We drove to the market town of Leyburn over the scenic Yorkshire Dales. We took some backroads and were greeted by sheep in the road. It was a joy to watch as they meandered out of our way as they munched on the meager grass, heather and gorse along the roadside. Although Leyburn is only about 12 miles from Gunnerside, the winding of the roads and the stop and start as one pulls over to the side to let oncoming vehicles pass, means that the trip is a good 30 minutes. Looked at the shops a bit and then stopped in The Posthorn of Leyburn Cafe for a bite of lunch, it being nearly 2:00 by this time. Deb enjoyed a huge bowl of broccoli and Stilton cheese soup, accompanied by the very dry cheese scone. Later, during the meal, we heard another table ordering the same thing and asking for it to be toasted. Next time we will know. Mark ordered the daily special of a bacon and cheese quiche, chips and coleslaw. The chips and the cole slaw were excellent but the quiche was served cold and not nearly as custardy as we were expecting. We topped off the meal with some Darjeeling and some Yorkshire teas.
Refreshed, we crosses the road to the local Co-Op grocery store for some provisions, wine, cheese, eggs, sausage, bread, jam, milk for coffee, some instant coffee, laundry detergent and other basics to equip our cottage. Next we wandered across the street to the local House & Home store, a housewares and hardware emporium. The one important thing the cottage specified was that we needed to bring our own towels; as we saw no need to fill a suitcase with these, we purchased a nice set of bath, hand and wash cloth towels for each of us.
Well equipped, we loaded the car and drove back across the Dales to home. Due to the late lunch, we again opted for wine, cheese and crackers for our evening meal. We settled in, trying to light the wood/charcoal burner in the lounge (sitting room) with little luck. Also tried to get something interesting on the TV but haven’t yet figured out how to turn it on! It will probably take us this first week to feel at home here.
Right now, it is like living in a stranger’s unused lake house that is adorable but cold (to Deb) and too warm (Mark), has strange outlets, no forced air heating, no dryer (for hair or clothes) and, so far, no TV. We know this will become more comfortable as we learn how to live in such a different environment but until then we are trying to love the low doors and the thick rock walls and the wildlife outside of the big kitchen window over the sink. It is just like houses in All Creatures Great and Small!
Right now, it is like living in a stranger’s unused lake house that is adorable but cold (to Deb) and too warm (Mark), has strange outlets, no forced air heating, no dryer (for hair or clothes) and, so far, no TV. We know this will become more comfortable as we learn how to live in such a different environment but until then we are trying to love the low doors and the thick rock walls and the wildlife outside of the big kitchen window over the sink. It is just like houses in All Creatures Great and Small!
We listened to some music on our phones, read our books on Kindle, and were in bed by 10:00. thus ending our first full day in Gunnerside of the Yorkshire Dales.
