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Yorkshire And Beyond

September 2023
Dale and Christine Johnson, Jim Cudworth and Suzanne Ranck travel through Yorkshire, England and beyond…… visiting cities, quaint villages, castles, and walking on the many footpaths throughout the countryside. Read more
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  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 1 - Oxford

    September 10, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Yesterday was our travel day. Dale, Christine, Suzanne and Jim met up at Heathrow airport just as planned. After no waiting at all we were on a bus to Oxford and our stay at a guesthouse for 2 nights.

    Today, we toured Oxford and caught another of the “Pay As You Will” walking tours of the Oxford University campus and the center city of Oxford. We have discovered these “free” tours in various cities and they are wonderful. We then visited the Ashmolean museum, which is a world class museum concentrating on artifacts from ancient civilizations such as the Romans and Egyptians.

    We wrapped up the day by visiting the Christ’s Church meadows, an area of beautiful open space that has been open for centuries. Tomorrow we rent our car and head north. Dale will be the driver and Jim the navigator.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 2 - Drive to Pickering

    September 11, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    I got up early and walked down to the River Thames to catch a view of some of the boats.

    We picked up our rental car in anticipation of our longest driving day of 200 miles. Of course, driving is on the opposite side of the road than the US, so Dale has become our sole driver and Jim our navigator. Dale has driven over in the UK on several occasions, so the transition was not too bad.

    Our stay in Pickering is in the northeast of England, in a lovely town, and our apartment is in a nice group of classic English cottages. We will be here for 7 days and take day trips from Pickering.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 3 - Pickering

    September 12, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Rain was forecast for today, so we decided to tour our local town of Pickering. What a picturesque English town with all the stone buildings. After a 15 minute walk to the High Street and the center of town, we visited their marvelous local museum, which had a great glimpse into the history and everyday life in the town many years ago.

    Afterwards, we toured the Pickering Castle that was started in 1070, by Norman the Conquerer. Much of the castle was in a semi-ruin state, but it was fascinating. There, we ran into two British couples and probably spent 20 minutes talking to each about the U.S. and England……fascinating.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 4 - North York Moors NP & Whitby

    September 13, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Today, the weather was great, so we decided to visit the North York Moors National Park and the coastal town of Whitby. The moors were hilly and covered in heather, with sheep roaming around freely. Unfortunately, we missed the full bloom of the heather by about two weeks. We stopped by a few towns within the national park and took a walk on the English footpaths.

    In the afternoon, we went to Whitby, a coastal town known for its beaches, cliffs, old abbey, and lively boardwalk by the ocean.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 5 - Cayton Bay and Filey

    September 14, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    We continue to embark on day trips from our base in Pickering. Exploring Jim's ancestral roots, we decided to visit Eastfield, his ancestors' hometown, and a nearby cemetery in Cayton. Although both locations didn't meet our expectations entirely, they were still worth the visit.

    Our next destination was Cayton Bay beach, a stunning and secluded spot surrounded by cliffs. Interestingly, we encountered just as many joyful dogs frolicking as there were people enjoying the beach. It's clear that the English adore their dogs. To reach the beach, we navigated our first English footpath and practiced crossing fences using stiles.

    Afterward, we ventured to the charming town of Filey, another picturesque beachside community with beautiful gardens, an English-style boardwalk, and wonderful views from the cliffs overlooking the beach. We continue to have delightful conversations with retired English couples, which adds to our experience.

    Lastly, we explored a small nature preserve boasting lush woods and exceptional birdwatching opportunities from well-placed bird blinds.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 6 - Castle Howard

    September 15, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We had to include one of England's palaces in our itinerary, and Castle Howard was our choice. This magnificent palace has been in the Howard family for 300 years. When we arrived, a thick fog blanketed the area, but that didn't deter us from exploring its elegant interior in the morning.

    The estate's grounds were equally enchanting, offering us the opportunity to hike through fields, woods, and around several lakes. Our journey eventually led us to a meticulously maintained garden, adding to the tranquility of the day. Of course, we couldn't resist our customary morning tea and snack, often indulging in scones with clotted cream or marmalade. It was a truly relaxing day.

    Note: Our photos are coming from a variety if sources. At the end of each day, everyone goes through their photos and nominate ones for the blog.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 7 - York

    September 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Today we visited the historical city of York, the largest and capital city of Yorkshire. We started with the free York Railroad museum, one of the top railroad museums in the world.

    Afterwards we spent the rest of the day walking around the busy downtown area with its many narrow medieval streets. We started at one of England’s greatest cathedrals, the York Minster. Although we didn’t go inside the York Minster, we did visit tge interior of a beautiful nearby church. While scouting out a place for lunch we were able to peruse the many classic narrow streets and wander in and out of the shops.

    Toward the end of the day we headed down near the river to visit some of the ancient Roman ruins and walk along the ancient city wall.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 8 - Walking the Footpaths & Dinner

    September 17, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    In the morning we wanted to get in our first earnest walk on the famous English footpaths. We started in the nearby lovely village of Thorton-de-Dale. We quickly left town and walked on a few deserted country roads, before entering onto some true footpaths. Of course, the footpaths are filled with various gates and stiles so you can get into and out of the pastures and fields. The thing I love about walking the English footpaths is the variety. Sometimes you are walking on public land and other times the land is private. On this particular walk we walked on narrow lanes, through woods, across bridges, through sheep pastures and along the streets of small villages. The British love their countryside and we saw many people, and their dogs, walking the footpaths. As usual, we stopped for tea as we got back into town.

    In the afternoon, we stopped for a traditional Sunday dinner at a nearby country pub, the Fox and Rabbit Inn.

    We are getting a couple of reactions from Jim and Suzanne on the driving on the opposite side of the road in England. Jim gets into the front passenger seat on the left side and immediately tries to put his foot on the brake. Suzanne is in awe of me driving because everything is backwards and appears to be chaotic, especially at the scores of traffic circles. In all honestly, having driven in England before, I find the skills come back after a few days andit becomes almost second nature.

    I’ve include a video today of us walking along one of the quiet country lanes.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 9 - To Bury St. Edmunds

    September 18, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Today was a driving day where we changed our base of operation from Pickering to Bury St. Edmunds, 200 miles to the south. The weather was rainy, followed by sunshine, followed by rain, etc. …… I have always been aware of how quickly the weather changes in England. We stopped for lunch in the lovely town of Ely. It has a massive cathedral that I was able to peek into. The architecture of the town was also wonderful.

    Our new accommodation has more of a countryside location as opposed to the in-town lodging we had in Pickering. We try to acquire AirB&Bs with two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. We eat out during the day, but try to eat breakfast and dinner in. We have included a few photos. The view out our back window is of the lovely English countryside.    Read more

  • TravelerYorkshire And Beyond

    Day 10 - Bury St. Edmunds & Clare

    September 19, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 66 °F

    We started the day, in our base village of Bury St. Edmunds, by visiting the ruins of their ancient Abbeu, a lovely garden, an aviary, and their restored cathedral. During the reign of Henry the 8th, in the 1530s, the monastery system was abolished and most monasteries and abbeys were destroyed or fell into disrepair. The abbey was a great setting for a photo of Dale and Christine who were celebrating their 42nd wedding anniversary.

    In the afternoon we visited the lovely small village of Clare where we had lunch in a delightful little cafe. We then embarked on a walk along the footpaths through town and into the countryside……another delightful walk with such variety. Walking allows you to see the world at such a slower pace and the English footpaths allow closeup looks at villages, houses, and the countryside.

    Note: We have included a time lapse video Jim created of the sunset out our window overlooking the English countryside.    Read more

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