Tuesday 2 September - Beverley and Pocklington

With day rover tickets we set out for Beverley. The bus, which went to Hull, went through Pocklington and Market Weighton which we scouted out as possible places to visit on the way back.

Once again the bus destination board did not agree with the timetable or the electronic board at the bus stop. We have learned to ask the driver before each trip. The Yorkshire Wolds are fairly flat with the occasional hill.  The farming is mixed. The grain is being harvested and some fields are being plowed - the plow is followed by a lot of birds looking for grubs etc.

Beverley is a pleasant village with lots of shopping potential. There is a good pedestrian area but the main square gives the feel of a car park with some interesting buildings spread around the perimeter. The lady in the tourist office was very helpful. She steered me to some good beer and also recommended that we stop off at Pocklington on our return. 

 

Fortified with a Greene King IPA we took a look at the minster which is light as well as large. 

The Hull area, including Beverley, is the only part of the country where phone boxes are painted cream instead of red

 

A quick dark mild at the White Horse revealed a dark pub with a maze of many rooms. It was a nice change to find a mild beer.

As suggested, we decided to go on to Pocklington which had an interesting street market today. On the way wepassed by the Beverley race track, there were cattle grazing on either side of the unfenced main road.  Both Beverly and Pockligton are gliding centres and we saw several in the air at both places. The Burnby Hall Gardens are very close to the centre of Pocklington and we spent a peaceful time there. There is a large lake filled with water lillies. The lawns are well manicured and we were surprised at the number and size of the carp. People buy food for them and they know the drill. The air was rent with the splashing of the frequent feeding frenzies.  There is also a wooded area called the Stumpery. This is similar to a rockery but old tree stumps have been used, some carved with demonic faces. Sitting in a calm area we were disturbed by a gurgling and rustling of the fish under the water lilly leaves. The gardens were well worth a visit. 

 

 

The Stumpery

 

The bus was on time and brought us back close to the Shambles.
Click here to see all pictures taken at Beverley and Pocklington

An Indian (Goan) meal was excellent and I had a Bradfied Brewery (Sheffield) Farmers Bitter which was not to my taste, it was dark, not very bitter and had a touch of molasses.

Monday 1 September - Castle Howard

The best time to see our street is early in the morning or late at night.

Getting there can be half the fun and it was certainly the case with the bus to Castle Howard. The timetable and maps clearly marked a 180 route Stephenson's of Easingwold bus.  A couple of minutes before time a Stephenson's route 183 bus to Malton turned up.  The driver opened the doors and started to chat. After a minute or so he pointed out that this was in fact the 180 but "they had cocked it up" so that the destination board couldn't show 180 to Castle Howard but only 183 which it became at Castle Howard for Malton. So we made the bus by sheer happenstance.

The timetable allowed 1 hour 23 minutes for the journey which was only 15 miles so it was by no means direct and called in at many small villages on the way. There were only a couple of people other than us. At one point we entered a small hamlet and passed an old couple on the other side of the road. The bus went 100 metres further, did a three point turn, picked them up and left the  village. They both smiled at us and said "Good morning" as they took their seats. We passed a sign for pig racing. That sounds interesting. I wonder if they have jockeys or if they are free range pigs?

We finally came to a cross roads where we could see Castle Howard for the first time but the bus turned away and went into another village where a three point turn was required before retracing our route to the crossroads and our destination. 

There is a sizeable discount on entry by showing our bus tickets. In fact it cost less to get in Castle Howard than the bus fare.

We first visited the house which is huge. It contains some interesting items but many areas are badly in need of restoration or renewal. As a museum it is good, as a house it is dark and mostly dingy.

  

Mad Hatters Tea Party

 

The grounds are pleasant and there is much good walking. The clouds were threatening most of the day with the occasional sunny break. There are several lakes and care has been taken to maintain their natural appearance. We had a snack at the Boat House on a deck set out over the water where ducks and swans cruised around looking for handouts.

 

 

Click here to see all pictures taken at Castle Howard
Coming back, the buses from Malton and York arrived together and we made very sure that we were on the right bus. The indicator did show 180 and we followed the same route back - with the same passengers.

