Over Hill and Dale
The weathermen have gotten it all wrong again. All weekend long they kept calling for rain, but all we saw were partly cloudy skies and never felt a spot of rain. When the sun was out, it was lovely. So, we decided to take a nice Sunday drive into the Dales. We hopped on the M1, the same road that we took up to Scotland, but this time we turned off after about a half hour drive and headed towards Wensleydale (the area one of our favorite cheeses is named after). Our destination was Castle Bolton a medieval castle where Mary Queen of Scots was once famously imprisoned. The castle is rather striking from a distance, sitting rather stout and squarely on top of a hill. Though one of the four towers has collapsed, much of the structure has remained intact and we spent a good hour or more exploring the castle. In a few of the rooms we found mannequins dressed in period clothing and propped into scenes typical of the middle ages. These displays were a little worn and shabby looking, though. Other areas of the castle were taken over by pigeons; we found them roosting in several nooks and crannies and many stair railings were encrusted with their droppings (yuck!). We even spotted a mama pigeon on a nest with her babies. Despite the pigeons, we really enjoyed exploring the castle. You can climb all the way to the top of one of the towers for a spectacular view.
From the Castle, Brad bravely decided to take one of the smaller winding country roads back to Harrogate. (These are the B roads; A roads are usually wider.) It would take us past Aysgarth Falls and several cute little villages. (We have come to the conclusion that all the Dales villages are cute.) At the National Park Center in Aysgarth, we got out of the car and took a short hike to one of the falls. It was pretty, but I would not call it breathtaking. We learned that one scene from the Robin Hood movie starring Kevin Costner was shot at Aysgarth Falls.
After the Falls, we climbed back into the car and headed home. The road we took was very narrow at times, with many twisty turny areas and several extremely steep hills. We are not used to these country roads, so the ride was a bit harrowing at times. At one point we found ourselves caught in a parade of Mini Coopers. There were about half a dozen minis in front of us, and several to the rear. This was on a particularly narrow section of the road where at one point the traffic came to a standstill as an oncoming truck carefully squeezed its way past the cars on our side of the road. When we finally pulled safely in front of our apartment, Brad told me to remind him never to let him drive on a B road again!
The weathermen have gotten it all wrong again. All weekend long they kept calling for rain, but all we saw were partly cloudy skies and never felt a spot of rain. When the sun was out, it was lovely. So, we decided to take a nice Sunday drive into the Dales. We hopped on the M1, the same road that we took up to Scotland, but this time we turned off after about a half hour drive and headed towards Wensleydale (the area one of our favorite cheeses is named after). Our destination was Castle Bolton a medieval castle where Mary Queen of Scots was once famously imprisoned. The castle is rather striking from a distance, sitting rather stout and squarely on top of a hill. Though one of the four towers has collapsed, much of the structure has remained intact and we spent a good hour or more exploring the castle. In a few of the rooms we found mannequins dressed in period clothing and propped into scenes typical of the middle ages. These displays were a little worn and shabby looking, though. Other areas of the castle were taken over by pigeons; we found them roosting in several nooks and crannies and many stair railings were encrusted with their droppings (yuck!). We even spotted a mama pigeon on a nest with her babies. Despite the pigeons, we really enjoyed exploring the castle. You can climb all the way to the top of one of the towers for a spectacular view.
From the Castle, Brad bravely decided to take one of the smaller winding country roads back to Harrogate. (These are the B roads; A roads are usually wider.) It would take us past Aysgarth Falls and several cute little villages. (We have come to the conclusion that all the Dales villages are cute.) At the National Park Center in Aysgarth, we got out of the car and took a short hike to one of the falls. It was pretty, but I would not call it breathtaking. We learned that one scene from the Robin Hood movie starring Kevin Costner was shot at Aysgarth Falls.
After the Falls, we climbed back into the car and headed home. The road we took was very narrow at times, with many twisty turny areas and several extremely steep hills. We are not used to these country roads, so the ride was a bit harrowing at times. At one point we found ourselves caught in a parade of Mini Coopers. There were about half a dozen minis in front of us, and several to the rear. This was on a particularly narrow section of the road where at one point the traffic came to a standstill as an oncoming truck carefully squeezed its way past the cars on our side of the road. When we finally pulled safely in front of our apartment, Brad told me to remind him never to let him drive on a B road again!
posted by lenora at 8:22 AM
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