#mines mersey valley

[aulerean]

[genderkiller]

Gouda, Brie, American Cheese, Pecorino Romano, Cheddar, Manchego, Camembert, Smoked Gouda, Provolone, Babybel, Parmesan, Mascarpone, Mozzarella, Asiago, Feta, Le Gruyere AOP, Gorgonzola, Monterey Jack, Stilton, Abbaye de Belloc, Taleggio, Grana Padano, Swiss, Boursin, Cotija, Fontina Val d’Aosta, Roquefort, Blue Vein Cheese, Emmental, Grana, Jarlsberg, Mozzarella di Bufala, Pepper Jack, Munster, Bocconcini, Fromage Frais, Ricotta Salata, Cream Havarti, Scamorza, Fromage a Raclette, Chevre, Pecorino, Burrata, Halloumi, Aged Gouda, Fresh Mozzarella, Colby, Limburger, Paneer, Queso Blanco, Port-Salut, Adelost, Abondance, Butterkase, Brillat-Savarin, Comte, Camembert de Normandie, Reblochon, Longhorn, Oaxaca, Airag, Abbaye du Mont des Cats, Saint Agur, Cottage Cheese, Panela, Acapella, Fresh Truffles, Romano, Wensleydale, Double Gloucester, Red Leicester, Abbaye de Citeaux, Colby-Jack, Caciocavallo, Crottin de Chavignol, Cream Cheese, Zanetti Parmigiano Reggiano, Juustoleipa, Baby Swiss, Le Roule, Brie de Meaux, Berkswell, Fresh Ricotta, Maasdam, Canadian Cheddar, Ambert, Tommes, Cantal, Menonita, Crescenza, Queso Ibérico, Crema Mexicana, Sage Derby, Geitost, Brick, Kasseri, Bel Paese, Affidelice au Chablis, Pave d’Affinois, Muenster, Danablu, Acorn, Afuega’l Pitu, Abbot’s Gold, La Vache Qui Rit, Buffalo, Caerphilly, Tomme de Chevre, Bath Cheese, Epoisses de Bourgogne, Cheshire, Neufchatel, Blue Castello, Basket Cheese, Saint-Nectaire, Cabrales, Stinking Bishop, Cotswold, Sainte Maure, Applewood, Fiore Sardo, Dolcelatte, Pont l’Eveque, Cahill’s Irish Porter Cheddar, Zanetti Grana Padano, Langres, Seriously Strong Cheddar, Il Boschetto al Tartufo, Appenzeller, Montasio, Ossua-Iraty, Ami du Chambertin, Vignotte, Wigmore, Humboldt Fog, Saint-Paulin, Brie de Melun, Maytag blue, Armenian String Cheese, Délice de Bourgogne, Kashkaval, Bra, Abbaye de Belval, Quark, Valencay, Provel, Pule, Etorki, Banon, Morbier, Boulette d’Avesnes, Breakfast Cheese, Caciotta, Idiazabal, Bavarian Bergkase, Allgauer Emmentaler, Bresse Bleu, Airedale, Livarot, Mimolette, Tomme de Savoie, Toma, Burgos, Ardrahan, Danbo, Requeson, Aisy Cendre, Ragusano, Castelmagno, Saint-André, Aged Chelsea, Caravane, String, Chaource, Bleu des Causses, Huntsman, Yorkshire Blue, Cougar Gold, Coulommiers, Tillamook cheddar, Beenleigh Blue, Danish Feta, Brin d’Amour, Somerset Brie, Ardi Gasna, Zamorano, Dry Jack, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Lincolnshire Poacher, Caprice des Dieux, Bandal, Creamy Lancashire, Queso Fresco, Petit-Suisse, Aragon, Oxford Blue, Manouri, Grève, Maroilles, Derby, Bierkase, Crowdie, Vacherin, Marbled Cheeses, Queso Para Frier, Chabichou du Poitou, Marble Cheddar, Soumaintrain, Esrom, Boursault, Bosworth, Leyden, Chaumes, Cotherstone, Explorateur, Tyning, Anneau du Vic-Bilh, White Stilton with Mango & Ginger, Perail de Brebis, Cabécou, Anthotyro, Hereford Hop, Saint-Marcellin, Alverca, Fleur du Maquis, Baladi, Quartirolo Lombardo, Waterloo, Brocciu, Bleu de Laqueuille, Brie au Poivre, Sonoma Jack, Cold Pack, Beyaz Peynir, Mamirolle, Tomme Brulee, Tetilla, Spenwood, Autun, Coeur de Camembert au Calvados, Beemster Extra Aged, Kapiti Kikorangi, Rocamadour, Dauphin, Baguette Laonnaise, Fougerus, Leerdammer, Aromes au Gene de Marc, Piave Vecchio, Mascarpone Torta, Cashel Blue, Wensleydale w/ Cranberries, Golden Cross, Picos de Europa, Finn, Vasterbottenost, Bryndza, Parrano, Canestrato, Flower Marie, Sap Sago, Myzithra, Mothais a la Feuille, Mycella, Salers, Gammelost, Shropshire blue, Kadchgall, Raschera, Harbourne Blue, Wellington, Gloucester, Vulscombe, Basing, Capricorn Somerset Goats Cheese, Cuajada, Graviera, Filetta, Olde York, Brebis de Lavort, Australian Blue Vein, Roncal, Exmoor Blue, Australian Washed Rind Cheese, Carre de l’Est, Mun-chee, Rigotte, Hushållsost, Cornish Yarg, Brin, Devon Blue, Buchette d’Anjou, Bishop Kennedy, Murol, Laguiole, Toscanello, Royalp Tilsit, Double Worcester, Bougon, Torta del Casar, Tete de Moine, Sancerre, Danish Fontina, Bergader, Pavé d’Auge, Pinconning, Saint Albray, Brousse du Rove, Roule, Coverdale, Xynotyro, Le Brin, Fontainebleau, Reggianito, Coeur de Chèvre, Sottocenere al Tartufo, Australian Mozzarella, Tamie, Castigliano, Celtic Promise, Tibetan, Duddleswell, Picodon de Chevre, Asiago Pressato, Saga, Butte, Cendre d’Olivet, Emmental Grand Cru, Ballylough, Gospel Green, Tourmalet, Dunsyre Blue, La Taupinière, Gorgonzola Cremificato, Selles sur Cher, Buxton Blue, Cheese Curds, Sharpham, Charolais, Chevrotin des Aravis, Gratte Paille, Bruder Basil, Beemster Aged, Pant ys Gawn, Fourme de Montbrison, Mascares, Fromage Corse, Beemster Classic, Caciotta Al Tartufo, Piave, Macconais, Casciotta di Urbino, Trou du Cru, Fresh Jack, Sirène, Galbani, Grafton Village Cheddar, Orkney Extra Mature Cheddar, Red Windsor, Figue, Edelpilz, Lou Palou, Tymsboro, Brunost, Anthotyro Fresco, Venaco, Nokkelost, Gubbeen, Dunlop, Niolo, Australian Cottage Cheese, Cerney Pyramid, Briquette de Brebis, Crottin du Chavignol, Crayeux de Roncq, Herrdardsost, Mont D’or Lyonnais, Denhany Dorset Drum, Cachaille, Olivet Cendre, Pecorino in Walnut Leaves, Australian Ricotta, Fromage de Montagne de Savoie, Hoop Cheese, Queso Jalapeno, Morbier Cru de Montagne, Galette Lyonnaise, Castelo Branco, Pannerone, Curé Nantais, Tommes de Romans, Esbareich, Formaggio di Capra, Serra da Estrela, Tournée de L’Aubier, Bouyssou, Sardo, Flor de Guia, Quercy Petit, Emlett, Olivet au Foin, Capriole Banon, Devon Garland, Sourire Lozerien, Claenzana, Frying Cheese, Albertam, Dorset Blue Vinney, Prastost, Kashta, Kiri, Little Black Bomber, Texas Goat Cheese, Beemster Graskaas, Boule du Roves, Poivre d' ne, Dubliner, Pélardon des Cévennes, Mondseer, Fondant de Brebis, Sussex SlipCôte, Pourly, Crowley, Laruns, Caboc, Hervé, Graddost, Curworthy, Yarra Valley Fresh Pyramid, Grand Vatel, Blarney Castle, Nantais, Bergère Bleue, Pâte de Fromage, Margot, Grataron d’ Areches, Galette du Paludier, Rollot, Coquetdale, Petit Pardou, Heidi Cheese, Matocq, Civray, Fin-de-Siècle, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, Asiago d’Allevo, Plymouth Cheese, Idaho Goatster, Greuilh, Vieux Corse, Pyramide, Havilah, Rustinu, Cornish Pepper, L’Aveyronnais, Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, Sveciaost, Lingot Saint Bousquet d’Orb, Barry’s Bay Cheddar, Dreux a la Feuille, Tronchon, Quadrello di Bufala, Kefalotyri, Beemster 2% Milk, Duroblando, Delice des Fiouves, Pithtiviers au Foin, P’tit Berrichon, Fourme de Haute Loire, Balaton, Brebis du Puyfaucon, Pas de l’Escalette, Quatre-Vents, Lappi, Vendômois, Kernhem, Briquette du Forez, Friesla, Port Nicholson, L’Ecir de l’Aubrac, Rouleau De Beaulieu, Le Fium Orbo, Weichkaese, Olivet Bleu, Little Rydings, Telemea, Guerbigny, Boncester, Menallack Farmhouse, Pave de Chirac, Teifi, Loddiswell Avondale, Australian Neufchâtel, Innes Button, Kanafeh, Gris de Lille, Klosterkaese, Tommes des Chouans, Pasteurized Processed, Mahoe Aged Gouda, Harriot Farmhouse, Tillamook Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar, Frinault, Gastanberra, Ulloa, Chab de Gâtine, Cathelain, Sraffordshire Organic, Le Lacandou, Blue Rathgore, Ridder, Durrus, Roman Part Dieu, Bethmale des Pyrenees, Blue Wensleydale, Calcagno, Palet de Babligny, Dutch Mimolette, Patefine Fort, Provolone Valpadana, Lou Pevre, Avaxtskyr, Regal de la Dombes, Shelburne Cheddar, Mihalic Peynir, Cahill’s Whiskey Cheese, Swaledale, Maribo, Chorlton Blue Cheshire, Coolea, Braudostur, Samso, Pelardon des Corbieres, Hubbardston Blue Cow, Boeren-Leidse Met Sleutels, Cairnsmore, Isle of Mull, Sbrinz, Crema Mexicana Agria, Cypress Grove Chevre, Goutu, Richelieu, Goutu, Australian Mascarpone, Orla, Evora De L’Alentejo, Doppelrhamstufel, Doolin, Cooleney, Gippsland Blue, Wookey Hole Cave Aged Cheddar, Evansdale Farmhouse Brie, Jindi Brie, Whitestone Farmhouse, Oscypek, Northumberland, Galloway’s Goat Milk Gems, Lajta, King River Gold, Beauvoorde, HarlechTruckle, Buche de Chevre, Challerhocker, Four Herb Gouda, Manur, Sweet Style Swiss, Corleggy, Fynbo, Passendale, Shanklish, Peekskill, Grey Owl, Queso del Tiétar, Saanenkaese, Rabacal, Yarra Valley Ashed Pyramid, Reypenaer, Oltermanni, Panamellera, Saalan Pfarr, Pyengana Cheddar, Ardsallagh Hard Goat’s Cheese, Meira, Woodside Cabecou, Croghan, La Serena, Lairobell, Monastery Cheeses, Malvern, Meyer Vintage Gouda, Montasio Mezzano, Queso del Montsec, Lanark Blue, Saint Felicien, Kervella Affine, Serat, Lebben, Lacy Swiss, Selva, Montasio Vecchio, Dunbarra, Processed Cheddar, King Island Cape Wickham Brie, Llangofan Farmhouse, Provolone del Monaco, Piora, Queso de Murcia, Mature Wensleydale, Loch Arthur Farmhouse, Jibneh Arabieh, Molbo, Tala, Imokilly regato, Maredsous, Schloss, Naboulsi, Turunmaa, Daralagjazsky, Piave Vecchio Selezione Oro, Brusselae Kaas, Reypenaer V.S.O.P., Tupi, Cwmtawe Pecorino, Folded Cheese w/ Mint, Buchetta a la Sarriette, Podhalański, Hipi Ita, Jermi Tortes, Mersey Valley Original Vintage, Jubilee Blue, Tasmania Highland Chevre Log, Mine-Gabhar, Nettle Meadow Kunik, Amish Frolic, Rubens, Montgomery’s Cheddar, Kugelkase, Provoleta, Bonne Bouche, Ardsallagh’s Soft Goat Cheese, Gornoaltajski, Picobello, Garrotxa, Cancoillotte, Ardsallagh’s Smoked Cheese, Grabetto, Pokolbin, Remedou, Golden Smoked Rebel, Tyn Grug, Appalachian, Pencarreg, Trappiste d’Igny, Waimata Farmhouse Blue, Catupiry, Trappiste de Bricquebec, Goya, Ameribella, Timboon Brie, Oschtjepka, Leafield, Dessertnyj Belyj, Piave Fresco, Prince-Jean, Penbryn, Red Dragon Truckle, Point Reyes Bay Blue, Bica de Queijo, Extra Mature Wensleydale, Prima Donna Maturo, Byaslag, Queso Media Luna, Sulguni, Reypenaer XO Reserve, Prima Donna, Llanboidy, Chontaleno, Beecher’s Flagship, Anari, Alpha Tolman, Queso Blanco con Frutas - Piña y Mango, Meredith Blue, Roumy, Cornish Brie, Postel, Blacksticks Blue, Oak Smoked Wensleydale, Aubisque Pyrenees, Rochebaron, Burwash