Drove to Thirsk to visit the Herriott Museum.
Tuesday 5 July, York
Weather is looking a bit dodgy and we are need of haircuts, so we decide a day in York is the go.
Find a hairdresser online and make appointments, then find it is a good deal cheaper to drive to the park and ride and catch the bus from there, rather than buy return tickets for us all to catch the bus in the street outside. As we will need to visit the supermarket anyway, we go with the park and ride.
The drive is not far, though not well signposted and the bus is waiting, so it is an easy trip.
The drop off is not far from the Minster, so we have a wander around and then find Monkgate where the hairdresser is. Kids and Aaron head off while I wait for my appointment.
Afterwards I find them in the shambles listening to some buskers, having had a bacon bap and a little indulgence from the York chocolate shop.
We have a wander down the Shambles and make our way through the outer part of town to the museum, merry-go-round and Cliffords Tower on its motte.
Leaving the Tower we find the nearest gate up onto the walls and wander along for a while, meeting up with an Aussie couple along the way and swapping stories for a while.
By now it is nearly 4.30 and time for Aaron's appointment so he goes off and the kids and I pass the park and cross the river to have a walk along the last section of the wall, with a super view back to the Minster under the greying sky.
Back to the park
Wednesday 6th July, Thirsk Birds of Prey
The weather is looking promising today, though not promising enough for a trip to the seaside, so a visit to one of several local Birds of Prey displays is in order.
A short drive to Sion Hall near Thirsk sees us arrive in time for the 11.30 flying display.
Afterwards they bring out a small bird which is available to be handled.
After a good look around the other birds, including the 'eagle lawn' we have time for a quick trip into Thirsk for some lunch before returning for the next display as they fly different birds each time.
Again, a bit of a wander around the local area, before the 3.30 flight.
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| Vultures prefer to run |
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| The eagle lawn |
Walked into York (just under 1 hour) and did a guided tour of DIG, part of the Jorvig Viking Centre. Extremely knowledgable young guide who took us through the dig section of the exhibition where there were various artifacts reproduced from real excavations to be discovered.
Then on to where we were given bones and other artifacts to examine and learn about.
Woke to a sunny day and on checking the forecast discovered a partly sunny day was expected - gasp! So we grabbed the opportunity to do a trip to the seaside and packing an assortment of coats, hats, rain jackets and sunscreen we set off for the seaside resort of Scarborough.
Less than an hours drive saw us nearing the park and ride, so we made the decision to avoid further stress and just take the chance. There was a bus waiting, so in less than 10 minutes we were in town.
The weather isn't looking as good as promised, but it is not deterring the crowds and we are not put off either.
A bit of a wander through the streets as we make our way to the beach front. Fish & Chips by the dozen and the main drag awash with amusement arcades. A quick duck into one reveals that the 2p penny fall machines that I remember so well from Blackpool in 1980 are still alive and well. The kids are suitably intrigued and I promise them a pound later to play.
We wander along the harbour front and to the small pier, then take the steps up to the point where Scarborough Castle sits.
Being English Heritage, we breeze in and have a bit of a look around. The rain arrives but we are conveniently near the exhibition so we take shelter and it soon clears. The wind however is out to blow us off the point, so our exploration is limited.
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| Holly find the perfect shelter from the wind on top of the keep |
Hunger has struck so it is back down and we find a glorious bakery and indulge in some hot pastries and then an assortment of cakes which we eat looking down on the harbour.
Back to the arcades for the promised slot machines and 1/2 hours amusement is found with some lightweight gambling. Enough 2p's are won to keep them going for a while and Aidan ends up scoring a wrist band and Holly picks up a couple of prizes that have been left unclaimed on the machines, so everyone is happy.
The sun has come out again, so we celebrate with an icecream and have a walk along the sand and a pat of the donkeys.
Pass the tramway that has been operating since 1881
then find a bus stop to get our bus back to the car. Very glad we made it here today, as I can only imagine what the crowds will be like when the holidays officially begin tomorrow. The bus takes a very roundabout residential route which seems odd for a bus that has no stops, but it get us where we are going.
We continue up the coast through the Yorkshire Moors to the bustling town of Whitby and the glory of the Abbey.
Hi Aidan and Holly
ReplyDeleteI have been a bit busy lately and haven´t caught up with the Blog for quite a while. So I made some time tonight and had a good read. I wasn´t disappointed. You´ve been to some of my favourite places in England. I really love Scarborough and Whitby for example. And it is great to be staying in York. You are only 14 kilometers from Ricall, where our English ancestors lived for centuries before they moved to Leeds about 120 years ago, If you are still in York, you could drive there. You will find ancestors of our buried in the cemetry. Grandma and I visited it once, a few years before you were born.
it is good you are doing lots of walking because with all the pastries and other amazing food you would otherwise be getting very fat.
Well I look forward to your next posts. It is nice not knowing where you are going or how long you are staying in each place. That makes it a bit of an exciting adventure for me too.
Love from Unca