Well another beautiful start to the today, cloudless skies and the forecast says it will be a stunner. Thankfully that doesn't mean the stuffy hot weather of July, but a more tolerable low 20c with a slight breeze and plenty of sunny breaks. Great weather for a trip out.
Today's jaunt would be over to Knaresborough, about 25 miles south-west of where we are staying, so a journey f around 45 minutes. No direct journey today though as my lovely wife Donna had ordered my birthday/Christmas present, and it was to be delivered to a Collect+ point just outside of Thirsk. Ok, my birthday isn't until the end of October, and Christmas isn't until; well Christmas. But, better to get me something now that I need rather than wait until later in the year to wonder what to buy me. Well at least that's my mitigation and I'm sticking it. So on route we went to picked up my new gleaming Canon 10-22mm wide-angle lens. I had such a cheesy grin on my face; like a 10 year old when he see's the new bike that Father Christmas has dragged down his chimney.
Now off to our destination; and what a stunning place. We parked up down near the river Nidd at the bottom of the gorge that was formed around 16,000 years ago; and pleasantly surprised that it was only £4 for the day. A 'steal' for such a popular tourist town.
We headed up into the market place, walking up narrow cobbled streets flanked by stunning architecture. The walk up wasn't for those who always take the lift and never the stairs, it did take your breath a little. We spent some time in the market place before heading over to the castle. The remains are a little thin on the ground but you still get a great feeling of how imposing the castle must have looked high above the gorge.
The views from here down to the river and the famous railway viaduct were amazing, on a day like this with the blue sky dressed with fluffy white clouds it made it look like heaven. I can see why many artists whittle away the daytime hours putting the view onto canvass.
After enjoying what the castle had to offer we ventured down towards the side of the river, then headed along the path to the Riverside Cafe which would be our lunch-stop for the day. Donna had found this on the internet and the reviews for it were very good. And to be honest it didn't disappoint. Donna had a cheeseburger and of course I couldn't be happy with that, it was the deluxe burger for me. They were lovely, the patties were very meaty, the melted cheddar gorgeous, and they came on toasted 'ciabatta like' bread. Well worth it, and only £15 wit drinks so a bargain to boot. As we all know, a Yorkshireman likes value for money :-)
And of course a trip to Knaresborough wouldn't be the same without a visit to Mother Shipton's Cave; advertised as England's oldest tourist attraction at nearly 400 years old. Obviously the main focus of a visit there is the petrifying well with the limestone coated items hung from it's underside gathering a limestone crust. But, for families there are so many play areas, picnic areas, a small museum and cafe. We spent close to 2hrs within the confines of the 'park' and could have spent a lot longer there.
The day had been great, super weather, a lovely place to visit and lots of walking to help with the fitness levels; something I am in great need of.
Today's jaunt would be over to Knaresborough, about 25 miles south-west of where we are staying, so a journey f around 45 minutes. No direct journey today though as my lovely wife Donna had ordered my birthday/Christmas present, and it was to be delivered to a Collect+ point just outside of Thirsk. Ok, my birthday isn't until the end of October, and Christmas isn't until; well Christmas. But, better to get me something now that I need rather than wait until later in the year to wonder what to buy me. Well at least that's my mitigation and I'm sticking it. So on route we went to picked up my new gleaming Canon 10-22mm wide-angle lens. I had such a cheesy grin on my face; like a 10 year old when he see's the new bike that Father Christmas has dragged down his chimney.
Now off to our destination; and what a stunning place. We parked up down near the river Nidd at the bottom of the gorge that was formed around 16,000 years ago; and pleasantly surprised that it was only £4 for the day. A 'steal' for such a popular tourist town.
We headed up into the market place, walking up narrow cobbled streets flanked by stunning architecture. The walk up wasn't for those who always take the lift and never the stairs, it did take your breath a little. We spent some time in the market place before heading over to the castle. The remains are a little thin on the ground but you still get a great feeling of how imposing the castle must have looked high above the gorge.
The views from here down to the river and the famous railway viaduct were amazing, on a day like this with the blue sky dressed with fluffy white clouds it made it look like heaven. I can see why many artists whittle away the daytime hours putting the view onto canvass.
After enjoying what the castle had to offer we ventured down towards the side of the river, then headed along the path to the Riverside Cafe which would be our lunch-stop for the day. Donna had found this on the internet and the reviews for it were very good. And to be honest it didn't disappoint. Donna had a cheeseburger and of course I couldn't be happy with that, it was the deluxe burger for me. They were lovely, the patties were very meaty, the melted cheddar gorgeous, and they came on toasted 'ciabatta like' bread. Well worth it, and only £15 wit drinks so a bargain to boot. As we all know, a Yorkshireman likes value for money :-)
And of course a trip to Knaresborough wouldn't be the same without a visit to Mother Shipton's Cave; advertised as England's oldest tourist attraction at nearly 400 years old. Obviously the main focus of a visit there is the petrifying well with the limestone coated items hung from it's underside gathering a limestone crust. But, for families there are so many play areas, picnic areas, a small museum and cafe. We spent close to 2hrs within the confines of the 'park' and could have spent a lot longer there.
The day had been great, super weather, a lovely place to visit and lots of walking to help with the fitness levels; something I am in great need of.
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