Rose, Bleu Mont Dairy Bandaged Cheddar, Azeitao, Paški Sir, Bermuda Triangle, May Hill Green, Gamoneu, St. Killian, Woodside Charlston, Urda, Balfour, Bear Hill, Crema de Blue, Cabot Clothbound, Onions and Chives Cheddar, Prima Donna Forte, Scotch Bonnet Cheddar, Chavroux, Glebe Brethan, Zimbro, Lingot Des Causses, Piave Mezzano, Coolattin Cheddar, Roaring Forties Blue, Maisie’s Kebbuck, Farm Chanco, Prima Donna Fino, Milleens, Broncha, Ackawi, Stichelton, Cratloe Hills, Winnimere, Panquehue, Hooligan, Aura, Prima Donna Leggero, Westfield Farm Smoked Capri, Smoked Sulguni, Dunbarton Blue, Fuzzy Wheel, Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Landaff, Estero Gold Reserve, Carlow, Bleu d’Auvergne, Liliputas, Bega Processed Cheddar, Gorgonzola Dolce DOP, Accasciato, Txiki, Crozier, Gorwydd Caerphilly, Kennebec Highlands Caerphilly, Anejo Enchilado, Chiriboga Blue, Brinza - Feta Style, Cup Cheese, Woodside Alpine, Forsterkase, ADL Brick Cheese, Kanterkaas, Milawa Affine, Branza de Burduf, Bartlett, Chhurpi, Konig Ludwig King’s, Milawa Aged Blue, Mt. Scott, Milawa Blue, Wakatipu White, ADL Mild Cheddar, Milawa Goats Tomme, Milawa White, Bath Blue, Milawa Brie, Toma Piemontese, Trappe de la Coudre, Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton, Gourmandise, Bayley Hazen Blue, Cacio di Bosco al Tartufo, Sartori Reserve Merlot Bellavitano, Appleby’s Double Gloucester, Amul Gouda, Za’atar Burrata, Cornish Kern, Midnight Moon, Cabecou Feuille D’Armagnac, Bismark, Cello Thick And Smooth Mascarpone, Allium Piper, Amul Pizza Mozzarella Cheese, Asher Blue, Barilotto, Sartori Reserve Black Pepper Bellavitano, Sosha, Lamb Chopper, La Tur, Dark/Snow Canyon Edam, Hafod, Barambah Organics Marinated Feta, Bloomsdale, Crumbly Lancashire, Wagon Wheel, Labneh, Sleightlett, Classics Fresh Mozzarella, Colston Bassett Stilton, Sartori Limited Edition Cognac Bellavitano, Purple Haze, Paglierino, Sartori Reserve Rosemary And Olive Oil Asiago, Old Ford, Alpine Gold, Dehesa De Los Llanos - Curado, Maggie’s Round, Pigoullie, Sartori Reserve BellaVitano Gold, Sartori Reserve Balsamic Bellavitano, Ailsa Craig, Cornish Wild Garlic Yarg, Ticklemore, Kaltbach Emmentaler AOP, Harbison, Capra Nouveau, Caciobufala, Alps Rebel, Blue Ledge La Luna, Aggiano, PsycheDillic, Bufalino, Laura Chenel’s Cabecou, Sartori Reserve Chai Bellavitano, Cornish Blue, Truffle Tremor, Zelu Koloria, Tasty Lancashire, Delamere Goats Cheese Logs, Crocodile Tear, Le Brebiou, Alma Vorarlberger Alpkase (3-5 Months), Wasabi Disc, Apple Walnut Smoked, Ogleshield, Perroche, LaClare Ziege Zacke Blue, Wellesley, Alma Vorarlberger Alpkase (10 Months), Alma Vorarlberger Alpkase (12 Months), Caciocavallo Podolico Vetus, Cardo, Chadwickbury, Chevre Log, Ragstone, Alma Vorarlberger Alpkase (6-9 Months), Cinerino, Cote Hill Blue, Dorstone, Black Pearl, Amul Cheese Spread, Sartori Reserve Espresso Bellavitano, Wabash Cannonball, Herbs de Humboldt, Wasatch Mountain Cheese, Amul Processed Cheese, Dehesa De Los Llanos - Gran Reserva, Mobay, Caprotto, Julianna, Amul Emmental, Chile Caciotta, Baron Bigod, Marisa, Zwitser, Boo Boo Baby Swiss, Sartori Classic MontAmore, Mona, Innes Brick, Ficaccio, Goats’ Milk Caciotta, Sgt. Pepper, The City Goat, Alma Vorarlberger Alpkase (6 Months), Innes Log, Weston Wheel, Mont Saint-Francis, Mastorazio, La Fleurie, Ms. Natural, Swag, West West Blue, Couronne Lochoise, Consider Bardwell Farm Manchester, Pecorino Mallo di Noce, Heat, Lil Moo, Ricotta di Pecora, Caciocavallo di Bufala, Sofia, Pecorino al Tartufo, Moses Sleeper, Legato, Dehesa De Los Llanos - Media Curación, Menage, Lady Jane, Lou Bergier Pichin, Danby, Midnight Blue, Minuet, Manteca, Barber’s 1833, Infossato, Old Kentucky Tomme, Rosso, Chura Kampo, Carrot Rebel, Lord Of Hundreds, Bufarolo, Figaro, Willoughby, Lincoln Log, Moonglo, Tartufo Riserva, Prairie Tomme, Wilde Weide, Bossa, La Peral, Carmody, Sartori Limited Edition Pastorale Blend, Goat Milk Feta, Stawley, Piper’s Pyramide, LaClare Farms Evalon with Fenugreek, Little Bloom On The Prairie, Tozzetto, Windrush Cheeses, Kolan Extra Mature, LaClare Farms Chevre, Lemon Myrtle Chevre, Cuor di Burrata, Thomasville Tomme, Monte Enebro, LaClare Farms Evalon, LaClare Farms Fondry Jack, Dalemere Medium Hard Goat Cheese, Strathdon Blue, Goat on a Hot Tin Roof, Blu di Bufala, Classico Pecorino Senese, Dirt Lover, Belle Creme, Kris Lloyd - Artisan Blend, Mt. Mazama Cheddar, Morgan, LaClare Farms Raw Goats Milk Cheddar, Loma Alta, LaClare Farms Martone, LaClare Farms Evalon With Cummin, Cilentano ai fichi, Ricotta di Bufala, Edith, Oma, Miette, Medallion, Sartori Classic Cheese Fontina, Mouco Camembert, Moonlight Chaource, Shepsog, Sbronzo, Goat Curd, Sartori Reserve SarVecchio Parmesan, LaClare Farms Cheddar, Classico Riserva, I’ Blu, Maffra Aged Rinded Cheddar, Melange Brie, Fiery Rebel, Teneri, Original Havarti, Pepato, Leonora, Mango Rebel, Hay Flower Rebel, San Andreas, Pecorino Nero, Table Rock, Dorset, Cacioradicchio, Yarra Valley Persian Feta, Paesanella Burrata, Campi, Wimer Winter, Seater’s Orkney, Sartori Reserve Basil & Olive Oil Asiago, Cubetto, Green Hill, Beach Box Brie, Paesanella Buffalo Mozzarella, Paesanella Buffalo Ricotta, Le Conquerant Demi Pont L’eveque, Kinsman Ridge, Manon, Mandolin, Nut Rebel, Pecorino Fiordaliso, I’ Serbo, Tuscan Blend, Sartori Reserve Extra Aged Fontina, Giuntella, Cacio De Roma, Bermondsey Hard Pressed, Sartori Reserve Raspberry BellaVitano, Cave Rebel, Sartori Classic Cheese Parmesan, Brie Coco, Woolly Rind, Tunworth, Casatica, Fitness Rebel, Chimney Rock, Maffra Mature Cheddar, Re di Pecora Erborinato al Tè Nero, St. Tola Hard Cheese, Lindy Hop, Cremet, Beehive Fresh, Sartori Classic Cheese Asiago, Fontina, Pecorino allo Zafferano, Sharpham Rustic, Fermiere, Fior Di Latte, Brie d’Alexis, Sharpham Rustic Chive & Garlic, Martha’s Heat, Sartori Classic Cheese Romano, Regal Blend, Anster, Red Wine Rebel, Impromptu, Rupert, Pawlet, Keltic Gold, DriftWood, Duet, Pecorino Ginepero, Green Dirt Farm Fresh Spicy Chilis, Sharpham Savour, Keens Cheddar, Camembert de Portneuf, Elk Mountain, Applewood Smoked Chevre, Evans Creek Greek, Crescenza di Bufala, Sharpham Elmhirst, Romaniae Terrae Pecorino allo Zafferano, Pecorino Con Caglio Vegetale, Weybridge, Paprika Rebel, Pecorino Romagnolo, Baronerosso di Capri, Lo Sburrato, Green Dirt Farm Fresh Nettle, Sartori Reserve Extra-Aged Asiago, Brown’s Gulch, Goat Fromage Blanc, Blu ‘61, Sartori Limited Edition Family Heirloom BellaVitano, Kirkham’s Lancshire, Farm House ClothBound Cheddar, Briscola, Barely Buzzed, Paesanella Fresh Ricotta, Vigneron, Paesanella Caciotta, Nocturne, Green Dirt Farm Fresh Garlic & Peppercorn, Farmhouse Gouda, Paensanella Bocconcin, Squaquerone di Bufala, Pecorino Pera, L’Amuse Signature Gouda, Royal Rebel, Pacific Rock, Le Wayreumont, Oasis, Mt Tam, Pecorino Nel Granaio, Maffra Dargo Walnut, Sicilian Blend, Kabritt, Hillis Peak, Wild Garlic Rebel, Devil’s Gulch, Melange, Inverness, Mettowee, Harvest, Pecorino al Pepe, Forest Rebel, Pecorino Camomilla, Crotton, Paesanella Dry Ricotta, Red Hawk, Mossfield Organic, I’ Rugoso, Salsa Asiago, Traditional Halloumi, Montchevre Goat Cheese Log, Maffra Wensleydale, Maffra Peppercorn Cheddar, Woodside Chevre, Picolo, Pecorino a Latte Crudo, Monteo, Pecorino Ortica, Castle Blue, Takelma, LaClare Farms Chandoka, Pecorino alla Canapa, Pepper Rebel, Aphrodite Haloumi, Vesuvius, Mountain Rebel, Peppercorn Gouda, Rubi, Etzy Ketzy, Bleu Benedictin, Largo, Pecorino Querciaiola, Green Dirt Farm Fresh Plain, Desert Red Feta, Maffra Sage Derby, St.Tola Log, Konig Ludwig Beercheese, Saltbush Chevre, Gran Bu, Pastoral, Green Dirt Farm Fresh Rosemary, Pecorino Boccondilatte, St. Jude, Yarra Valley Cardi, Bothwell Black Truffle Cheddar, Moringhello, Pecorino Barba Del Passatore, Five Countries, St. Tol Crottin, Camembert des Camarades, Mountain Herbs Rebel, Pecorino Papavero, Paesanella Cherry Bocconcin, Tapas, St. Tola Ash Log, Organic Carrot, Maffra Cheshire, Sartori Limited Edition Cannella BellaVitano, Pecorino Gran Riserva Del Passatore, Pecorino Gelsomino, Brie de Portneuf Double Cream, Organic Walnut, Country Morning, Carr Valley Glacier Wildfire Blue, Organic Mango, La Couronne - Fort Aged Comte, Big John’s Cajun, Sartori Reserve Cheese Mediterranean Fontina, Pleasant Creek, Boivin Extra aged Cheddar, Rondo, Maffra Red Leicester, Van Gogh Edam, McLaren, Organic Creamy Emmental, Pianoforte, Sartori Limited Edition Family Heirloom Parmesan, Woodside Capricorn, Metronome, Pecorino dei monaci, Le Marquis Chevre, Monet, Organic Mountain, 3-Cheese Italian Blend, Pecorino Dei Malatesta Sotto Cenere, Brie de Portneuf, Le Conquerant Camembert, St. Tola Cranberry, Pecorino di Talamello, Brise du Matin, Paesanella Fresco, Smoked Fior Di Latte, Fresh Fior Di Latte, La Pyramide, Yarra Valley Vintage Savourine, Pecorino di Sogliano, Paesanella Caciotta with Rocket & Chilli, Caciobarricato, Point Reyes Toma, Pecorino Erica, Farmer, Pecorino Foglie Noci, Meredith Goat Cheese in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pecorino di Vigna, Organic Elderflower, Pecorino dei Malatesta al Sangiovese, Pompeii, La Bonaparte, Pecorino Pepato Mitica Aged, Salemville Amish Blue, Big Woods Blue, Dolomitico, St. Pat, Pierce Pt. Peau Rouge, St. Tola Greek Style, Organic Pepper, Bleu L’Ermite, Organic Mountain Climber, Bufala Soldier, Basajo, Yarra Valley Yering, Organic Chili, Fox Hill Gouda, Organic Farm, Boivin Medium Cheddar, Organic Flower Meadow, Comox Brie, Salemville Amish Gorgonzola, Ubriaco di Raboso, Cendre des Pres, Organic Fitness, Miss Muffet, Aspen Ash, Caciobirraio, Organic Wild Garlic, Criffel, Château de Versailles, Boivin Marbled Cheddar, Point Reyes Original Blue, Fou du roy, Salemville Smokehaus Blue, Yarra Valley Juno, Yarra Valley Le Jack, Carnia Altobut, Bourdin Goat Log, Mountain Goat, Brillo di Treviso, Goat Gouda, Okanagan Double Cream Camembert, Caprano, Chelsea