Lancaster

Ambleside's Wednesday market was setting up as I waited for the bus and I looked through the books but ended up just heading straight on to Lancaster. The priory was nearly a thousand years old, but it was remodeled in the middle ages.

Immediately next to the priory stands the castle.

The fortified position is currently a prison, as it has been for a couple hundred years. For obvious reasons only part of the castle is open to tour groups. One section I particularly liked was the ornate trial room, where the coats of arms hang on the walls, showing all of the High Sheriffs of Lancashire over the last 800 plus years. Some of the more recent ones had fun creating their family arms that included soccer balls or were amusing puns on the names (which I'm forgetting. That's what I get for writing nearly two years after the event). Some of the puns are out of date, like Newton being represented by a new barrel (tun), or Bolton represented by an arrow (bolt). Another fun section was the former holding cells, which were certainly far from a fun place to spend one's time, even if they were a great deal less oppressive than medieval dungeons. 

I spent some time wandering the streets, browsing the shops and stalls, and using the internet in the library.  In the last of the light I meandered up to a hilltop park to overlook the city.  The Ashton memorial was a rather impressive centerpiece for the park. 

From there I was off to manchester, where I ate at the curry mile and checked into the hostel.