Virtually Swimming the English Channel in Aid of Heart Research UK Part 1

 My mother and I have challenged ourselves to swim the length of the English Channel in aid of Heart Research UK. You can read about the why on our JustGiving page, but on this blog I want to share updates of our progress, and,  if I pick up any hints and tips along the way, I'll drop them here. In case anyone else wants to take on the virtual channel swimming challenge.

As someone who only swims casually and rather sporadically, this was going to be quite some challenge. Yet it turns out that one of the biggest sticking points early on was actually deciding where to go swimming in the first place!

The full virtual channel swimming challenge is 22 miles, which for those of us who don't work in old money, is 35.406km. Put plainly, this was going to take a lot of lengths....and the likelihood of us getting bored of looking at the same four walls was pretty high.

So we decided to keep changing those four walls and sometimes scrap the walls altogether by adding some variety to our swims and trying out different pools around West Yorkshire in the process.

For the first swim, we took it one further by choosing the Swim2Music session at Bramley Baths. After all, what better way to kick off our virtual channel swimming challenge than by paddling to power ballads.

I had been wanting to visit Bramley Baths for some time now, as this historic gem is the last Edwardian bathhouse in Leeds. Having opened its doors in 1904, Bramley Baths was originally built as one of eight bath houses in an effort to improve public health in the time of a cholera outbreak.  

Back then, the bath house included a Russian Steam Baths as well as twenty slippers baths but over the years, it has had many reincarnations. During the Great Depression of the 1920s the pool was emptied and the space became a dance hall (today, we got the best of both worlds with melodic bathing) as well as hosting a variety of different events from Wrestling during WW2 and even rolling skating tournaments. 

Through constant reincarnations, community support and a little bit of help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bramley Baths was a perfect place to start our marathon swim. The question is, where to next?

Here we come a wassailing

I love an old folklore tale as much as the next person, maybe more..After all, like I said in my Cumbrian tales blog, I am a second-gen hippie…. so whilst, as school choir girl, I would quite happily sing ‘Here we come a wassailing’ without the foggiest idea what a wassail was, I am now rather intrigued to find out more and impart my new knowledge onto you dear reader. As with all good English folk traditions, this one comes with cake!

The pagan festival of Wassailing, often thought to date back to the Anglo-Saxon times, has a lot of significance in rural areas and took place in the depths of a bleak midwinter, either on Twelfth Night or on Old Twelvey Night (17 January) according to the Julian calendar.

I guess that it’s a lot like us now marking Blue Monday in the calendar (around mid-January) as the most depressing day of the year. Or rather, as I like to think of it; Brew Monday, the perfect excuse to drink copious amounts of tea.

What is Wassailing?

This celebration, often taking place in orchards, was all about communal hope, good cheer, banishing bad spirits and trying to get the good spirits to bless the fruit trees and ensure a good harvest the following season.

Toasting the Apple Trees

All of this was done by causing a noisy riot around the apple trees, singing songs, dancing and drinking lots and lots of cider. A communal ‘Wassail bowl’ was used in the past for this ritual but I don’t think that would stand up to health and safety these days.

It wasn’t just the apples and pears that were celebrated during the Wassail. It was also symbolic for encouraging health and fertility, not only for the humans but also the animals.

In many places, Wassailing also took place within the barns and stables as livestock were also blessed for a good year to come. Farm hands would do this by dipping sprigs of rosemary in the Wassail bowl and then sprinkling cider on their heads - all while singing their praises.

Why Wassailing?

The word Wassail comes from the Old English ‘was hál’, meaning ‘be hale’ or ‘good health.’Another popular Wassailing tradition was house calling  - a lot like carol singers- where revellers would go from house to house, spreading good cheer by singing and offering good wishes in return for food and, more commonly, cider. 

                                            

                                        The Wassail at Eat Riddlesden Hall, Keighley

Besides copious amounts of cider, no wassail celebration was complete without a rich, hearty Wassail cake, often served warm. I’ve adapted this traditional recipe, much to the horror of actual Wassail goers by replacing cider with apple juice for a non-alcoholic version.