BlueIsland Bries, Saint-Honore, Morangie Brie, Ubriaco di Zibibbo, Caprese di Bufala, Yarra Valley White Saourine, Boulder Chevre, Yarra Valley Bulls Eye, Bleubry, Gorgonzola Piccante DOP, Pizy, Don Olivo, Yarra Valley Gentle Goat, Yarra Valley Black Savourine, Le Cendrillon, Cornish Smuggler, Chile Jack, Horizon, L’Empereur, Meredith Ashed Pyramids, Chevre des Neiges, Noyan, Comox Camembert, Wall Street Gold, Paillot de Chèvre, Cambus o’May, Toma Blu Alle Erbe, St-Fidele Swiss, Mirabo Brie with Walnut, Ubriaco di Nero D’avola, Conciato Al Pepe, Fox Hill Parmesan, Little Qualicum Raclette, Stracchinata, Yarra Valley Saffey, Sartori Reserve Dolcina Gorgonzola, Natural Smoked Van Gogh Gouda, Le Duc Vacherin, Goat Cheddar, Buttercup, Trelawny, Meredith Chevre Plain, Forme’, La Rumeur, Friesago, TeaHive, Comtomme, Provolone Mandarino Gran Riserva, Herbes de Provence Chèvre, Bucheret, Ships Wheel Brie, Le Chevrot, Cherokee Rose, Snowdrop, Meredith Chevre Ash, Cornish Crumbly, California Crottin, St Tola Divine, Caronzola, Speziato, Saanen Milk, Elberton Blue, SeaHive, Caprarica, Haystack Mountain Feta, Fragolone, Capriny, Don Carlo, Grand Cru Surchoix, Processed Smoked Gouda, Haystack Peak, Pied-de-vent, Georgia Clothbound Cheddar, Shepherd's Hope, Carlina, La Sauvagine, Moody Blue, Meredith Chevre Dill, Perlagrigia Sotto Cenere, Raw Milk Feta, Fontiago, Morlacco, Red Cloud, Chevre en Marinade, Meteorite, Buttermilk Gorgonzola, Cracked Pepper Chevre, Haystack Mountain Camembert, Hidden Falls, Sartori Limited Edition Extra-Aged Goat, Kashar, Dill & Garlic Chevre, Anniversary Ale Cheddar, Twig Farm Square Cheese, Morcella, Brimstone, Buttermilk Blue, Fortsonia, Halleck Creek, Roth Raclette, Holey Cow, Grand Cru Reserve, Sunlight, Smokey Mountain Blue, Queso de Mano, P’tit Basque, La Castella, West Country Farmhouse Mature Cheddar, Twig Farm Washed Ring Wheel, Sandy Creek, Twig Farm Goat Tomme, Vermont Herdsman, Providence, Old Goat, Goat Milk Cheddars, L’Etoile de St-Raymond, Dore-Mi, Little Dragon, Lindale, MezzaLuna Fontina, Latteria San Biagio, Petite Swiss, Fresh Chevre, Le Reflet de Portneuf, La Sauvagine Reserve, Little Napoleon, Rofumo, Le St-Raymond, Twig Farm Mixed Drum, Le Double Joie, Old Burford, Seascape, Dumpling, Suffolk Punch, Twig Farm Crawford, Bridgewater, GranQueso Reserve, Chapman’s Pasture, Buttermilk Blue Affinee, Assa, Big Rock Blue, GranQueso Original, Natural Chevre, Tavoliere, Humble Herdsman, Millstone, Great Lakes Cheshire, Bianca, The Manchester, Montsalvat, Formagella, Pimento, Shepherd’s Crook, Nicasio Square, Liptuaer, Odysseus Marinated Feta, Ringwell, ReginaBlu, Snow Camp, Tieton Halloumi, Little Ypsi, CreMonte, Foggy Morning, Nicasio Reserve, Sharon Hollow Garlic & Chive, Detroit Street Brick, CreNoble, Legacy, Doublet, San Geronimo, Muddlewell, Tango, Venus, New Moon, Reverie, Basket Molded Ricotta, Rheba, Kenne, Phoebe, Bad Axe, Ascutney Mountain, Sonnet, Sharp Cheddar, Four Corners, Cirrus, Caveman Blue, L’Amuse Brabander Goat Gouda, Trufflestack, Classic Blue Log, Fromage Blanc, Cana de Cabra, Jalapeno Cheddar, Fromage Blanc w/ Truffle, Prix de Diana, Mahon, Habanero Cheddar, Campfire, Chocolate Stout Cheddar, Seastack, Smokey Touvelle, Ashley, Opus 42, Red Alder, Brutal Blue, Stella Fontina, Cacow Belle, TouVelle Original, Fiscalini Bandaged Cheddar, Stella Feta, Stella Fontina, Smokey Oregon Blue, Oregon Blue Cheese, Capricious, Cremont, Coupole, Oregonzola, Cheddar LiDiDa Lavender, Stella Goat, Echo Mountain Blue, Off Kilter, Pistol Point Cheddar, Rosemary Medium Asiago, Stella Asiago, Mozzarellissima, Truffello, Bellwether Farms Crescenza, Hopyard Cheddar, Stella Reduced Fat Blue, Fresh Crottin, Redwood Hill Goat Cheddar, Stella Smoked Blue, Capriago, Stella Swiss, Stella Italian Sharp, ColoRogue, Stella Blue, Morimoto Soba Ale Cheddar, Stella Kasseri, Bella Lodi, Stella Mediterranean Parmesan, Stella Black Pepper Romano, PepBert, Hook’s 5-Year Cheddar, Stella Parmesan & Roman Blend, Stella Parmesan, Stella Gorgonzola, MitiCana de Oveja, Mouco Camembert, Red Buddy, Edam, Fat Bottom Girl, Mont St-Benoit, Finca Pascualete Mini Torta, Cave Aged Marisa, Istara Kaikou, Crotonese, Latteria Navel, Baskeriu, Australian Alps Cheese, Käse Mit Schweizer Trüffeln, Gloucester Goat, Shtayburne Farm Cheddar, Waupoos Lizzie, Malvarosa, Burwood Bole, Grated Kefir Cheese, Kefir Tomato-Garlic, Smokey Jalapeno, Tarentaise, Tuada, Sunset Bay, Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Cashew Cheese, Stoney Cross, Raw Brie Style Cashew Cheese, Holiday Brie, Amarelo da Beira Baixa, Highway 1, Kefir Italian Pasta Cheese, Sao Jorge, Kefir Salad, Funky Bleats, Old Winchester, Brebirousse d’Argental, Coastal Cheddar, Valentine, Vaquero Blue, Kefir Wine Companion, Murazzano DOP, Organic MooVache, Organic Beer-Brined Moochego, Organic Gouda, Flory’s Truckle Cheddar, Cremig Extra Wurzig, Bergkäse Aus Dem Schweiser Jura, Lake District Extra Mature Cheddar, President Fresh Goat Cheese, Lake District Mature Cheddar, Majorero, Affineur Walo Rotwein Sennechas, Liburnski Sir, Bent River, Almnas Tegel, Brebis d'Azure, Hannah, Prairie Rose, Fuzzy Udder Creamery’s Tomme, Nocciolo, Cow’s Milk Gouda, Fuzzy Udder Gouda, Fuzzy Udder Washed Rind, Sheep Gouda, Istara Chistou, Vashe Sante, Isle of Man Mild Colored Cheddar, Mladi Trapist, Heidi Aged Cheese, Tezacki Sir Extra Mature, Old Drovers Road, Queijo do Pico, Baserri, Don Bernardo Manchego, Dinarski Sir, Cheddar w/ Red Wine, Fresh Hand-Stretched Mozzarella, Flagship Block, Davidstow 3 Year Reserve Special Vintage, Butternut, Bavaria blu, Buff Blue, Davidstow Mature Cheddar, Magna, Gracie Grey, Vera, Oak Smoked Cheddar, Himmelsraften, Toma di campo, Bianco, Bonifaz, Bettine Grand Cru, Binnorie Marinated Fetta, Bluebell Falls Cygnus, Kummin, Himmelsraften Extra, Essex Commte, Blenda, Iris, Drommen, Tegan, Clonmore, Chocolate Lab, Aged Cashew & Dulse Cheese, Capri Blue, Aged Cashew Nut Cheese, Blissful Blocks, Aged Cashew & Brazil Nut Cheese, Cheddar w/ Irish Porter, Tezacki Sir, Tarago River Jensen’s Red, Capra al Fieno, Lo Speziato, Ubriaco all’Amarone, Mountaineer, Oro Italiano, Casu Marzu, Capra al Pepe, Saporito, Batzos, Barricato al Pepe, Nettles Gone Wild, Pembrokeshire Extra Mature Cheddar, Lyburn’s Winchester, Aged Cashew Nut & Kale Cheese, Lynburn Lightly Oak Smoked, Abbaye de Timadeuc, Strawberry Moon, Bijou, Pembrokeshire Mature Cheddar, Sternschnuppe, Striegistaler Zwerge Camembert, Beaufort, Tezacki Iz Mosta, Aged Cashew & Blue Green Algae Cheese, Aged Cashew & Hemp Seed Cheese, Tezacki Iz Maslinove, Komine, Cashew Nut Cream Cheese, Macadamia Nut Cheese, Lyburn Garlic and Nettle, Cranborne, Orkney Medium Colored Cheddar, Ubriaco Rosso, Fellowship Too, Little Colonel, Valbreso Feta, Roccia del Piave, Daphne’s Alpine Classic, Triple Creme Brie, Muffato, Up in Smoke, St Gall, Duck Isles Stone, Veigadarte, Vampire Slayer, Old Harry, Basils Original Rauchkase, Dorset White, Tilly Whim, TregonWell, Vitoria, Bootlegger, Condio, Knockdrinna Gold, Yeo Lake, Knockdrinna Meadow, Barden Blue, Half-Moon Bay, Hand Rolled Chevre Logs, Isabirra, Kefir Blue, Zigljen Iz Extra Mature, Zartschmelzend, Kräftig Würzig Rahm-Hartkäse, Sarro de Cabra, Brewer’s Gold, Isle of Man Mild Cheddar, Isle of Man Cracked Pepper, Formaggio di Grotta, Cream Cheesy Bliss, Belletoile, Alpicreme, Le Mountier, Waldo Smog, Blissful Toppings, Shredded Bliss, Slices of Bliss, Carrowholly, Goat Nevat, Goat Ricotta, Ubriaco alla Birra, St. Mang Original Allgauer Limburger, Amou, Queso de Afuega’l pitu, President Camembert, President Madrigal, President Light Brie, Pecorino nel fieno, Lunetta, Lacey Grey, Lavis Town, Bergues, Cayuga Blue, Minas Cheese, Driftless, Bohemian Blue, Hidden Springs Farmstead Feta, Blue Yonder, Tomma di vacca alle vinacce, Beaumont, Queijo do serra, Rustico Red Pepper, Isle of Man Mature Cheddar, Walnut Cheddar, Wrangeback Sweden, Barberey, Vento d’Estate, Original Illertaler, Vermont Ayr, Montagnolo, Baluchon, Baita Friuli, Veneto, Aged British Cheddar, Ewelicious Blue, Bettine Blue, Amsterdammer, Colony Cheese, Flashback Goat Discs, Laura Chenel Taupiniere, Laura Chenel Tome, Ellington, Francis, Lyburn Gold, Blue, Benedictine, Marin French Triple Creme, Amalthee, Dragon’s Breath Blue, Amablu Blue Cheese, Cameo, Di.Vino, Blythedale Camembert, Dorblu, Mezzo Secco, Marco Polo, Freya’s Wheel, Blu Della Casera, Kefir Peppercorn Cheese, Lemon Fetish, Benedictine, Barrel Aged Feta, Grayson, Gran Levante, Coalho, Checkerboard Cheddar, Bassigny au porto, Raw Milk Goat Feta, Cape Vessey, El Trigal Manchego, Rustico Black Pepper, Wicklow Blue, Ubriaco al Prosecco, Paniola, Dante, Organic Cheddar, Organic Feta, Rougette Bavarian Red, Operetta, Hay Loft, Purple’s a Must, Counting Sheep...and Goats…, San Simon DOP, FITAKI White Cheese, Aradalen, Dura, Champignon de Luxe Garlic, Rougette Grill Meister, Caprice Stickney Hill Chevre, Orkney Mature Cheddar, Cap Cressey, Champignon Mushroom, Alpine-Style, Champignon de Luxe Pepper, Tomme, Mi-Ewe, Saint Rose, President Fat Free Feta, Ridgeline, Rosso de lago, Scallion Onion Cheddar, Bel Ceillo, Carabiner, Blue Lupine, Daphne’s Goat Gouda, Dinarski Sir Iz Maslinove Komine, Zigljen Iz Mosta, Daphne’s Aged Goat Cheese, Sea Change, Melinda Mae, Roasted Garlic Cheddar, Muranda Blue, Madrona, Gotcha Gouda, Melville, Dilly Girl, Fiesta Cheddar, Blue Earth, Island Brebis, Baby Brie, Connemara, Nocciolino, Hannah Reserve, Dinarski Is Mosta, Primo Fresca, Holzhofer Latte Crudo, Siltcoos, Shaker Blue, Grasso d’alpe Monscera, Shepherdista Crush, Pack Square, Ewe’s Blue, Cambozola, Grand Noir, Lost Lake, Ocooch Mountain, Alpe di Frabosa, Pecorino Toscano DOP, Alta Badia, Petida, Good Thunder, Pallone di Gravina, President Brie, Canastra Cheese, Black Betty, Shtayburne Farm Monterey Jack, Wyfe of Bath, Prairie Breeze Cheddar, Rotwein Bargler, Extra-Wurzig, Cressey Blu, Olomoucke Tvaruzky, Garlic and Fine Herbs Cashew Cheese, Moose.

