The coastal town of Whitehaven has 5-7,000 people. What used to be a mining town from the early 13th century is now largely dependent on the Sellafield Nuclear Plant located about 20 minutes south of town. A future blog entry will cover details about Dennis' job and the surrounding nuclear industry.
Whitehaven is a harbor town on the Irish Sea with ties to the US as George Washington’s grandmother lived and is buried here. The other US connection is that Whitehaven is the only place in England where the Americans attacked. It’s pushing it to call the event a real attack because John Paul Jones and his men ended up in the pubs, but it is still recorded as a successful attack which got everyone's attention.
Below you will find a link to a short video that walks you through the streets of Whitehaven. It is not as quaint as some other nearby towns, but it is very conveniently located to shopping, the girls school and Dennis' work.
Whitehaven is also well known for it’s International Maritime Festival held every other year where 40,000 visitors flock to see well preserved four masted sea vessels on tour in a weekend long celebration. This year it was sponsored by Dennis' company, Washington Group International. WGI has been very successful in making their presence known in the community, by investing in it. They are the main sponsor of the Whitehaven rugby team and then the Maritime Festival. When people ask Dennis who he works for, they usually light up when he says WGI. Dennis' is convinced that more people know who WGI is in Whitehaven than in Augusta!
Unlike some of the more quaint villages peppered throughout this area, Whithaven is a small habour. We have included another small clip of the marina here in Whitehaven. The pictures you see in this clip are common everyday views for us.
In its glory days it was the second largest port in England but it has since been by-passed. It’s fairly secluded by the mountains to the west and the sea to the east. The town is pretty with its houses built into the cliffs facing the harbor. Just yesterday we explored the countryside via one of the many national cycle pathways. Much like the greenway in North Augusta, these paths criss cross through the lakes and moutains. You can literally ride for hundreds of miles without ever crossing a road or street. We have had the opportunity to take advantage of the nearby beauty thanks to a lighter schedule and fewer outside commitments.
Like Augusta, Whitehaven has several mainstream grocery stores, a gym or Y-type of place, a civic center (think much smaller), a library and one of our favorite spots, a Costas (similar to a Starbucks) which serves great pastries and a fantastic cappucino.
Although not home, Whitehaven will be our "haven" for the next several years, and we are looking forward to making the best of it.
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