This is a difficult picture to take because there are always cars in the way during the day - this is just across from the Minster.

I tried a Skipton beer this evening.  Quite pleasant with a good but not overpowering flavor of hops.

Sunday 31 August - Bettys, pickled onions and more

We came back to the apartment this morning to find the paramedics attending to a young guy who had fallen over. There was blood all over the door step. 

 

Today we had Champagne Afternoon Tea at Bettys using a voucher Mary Burges so kindly gave us. Everything was splendid. The serving staff were all very good and the tea was excellent.

The room is decorated in the same manner as the Queen Mary, the owner travelled on the maiden voyage and was so impressed that he decided to fashion the room similarly.

 

After the champagne Mary had Bettys Afternoon Tea while I had the Darjeeling Afternoon Tea. There was a huge selection of teas. These were served with four different types of sandwich, I preferred the ham and mustard, then scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam. To finish off there were some excellent pastries.

 

 

I then went to the Railway Museum. Mallard is now sandwiched between two good engines, 2500 and 737.

Click here to see all pictures taken at the National Railway Museum
One the way back I spent a little time at the station talking to the Assistant Station Manager. Although she is not wearing safety shoes she may go on to the track in an emergency.

The Blue Bell served up a dark treackly beer called Dave. Not bad. It is brewed at Great Heck from rock treacle from the Great Heck treacle mine.

 

I found a jar of pickled onions and some Stilton at Marks and Spencers.  Nanna Churcher liked these. Trouble was she only had one tooth of her own and didn't like using her false teeth. She would take in a pickled onion and chase it round her gums for several minutes before she succeeded in spearing it.

It turned into a lovely evening and the light was particularly good on the Minster and many other buildings.

Saturday 30 August - Scarborough - cockles, mussels, whelks - and Evensong

The train from York was pretty crowded but we had seat reservations and, in any case, the train emptied out at Malton. There was a cutting wind at York but this had settled down at the coast. The clouds gradually cleared to reveal a sunny hot day. The route to the beach was down a wide pedestrian boulevard with very busy shops.  

The tide was going out and the beach was beginning to get busy with families with dogs etc. There were a couple of donkey rides but they weren't doing very much business. Mary and I were both keen to haveca donkey ride but unfortunately there was a sign "No Adults".

After inspecting the Lifeboat we walked towards the north, past the shellfish stands and the harbour. We sampled a plate of cockles, mussels, whelks, scampi, fake crab etc.  The whelks were not very appetizing.

 

The speedboat and the pirate boat were giving rides and they were advertising rides to see the harbour dolphins although I would think the chances of seeing one  would be remote. There is a small fun fair with a ferris wheel. Walking back into town we were amazed at the number of fish restaurants and bars. We found a genuine fish and chip place that was not pretentious but which had good cod and chips at a pretty reasonable price. 

We then walked south along the prom. One of the attractions was a large tank of water on which two large transparent balls were floating. Children were zipped in and the ball was reinflated. The tide was a long way out and the dogs could race around to their hearts' content. 

There is one section with rocks and weeds which should satisfy curious youngsters.  The funicular railway was a convenient way to climb back into the town and we made our way back to the station.  The train was turned round and had to be cleaned.  Everyone was waiting to get into the train but we had to wait while one man put the seat reservation tags into their respective slots. One area where the bus company scores.
Click here to see all pictures taken at Scarborough

The trip back was through sunny pleasant country.

We went to Evensong in the York Minster this evening.  The choir was from Wolverhampton and sung very well. There were several very small children, maybe six or seven. One of them sang with a very clear voice that carried although another seemed to have difficulty concentrating. The organ was also impressive and we stood for some time listening to it afterwards.

We went to the Blue Bell this evening this time for a Wold top bitter. Pleasant enough with a hint of hops but not as good as either the Rooster or the Timothy Taylors

Spent a little time with two Canadian girls who were shortly to take Eurostar to Paris.

