After a pleasant night's sleep in our new digs, we got a start to our day and set our plan. Our hosts had bicycles available, so we planned to bike to nearby Lancaster, see the local castle and continue on to the University. The castle was close by, just a few miles, and should be less than 25 minutes by bicycle. We meandered through the quiet morning streets and headed in the general direction. Just on the edge of Morecambe, we found our route led to a walking/biking path. The walking side and biking side were clearly marked, so it was easy to follow. Intersections for other attractions and cross streets were clearly labeled, so it made the trip easy!
At the castle, we climbed a steep staircase at the back, then stopped for a few pictures from the hillside and at the entrance. Inside the castle gate, we stopped by the gift shop for a quick bite and a few souvenirs. A guided tour left shortly thereafter, so we had a brief lunch before starting the tour. Apparently, Lancaster Castle was still used a prison right up until 2011. To this day, it still serves as a Civil courtroom and hears cases on a very regular basis. Our guide, Christopher, was very knowledgeable (and quite animated!) giving his history lessons and pointing out details of the history of the Castle.
As our tour ended, we biked a short distance to a shopping square and took a stroll. There were plenty of places to eat and shop, and a few interesting sights as well!
As the early afternoon wore on, we opted to bike back and find an early dinner. The biking path conveniently continued near us, so we easily hopped on and headed back to the flat. Upon on return, Ramona dropped in a quick load of laundry.
On our next jaunt out, we went in search of dinner. An interesting note about the seaside towns, many shops and restaurants close on Mondays, as their staff work the weekends. When we arrived the previous day, we'd already passed many places that had closed on Sunday. Pity we wouldn't get to eat there tonight, either!
We walked back downtown to a restaurant called Palatine. The fare was pretty good, though service was slow on the quiet evening.
Dinner completed, it was time to walk off those calories! We meandered the streets just off the boardwalk, with everything closed, save for a convenience store.
Oddly enough, it just started to rain on us a tiny bit as walked. I noted it rained the same time yesterday as well. It wasn't hard or long, just a drizzle that stopped almost as soon as it started.
With an exciting day of travel ahead, we turned in for the evening.
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