9th to 18th July

Saturday 9 July
Nipped out first thing to the ToysRUs that I have discovered to try and find something small and light for Holly for her birthday next week.

Then it was off to Ripon for lunch at the Water Rat where we were meeting Kate, Patrice and Matilde for lunch then a walk around Ripon Cathedral.

Sunday 10 July
Spent the morning sorting through the massive packets of school work that were waiting for us when we arrived here and which have been the elephant in the room ever since.

Took myself off for a wander around the city of York on my own in the afternoon while the kids and Aaron did some grocery shopping and relaxed at home.

Monday 11 July
The weather was not looking kind today and was damp and blowy, so we stayed in and worked through some of next week's work assignements.  In the afternoon the rain dried up and we decided to go into York for a little break and visit the Treasurers House. We found free parking in the Morrisons not far away, but by the time we had dithered about a bit and walked along the walls to get there, it was just moments after last entry.  Undeterred we decided to clock up some miles and walk the whole way around the city via the walls.

Tuesday 12 July
Remarkably the day dawns bright and sunny - very unusual to see the sun in the morning, but the forecast suggests it will cloud over but remain dry.  Taking our chances where we can, a day at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens quickly goes on the table.  Hoping for a coffee to start the day and wanting to try out the coffee shop at the Red Gate, we quickly organise and head into town to the free car park we discovered yesterday.  A bit of a walk (along the walls of course) finds the coffee shop not open!  Never fear, we have a back up plan and pop into Waitrose for some supplies for lunch and a free coffee.  Best yet.

Then we are on our way towards Ripon..  Not knowing which way exactly our sat nav will go, we get caught up on the last mile to the M1 with the Yorkshire Show traffic, which delays us quite a bit, so we don't arrive at the Abbey until after 11.30.
It is a large estate and the Abbey was one of the largest and is the best preserved Cistercian abbey in Britain.
We had a brief look around on the walk down to the abbey from the entrance and spent some time in the mill

, then paused to have our lunch enjoying the view, so we would be able to do the guided tour.

Our tour guide was Mike and he spent nearly 3 hours explaining a great deal of the history.  The abbey was founded by a small group of Benedictine Monks in 1132 after a disagreement with their Abbot.  The Archbishop gave them the opportunity to find a place on his land down the River Skell and set up for themselves.  Within 50 years the monastry was established and housed 80 monks and many more lay brothers who did the labouring.  The abbey mill is the only intact building remaining and was operating until the 1920's.

Leaving the Abbey ruins our tour continues to the water gardens of Studley Royal

swan egg

After the tour we complete the circuit of the gardens up the high ride to see the view from Anne Boleyns seat.

Wednesday 13 July

The Great Yorkshire Show

Firstly, I love that they just put it out there and call it great.

After being caught in some of the traffic yesterday, we were expecting a really long trip to get there but were pleasantly surprised at how well the traffic was flowing and made it in under an hour.  Just in time to seek out the gun dog display, though it took us a good 20 minutes to walk from the entrance to the other side of the show ground to find them.

There was so much to see and in the end we didn't cover all of it.  Plenty of walking around, lots of displays, including such delights as a 'Year in the life of a grouse moor' or  'Decoying Woodpigeons, a scientific approach'.  We did manage to catch the Falconry display, examine some tanks and let Holly try her hand at shooting

  We looked at the cattle, the horses, watched some showing, sampled some food, learnt about rabbit catching, got caught in a short but heavy rain shower (thank you to the army who had earlier had the foresight to hand out rain ponchos!)

We watched the cattle parade in the main arena, saw the motorbike display by Bold Dog, watched the small pony scurry and the heavy horse pairs, some show jumping and the kids had a ride in the Petronas Formula One Team Simulator.

8 hours after we arrived things were winding down and we made our way home.

Thursday 14th July

Not wanting to travel too far afield today, we set us for Beningbrough Hall where we spend a couple of hours wandering the gardens, play area and exploring the house. 

Aidan in the ha ha

Friday 15th July

Determined today to try out the 'artisan' coffee at the Gatehouse so we head there this morning.  It's a bit cold so we cosy up inside but have a good look around the barbican afterwards. 

Monday 4th, Thirsk - Friday 8th Scarborough

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

and ride and a trip to the supermarket where we collect a BBQ chook and a couple of packets of frozen yorkshires for dinner.

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.

Vultures prefer to run

The eagle lawn

Thursday 7 July

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.

Friday 8th July

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.

Holly find the perfect shelter from the wind on top of the keep

Great views from the top.

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.