[qoqbob]

Liverpool - Maritime Mercantile City

People like me still pour Into Liverpool to get a sense of where the 1960s cultural phenomena that was The Beatles originated. Gray-haired, in sensible shoes, jeans and t-shirts venturing to Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, the Cavern Club and on the famous ferry across the River Mersey. The Beatles provided the soundtrack for our childhood, teenage years and young adult life. We never change the radio station when a Beatles song is playing. We owned their records on vinyl, cassette tape and CD, and still have Beatles songs on our smart phones. Our concept of love, freedom and life were shaped by the songs created out of the life and times of four lads from Liverpool. We barely understood their Scouse but they championed our causes - peace and love. On the Beatles Tour Bus, there are people from all around the world and every walk of life. Liverpudlians are happy you come to celebrate the Beatles, but there is a lot more to Liverpool. The old docks along the river are now places of entertainment, museums, concert venues and restaurants. The old Victorian core is being renovated or creatively decorated like the graffiti-laden Baltic Quarter, and the surrounding hillsides of Georgian districts, University and Cathedral buildings being put to imaginative uses in funky cafes, clubs and outdoor art displays. Out past leafy Toxteth restored from the 1980s rioting, the childhood home of John Lennon and the teenage home of Paul McCartney are now open to tours by the National Trust.

