Bartimaeus

The day after we arrived at Ellesmere Port, Shane had observed the weather forecast was to be sunny and warm. He was planning to get the tandem out. I stepped out in the morning while he was still in bed and saw a patch of violets. I went to get the camera and was surprised that a man was standing beside the boat. He apologised if he had given me a fright but had been trying to work out what the name of the boat meant. I explained that it was a name folk often knew from being in the Bible but was in this case the name was from a different book, named by the first owner. He remarked that we hadn’t changed the name and I mentioned we were happy with it and apparently it was bad luck to change a boat name. He knew about this and had bought an Italian boat not understanding the name and discovered it meant Nagging Wife and he said his wife was not a nag and he had to change the name. We had quite a long chat. I enjoyed the conversation and his Welsh accent. He was certainly of the philosophy that overplanning can bring distress and liked as we do to enjoy places we find and not worry about seeing the main tourist attraction. You can find delight and joy in finding what is around the corner and going off the beaten track. He liked a peaceful rather than a bustling life but enjoyed travel and adventure too. We chimed on a lot of things. He introduced himself as John then took his leave. I remembered I had come out for a reason, just as we had said, treasuring whatever you come across without even looking for anything in particular.

It was a pleasant unexpected start to the day and it was as warm as promised. I hadn’t got chilly having stepped out without a jacket on. I was definitely still up for a bike ride and the museum could wait.It has been a very long time since we had been out on the tandem. I went to change into suitable gear. Shane had found a bike route, some through industrial estate, but at least slow traffic and some through parks, a bit past a woodland burial ground and a lot of it near the water. We stopped to look at the Mersey.

I was a bit hungry but it was not lunchtime yet, so we skipped the award winning restaurant and carried on. Unfortunately our route was blocked with no alternative signposting. But we could now see across to Liverpool.

As we back tracked I noticed tourist signs to a priory nearby. We continued to where the Mersey ferries go from. There used to be several but some of the crossings were no longer running. I had read on a plaque that the first ferry was run by the monks from the priory. 

We found a ferry point that was clearly not open and carried on further. At last we found it. Shane had had thoughts of going on it but not sold on it for today and lunch was more pressing. I investigated the cafe. It was definitely the sort of place we would have often have gone twenty years ago with small boys and I wasn’t sure Shane would be keen but he was obviously keen to avoid a long search.  Went up to the counter to order and saw quite a few sandwiches made up. Neither of our choices were on the display but when I asked she said they could be made up. I asked about the soup of the day and she said it was spicy carrot and really good, home made. She checked with another staff member who said it was available and also strongly endorsed it. So I thought we’d have those too. As I paid she said she was just going to cook the eggs for my egg mayo sandwich so it would be a little wait. I hadn’t realised when she said she was going to make them up that she would be starting with boiling the eggs, but anyway I was looking forward to the soup. Very soon after she came to the table to apologise profusely that the cooker was being deep cleaned so she couldn’t boil the eggs and she was disappointed too as had hoped to make herself an egg sandwich for lunch. I switched to a BLT and that came immediately. All the staff were very friendly and jaunty.  It was a joyful place to be after all – my initial reservations were unfounded and the carrot soup was certainly spicey. As we left we saw that the Mersey Ferry was approaching and we watched it spin round in the fast tide and come in for its next trip.

We started back. The ferry had a fast turnaround and was on its way back too. I took a picture as we were going along. With the sun in the screen, I  didn’t realise what it was like and only realised later that it was in a zoom in mode.

In the process of trying to take photos on the way, I found out I had got an action shot of Shane’s legs and feet pedalling or quite likely freewheeling since they aren’t blurred, and from the level pedal position.  

We were weaving through Birkenhead when Shane spotted the priory and dropped anchor. Not only was it open, it would have been closed if we had gone in the morning so lunch first was definitely the right choice. We walked through the entrance and into an outside area. We had paused while I looked at an honesty piggy bank and plants sale, when a volunteer approached and offered a tour. He went off to fetch some leaflets.

Our guide returned and asked us where we were from. It turned out he was visiting friends in Edinburgh soon who live beside the canal there, so we got a bit of his history before we got started on the priory tour. Tony was knowledgeable and humourous and his own grandparents had been curators at the priory too. We very much enjoyed the tour. Most is roofless or open to the wind but there have been some reroofed spaces for education rooms and a museum. The oldest part, the Chapter house, built in the 12th century is still a functioning church hosting monthly services, and is popular for weddings.

He invited us to go up the 101 steps of a more recent church, St Mary’s, and admire the panoramic view. From there we could see the Mersey but also a landmark we had wondered about, an art deco building, massive and windowless. Was it a look out tower, an early warning system, or a storage space? Shane thought he could see a person near the top outside, but I thought it might be a pipe or chimney. We had cycled right beside it and it had no informative signage. I have since found out it was a ventilation station for the Mersey road tunnel, hence it’s riverside spot, made to be monumental as well as functional. Apparently there are similar ones on the other side of the Mersey. I have never been to Liverpool though.

After our tour we were free to wander around and went to take a closer look at the museum. The priory had operated the ferry for free at first, until given royal permission to charge. Likewise they provided food and accommodation for free until allowed to charge. They also were a hospital, grew their own food, fished and had farm land, keeping animals and brewing beer. For a small group with eight services a day to attend, they had a lot to do. Writing and tending to the sick with herbal remedies was also done.

It was cool in the stone buildings and it was a less sunny now so we both added a layer when we got back to the bike. The way back seemed quicker, partly because it looks familiar so you get the impression of how far you have covered and also there are fewer stops to check the way ahead and fewer dead ends to retrace. However our route back is not exactly the same. We passed the site of an old isolation hospital, used when the quarantine ships were over full. There was a monument to it and all the people who said farewell to the world entering it, with a fatal infection. It was destroyed by a controlled fire when it closed. I read the notice while Shane was carrying the tandem down steps to take a different river route back.

He stopped again at a junction and rejoined the original route. While we were stopped I took a picture of a cormorant. I hadn’t identified much wildlife apart from gulls, and we hadn’t seen a real cormorant either but this nature park included a sculpted one. 

As I hadn’t cycled in months and had gone slightly further than I expected, I was getting a tender behind, so getting back soon was welcome. I could rejoice in the fact that pushing harder achieved relief of discomfort and speeding up the return. Shane is good enough to warn me of jolts such as speed bumps and free wheel over them so I can lift myself up as we pass over them. It had been a very enjoyable day out seeing new and old, familiar and strange sights and meeting friendly folk – with sun on the skin and air in our hair, there was plenty in which to rejoice.