Whilst not in the same league we did the hadrians wall trail and just before Carlisle we stayed in a hostel. It was in the doghouse of an old manor house. The owners were several generations back owners and were originally from yorkshire, Leeds I think, where they were lawyers and businessmen with money. Now the owners were farmers, run B&B in the halls, Hostel in the doghouse and campsite on the lawn between the nice borders. We were fed and watered in their huge dining hall, a big square room with very high ceilings and past generations in portraits on the walls, some by famour portraitists of their day.
It was nice but had the air of hard times, some very posh people that a few generations back were likely to be part of high society, but now were farmers trying to make ends meet to pay for the upkeep of the house and estate for the next generation. You could feel the desparation of that endeavour.
I must admit I do feel sad for people with such high value but low worth properties and the long tradition of stewardship for the next generation and on into the future. It is an anchor round the neck while swimming cross the channel for many such places I reckon. Would you want to be the 26th generation owning the property who had to sell up, to give up? The 25 ghosts in the castle forever haunting you as you pick up the pieces of a life so different to what you had.
Then again, I reckon they will still come out of it with money that most people won't ever see in their own bank accounts so perhaps we should not be too sad for them really. Also, what other interests? Perhaps not being virtually broke trying to keep the castle sound?