Non-Alcoholic Wassail Cake:

Ingredients:

• 225g eating apples (peeled and chopped)
• 110g raisins
• 110g walnuts
• 225g apple juice
• 170g butter
• 100g honey
• 4 medium eggs
• 200g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a square tin. (or round)
• Add the raisins and apple juice to a pan and bring to the boil, simmer for a few mintues to allow the raisins to plump up before adding the apples, walnuts and removing from the heat.
• Cream the butter and honey.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder. Gradually beat in the eggs
• Fold in half the flour, then half the cider mixture. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour, or until golden and firm.

Serve your moist spiced cake with a warm apple juice, cider or a cup of tea.

Exploring Castles Around Cumbria

It’s been more than a hot minute since we last met, dear blog, but I’m back to share my love for history and, of course, good food! 

They say ‘once a historian, always a historian.’ Well, technically, when I say ‘they’ I mean me, but that’s besides the point. 

As I was saying, the historian is strong in this one, and I have recently started looking up the histories of the places that I am about to visit and then recalling these en route….and now for your reading pleasure….also here! 

For this Cumbrian trip, one name in particular jumped out at me and I was keen to find out more… well, that and the many stone circles in the area, but more on that later.

Lady Ann Clifford was a Tudor philanthropist, early feminist and total legend who, despite what the title of this blog may suggest, was born in Skipton. In 1590, in case you wanted to know.

English Heritage describe her as the last member of one of England’s great medieval dynasties.

Her life was sadly struck by tragedy early on, though, as both her brothers died young, making her the only surviving child, and then, her dad died too when she was only 15! 

Yet as she was a woman, *insert sarcastic eye roll* Anne did not automatically inherit the family estate, which by the way was really quite big. No, instead, it all went to her uncle, just because he was a man. * Boo hiss boo*

Thankfully, Ann did not give up without a fight, and with the support of her mother, Margaret, she made it her mission to regain her rightful inheritance…..It only took 40 years!!!

By this time, Lady Ann Clifford had outlived two husbands and many, if not all, of the estates were falling to bits and were in ruins. It was also 1643 at the time, so there was that little thing called the English Civil War to contend with. 

Unperturbed, there was no stopping Ann, who had a new mission in life. After the war, aged 60, she spent the next 26 years of her life restoring the family castles, including many that I will mention later, as well as restoring churches and building almshouses.

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Before, dear reader, we set off on our Lady Anne Clifford travels, I’m taking it right back to Neolithic times with a stop off at Castlerigg Stone Circle.

It is, in fact, reputed to be one of the oldest of the stone circles and predates Stone Henge by more than five hundred years. 

As a second-generation hippie ( sort of), I have often felt drawn to visiting stone circles, but that was before watching Outlander….now it’s a must-go destination….and Castlerigg did not disappoint.

The large stone circle with dramatic views over some of the Lake District's highest peaks includes 38 stones and a characteristic rectangular mini henge within the circle.

Mayburgh Henge

Staying on the Neolithic theme, we ventured next to Mayburgh Henge and King Arthur’s Round Table. 

I was rather underwhelmed by the latter of these. 

Although the Arthurian legend is in fact a legend and probably didn’t really happen at all, I was looking forward to seeing at least something at this site, but instead it was just literally a circular ditch and a mound.

It also didn’t actually have anything to do with Arthur, Merlin and the knights at all, although you may be led to believe that this was their jousting grounds. 

Instead, excavations from 1937 show that it has Neolithic origins and was thought to be a burial ground and possibly a trading place too.

Just across the road ( and a bit way down), we continued on our stone circle theme, and  Mayburgh Henge was not to be missed. Only one standing stone remains, but it's a majestic one, sadly though it did not take me to Jamie Fraser.

Shout out to Mother Nature for the ombre effect of all the colours in the standing stone.

Penrith Castle

On a very Outlander: Blood of My Blood or Game Of Thrones vein, there were two big rival families in Medieval Cumberland and Westmorland. One was the Cliffords and the other, the Nevilles. 

Penrith Castle (originally Penrith Manor) was owned by the Nevilles and was built as a place of diplomacy, trade, and quite possibly to ruffle a few of the Clifford’s feathers, who owned land not too far away. 

As I walked around the now ruinous castle, I could really feel the opulence and grandeur of this once magnificent building. 

One of its most notorious inhabitants was Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who went on to become Richard III. He is believed to have added many striking features to the castle during his time, but only lived there for periods up to 1483, so may not have stayed at Penrith whilst he was King.