Liverpool rose to global cultural status in the post war 20th Century on the phenomenal success of The Beatles. The northwestern English port city had enormous economic success in International trade, first in the slave trade as ships from Liverpool sailed to west Africa bearing manufactured goods which were traded for human cargo. Captured native peoples were sold into slavery and shipped to North and South America where they were pressed into service on plantations, mines and domestic service. Raw materials were loaded aboard the ships and brought back to Liverpool. The Victorian-era Albert Docks were built of Iron, glass and brick designed to be the first fireproof bonded warehouses in the world. They were set on fire after construction to prove they worked as advertised. It was these distinctive buildings, wharves, canals and civic architecture of 18th-19th and early 20th Century Liverpool that led the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to name the city a World Heritage Site in 2004. In July 2021, UNESCO deleted that listing as it had for the Elbe River Valley in Germany and the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman citing the warning issued in 2012 when Liverpool redeveloped the waterfront transforming the warehouses to museums like the Tate Liverpool, the Liverpool Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum and adding visionary modern buildings like the elongated curving trapezoidal Museum of Liverpool, the black glass rhomboid of the Open Eye Gallery and the Pier Head ferry terminal with it’s cafes and viewpoints.

UNESCO reports: “The Committee considers that these constructions are detrimental to the site’s authenticity and integrity. Liverpool’s historic centre and docklands were inscribed for bearing witness to the development of one of the world’s major trading centers in the 18th and 19th centuries. The site also illustrated pioneering developments in modern dock technology, transport systems and port management.” The City of Liverpool pushed back with a statement that they are not a monument or a museum but a rapidly changing city and points out that the Tower of London world heritage center is surrounded by some of the tallest buildings in the United Kingdom but isn’t on the endangered list. The statement adds that the Liver Building was constructed on a filled in dock, a long standing architectural and building tradition. I like the modern buildings. Their designs are innovative and add contrast to the stately old structures. The frames and viewpoints from the terraces and windows of the Museum of Liverpool are wonderful.

The World Heritage sites are worth seeking out in their own right. Like a great book, the sites should be considered in planning any visit to a new place, but I wonder if Liverpool really needs the designation. It can proudly point out the sheer scale of historic structures throughout the city. Much of its charm is in sweeping vistas the hillsides provide with pedestrian shopping zones, parks and an eclectic mixture of monuments and street art. One can imagine among the relics and uniform squares of the Albert Docks, the bustling port full of ships, porters, stevedores, dockworkers, horses and workers instead of the tourists buying ice creams or sausages from the wagons. The World Heritage designation reflected the role of Liverpool as the supreme example of a commercial port at the time of Britain's greatest global influence. Liverpool is growing from the ruins of the wartime bombing and the collapse of the former economic model. It’s a great place to visit. I’ll be back. I didn’t visit any of the three major Beatles collections, but I felt like I learned a lot about the place they found their voice and created music that rocked my world.https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWra4E1https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWra4E1

[dry-valleys]

The northwest view is still a picturesque delight, with its hillsides and valleys, the green fields, and high hedgerows of Staffordshire. Strangers and pilgrims who have left the district, now and then silently stray to an elevation to have a refreshing glance at this scenery before they again return to their distant homes and lands, and leave behind them a farewell sigh for that " which once hath been." William Scarratt, 1906.

Rising from the hectic Chatterley Valley to Bradwell Woods, which as far as I can see have never been built on (the fine carpet of bluebells we’re looking forward to indicates ancient woodland).

(January 2021 and (7) May 2018, (9) November 2017).

The valley is cut through by the Trent and Mersey Canal, designed by James Brindley, the first sod of which was cut nearby by Josiah Wedgwood, to carry Potteries wares to Liverpool and the sea. The canal was finished in 1777 and a remote corner of rural Staffordshire with poor soils and worse transport suddenly became an industrial behemoth, a process about which may local authors wrote.

They were joined by the railway in 1848 (now Grade II listed, Longport station is still in use and I often ride it when I travel between volunteering at Westport Lake and my day job, in Crewe).

Many of the factories Wedgwood and Brindley knew, expanded by Scarratt’s day, are now gone, but (4) H & R Johnson (founded in 1901 and in this area since 1968) remains.

Industrial history is remembered by the Golden Statue, built in Nottingham to a design by Wolfgang Buttress and here since 2015, remembering the business of the valley.

In 1903, Charles Shaw rued that "This lovely, peaceful, and fruitful valley is now choked with smoke and disfigured by mining and smelting refuse." and one can still see his point, but the woods are still proudly untouched.

Although the railway he complained about is still there, joined by the A500 road (started in 1962 and not fully finished in 2006- I remember the traffic jams caused by the last bout of work in ‘06), and littering has become an issue, it's still the case that in the woods this area has regained a lot of what Shaw recalled from his childhood in the 1830s and one can breathe again.

[tan-talks]

Northumberland, Galloway’s Goat Milk Gems, Lajta, King River Gold, Beauvoorde, HarlechTruckle, Buche de Chevre, Challerhocker, Four Herb Gouda, Manur, Sweet Style Swiss, Corleggy, Fynbo, Passendale, Shanklish, Peekskill, Grey Owl, Queso del Tiétar, Saanenkaese, Rabacal, Yarra Valley Ashed Pyramid, Reypenaer, Oltermanni, Panamellera, Saalan Pfarr, Pyengana Cheddar, Ardsallagh Hard Goat’s Cheese, Meira, Woodside Cabecou, Croghan, La Serena, Lairobell, Monastery Cheeses, Malvern, Meyer Vintage Gouda, Montasio Mezzano, Queso del Montsec, Lanark Blue, Saint Felicien, Kervella Affine, Serat, Lebben, Lacy Swiss, Selva, Montasio Vecchio, Dunbarra, Processed Cheddar, King Island Cape Wickham Brie, Llangofan Farmhouse, Provolone del Monaco, Piora, Queso de Murcia, Mature Wensleydale, Loch Arthur Farmhouse, Jibneh Arabieh, Molbo, Tala, Imokilly regato, Maredsous, Schloss, Naboulsi, Turunmaa, Daralagjazsky, Piave Vecchio Selezione Oro, Brusselae Kaas, Reypenaer V.S.O.P., Tupi, Cwmtawe Pecorino, Folded Cheese w/ Mint, Buchetta a la Sarriette, Podhalański, Hipi Ita, Jermi Tortes, Mersey Valley Original Vintage, Jubilee Blue, Tasmania Highland Chevre Log, Mine-Gabhar, Nettle Meadow Kunik, Amish Frolic, Rubens, Montgomery’s Cheddar, Kugelkase, Provoleta, Bonne Bouche, Ardsallagh’s Soft Goat Cheese, Gornoaltajski, Picobello, Garrotxa, Cancoillotte, Ardsallagh’s Smoked Cheese, Grabetto, Pokolbin, Remedou, Golden Smoked Rebel, Tyn Grug, Appalachian, Pencarreg, Trappiste d’Igny, Waimata

🧀

[eddiejpoplar]

Classic Drive: George Harrison’s 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL AMG

A 12-year-old schoolboy watched the 1955 British Grand Prix at his local racetrack in Aintree, Liverpool, where Stirling Moss piloted his Mercedes-Benz W196 to the win from pole position, taking the fastest lap of the day. From that race on George Harrison was hooked. Formula 1 was to become one of his lifelong passions, that, and being the lead guitarist in a certain rock band, The Beatles, of course.

As it turns out, Harrison was also apparently pretty passionate about go-fast Benzes. When I learned that my rock music memorabilia and classic car collector friend Mike Pickles had acquired Mr. Harrison’s 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL AMG and it was in wonderful state of preservation, I figured I’d ask Mr. Pickles if Mr. Harrison’s car might be available for a road trip. He said it would. I’ll give you one guess where I drove it to.

Looking at the equipment list, it seems Harrison ordered the car with the entire contents of the AMG catalog from Stratton’s of Wilmslow Cheshire on the 23rd of May 1984 with a sticker price of 84,000 British pounds. Options included a wired-in cell phone (a real luxury in the early 1980s), spoilers, leather steering wheel, rear passenger picnic tables, and blacked out chrome trim. The car is said to have been Harrison’s everyday transport and was often seen on the roads around Henley on Thames over 16 years and some 32,000 miles of ownership before he passed it on to fellow musician Ray Cooper. It even made a cameo appearance in the “Real Love” video featuring the three remaining Beatles in 1995.

Famous owner aside, the W126 S-Class—especially in 500SEL trim—was a high-status automobile, designed by a team headed by Bruno Sacco. Harrison no doubt relished the AMG-massaged, naturally aspirated 4973cc V-8 tuned to a reported 272 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque and a factory indicated top speed of 149 mph. My plan was to sample the car on a drive across England coast-to-coast, from the seaside town of Scarborough Yorkshire to the Fab Four’s home city of Liverpool. Where else?

The genteel resort of Scarborough on the North Sea coast would have been awakened by the screams of hundreds of teenage fans when the Beatles played their first show at the Futurist Theatre on Wednesday, December 11, 1963, so it was from the neon lit seafront where I chose to start my adventure. Sadly, the Futurist had been demolished just weeks prior to my visit, nearly 55 years since that sold out gig. The following morning, I headed west over the North York Moors towards Liverpool, 156 miles via the M62 freeway but a fair few miles further driving the Merc over mountain passes and the twisty rural roads of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The SEL is a big car to ascend the narrow Rosedale Chimney Bank switchback hill out onto the moors. Power is there in plenty from the big V-8 and its steering is precise if a little lacking in feel. Despite the AMG updates, there’s a fair amount of body roll, which isn’t helped by the polished black leather seats with no lateral support. After reaching the summit, the road straightens out and I was able to appreciate one of the delights of the North York Moors—purple heather in full bloom and a 180-degree panorama of Yorkshire, Britain’s largest county—through a windshield with mercifully narrow A-pillars.

