This morning we decided to have an easy morning and take advantage of the nice weather: a couple of hours chilling in the sun at the cottage. There was some high cloud around so it wasn't wall to wall sunshine, but the August sun was still strong enough to allow me to bare my chest - not a pretty sight I know but it had to be done. And as we had brought along our own Lafuma garden chairs there was no way we were taking them home having not used them outside the cottage.
By around 11:30 the cloud had thickened a little so we showered, dressed and then headed off the 30 miles to Richmond. Within a mile of heading along the A170 we were stunned to see a Red Deer run across the road just in front of us, a first for me as it's an experience I've never had before. Mind you, living on a modern estate you don't see too many Red Deer around. More likely to be excited kids running out in front of you.
After arriving in Richmond and initially parking in a car-park that we hadn't noticed was short-stay, we parked a little further away to take advantage of the long-stay option - and another bargain at £4 for the day. We headed into the market place which was very busy, we assume that there may have been a foreign student trip as there was a large group of teenagers around the monument in the market place. They had picked a great destination as it's a lovely historic town, and the warm weather was a bonus for them. And us I suppose, although by the end of our afternoon the air-conditioning in the car came as a relief.
We ventured into the castle at the highest point of the town centre, overlooking the river and the town as it fades away into the beautiful countryside surrounding the town . The Keep of the castle was in great condition, and to be fair it didn't show a great deal of restoration so I assume a lot of it was still original. It was quite a walk up the narrow stone stairs to get to the top of the Keep, but well worth it. The views were stunning. Although Donna and heights are not bed-friends, I was proud of Donna coming all he way to the top of the Keep to take advantage of the views.
Our route along the cobbled street took us back into the market place, a visit to a Victorian Chic fair had been planned into our itinerary, and down at the bottom of the market place there was a shop that we'd visited before and wanted to go back to again. It was a mix of antiques, reclaimed garden ornaments and furniture, general items from years gone; and all within a rabbit warren of packed rooms over a number of floors. You could spend hours in there if you wanted to look through everything they had to sell. I assume stock-checks are nit something that these sort of establishments bother with.
Before heading back to the car our last stop would be at The Station just on the outskirts of the town. It's an old railway station that has been restored and converted into a small cinema, cafe, art gallery and a mixture of quaint shops. And although the queues were considerable we treated ourselves to ice-cream. A Strawberry Sunday for Donna and an Ice-Cream Eton Mess for my good self, service very slow as the young lad making them wasn't rally sure how to do so and had to use the picture on the wall to know what to put in them. but they were worth the wait.
On route back up to the town we detoured down by the river and were pleased that we had done so as if not we would have missed the waterfalls; we didn't even know that there were any there. It's clearly a local beauty spot as there were loads of kids there in the shallow waters, and in one case a young lad sat out on a rock who didn't seen sure as to how he would get back to the river bank!
The walk back to the car was about a mile and almost all of it uphill, so in the clammy conditions not the most enjoyable trek. But the reward of cold air kept us going. Unfortunately getting stuck in rush hour traffic wasn't so enjoyable.
Our plan had been to drive over the Helmsley after stopping off at the cottage and getting cleaned up; the reviews of the Helmsley Spice restaurant looked promising. But, it was just too warm so we ended up picking up fish & chips in Thirsk as we travelled though the town. So back to the cottage and at last, the delight of the .... shower.
By around 11:30 the cloud had thickened a little so we showered, dressed and then headed off the 30 miles to Richmond. Within a mile of heading along the A170 we were stunned to see a Red Deer run across the road just in front of us, a first for me as it's an experience I've never had before. Mind you, living on a modern estate you don't see too many Red Deer around. More likely to be excited kids running out in front of you.
After arriving in Richmond and initially parking in a car-park that we hadn't noticed was short-stay, we parked a little further away to take advantage of the long-stay option - and another bargain at £4 for the day. We headed into the market place which was very busy, we assume that there may have been a foreign student trip as there was a large group of teenagers around the monument in the market place. They had picked a great destination as it's a lovely historic town, and the warm weather was a bonus for them. And us I suppose, although by the end of our afternoon the air-conditioning in the car came as a relief.
We ventured into the castle at the highest point of the town centre, overlooking the river and the town as it fades away into the beautiful countryside surrounding the town . The Keep of the castle was in great condition, and to be fair it didn't show a great deal of restoration so I assume a lot of it was still original. It was quite a walk up the narrow stone stairs to get to the top of the Keep, but well worth it. The views were stunning. Although Donna and heights are not bed-friends, I was proud of Donna coming all he way to the top of the Keep to take advantage of the views.
Our route along the cobbled street took us back into the market place, a visit to a Victorian Chic fair had been planned into our itinerary, and down at the bottom of the market place there was a shop that we'd visited before and wanted to go back to again. It was a mix of antiques, reclaimed garden ornaments and furniture, general items from years gone; and all within a rabbit warren of packed rooms over a number of floors. You could spend hours in there if you wanted to look through everything they had to sell. I assume stock-checks are nit something that these sort of establishments bother with.
Before heading back to the car our last stop would be at The Station just on the outskirts of the town. It's an old railway station that has been restored and converted into a small cinema, cafe, art gallery and a mixture of quaint shops. And although the queues were considerable we treated ourselves to ice-cream. A Strawberry Sunday for Donna and an Ice-Cream Eton Mess for my good self, service very slow as the young lad making them wasn't rally sure how to do so and had to use the picture on the wall to know what to put in them. but they were worth the wait.
On route back up to the town we detoured down by the river and were pleased that we had done so as if not we would have missed the waterfalls; we didn't even know that there were any there. It's clearly a local beauty spot as there were loads of kids there in the shallow waters, and in one case a young lad sat out on a rock who didn't seen sure as to how he would get back to the river bank!
The walk back to the car was about a mile and almost all of it uphill, so in the clammy conditions not the most enjoyable trek. But the reward of cold air kept us going. Unfortunately getting stuck in rush hour traffic wasn't so enjoyable.
Our plan had been to drive over the Helmsley after stopping off at the cottage and getting cleaned up; the reviews of the Helmsley Spice restaurant looked promising. But, it was just too warm so we ended up picking up fish & chips in Thirsk as we travelled though the town. So back to the cottage and at last, the delight of the .... shower.
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