St. Andrews Church 

Whilst in Penrith, another great stop for history nerds like myself is the church of St. Andrews. Although a lot of it was remodelled during the Georgian period, there has been a church on the site since about 1133, and it still retains its medieval tower, which is believed to date back to the 13th or 14th century.

I also loved seeing the stained glass window depicting members of the Neville family.

Dalemain Historic Mansion

The annual world marmalade awards at Dalemain was reason enough for me to pay this historic manor a visit, but sadly, the awards are in April, and I visited in November. 

To add to this,  the house was also now closed for the winter, as I would have loved to have seen Lady Anne Clifford’s final diary. (Oh well, all the more reason to go back.)

The Dalemain Mansion was bought by one of Lady Anne's secretaries, Edward Hasell, who is believed to have helped Anne keep her diary later in life.

However, fortunately for me, the tea room was open, which not only meant that I got to spend the afternoon in the historic medieval hall but try the marmalade too!!

The Dalemain Marmalade Awards attract over 300 marmalade makers from across the world  (Paddington would be in his element), all aiming for the coveted prize of having their marmalade on sale at Fortnum and Mason.

For 2025, the double gold award winner, and the first overseas winner for 20 years, was Hitomi Wakamura of Japan. The marmalade in question was yuzu and pear, so naturally, it had to be tried. 

The taste was fresh and light, almost summery in flavour, with the sweetness of the pear beautifully paired with the tangy yet floral notes of the yuzu.

Brougham Hall

Whilst Lady Anne Clifford spent most of her days at Brougham Castle (including her final ones), this was alas also closed, so I opted to visit Brougham (pronounced broom) Hall instead and what a cool place it is. 

Brougham Castle

The lovely lady at Saramics Studio gave me a lowdown on the story behind the hall and the artist collective that you can find there today. Brougham Hall is now owned collectively by the artists who work there, including a gin distillery, ceramic studios and even a forge.  

Whilst the hall has a rich tapestry of history, having been fortified and settled for centuries, its origins are unsure, but we can be sure that one of the heroines of this tale was Lady Anne Clifford! In 1651, she bought the hall for £1,500 and then, a few years later, also bought a hospital for the staff of both the hall and Brougham Castle.

The Gates at Brougham Hall

Greystoke Castle

If there are any themes to this blog (and there are a few), then it’s generous philanthropists; this time, it’s the Liverpudlian bar and restaurant owner Tom Nash. 

Tom is painstakingly and lovingly restoring this historic gem, and I was lucky enough to get a tour of Greystoke Castle, including not only the opulently restored rooms but also a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the work yet to be done. We even checked out the roof terrace!

One of my favourite aspects of the tour was the dungeon bar, which brought together the historic and the new with aged old barrels as tables and a fully stocked bar.

One of the most renowned occupants of Greystoke has to be Catherine Howard, 5th wife of Henry VIII and my cousin….13 times removed.

In fact, this ancestral family seat has been owned by the Howard family since 1560....until Cromwell had something to say about it.

Another famous person who stayed at Greystoke was the author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Although, like me, you may not recognise the name straight away, you will know his work as he is the guy who wrote Tarzan. 

The Edgar Rice Burroughs' Bedroom

In fact, Edgar Rice Burroughs actually based the home of Tarzan’s parents on Greystoke.

Appleby and St. Lawrence's Church

Whilst Lady Anne managed to restore 14 different castles in her lifetime, Appleby was one where she is said to have spent most of her time.

However, it is now a hotel, so after a quick peek, it was off to the church with a stop off at St Anne’s Hospital. 

This almshouse (not a hospital at all) was built as a refuge and to help the poor widows of the village.

Lady Anne Clifford and her mother are both buried at St. Lawrence's church, so it felt only fitting that the journey ends at her final resting place...or was it the end? 

Lady Ann Clifford's memorial. Work started on this whilst she was still alive so that Lady Ann could make sure that it was perfect.

Pendragon Castle 

Ok, so technically this is just on the Cumbrian/Yorkshire border, but our final stop, Pendragon Castle, was not to be missed for two main reasons. 

Firstly, according to Arthurian legend, the castle was built by Uther Pendragon, and secondly, it is, of course, Lady Anne Clifford. 

She fully restored the castle after it was raided by the Scottish and added many features, including a bakery and stables. Sadly, none of these remain as Pendragon Castle is now just a ruin, but I’m sure the local sheep love having it as a place to graze and explore.