It has been hot…as in 30-degrees-not-a-cloud-in-the-sky hot!
We have been enjoying the wide open vistas of the North Yorkshire, the peace and quiet, the rabbits, pheasants and partridges scurrying under lush hedgerows. The brilliant purple heather just beginning to show its true colours….
Still, York was calling, so Ollie and I braved the heat and were rewarded with such a delightful city.
The Minster (Cathedral) of course being top of the list and totally stunning.
We climbed the tower for spectacular views ( and a good puff).
The streets in York are just gorgeous.
The most visited being The Shambles – once home to 80 plus butcher shops! ”
The narrow, cobbled streets with houses almost touching in the middle, now house chi-chi little boutiques and gift shops – I was very happy to wander.
We never even made it into the museums I had planned to visit….another “next time.”
Nearby Rievaulx Abbey was so alluring and on a hot day just stunning to wander around with views of the surrounding country recreating the peace the monks must have experienced. Now very impressive ruins with very interesting free audio tours.
The Abbey, built in the 1200’s, housed over 400 monks at its peak and was self-sufficient.
Impressive in every way.
Next on the list was Eden Camp. A huge museum with individual topics housed in old Nissan huts. This old POW camp has over 20 huts each showing a different aspect of World War two .
It was well laid out and had a heap of information, including some very realistic 3D displays.
Ollie was keen to come here and was not disappointed! The POW stories from here were very interesting – it seems that life was pretty cushy for the prisnors, escapes were very rare and some even stayed on and married a local, or a land girl they had met while out working on a local farm!
When the sun comes out in such intensity, the beach is the only place to go! Even if the North Sea is a tad chilly…
We had a lovely drive over the moors to Runswick Bay, where numbers of sunworshippers swelled as the day went on.
Ollie and Jo even went in for a quick dip!
Maybe as the summer progresses I will get braver…
Down in Devon perhaps….?
It is an unfair comparision I know, but in the back of my mind is the knowledge, safe and sound, that we have a week in Bali in September on the way home!!
So beautiful. That cottage is where I want to live! Great summer you are getting.