Friday 29 August - York

We slept reasonably well for the first night. The bedroom is at the back away from the street and is very quiet. There were a few conducted groups learning about the area but the are not around for long and are in the early evening.

The apartment is directly above the Art Shop

Another view of the Art Shop and the apartment above

A middle aged lady with large breasts and no bra came cycling past. At a critical point her left breast got out of control and over balanced her such that she had to stop and adjust her apparel.  Next time wear a bra. We did some errands and checked out the Friday Farmers Market which is just around the corner. I found a Yorkshire Pork Pie and a Battenburg Cake. 

Battenburg cake was a Marks and Spencer staple when I was young

I made some train reservations at the station and we dropped into the Blue Bell pub which is very close to the apartment. It is very small, filled with locals and only serves beer and a few snacks - no music, no games, no TV. 

This is inside the Smoke where you can get a beer through the low hatch.  there is very rarely room in the Public bar which is on the other side.

  

I had a Rooster dry hopped Yankee which was a strongly hopped bitter. I also tried a Bradfield Farmers Blonde from Sheffield, very smooth. There was a lot of chat in the bar and when I went up for my second beer I said:
"I'll take a pint of Farmers Blonde, please" to which the barmaid replied:
"I'll SELL you a pint of Farmers Blonde. I wouldn't even GIVE you the dirt under my fingernails."
Great atmosphere and we will certainly go back.

You don't have to go far to come across an unsalubrious canal area

It rained on and off later and we found ourselves back at the Blue Bell just before supper. This time the Timothy Taylors (Keithley) Landlord was excellent.

Timothy Taylors was a standard at the Three Fishes in Shrewsbury

Yorkshire Pork Pie with a lot of congealed fat on the top

Thursday 28 August - Ottawa to London to York

Our trip started the day before. OC Transpo route 97 was completely out of sync. First there came two short turn trips to South Keys. Then two Airport buses came along 2 minutes apart. The bus was uncomfortable and there is no provision for cases. The second one overtook us  of course. Ottawa Airport was dead in the evening. Everything shut down as there are few flights out. The Air Canada flight to Heathfrow, although full, was great. The babies all slept and we arrived 20 minutes early. The refurbished Terminal 2 is great. Light and airy and the crowd movement has been well thought out. The corridors are wide and there is a lot of room around the baggage carousels so that everyone can look for their bags without blocking anyone else. Immigration was very quick. We only had to wait six minutes for the Heathrow Express - I had bought our tickets in advance on line.  There was quite a bit of activity in Acton Aggregate Terminal and I saw a preserved Warship diesel hydraulic in maroon at Old Oak Common. I went to the back of the train at the Airport so that we got out right at the steps for the Hammersmith and City Line. Our Oyster cards gave us access and we were in one of the new trains which are quiet and comfortable. The net result of all this is that we arrived at Kings Cross with 1 hour and 40 minutes to spare before our 1300 train to York.  We had an excellent meal at the Parcels Office and I had a Fullers London Pride - by far my favorite bitter beer. Kings Cross is the only station I know that has a platform 0 and our train left from here. It was punctual but the ride was very lively at times and quite unpleasant over pointwork. Sadly the beautiful curved York train shed is filthy with diesel fumes. The beautiful cast iron scroll work with railway company crests was painted in many colors at one time. It has been allowed to deteriorate just like at Paddington.

At York there was time visit the bus and train information offices and to get an unlimited sim card for Mary's iPhone (I had already bought mine at Heathrow) before getting to our 1530 appointment at the apartment on the Shambles. The timetables for the various bus companies were readily available. However the railway companies seen to have difficulty in producing timetables jointly. The lady seemed horrified that I wanted to get to Whitby via Middlesborough and even worse that I had thought of coming back via Pickering and bus from there.

Just across the street from the apartment

The apartment is excellent. Well furnished and well located above an art shop and close to everything. There is an enormous Marks and Spencer with a food hall right next door. We bought some staples and then went for a drink at the Red Lion. I had a pint of EPA which was quite good but a little tame compared to London Pride.

Modified gas lamp on the wall across from our window in the Shambles,