A Walk in Pateley Bridge

Today was Domenica and Brenda's last full day in England. We'd been going at such a strong pace they wanted to do something a bit more leisurely. Brad had to work, so I decided to drive over to Pateley Bridge from where we could take a short hike. The drive over to Pateley offers some stunning views of Nidderdale, muted a bit this morning by mist which later gave way to sunshine and blue skies. We took a walk along the River Nidd where we spotted many birds (blue tit, great tit, wren, moorhen, swan, curlew). We chatted with a British couple who walk frequently in the area. They told us about the trout farm and the kingfishers that come by when the trout are being farmed and an alternate route back into Pateley Bridge. About a mile or so down the trail we reached the Yorkshire Country Wines Tearoom on the edge of the village of Glasshouses. The tearoom/winery/antiques store is situated in a 9th-century flax mill. The setting was lovely. We initially sat down to have a cuppa, but upon seeing the menu, decided to order lunch. Domenica had the Yorkshire Platter consisting of paté, pork pie and Yorkshire ham. Brenda had a vegetable hazelnut casserole and I ordered an open-faced Coverdale cheese sandwich. The portions were generous and the meal was beautifully presented. After dining we browsed through the antiques area then hit the trail again. This time we were up on a ridge looking down on the river and walking alongside fields of sheep. We took countless pictures of the sheep and their adorable lambkins. We passed a riding school with two feisty horses in a pen out front. Eventually we entered the village of Bewerley, so cute and quaint with colorful flowers and trees in bloom. We took a peek at the Bewerley Grange Chapel, built in 1496, renovated in the 1960s. We arrived back in Pateley Bridge around 2:30 p.m. and walked up and down the narrow High Street shopping and brwosing. Domenica bought some Scott's Porage Oats and Brenda found some nice dog collars for Dash and Nemo. Soon we had to make our way back to the car for the drive back into Harrogate. D&B wanted to write their postcards and relax a bit before going out to dinner. They insisted on treating Brad and I and asked us to pick the finest restaurant in Harrogate. We chose The Tannin Level a cozy little wine bar/restaurant that has a nice atmosphere, ample wine list for wines by the glass and excellent food. Brad and Domenica had the fried brie as a starter, my starter was a delectable duck spring roll. Brad and I had the pan-fried sea bass for our mains, Brenda had Gressingham duck with a mixed salad, while Domenica had a dish called smothered chicken. Brad and I split sticky toffee pudding for dessert, while D&B shared some bread and butter pudding. Everything was absolutely delicious!! The only bad thing was that the restaurant became a bit too smoky for our comfort, but by then we were ready to leave.