The only vehicle I passed was a team of gamekeepers in an old Land Rover preparing for the grouse shooting season on the Glorious Twelfth. Driving through the country town of Thornton-le-Dale, Mathewson’s Classic Auctions just happened to have a 1984 380SEL on their forecourt. After making a U turn on the A170 we took a look at the standard car sporting blue velour upholstery, a lot of chrome, and rather strange hub caps adorning the stock steel wheels. One thing’s for sure after taking a closer look at the 380: The AMG makeover did wonders for the W126.

Heading west, the road descends Sutton Bank leaving the North York Moors National Park and I pressed on towards another region of God’s own country, the Dales—no less beautiful than the roads just travelled but completely different. By this time, I was becoming accustomed to the car’s size. I had to pinch myself to think that I was sitting in the driver’s seat and cruising along the highway where a Beatle had sat. I tuned the Blaupunkt Paris sound system to BBC 2 in the hope of hearing a Fab Four track as I didn’t have a cassette to play in the period tape deck.

Needing a spot of lunch and some relief from sitting on the rather firm German seat for four hours, The Bolton Arms in the center of Leyburn provided an admirable English traditional ploughman’s lunch. It set me up for the drive through the Dales National Park. The topography is one of high limestone fells (mountains) and deep dales (valleys) hence the locals describe a journey as ‘up hill, down dale’. The area is one of my favorite parts of the UK, the country roads quite unique as the black top appears to have been poured over the landscape with little attempt to smooth out hills or corners. Added to the mix, almost all the roads have high dry-stone walls on both sides which makes for interesting driving in the big German sedan. The Mercedes handled well on its Goodyear Eagle 225/50R16 tires that made a low rumbling noise over the broken pavement, especially when the car was squeezed into one of the many passing places built in the walls for when you meet the inevitable tractor, milk tanker, or motor home.

Just about any road in the Dales will drive you through spectacular scenery. Piloting the car along the A684 to Hawes, I gazed at Harrison’s Hindu Om charm fixed to the leather AMG steering wheel and through to the three large analog dials and really did feel a oneness with creation. Exiting the quaint village, I turned onto the B6255 which offered a rare straight section of uphill road. I flicked the gearshift to 2b and gunned the accelerator, shifting to third at around 35 mph and on to 60 mph. For a heavy automobile it felt adequately rapid. This would be my only drastic stint of driving as it’s not a test car but rather a 34-year-old classic. More importantly, it wasn’t mine.

Just like the landscape which changes in a few miles, so to can the English weather, and as I crossed the Pennines heading west the temperature dropped and the blue sky with fluffy white clouds became gray and overcast. I made a stop at the Ribblehead viaduct, built in 1870 to allow the Carlisle to Settle railroad cross Blea Moor. This 440-yard stone structure is a spectacular example of Victorian civil engineering which enhances an area of outstanding natural beauty. It was tea time and I bought a brew from the snack van. Sitting in the back of the car I tried to use the optional picnic table. AMG might have been a whizz at engine and suspension modifications but the ergonomics of the tables weren’t great.

Crossing into Lancashire, traffic increased as I drove down the Ribble Valley and for the first time I cruised along motorways M6 and M58 in commuter traffic as I headed toward Liverpool’s waterfront. I planned to stop at a few spots with a hint of Beatlemania. My first was a chance encounter in Croxteth, with its large street mural of the band painted on the side of a blue-collar terraced house and brick wall. Try as I might, I failed in my bid to maneuver the car past numerous obstacles and high curbs to park close enough to it for a photo opportunity. From there it was on to Penny Lane, which was not only the name for Beatles song but a statement of the lives of those young men who grew up in post-WWII Liverpool. I never made it to a Beatles concert, but most of the early pop music I grew up with was part of the Mersey Beat scene that centered around the band.

It was early evening by the time I pulled up on the aptly named George’s Pier Head on the Liverpool waterfront. Most of the tourists were back at their hotels and the office workers in the Royal Liver building which overlooks the river Mersey were heading home in traffic so the place was deserted. The end of my road was a bronze life-size statue of the band by Andy Edwards funded by fans at the Cavern Club, commemorating the last show they played in Liverpool in 1965.

As my day-long journey ended, I wondered if Harrison had ever dreamt of buying such a posh set of wheels when he attended the British Grand Prix back in 1955. I know I never imagined traveling 337 miles on great roads through beautiful landscapes in his former automobile.

[jonathanbelloblog]

Classic Drive: George Harrison’s 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL AMG

A 12-year-old schoolboy watched the 1955 British Grand Prix at his local racetrack in Aintree, Liverpool, where Stirling Moss piloted his Mercedes-Benz W196 to the win from pole position, taking the fastest lap of the day. From that race on George Harrison was hooked. Formula 1 was to become one of his lifelong passions, that, and being the lead guitarist in a certain rock band, The Beatles, of course.

As it turns out, Harrison was also apparently pretty passionate about go-fast Benzes. When I learned that my rock music memorabilia and classic car collector friend Mike Pickles had acquired Mr. Harrison’s 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL AMG and it was in wonderful state of preservation, I figured I’d ask Mr. Pickles if Mr. Harrison’s car might be available for a road trip. He said it would. I’ll give you one guess where I drove it to.

Looking at the equipment list, it seems Harrison ordered the car with the entire contents of the AMG catalog from Stratton’s of Wilmslow Cheshire on the 23rd of May 1984 with a sticker price of 84,000 British pounds. Options included a wired-in cell phone (a real luxury in the early 1980s), spoilers, leather steering wheel, rear passenger picnic tables, and blacked out chrome trim. The car is said to have been Harrison’s everyday transport and was often seen on the roads around Henley on Thames over 16 years and some 32,000 miles of ownership before he passed it on to fellow musician Ray Cooper. It even made a cameo appearance in the “Real Love” video featuring the three remaining Beatles in 1995.

Famous owner aside, the W126 S-Class—especially in 500SEL trim—was a high-status automobile, designed by a team headed by Bruno Sacco. Harrison no doubt relished the AMG-massaged, naturally aspirated 4973cc V-8 tuned to a reported 272 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque and a factory indicated top speed of 149 mph. My plan was to sample the car on a drive across England coast-to-coast, from the seaside town of Scarborough Yorkshire to the Fab Four’s home city of Liverpool. Where else?

The genteel resort of Scarborough on the North Sea coast would have been awakened by the screams of hundreds of teenage fans when the Beatles played their first show at the Futurist Theatre on Wednesday, December 11, 1963, so it was from the neon lit seafront where I chose to start my adventure. Sadly, the Futurist had been demolished just weeks prior to my visit, nearly 55 years since that sold out gig. The following morning, I headed west over the North York Moors towards Liverpool, 156 miles via the M62 freeway but a fair few miles further driving the Merc over mountain passes and the twisty rural roads of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The SEL is a big car to ascend the narrow Rosedale Chimney Bank switchback hill out onto the moors. Power is there in plenty from the big V-8 and its steering is precise if a little lacking in feel. Despite the AMG updates, there’s a fair amount of body roll, which isn’t helped by the polished black leather seats with no lateral support. After reaching the summit, the road straightens out and I was able to appreciate one of the delights of the North York Moors—purple heather in full bloom and a 180-degree panorama of Yorkshire, Britain’s largest county—through a windshield with mercifully narrow A-pillars.

The only vehicle I passed was a team of gamekeepers in an old Land Rover preparing for the grouse shooting season on the Glorious Twelfth. Driving through the country town of Thornton-le-Dale, Mathewson’s Classic Auctions just happened to have a 1984 380SEL on their forecourt. After making a U turn on the A170 we took a look at the standard car sporting blue velour upholstery, a lot of chrome, and rather strange hub caps adorning the stock steel wheels. One thing’s for sure after taking a closer look at the 380: The AMG makeover did wonders for the W126.

Heading west, the road descends Sutton Bank leaving the North York Moors National Park and I pressed on towards another region of God’s own country, the Dales—no less beautiful than the roads just travelled but completely different. By this time, I was becoming accustomed to the car’s size. I had to pinch myself to think that I was sitting in the driver’s seat and cruising along the highway where a Beatle had sat. I tuned the Blaupunkt Paris sound system to BBC 2 in the hope of hearing a Fab Four track as I didn’t have a cassette to play in the period tape deck.

Needing a spot of lunch and some relief from sitting on the rather firm German seat for four hours, The Bolton Arms in the center of Leyburn provided an admirable English traditional ploughman’s lunch. It set me up for the drive through the Dales National Park. The topography is one of high limestone fells (mountains) and deep dales (valleys) hence the locals describe a journey as ‘up hill, down dale’. The area is one of my favorite parts of the UK, the country roads quite unique as the black top appears to have been poured over the landscape with little attempt to smooth out hills or corners. Added to the mix, almost all the roads have high dry-stone walls on both sides which makes for interesting driving in the big German sedan. The Mercedes handled well on its Goodyear Eagle 225/50R16 tires that made a low rumbling noise over the broken pavement, especially when the car was squeezed into one of the many passing places built in the walls for when you meet the inevitable tractor, milk tanker, or motor home.

Just about any road in the Dales will drive you through spectacular scenery. Piloting the car along the A684 to Hawes, I gazed at Harrison’s Hindu Om charm fixed to the leather AMG steering wheel and through to the three large analog dials and really did feel a oneness with creation. Exiting the quaint village, I turned onto the B6255 which offered a rare straight section of uphill road. I flicked the gearshift to 2b and gunned the accelerator, shifting to third at around 35 mph and on to 60 mph. For a heavy automobile it felt adequately rapid. This would be my only drastic stint of driving as it’s not a test car but rather a 34-year-old classic. More importantly, it wasn’t mine.

Just like the landscape which changes in a few miles, so to can the English weather, and as I crossed the Pennines heading west the temperature dropped and the blue sky with fluffy white clouds became gray and overcast. I made a stop at the Ribblehead viaduct, built in 1870 to allow the Carlisle to Settle railroad cross Blea Moor. This 440-yard stone structure is a spectacular example of Victorian civil engineering which enhances an area of outstanding natural beauty. It was tea time and I bought a brew from the snack van. Sitting in the back of the car I tried to use the optional picnic table. AMG might have been a whizz at engine and suspension modifications but the ergonomics of the tables weren’t great.

Crossing into Lancashire, traffic increased as I drove down the Ribble Valley and for the first time I cruised along motorways M6 and M58 in commuter traffic as I headed toward Liverpool’s waterfront. I planned to stop at a few spots with a hint of Beatlemania. My first was a chance encounter in Croxteth, with its large street mural of the band painted on the side of a blue-collar terraced house and brick wall. Try as I might, I failed in my bid to maneuver the car past numerous obstacles and high curbs to park close enough to it for a photo opportunity. From there it was on to Penny Lane, which was not only the name for Beatles song but a statement of the lives of those young men who grew up in post-WWII Liverpool. I never made it to a Beatles concert, but most of the early pop music I grew up with was part of the Mersey Beat scene that centered around the band.

