Adam and I go over the top of the Wrynose and Hardknot passes that lead to Whitehaven - quite an adventure! The last invasion of the British Mainland occurred in Whitehaven in 1778 when John Paul Jones, father of the American Navy, invaded the port
http://www.rediscoverwhitehaven.com/interesting-facts.htm
As we travelled over, I told Adam about my grandfather. I don't know much about my extended family, as my Dad doesn't talk about them - but I do know that he used to work in the Lowther mines near where they lived in Frizington. When the mines were closed down, the family had no money to eat and no work so, being a bit canny, my grandfather used to walk up the Pass and stand in all weathers to open the gates for the landed gentry as they passed by, earning a tip as they went. Not much and in the end, not enough to support a family on. Eventually, the family relocated to Tilbury Docks, where he took up work.
Hence why I was born a southerner. But in the end, we started drifting back. First a couple of my sisters, then my parents, then myself and Adam. 6 (nearly 7!) of my father's grandchildren have been born in Cumbria too, despite his working all his life to 'escape it' (it held little but memories of extreme poverty for him, something he wished to spare us!)...
funny thing is - when I came up here in 1997, I remember thinking very clearly "oh, here is where I am from - people look like me" - and I had never had that before, having spent a life travelling around.So - in a way, this is the road home!
