Day 61 - June 9th - Penrith

A 'rest day' and it was promising to be a sunny day - what could be better!?

Because of the Appleby Horse Fair accommodation near Dufton had been difficult to find so I was staying in Penrith. 

My hotel was next to St Andrew's Church.

where I met Andrew 

who had been recently ordained as one of two 'Distinctive Deacons' following an initiative by the Bishop to broaden the accessibility of the church to the wider community and particularly the poor and marginalised. 

Andrew explained that the tower is medieval but the nave was added in the 1720s and is referred to as a Georgian box Church. The only other two storey church I recall visiting was St.James' Piccadilly.

The town has some really attractive spaces, alleyways

and proper shops..

Really good to see!!

In the Market Square, it was the RNLI's turn for a collecting day in Penrith. I met Lois ....

and Robin - just two of the ten volunteers at key points around the town. 

Robin is a keen fisherman and having mentioned my conversation with Colin on the Teesdale river yesterday, he had a theory for how the river fish are restocked. Apparently ducks and water birds might pick up spawn in their plumage from one stretch of the river and then transport to another. Nice hypothesis!

I was admiring a chalk and pastel landscape by local artist Ceri Allen when I met Pat.

Pat is a retired art teacher who had been classically trained and was recalling how much she'd enjoyed sculpture. She initially taught in New Malden before moving North. Having recently celebrated a big birthday (starting with a N...) she still organises a local art group and I suspect keeps them on their toes! 

Ceri Allen has been a tutor at Higham Hall, Cumbria's equivalent to West Dean and had recently moved in to a vacant retail unit in Penrith's Devonshire Market in a local initiative to give artists greater visibility. She said that the sale of her artwork was going well but using the space as a studio in which to concentrate on new work was prooving more difficult.

There must have a period when towns across the country commissioned town clocks. They must catch my eye because the ones I've seen all seem to have a striking resemblance - 

Hay on Wye, 

Knighton and 

now Penrith.

- almost as though they were selected from a catalogue of standard features.

That's a subject for the next book after Styles of Stiles!!

In the evening, the pubs and bars were very busy. I was sitting next to group of six men up from Llanybydder up for the Horse Fair. The conversation was animated and I couldn't help but eavesdrop on their discussion on their dealing in horses. There's obviously lots of money to be made!!

Ready for an early start tomorrow - taxi back to Dufton at 8 in the morning.