It may possibly have escaped your notice but on Monday of this week the earth spun off its axis. And I'm afraid to say, it was my fault. Let me explain: whenever we visit our friends Matthew & Sam in Dumfries & Galloway (and we've been going there ever since they moved north of the border in the early 90s) we always break the journey in Penrith. Without fail. Whatever the time of day or night we always have a leg stretch & grab a cup of java in Cumbria's sixth largest town. But not on Monday: ''Why don't we scope out Barnard Castle for a change?'' said I, just as we'd passed Scotch Corner on the A66. Expecting to be blown out of the water for this outlandish question, bordering on heresy, I waited for the rebuttal. ''OK, why not?'' came the (unexpected) reply. And so, 10 minutes later, we're passing the castle ruins and looking for a parking space on one of the widest high streets I've ever seen. Turns out parking's free (that's how you encourage tourism) and we're but a stone's throw from a myriad of tearooms. Three quarters of an hour later we're suitably refreshed and, after having made a mental note of who's coming to play the lovely Witham Arts Centre, we head back to the jam jar (via the Heron) and continue on our way.