It was early evening by the time I pulled up on the aptly named George’s Pier Head on the Liverpool waterfront. Most of the tourists were back at their hotels and the office workers in the Royal Liver building which overlooks the river Mersey were heading home in traffic so the place was deserted. The end of my road was a bronze life-size statue of the band by Andy Edwards funded by fans at the Cavern Club, commemorating the last show they played in Liverpool in 1965.

As my day-long journey ended, I wondered if Harrison had ever dreamt of buying such a posh set of wheels when he attended the British Grand Prix back in 1955. I know I never imagined traveling 337 miles on great roads through beautiful landscapes in his former automobile.

[jesusvasser]

Classic Drive: George Harrison’s 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL AMG

A 12-year-old schoolboy watched the 1955 British Grand Prix at his local racetrack in Aintree, Liverpool, where Stirling Moss piloted his Mercedes-Benz W196 to the win from pole position, taking the fastest lap of the day. From that race on George Harrison was hooked. Formula 1 was to become one of his lifelong passions, that, and being the lead guitarist in a certain rock band, The Beatles, of course.

As it turns out, Harrison was also apparently pretty passionate about go-fast Benzes. When I learned that my rock music memorabilia and classic car collector friend Mike Pickles had acquired Mr. Harrison’s 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL AMG and it was in wonderful state of preservation, I figured I’d ask Mr. Pickles if Mr. Harrison’s car might be available for a road trip. He said it would. I’ll give you one guess where I drove it to.

Looking at the equipment list, it seems Harrison ordered the car with the entire contents of the AMG catalog from Stratton’s of Wilmslow Cheshire on the 23rd of May 1984 with a sticker price of 84,000 British pounds. Options included a wired-in cell phone (a real luxury in the early 1980s), spoilers, leather steering wheel, rear passenger picnic tables, and blacked out chrome trim. The car is said to have been Harrison’s everyday transport and was often seen on the roads around Henley on Thames over 16 years and some 32,000 miles of ownership before he passed it on to fellow musician Ray Cooper. It even made a cameo appearance in the “Real Love” video featuring the three remaining Beatles in 1995.

Famous owner aside, the W126 S-Class—especially in 500SEL trim—was a high-status automobile, designed by a team headed by Bruno Sacco. Harrison no doubt relished the AMG-massaged, naturally aspirated 4973cc V-8 tuned to a reported 272 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque and a factory indicated top speed of 149 mph. My plan was to sample the car on a drive across England coast-to-coast, from the seaside town of Scarborough Yorkshire to the Fab Four’s home city of Liverpool. Where else?

The genteel resort of Scarborough on the North Sea coast would have been awakened by the screams of hundreds of teenage fans when the Beatles played their first show at the Futurist Theatre on Wednesday, December 11, 1963, so it was from the neon lit seafront where I chose to start my adventure. Sadly, the Futurist had been demolished just weeks prior to my visit, nearly 55 years since that sold out gig. The following morning, I headed west over the North York Moors towards Liverpool, 156 miles via the M62 freeway but a fair few miles further driving the Merc over mountain passes and the twisty rural roads of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The SEL is a big car to ascend the narrow Rosedale Chimney Bank switchback hill out onto the moors. Power is there in plenty from the big V-8 and its steering is precise if a little lacking in feel. Despite the AMG updates, there’s a fair amount of body roll, which isn’t helped by the polished black leather seats with no lateral support. After reaching the summit, the road straightens out and I was able to appreciate one of the delights of the North York Moors—purple heather in full bloom and a 180-degree panorama of Yorkshire, Britain’s largest county—through a windshield with mercifully narrow A-pillars.

The only vehicle I passed was a team of gamekeepers in an old Land Rover preparing for the grouse shooting season on the Glorious Twelfth. Driving through the country town of Thornton-le-Dale, Mathewson’s Classic Auctions just happened to have a 1984 380SEL on their forecourt. After making a U turn on the A170 we took a look at the standard car sporting blue velour upholstery, a lot of chrome, and rather strange hub caps adorning the stock steel wheels. One thing’s for sure after taking a closer look at the 380: The AMG makeover did wonders for the W126.

Heading west, the road descends Sutton Bank leaving the North York Moors National Park and I pressed on towards another region of God’s own country, the Dales—no less beautiful than the roads just travelled but completely different. By this time, I was becoming accustomed to the car’s size. I had to pinch myself to think that I was sitting in the driver’s seat and cruising along the highway where a Beatle had sat. I tuned the Blaupunkt Paris sound system to BBC 2 in the hope of hearing a Fab Four track as I didn’t have a cassette to play in the period tape deck.

Needing a spot of lunch and some relief from sitting on the rather firm German seat for four hours, The Bolton Arms in the center of Leyburn provided an admirable English traditional ploughman’s lunch. It set me up for the drive through the Dales National Park. The topography is one of high limestone fells (mountains) and deep dales (valleys) hence the locals describe a journey as ‘up hill, down dale’. The area is one of my favorite parts of the UK, the country roads quite unique as the black top appears to have been poured over the landscape with little attempt to smooth out hills or corners. Added to the mix, almost all the roads have high dry-stone walls on both sides which makes for interesting driving in the big German sedan. The Mercedes handled well on its Goodyear Eagle 225/50R16 tires that made a low rumbling noise over the broken pavement, especially when the car was squeezed into one of the many passing places built in the walls for when you meet the inevitable tractor, milk tanker, or motor home.

Just about any road in the Dales will drive you through spectacular scenery. Piloting the car along the A684 to Hawes, I gazed at Harrison’s Hindu Om charm fixed to the leather AMG steering wheel and through to the three large analog dials and really did feel a oneness with creation. Exiting the quaint village, I turned onto the B6255 which offered a rare straight section of uphill road. I flicked the gearshift to 2b and gunned the accelerator, shifting to third at around 35 mph and on to 60 mph. For a heavy automobile it felt adequately rapid. This would be my only drastic stint of driving as it’s not a test car but rather a 34-year-old classic. More importantly, it wasn’t mine.

Just like the landscape which changes in a few miles, so to can the English weather, and as I crossed the Pennines heading west the temperature dropped and the blue sky with fluffy white clouds became gray and overcast. I made a stop at the Ribblehead viaduct, built in 1870 to allow the Carlisle to Settle railroad cross Blea Moor. This 440-yard stone structure is a spectacular example of Victorian civil engineering which enhances an area of outstanding natural beauty. It was tea time and I bought a brew from the snack van. Sitting in the back of the car I tried to use the optional picnic table. AMG might have been a whizz at engine and suspension modifications but the ergonomics of the tables weren’t great.

Crossing into Lancashire, traffic increased as I drove down the Ribble Valley and for the first time I cruised along motorways M6 and M58 in commuter traffic as I headed toward Liverpool’s waterfront. I planned to stop at a few spots with a hint of Beatlemania. My first was a chance encounter in Croxteth, with its large street mural of the band painted on the side of a blue-collar terraced house and brick wall. Try as I might, I failed in my bid to maneuver the car past numerous obstacles and high curbs to park close enough to it for a photo opportunity. From there it was on to Penny Lane, which was not only the name for Beatles song but a statement of the lives of those young men who grew up in post-WWII Liverpool. I never made it to a Beatles concert, but most of the early pop music I grew up with was part of the Mersey Beat scene that centered around the band.

It was early evening by the time I pulled up on the aptly named George’s Pier Head on the Liverpool waterfront. Most of the tourists were back at their hotels and the office workers in the Royal Liver building which overlooks the river Mersey were heading home in traffic so the place was deserted. The end of my road was a bronze life-size statue of the band by Andy Edwards funded by fans at the Cavern Club, commemorating the last show they played in Liverpool in 1965.

As my day-long journey ended, I wondered if Harrison had ever dreamt of buying such a posh set of wheels when he attended the British Grand Prix back in 1955. I know I never imagined traveling 337 miles on great roads through beautiful landscapes in his former automobile.

[anywherewecan-blog]

Walking the National Forest Way: a stroll amid a transformed Midlands

New Post has been published on http://anywherewecan.com/2017/04/22/walking-national-forest-way-derbyshire-leicestershire-staffordshire/

Walking the National Forest Way: a stroll amid a transformed Midlands

Walking holidays

It’s the time of year to check out the bluebell woods of England’s National Forest, which stretches over the former mining fields of Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. We take it stage by stage, with stops for food and sleep

Into the woods … walkers enter the forest, close to Foremark Reservoir, near Ticknall.

Walking holidays

Walking the National Forest Way: a stroll amid a transformed Midlands

It’s the time of year to check out the bluebell woods of England’s National Forest, which stretches over the former mining fields of Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. We take it stage by stage, with stops for food and sleep

The National Forest, now more than a quarter of a century old, is the result of a need for regeneration after the end of mining, and the desire to transform one of the UK’s least-wooded areas into a wild and wonderful expanse for exploration. In a sense it is an effort to reconnect with the past, a past before men and machinery extracted coal and clay from this land in the Midlands – 200 square miles of it – in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.

When the first tree was planted in 1991 this became the country’s first new forest in more than a thousand years. At that time only 6% of the area had forest cover; 26 years on and that figure is 20%. Eight and a half million trees and 16,500 acres later and the National Forest links the ancient forests of Needwood in Staffordshire and Charnwood in Leicestershire. It also offers an array of activities and attractions, plus accommodation at hotels, farms, cabins and campsites.

Jackson’s Bank, Burrough Woods and Swithland Woods are all great places to spot bluebells in bloom. Photograph: Alamy

It’s possible to see the forest’s evolution close-up along the National Forest Way, a 12-stage 75-mile walk that takes in bucolic villages, market towns, restored wildlife habitats and disused coalfields. The stages, between four and seven-and-a-half miles long, can be completed as day walks or as part of a long-distance trail with overnight stays. My walk went west to east, from stage 12 to stage one, ending at the summit of Beacon Hill.

The National Forest Way map.

Spring represents a great opportunity to see bluebells along the National Forest Way, and areas to take note of include Jackson’s Bank, Needwood, the Woodland Trust’s Burrough Woods in the south-east corner of the forest, Swithland Wood in Charnwood, and Lodge Hill, near Yoxall, a short walk off the route. The National Forest will also be holding its 10th annual walking festival from 13-25 May.

