹

stīl/

noun

1. 1.

   an arrangement of steps that allows people but not animals to climb over a fence or wall.

One style of stile...

...and another style of stile.  I think this is more
of a turnstile style of stile.  Heeheehee.

After almost two miles of hiking we finally saw this:

Yay!  Our first sign for the Black Cow Pub!

When we got there, the girls had to pose for the obligatory picture with the English phone booth.

Sydney Joy Frederick on her 16th birthday!

Hot cocoa tastes so good after a long, chilly hike!
Right, Mell?

We saw a lot of animals in public places during our stay.  It was not unusual to see dogs on the trains or in a pub and the Black Cow's resident cat was no exception.

Cat by a cozy fire.

No Guinness on tap here so I had one of the local brews which was delicious.  Sydney insisted on having a bacon cheeseburger for lunch and was a bit surprised by the English "bacon".

Looks more like Canadian bacon, eh?

Mell went the more traditional route and got fish and chips which came with a side of mushy peas.  I had never had them before but boy, was I hooked!  Delicious!

Look at those mushy peas!  Mmmmmm!

Full of good beer and good food, we headed back to Nether Burrows.  Dana, Steve and the girls and I walked back and left Mike and Roger behind to continue enjoying the pub.  We made sure they had "torches" a.k.a. flashlights to be able to navigate their way home in the dark.

Dana leading the way.

We took a more paved route home since it was starting to get dark and we were tired.  There was still lots to see.

We were very happy to know we were almost home when we saw this sign:

The boys arrived home just after dark and we enjoyed a quiet dinner of spaghetti squash with a puttanesca-style sauce.  I gave Sydney her birthday present from me.  A birthstone ring for my Sweet Sixteen-Year-Old.

Steve and I spent a little time in the hot tub before turning in.  The air was cold but the sky was clear and the mist over the hot tub tickled my cheeks.  Another wonderful day in England had come to an end and tomorrow was Christmas Day!