Carlisle to Dundee - a review

Carlisle to Dundee - a review

29th Sept to 3rd Oct 2019

Departing Manchester in heavy rain, it was encouraging to observe that the weather forecast for Carlisle, Dundee and Perth for the duration of our trip showed brighter prospects. Our first port of call was the Tullie House Museum + Gallery. The variety in its contents easily occupied our time there.   

 Items with a regional flavour that captivated some of us included the wonderful ‘Driggsby’ Fin whale, ‘The Cricket Match at Edenside’, Carlisle, circa 1844 by Sam Bough – with some of the players sporting top hats! – and the wonderful miniature landscape painting ‘Windermere, A Storm’ by Ford Madox Brown.  The quirky ‘Wally Bird’ tobacco jar was another favourite exhibit of mine. The café also proved very popular and by the time we had fortified ourselves the rain had abated for our short walk to the Guildhall museum. Our guide there was a mine of information.   

 Monday produced dry weather and an excellent itinerary. Carlisle Cathedral was splendid – not least its’ wonderful East Window and the stunning 19th century re-painting of the choir ceiling.  

Good weather prevailed as we reached the extraordinary ‘Garden of Cosmic Speculation’ – a highlight of the trip. Howard successfully navigated the rather narrow drive where we were welcomed by Jenny – wife of the Head Gardener. While some areas were ‘out of bounds’ due to the recent heavy rainfall, the areas open to us by special arrangement (thank you Joan!!) were stunning. With such a small group we were able to appreciate its tranquillity (apart from the clanging ‘Garden of Extirpation!). One of the gardeners explained how lacking in tranquillity the annual public open day is, with adult visitors sliding down the banks causing muddy trails in their wake (he seemed to glance around, satisfied that none of the FoW were misbehaving in this way – at least not intentionally!!)  

The much lauded V&A Museum of Design, Dundee did not disappoint, especially its external architecture … juxtaposed with the nearby ‘RRS Discovery’, from some angles it seems almost boat-like. 

 The ‘RRS Discovery’ and the associated museum reminded us of a different era – and of its relevance to current scientific work in Polar Regions. Those of us of ‘short stature’ easily navigated the decks without fear of banging our heads – but were glad we did not have to work in the engine room or climb the masts!  

The exhibition of modern polar paintings in the McManus Gallery complimented this nicely.  ‘Oor Wullie’, positioned outside the McManus, pointed (ably led by Jane) towards our path back to the hotel at the end of another day. 

In Perth a Canadian descendant of Adam Anderson – designer of the original Perth Water Works – was willing to pose in front of his building – now re-configured as the Fergusson Gallery, exhibiting a range of paintings by the Scottish Colourist. From there it was a pleasant walk to the Perth Art Gallery – taking in street sculptures along the way. 

 The Perth Museum and Art Gallery, with its lovely cupola in the entrance, has a variety of displays, including the famous ‘Miss Georgina Ballantine’s Salmon’, taken from the River Tay in October 1922 – it remains the largest rod-caught salmon to be landed in Britain and fed the staff and patients of the Perth Royal Infirmary after its vital statistics had been recorded. It appears it was nearly her own size – a remarkable feat to land it!! 

From Perth our journey took us to the impressive Glamis Castle