Stage 12: National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, to Yoxall (5.14 miles)

The Shot at Dawn Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas in Staffordshire. Photograph: Alamy

Marking the route’s start or end, the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas (admission free) honours the military, emergency services, charities and individuals who have served the country, with 30,000 trees and more than 300 memorials across 150 acres of meadow, river and woodland. The striking glass panels of the Naval Service memorial are hard to miss, but it’s worth exploring the grounds to find others, such as the moving Christmas Truce memorial. Daily talks and tours include the Far East Prisoners of War Talk, and the Remembrance Centre, open since October 2016, which has three galleries and an interactive exhibit on the importance of remembrance. One-and-a-half miles away is the village of Alrewas, home to England’s first commercial canal, the Trent and Mersey, and post-walk pints at the Crown Inn.

Stage 11: Yoxall to Rangemore (7.46 miles)

Sculptor David Nash by one of his True Noon pieces, part of the National Forest’s LANDshapes project. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

Along or near this route are six “True Noon Columns” – wooden sculptures carved from sustainable English oak by artist David Nash, each representing a different forest landscape. They are carved so that at noon, (around 1.06pm summertime, 12.06pm winter), a stream of sunlight shines through a vertical slot. At Sence valley the blackened oak column references the area’s mining history, and Trent Valley’s floodmarker design represents the surrounding wetlands.

Stage 10: Rangemore to Branston (4.1 miles)

With a serene setting, Lock House is an 18th-century lock keeper’s house-turned-B&B with two double bedrooms (£60 a night) overlooking the Trent and Mersey canal. Breakfast is vegetarian/vegan, and expect homemade jam, free-range eggs any style, and a super-size fruit salad. Lock House is a few minutes’ walk from Branston water park, formed by the flooding of a disused gravel pit. The one-mile lake path takes in wetland, woodland, meadows and birdlife.

Bridge Inn, Branston, Staffordshire

Bridge Inn, Branston

It’s not every day you stumble across a gourmet Italian restaurant on the Trent and Mersey canal. Fast becoming known for its homemade pizzas (from £8.95), pastas (from £7.95) and risottos, seasonal menu, and a specially selected 100% Italian wine list, the pub uses local suppliers, and fresh fish is delivered daily. Dishes are beautifully presented by chef Mariusz Wójtowicz, often using home-grown herbs and edible flowers. The pub’s 200-year-old building used to operate as an inn and stables, and is a short walk from Lock House B&B. • thebridgeinnbranston.com

Stage 9: Branston to Rosliston (5.5 miles)

Rosliston Forestry Centre, Derbyshire Rosliston was the first visitor centre in the National Forest, with 120,000 trees planted to create new woodland, while the Rolls-Royce Greenheart Lake emphasises the support from local businesses. The walking and biking trails are the best way to explore the grounds; the bike path is easy or there are more challenging off-road tracks. Those short on time could take a quick look at the Monument to South Derbyshire Mining, and grab a coffee and cake in the Hub Cafe. • Trails and gardens free, activity prices vary, roslistonforestrycentre.co.uk

Stage 8: Rosliston to Moira (7.66 miles)

Conkers Waterside, Derbyshire.

YHA National Forest, Swadlincote, Derbyshire This modern, four-star, eco-friendly YHA property has all the essentials: well-stocked bar, free wifi, hot breakfasts and three-course supper club dinners. Some of the 23 en suite rooms have double beds, and can be booked privately for up to five people. The food is good, too; it was pizza night on my visit. Non-residents are also welcome at both the cafe and supper club. Within walking distance is Conkers family adventure centre (YHA guests get free child tickets), the four-mile Ashby Woulds Heritage Trail along a disused railway line, and Moira Furnace Museum on the site of a 19th-century blast furnace. • Three-bed private room from £39 a night, dorm beds from £11pp, supper club £8.50 (under-10s free with paying adult), yha.org.uk

Conkers Discovery and Conkers Waterside, Derbyshire This family adventure centre in 120 acres of woodland, ponds and lake on a former deep coalmine was one of the first attractions when the National Forest project began. There’s an array of activities, many included in the entry price – such as the 18-stage activity trail, barefoot walk and mining museum. The Hi and Lo Ropes Adventure is extra. The indoor interactive exhibit exploring British woodland through the seasons is excellent and a 4D cinema is scheduled to open on 14 April 2017. • Adult £9.05, child £8.14, family (2+2) £35.95, visitconkers.com

Stage 7: Moira to Hartshorne (5.67 miles)

Bull’s Head pub, Hartshorne, Swadlincote, Derbyshire Stage 7 passes Feanedock Wood, where active landfill sites are being transformed into wildlife habitats, an example of the “black-to-green” transformation. The stage ends at Hartshorne, where the family-run Bull’s Head is a good lunch stop, serving filling portions of lasagne, Derbyshire steak, lamb and mint suet pudding, and 15 desserts a day. It’s got plenty of character with timber beams, memorabilia and some sections dating to the 16th century. In the village, St Peter’s church contains the tomb of the Dethic family; one of whose members went to Cleves to find a fourth wife for Henry VIII. • Soup of the day £4.50, sausage and mash £10.95, mixed grill from £15.95, bullsheadhartshorne.co.uk

Stage 6: Hartshorne to Ticknall (4.93 miles)

Calke Abbey. Photograph: Alamy

Calke Abbey, Ticknall, Derbyshire After passing Hangman’s Stone, the route’s most northerly point, Ticknall village beckons. Refuel in Ticknall Tea Room, The Wheel Inn or The Staff of Life pub, where the accommodation (doubles from £105) includes two decadently designed boutique suites. The big attraction is the National Trust’s Calke Abbey, the “un-stately home”. It’s deliberately in a bit of a state, recalling a time in the 20th century when many estates fell into decline. The hoarding habits of the eccentric Harpur-Crewe family include stuffed birds and an unpacked state bed. In the grounds is a 1,200-year-old oak tree, Old Man of Calke. • Various admission prices for whole property (adult £13.50, child £6.95, family £33.70), house and garden, and park only, nationaltrust.org.uk/calke-abbey

Stage 5: Ticknall to Ashby-de-la-Zouch (7.65 miles)

Staunton Harold hall and church. Photograph: Alamy

Ferrers Centre for Arts and Crafts, Staunton Harold, Leicestershire Walking from Calke Abbey past Staunton Harold reservoir, it’s worth veering half a mile off the National Forest Way, for the Ferrers Centre for Arts and Craft. Artists have been working in the studios around this Georgian stable block since 1974, and now 16 workshops produce fine art, ceramics, silverware and more. Ferrers is a handy lunch stop too. Pick up takeaway sandwiches and cakes at Breadfirst bakery and deli, or Staunton Stables Tea Rooms does tasty homemade quiches, pies and sandwiches. • ferrerscentre.co.uk

Ashby Castle, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire

Ashby Castle. Photograph: Alamy

The Ivanhoe Way section of the National Forest Way – named after Walter Scott’s novel, set in and around Ashby Castle – leads walkers into Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Its 15th-century castle was the seat of Lord Hastings, a powerful figure in the 15th century, but much was destroyed in the civil war and the free audio guide takes a lively, witty approach to its fascinating history. It is still possible to explore the underground passage between the kitchen basement and Hastings Tower and climb up for the views. In town, the Royal hotel (doubles from £60 B&B) is a comfortable stop in a grade II-listed building. • Adult £5.60, child 5-15 £3.40, family (2 adults, 3 children) £14.60, english-heritage.org.uk

Stage 4: Ashby de la Zouch to Sence valley (5.72 miles)

Sence valley forest park, Leicestershire This stretch takes walkers into King Coal country, where “black gold” was mined for centuries. Sence valley forest park was an opencast colliery until 1996 and its transformation into a wildlife habitat is remarkable. As many as 150 bird species have been recorded since, and my quiet stint in the bird hide resulted in a few sightings. Some 100,000 trees have been planted, and three lakes link to the river Sence, where otters are making a comeback. A mile and a half away is Ibstock, where the Post House B&B (doubles from £70) offers four en suite bedrooms. • forestry.gov.uk

Stage 3: Sence valley to Thornton reservoir (7.82 miles)

The Reservoir Inn, Thornton, Leicestershire A popular pitstop at the end of this stage, this inviting pub welcomes both muddy boots and wet dogs. The set lunch is very good, with homemade pies, asparagus risotto and a homemade Indian thali among the options, and it offers steak nights, Sunday lunch and a changing dessert menu. Thornton reservoir itself is owned by Severn Trent Water and opened to the public in 1997 with help from the National Forest Company. The two-and-half-mile circuit takes in woodland and waterside settings, popular with walkers, cyclists, birdwatchers and fly-fishers. • Soup £4, two-course lunch £12.50, two-course evening menu £15, thereservoirinnthornton.co.uk

Stage 2: Thornton reservoir to Bradgate Park (5.85 miles)

The Stables at Stoneywell. Photograph: Alamy

Stoneywell, Ulverscroft, Leicestershire Four miles off the National Forest Way but still within Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire’s first National Trust property is worth the detour. This intentionally wonky-looking heritage cottage, which resembles something from a children’s adventure tale, was built in 1898 by designer-architect Ernest Gimson. A leading figure in the arts and crafts movement, he designed it as a summer house for his brother Sydney but it became home for generations of Gimsons until Sydney’s grandson Donald approached the Trust in 2012. It has been restored to its 1950s look, and expert guides take you through the warren-like interior. • Guided tours only. Booking essential (closed Dec-Jan). Adult £8.60, child £4.25, family £21.80, nationaltrust.org.uk/stoneywell

Stage 1: Bradgate Park to Beacon Hill (7.23 miles)

Old John Tower, Bradgate Park. Photograph: Alamy

Horseshoe Cottage Farm Expect Aga-baked cakes, homemade bread, free-range eggs from the Horseshoe’s own hens, and local cheeses at this green-thinking, three-room guesthouse converted from a 200-year-old farmhouse. Owners Tim and Linda Jee grow vegetables in their kitchen garden, and even press their own apple juice. It’s around the corner from Bradgate Park, home to deer herds, 500-year-old oak trees, Old John Tower and the ruins of the family home of Britain’s nine-day queen, Lady Jane Grey. The end of this stage is rewarded with views from Beacon Hill, Leicestershire’s second-highest point. • Doubles £100. Supper £22.50/dinner £30 (BYOB), horseshoecottagefarm.com

For more information visit The National Forest (nationalforest.org) and the National Forest Way (nationalforestway.co.uk). The National Forest website has downloadable step-by-step directions, complete with OS maps. Leaflets and waymarkers are colour-coded; purple for westbound walkers, orange for eastbound

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