A short weekend in Foulridge

---

Saturday morning was a great opportunity for Maria and I to sleep in and we both did. After breakfast and packing, I walked to the car hire place nearby to pick up our car while Maria finished packing and cleaning up. I then picked up Maria and we drove back to the hire place to put her on as a driver. We were off! Thanks to the good directions of the Hertz attendant, combined with google maps directions and those of the cottage owner, we made our way in good time to “Toad Hall” (only getting lost once on the way and then in trying to find the place). Toad Hall is a two-bedroom semi-detached (?) terrace house in Foulridge (which is a much pleasanter place than the name suggests). We settled in pretty quickly, not brave enough to take our bags up the slim, spiral staircase to the bedrooms and bathroom.

A short drive took us to Colne for lunch, where we found a large-ish pub in which to have lunch. I had a fantastic beef and ale pie with chips and mushy peas while Maria had steak, veg and chips. Of course we both also had cider with our meals. We then found a co-op to pick up supplies for the next two dinners as we planned to eat in. We then drove back to Foulridge.

After relaxing inside for a short while, we set off to walk around Lake Burwain. The walk, while a little soggy in places, was lovely. The views were pleasant and relaxing. What a glorious afternoon for a walk too – sunny with a light breeze. It was all so relaxing. We then walked down to the Foulridge canal wharf, which again was quaint and pleasing to the eye. Back to Toad Hall for our dinner and general evening relaxing. Despite the shower being rather ridiculous and spewing water directly at the wall opposite and the beds being lumpy and uncomfortable, I am quite enamoured with Toad Hall and more particularly with Foulridge and its surrounds.

On Sunday we headed to Skipton to see the castle. We left at around 10am and first wandered around town, enjoying tea and a teacake (coffee and a scone for Maria) for morning tea. We then found a lovely little canal trip to the back of the castle, and after queuing for a quarter of an hour, hopped on. It was just a 30 minute round trip, but it was delightfully slow and we learnt about the creation and use of the canal. We then wandered up to the castle via the Holy Trinity church. When we arrived at the castle, we even saw some of the clogging for the Skipton clog festival that is currently on.

The castle is impressively preserved, with each addition seamlessly joined together. Although inside it is mostly bare, the rambling structure is a beautiful example of a medieval castle (in fact one section is still being used as a private residence). After touring the castle, we searched for food and finally found the Woolly Sheep Inn (after a short detour past an amazing cake shop). While the inn was a little more expensive than its counterparts, this was shown in its delicious-looking menu and then also reflected in the fine food served to us. We both had fish and chips with mushy peas, which was a surprisingly light yet satisfying late lunch.

We wandered back to the car, via a sweet shop to pick up delicious fudge and then drove ‘home’. I was cream crackered, so had a nap before doing some work (while Maria threw herself straight into her work). In the evening we finished up our purchased food, including a pizza, soup, salad and some hot chocolate for dessert.

---