We had a busy day today! We were going to head to York, but the weather report made us think twice about driving that far away. However, after the morning got started it became clear that it was going to be a really pretty day. We have just become members of the National Trust, an organization that protects and preserves a lot of historical sites in the UK. As a member, you can gain entrance to a lot of these places for discounts or at no cost. So we looked through the book, picked a few places and off we went. The first stop was Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate. Quarry Bank overflows with atmosphere of the Industrial Revolution. We visited the cotton mill, powered by Europe's most powerful working waterwheel. Bean liked watching them spin cotton but Gerbie did not like the noise of the machines and walked around part of the mill with her hands over her ears. They also had a beautiful garden...waterfalls, flowers and a scenic path made this a really nice walk. Since we had read that pushchairs (strollers) would be hard to use on the paths and were not allowed in the mill, Gerbie discovered her new found freedom and enjoyed walking. The picture of the four of us was taken in front of a 300 year old tree. (Click on the pictures to enlarge them). As we were leaving, we decided to go to Jodrell Bank, which is home to the world famous Lovell Radio Telescope and the UK's National Radio Astronomy Observatory. This telescope is HUGE. I have attached a picture, but I don't think the picture even does it justice. I also took a picture of Bean, standing beside a model of the sun, and you can see the telescope in the background, which may give you a better perspective. They also have a scaled planet path and Bean enjoyed reading the names and finding all the planets. We had a great day! This is a three day weekend here in the UK since Monday is a Bank Holiday, so we will try to do something fun tomorrow also.
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