Blogs from North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 5

Today I headed out in the chilly sunshine, meandering towards the North Yorkshire moors again, this time via the caravan route, which promised to be a bit more sedate than the 25% Sutton Bank. I had learned my lesson on day 1 that sausages for brekkie and crazy steep climbs have disastrous consequences for my digestive system. I looped around the foothills to Kirkbymoorside, where I took a nice quiet climb up through Hotton-Le-Hole, clearly named as such to give an air of French sophistication. It was actually quite a quaint picturesque village so to label it “the hole” would seem a little harsh. After a cattle grid the route reached the open moorland. There was a bit more gentle climbing before the road plateaued as it then followed the ridge line pretty much all the ... read more

The X4 rolled up on time. It had been 6 months since I had last been on public transport. The bus was showing the hallmarks of COVID. Social distancing signs. Warning tape across some seats. Advisory signs to indicate a reduced capacity - 21 seated only, as opposed to 49 plus standing. The latter sign would prove unfortunate later in the day. East Cleveland was largely slumbering this morning. Passengers were few and far between at this early hour. A few were heading down to their jobs in Whitby - others were possibly heading home! I passed through Carlin How. The huge steel plant on the cliffs in a most unlikely setting is a reminder of the iron ore heritage in the area. The edge of Skinningrove was displaying a sign advertising a new holiday park ... read more

Oh to be in England now. We travelled from Asenby to Whitby on the North Sea Coast through all the little and Mid sized picturesque towns. The route reminds us of all the English poems and literature we read mostly through grade school and a few novels after. The thatched roofs and pastures of sheep ( Terri’s friends, cotton balls. Arriving in Whitby in low tide we saw many boats settled on mud sea floor. In the distance we could see our destination of the once glorious Whitby Abbey. We walked through the narrow streets with shops on either side, Noting along the way the Lucky Duck ship and the Black Horse pub both future stops after the trek to the Abbey. St. Hilda would have been overjoyed with the church and Abbey before Good? King ... read more

Fountains Abbey is a remarkable ruin dating back to its beginning in 1132. It’s unfortunate Henry the eighth in the early 16th century destroyed a lot of these beautiful buildings. Walking through this church and Abbey ruins gives you a feel for its majestic appearances and influence during the height of existence. Attached to Fountains Abbey are the Studley Royal Gardens from the 1800’s in Versailles style. We had an excellent day walking around them with our friends. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Boars Head followed by a shared walk around Ripley Castle but as they were having a wedding we were not able to see the inside. The sharing of a walk around in great conversations was very nice. The evening of Tapas followed by drums and music ?... read more

The day was spent walking around York, the old city. We walked the Roman wall, seen Clifford’s Tower, York Ministry,The Shambles and Jorvik Viking Centre. As well we did a river cruise picturing in our minds the Viking ships coming down the Ouse River. The evening hours spent in interesting conversations and a beautiful dinner with Jacqui and Tony. Another beautiful interesting day. ... read more