Rest Day in Kirkby Stephen

We learned that Kirkby Stephen, though only about 1,200 people, is a town. A hamlet is a small community of homes and dwellings. A village is a hamlet with a church. A town is a village with a charter for business. And a city is a big town. There may be some more nuances with these definitions but this is what John at the local Wesleyan Episcopal Church told us. Today was a rest day for us, our only day booked without any hiking so we spend two nights at the Fletcher House BnB. Everything was accessible to us within about 5 blocks so it was just fun to putter and poke around the streets and shops. Had breakfast, did laundry at the local Laundrette, whose owner (also of the fish and chip shop next door) scurried out to open for us and show us how to use all the equipment because he saw us coming. It was Sunday so we went to the Episcopal church (not the one in my pictures, that’s the local Catholic Church), which had about 20 people in attendance, all over 60. But they were so gracious and welcoming and friendly and brought us weak coffee and cookies right in the sanctuary afterward. And we learned that some American guy from Dubuque, IA, who had spend tome time there as a child, had sent money to them over the years to help fund the church. They were very proud of this connection. Later we walked around town and I went to do some drawing and found a sweet little bridge called Frank’s Bridge where families picnicking at the river.. Later we spied our Aussie friends Ruth, Mark, Gaye and Greg just arriving, going into a pub. We joined them for a drink and some laughs. Later while I blogged in the hotel, Tom went for a walk to the train station. We finished the day with another episode from the Crown- seems fitting to watch this while we’re here and the coronation is happening. And, super fun fact: in the episode we watched last night, the queen briefly mentioned that she had to do some ribbon-cutting or something in Kirkby Stephen. And that’s where we are, right now!!!