Yorkshire (and some Lincolnshire too)
The 4 day week-end up in Yorkshire was great!
Despite the weather forecast and the heavy rain on Thursday morning, we did have some nice weather thanks to very fierce (and cold) winds.
The drive in and out of London were long. On Thursday it took us 2.5 hours to cross London!! I don't know if it was the rain or the fact that the selected route (from the AA route planner) skirted on the eastern side of the congestion charge, but everybody just seemed to be on the streets. It was so bad I almost wished I had been at the office instead!
We were also dying to "spend a penny" and couldn't find anywhere to go, as there was either no place to stop the car or the places where we managed to stop had no toilet facilities.
After we left London we also got stuck in 2 long queues on the A1 and so only reached Whitby in North Yorshire at about 8 pm (we left home in the hired car at 11:15 am).
Whitby was such a lovely suprise! Cobbled streets in the old town, wonderful location at the estuary of a small river and superb views of the town and the North Sea from the top of the cliff where the church of St. Mary (with churchyard) and the ruins of the Abbey are.
We stayed at White Horse and Griffin, a lovely hotel and restaurant in a old building (end of 17th century). [The only complaint I have is the lack of noise insulation - I could hear the guest in the next room when in the bathroom, and the floorboard upstairs were really creaky... but then I guess it comes with age to us all, buildings and people!].
After dinner we went up to St.Mary's at the top of the cliffs, climbing the famous 199 steps.
Luckily the churchyard at night didn't feel spooky at all and no traces of Dracula either!
The following day after our "power breakfast" (I had stake and eggs - very decadent), we went up to the Abbey.
The ruins are so evocative and beautiful, and I could not stop taking pictures. Then we visited the churchyard again and St. Mary's.
Once back down in town, we walked to the end of the pier braving the very strong winds...
We left Whitby at around 2:30 and drove to Robin Hood's Bay which is actually a delightful little village by the sea.
Then off to Scarborough (where Adrian used to go on holiday when he was a child) and finally Hull (to be precise: North Ferriby) to visit Stephen & Peter.
On the way to Scarborough, high on the moors we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.
The colours in the sky went from red to violet, from yellow to orange, and since there was no traffic or people immediately around us and the spot were we stopped was almost barren of trees, it felt like being on another planet under that sky...
Despite the weather forecast and the heavy rain on Thursday morning, we did have some nice weather thanks to very fierce (and cold) winds.
The drive in and out of London were long. On Thursday it took us 2.5 hours to cross London!! I don't know if it was the rain or the fact that the selected route (from the AA route planner) skirted on the eastern side of the congestion charge, but everybody just seemed to be on the streets. It was so bad I almost wished I had been at the office instead!
We were also dying to "spend a penny" and couldn't find anywhere to go, as there was either no place to stop the car or the places where we managed to stop had no toilet facilities.
After we left London we also got stuck in 2 long queues on the A1 and so only reached Whitby in North Yorshire at about 8 pm (we left home in the hired car at 11:15 am).
Whitby was such a lovely suprise! Cobbled streets in the old town, wonderful location at the estuary of a small river and superb views of the town and the North Sea from the top of the cliff where the church of St. Mary (with churchyard) and the ruins of the Abbey are.
We stayed at White Horse and Griffin, a lovely hotel and restaurant in a old building (end of 17th century). [The only complaint I have is the lack of noise insulation - I could hear the guest in the next room when in the bathroom, and the floorboard upstairs were really creaky... but then I guess it comes with age to us all, buildings and people!].
After dinner we went up to St.Mary's at the top of the cliffs, climbing the famous 199 steps.
Luckily the churchyard at night didn't feel spooky at all and no traces of Dracula either!
The following day after our "power breakfast" (I had stake and eggs - very decadent), we went up to the Abbey.
The ruins are so evocative and beautiful, and I could not stop taking pictures. Then we visited the churchyard again and St. Mary's.
Once back down in town, we walked to the end of the pier braving the very strong winds...
We left Whitby at around 2:30 and drove to Robin Hood's Bay which is actually a delightful little village by the sea.
Then off to Scarborough (where Adrian used to go on holiday when he was a child) and finally Hull (to be precise: North Ferriby) to visit Stephen & Peter.
On the way to Scarborough, high on the moors we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.
The colours in the sky went from red to violet, from yellow to orange, and since there was no traffic or people immediately around us and the spot were we stopped was almost barren of trees, it felt like being on another planet under that sky...