| Typist: Bethany Another fabulous thing that Jane and I have in common is that we both love a good road trip. This was true when Jane came to visit me here in Cascadia decades ago. She and I drove out the Olympic Peninsula and up to Vancouver, British Columbia. Fortunately, Jason and Jane's new husband, Steve, are also nomadic types. So during our visit to England, the four of us were lucky enough to enjoy a couple of road trips together. One trip we took was to the Peak District National Park, East of Manchester. The stunning peaks that we saw as we entered the park were where a scene from one of my favorite movies, "The Princess Bride," was filmed. |  Can't you just hear "as you wish" echo through these hills? |
Our first road trip stop was in Castleton, Derbyshire, where we dined on scrumptious cream tea below ancient Peveril Castle. The outdoor patio of The George Hotel, Pub and Restaurant where we sat was dog friendly and so was the indoor pub. There were dogs everywhere we went in Castleton so obviously I found wandering this stunning old English village just that much more fun.
View of Peveril Castle from The George Hotel, Pub and Restaurant, Castleton, Derbyshire, England.
Cascadian in Castleton.
 A dog on alert at Peakshole Water. |  "Dogs Welcome But NOT On The Furniture." The George Hotel, Pub and Restaurant.  Jane & dog inside of St. Edmund's Church. |
Jane & son outside of St. Edmund's Church, Castleton.
Next Jane and Steve took Jason and I to a stately home; Chatsworth House, Bakewell. The grounds around the house are another dog friendly part of the Peak District National Park. We opted out of paying for a tour of the homes interior and gardens and instead enjoyed a rainy trek along the River Derwent then up to the home stables.
Steve. Jane and Jason cross the River Derwent in front of the Chatsworth House.
 Chatsworth Stables: I felt a little lost without dogs attached to my waist, so I carried Jane's son on my back. |  A dog enjoys the Chatsworth House grounds.  |
| Out of time for more stops, we toured what more of the park we could by car. There were lovely fields and some dark, dense stands of forest that reminded me of Cascadia. The curvy park roads were similar to national park roads in the United States too. We dropped the youngest of our party off with his grandparents before going to one more historic locale: Dobcross Village. To be honest, we went here to visit an 18th century pub, The Swan. But the village was charming. We had great beer and a lot of fun at the phone booth on the patio of the pub. |  Dusk in Dobcross. |
Hello?
The bride and the groom (right.) The second best English phone booth photo I took on our UK trip was in Stockport. I took a lot of photos outside of the Plaza Cinema, where Jane and Steve were married. Remember that Jason and I went to England for a wedding? It's okay. I kept forgetting too. I did, however, enjoy learning about the differences between a US and an English wedding, even through a non-traditional ceremony like Jane and Steve's. The biggest difference was the signing of the registry. I know some US weddings make signing the marriage license or certificate a part of the ceremony but in the UK the registry signing must occur during the ceremony either in front of the guests, like Jane and Steve did, or elsewhere on the ceremony property. The other major marriage celebration difference between Jane and Steve's wedding and celebrations that I have attended in the US were the speeches during the reception meal. When Jane's university friend suggested we have a "sweeps" to bet on the times of the speeches, I assumed speeches was just another way to say toasts. So I bet on very short times. But these were not toasts. They were twenty minute or more stories of the bride and or groom's life. Granted, the speeches were funny and entertaining but my champagne went flat! Anyways, the sunset the evening of the wedding was exceptional. And The Plaza was such a fantastic place for a wedding. Yet another thing to add to the list of things my English pen pal and I have in common is an interest in cinema as well as awesome art deco architecture. Apparently, we also both love a good wedding!
Sunset through Mersey Square phone booths.
 The Plaza Stockport and the crescent moon. |   Plaza Super Cinema. |
Sunset from The Plaza to the phone booths, Mersey Square, Stockport, England, United Kingdom.
See more photos of Stockport here and continue our UK trip here with "All The Way To Wales To See Two Unique Towns, A National Park And Zero Corgis."
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