Well "you pays your money you takes your choice", a loose reference to going on the UK holiday this time of year. Depending on which weather forecaster you believed, it could be wet all day, wet with heavy showers, wet with light showers, or any other 'wet based' scenario. So what could we find to do today?
After surfing a few websites (what did we do before accommodation with WIFI?) my suggestion to Donna was that we went on a bit of a drive, in fact a 60 mile loop. We would head over to Helmsley, then take the B1257 in the direction of Stokesley where we would then head down the A172 in the direction of Osmotherley. This would allow us to take in a lot of the North York Moors that we hadn't seen before, an area which is a lot more 'up and down' than much of the eastern and southern moors. And all being well, we would then be able to don walking boots and have a walk around the Cod Beck Reservoir just north of Osmotherly, and take a small detour to look at Cod Beck Sheepwash.
The drive to Osmotherly took us around 1hr, and it was well worth it as the views of the hills were stunning. I can imagine that the same can be said throughout much of the year, but in late autumn with all the mix of colours in the trees and fields it is simply beautiful. The Cleveland Hills is certainly a lovely part of the country and looks a great place to go hiking.
Eventually we had rounded the top end of the moors and had travelled back south down to Osmotherly. Unfortunately is was pouring down with rain, so after driving to the top of the reservoir and back down to the village we decided not to bother going for a walk. Before travelling further though we decided to have a cuppa in one of the cafe's that Donna had earlier found on Tripadvisor, but unfortunately both were closed! Time to continue on our adventure.
We now had to travel around 10 miles along a small winding road towards Helmsley; up and down, around blind corners, hidden dips, slippy sections, very narrow sections, not exactly the type of road that Donna is keen on. However, what a stunning drive through scenery that's to die for; this really is a glorious part of the world. As an added bonus, you also get to see Blow Gill Waterfall which is a small waterfall just next to the road that is fed by the beck as it travels beneath the road. We stopped here so I could to try to take a few photos whilst trying to keep my camera out of the rain, Donna stayed in the warmth of the Yeti. It required me to find my way down a slippy leaf covered banking to get a good view of the waterfall, but the risk was well worth it. The only negative aspect was that the car was parked on the bridge as there was nowhere else to park, which resulted in it becoming part of the photos. Not exactly the end of the world though.
About 20 minutes later and we were back in Helmsley where we dined at The Sugared Butterfly, we had stopped here earlier in the week for hot drunks and were impressed with the place. Donna had a Panini and I had the large Platter, both of which were very tasty After popping into one of the bakery's in the village for a crusty loaf we headed back to the cottage as it was now around 2:30pm.
Arriving back at the cottage we did get the feeling that it just felt a little early to be back there, but, in not much over an hour it would be dark so no option to set off anywhere else. And, what made it worse was that the weather was now lovely. Blue skies overhead which would have been just what the doctor ordered earlier in the day; a day of bad timing for us.
More photos here.
After surfing a few websites (what did we do before accommodation with WIFI?) my suggestion to Donna was that we went on a bit of a drive, in fact a 60 mile loop. We would head over to Helmsley, then take the B1257 in the direction of Stokesley where we would then head down the A172 in the direction of Osmotherley. This would allow us to take in a lot of the North York Moors that we hadn't seen before, an area which is a lot more 'up and down' than much of the eastern and southern moors. And all being well, we would then be able to don walking boots and have a walk around the Cod Beck Reservoir just north of Osmotherly, and take a small detour to look at Cod Beck Sheepwash.
The drive to Osmotherly took us around 1hr, and it was well worth it as the views of the hills were stunning. I can imagine that the same can be said throughout much of the year, but in late autumn with all the mix of colours in the trees and fields it is simply beautiful. The Cleveland Hills is certainly a lovely part of the country and looks a great place to go hiking.
Eventually we had rounded the top end of the moors and had travelled back south down to Osmotherly. Unfortunately is was pouring down with rain, so after driving to the top of the reservoir and back down to the village we decided not to bother going for a walk. Before travelling further though we decided to have a cuppa in one of the cafe's that Donna had earlier found on Tripadvisor, but unfortunately both were closed! Time to continue on our adventure.
About 20 minutes later and we were back in Helmsley where we dined at The Sugared Butterfly, we had stopped here earlier in the week for hot drunks and were impressed with the place. Donna had a Panini and I had the large Platter, both of which were very tasty After popping into one of the bakery's in the village for a crusty loaf we headed back to the cottage as it was now around 2:30pm.
Arriving back at the cottage we did get the feeling that it just felt a little early to be back there, but, in not much over an hour it would be dark so no option to set off anywhere else. And, what made it worse was that the weather was now lovely. Blue skies overhead which would have been just what the doctor ordered earlier in the day; a day of bad timing for us.
More photos here.
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