Canny lass

Well! There I was thinking I should be taking more water with my whisky. I don't have your e-mail but you can message it to me or you'll find my e-mail on my profile if you prefer that route.

I understood that they were visiting Bedlington as well - because of the dog connection - or is my brain playing tricks on me?

Hi Lars och Jennifer Så trevlig att ni vill besöka mitt hemland! Jag har bott 30 år i ditt. Det finns mycket att se och uppleva i England och tro mig när jag säger att det inte bara är grått och regnigt. Nu tar jag resten på engelska så att resten av gänget kan komma med kommentarer. A lot depends on how much time you have at your disposal and what your interests are. Like Sweden, the UK has a rich and varied landscape. It's easy for a swede to think that England is synonymous with 'London' and 'dirty' industrial towns but this couldn't be further from the truth. Certainly, England has its fair share of leftovers from the industrial revolution - and these give an interesting insight in themselves - but it also has a great deal of rural history. It surprises many to know that at the height of the industrial revolution, England probably had the best (meaning most sensibly) dressed and fed working class population in Europe. This was largely thanks to the wool industry and its copious bi-product - meat (mutton). I've taken guests from Sweden to England on several occasions and always try to balance the industrial/urban side of England with the rural side and most are more than pleasantly surprised to find that England has vast areas of devastatingly beautiful countryside.. If you're starting out from Edinburgh head south towards Bedlington following the coast road. Look out for and make a stop at: Holy Island (Lindisfarne), Bamburgh and Craster (you must eat at least one kipper!) before heading inland towards Alnwick. Continue south towards Morpeth and Bedlington. The advice given by Andy above, regarding the heritage leaflet is well worth noting. Have it on your phone/ tablet or print it out before you leave home. It is, unfortunately, only available at the local council office during opening times. You can't visit Bedlington without looking into the history of our mines and the men who worked them. These men were the backbone of the industrial revolution in England. Without them, and the coal they produced, there would not have been much of a revolution. Steam power may have powered many innovations but it was sheer human muscle power that provided the raw material for the steam. I agree with Eggy, http://www.experiencewoodhorn.com/ is a good place to start. While in the Bedlington area I would also recommend a day out to Beamish Open Air Museum near Stanley, County Durham http://www.beamish.org.uk/ to see how miners and their families lived and worked during the period of the industrial revolution and the war years. Very interesting. Also interesting, for you Lars, is that wherever you go in the Bedlington Area - indeed all over the north east - you are walking on ground that is being held up by wood from Scandinavian forests. Britain's mining industry was one of the biggest importers of timber (for pit-props to hold up the roof in the mines) from Scandinavia. While in the North East, and not far from Bedlington we have Hadrians Wall http://hadrianswallcountry.co.uk/ and from there it's a nice journey over the moors to Carlisle or Penrith and the lake district. As you approach Cumbria (the lake district) another point of interest for a swede is to start looking at the place names. In this area the Scandivians influence is very much in evidence. Look for names ending in by (swedish 'by'), thorpe (swedish 'torp') and toft (swedish 'tomt'). These all came to Britain with your forefathers - the vikings. From Penrith, I always think a nice round trip in the lake district starts at Penrith and heads west towards Keswick and Cockermouth before turning southwards to Buttermere, Ambleside and Windermere but it's very individual. It might be worth noting that it is packed with tourists in August so you'd be wise to book accommodation in advance. It's a beautiful area, in many ways like Sweden from a point of view of nature. However, if you want to see, what I think of as the 'real' England you should start your journey south taking a route through the peak district of the Pennines - the backbone of England. There's some fantastic walking on the Pennine Way (sometimes referred to as England's longest footpath http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/pennine-way) and (http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting). I hope this is of some help and if you want to know about some of my other 'typically English' places which I usually show visiting swedes then please feel free to ask. There's loads to see and do between the Lake District and London.

Quite right. Robert Wakenshaw. The footballer to the right of him could be Ken Johnson from Netherton. What do you think Bluebarby?

I remember them! And we called them shuggy boats as well even if they were quite different.

Lollipop? We always called that the witches hat and the high flyer we called the 'shuggy boat'.

Nice bit of 'plain speak' there, Malcolm. Bedlington needs people like you. Keep up the good work.

If this is 'purpose built' (and built to modern standards), I doubt if the residents will hear anything at all. The idea behind having residential homes close to amenities isn't so strange. It makes it easier to keep the residents an active part of the community they live in. If it's just 50 yards to a shop, cafe or post office then many will get there under their own steam. If they need a carer with them there's more likely to be time for a 15 minute outing to buy, let's say an ice-cream, than there would be for an hour's outing from the outskirts of town. It's not such a daft idea, when you think about it.

No, Danny's not to blame. I think he was reserved for those who needed a good whallop with the cricket bat now and then. We had Miss Wilkinson. Actually, we meant vintage in the nicest possible way - more like a good wine, mature with full and rounded body.

I think 'vintage' is the word your looking for Maggie.

Thanks Andy! That's the one I was thinking about. I've just noticed (page 2), shouldn't that read 'Lairds House' instead of 'The Laird's House'?

Great idea to get people active, kids in particular. I know Bedlington had, and maybe still has, a town map with points of interest marked out. Malcolm posted it somewhere here when I asked about the heritage trail. However, when I enquired about where to find it I was told it was available at the council offices. In other words, Monday to Friday 9-5 (just the time when most people are looking for leisure activities). I thought it should be available in shops and pubs.

Have a look at this Malcolm. http://www.lightsinalingsas.se/en/lights-alingsas-story This started off on a very small scale and now attracts visitors from all over Scandinavia. Alingsås is no bigger than Bedlington and built in a similar style with one, long main street. The first year there were only a few items but now there are many. Maybe there's a university department in Newcastle who would be willing, and glad of the opportunity, to participate. Not a bad idea to get the town involved with sponsorship either. I always think of Bedlington when I'm there. Board and lodgings on offer if anybody wants to experience it first hand!

Very best wishes on your birthday, Foxy. You deserve a good day.

Maybe it's time to dust off the cobwebs and have another bash at it? It doesn't need to be on a large scale at first.

A couple of the walks we did, but not all, also said a donation could be made. These walks started and finished at the local Tourist Information Office. perhaps they were involved in the organisation? Donations were made in a collection box in the TIO. All guides were quick to inform the group that they did not accept gratuities.

I've no answer to that, Eggy. Perhaps a matter of cooperation between Council and history society. I didn't think to ask about the organisation of it. I could, however, suggest that the council approaches the history society. Perhaps a small remuneration could be offered to the society? I do know that none of the guides I met received any form of remuneration. They did it for their love of their town and its history. Quite a few were sprightly pensioners who enjoyed getting out and about and meeting people. I wasn't thinking only of tourism when I suggested this. It could be a nice afternoon out for local people wanting to know a bit more about Bedlington.

I’ve recently spent a couple of weeks wandering about in the Cotswolds and was delighted in several towns and villages to find FREE walking tours available. Guided by a member of the local history society, groups of 2 to 20 people are shown points of historical interest and the history of the town is briefly related. The walks were 1-2 hours. The experience was both interesting and enjoyable. In some larger towns the tour took place up to 4 times a day, while in smaller towns it was only once a day. It was free because it encouraged visitors to the town and in small towns (timed as it was directly before or after lunch) it brought income to pubs, tea-rooms and restaurants. These towns and villages were places no larger than Bedlington and in many cases, though interesting in their history, had not as much to offer as Bedlington. Could it be something for Bedlington? I’m not suggesting every day, but perhaps a couple of times during the summer? Or even an autumn or winter walk, perhaps with pleasant lighting in places.