Having packed the night before, we were up and ready to go on Saturday morning. We said our tearful goodbyes and loaded our bags into Zoe’s Prius for a run into Sligo and the train station. Although Zoe and Garth had kindly offered to drive us to Dublin, we chose instead to take the train; both to see the countryside and to grant them some weekend time after the hubbub of our visit and Halloween. The train ride was very smooth and quick. The railcar we were in started out sparsely populated but, as we passed towns on our way south towards Dublin, it quickly filled up. By the time we arrived, the car was full: teens headed into the big city, travelers like ourselves pushing onward with their luggage, and perhaps a few commuters. We arrived around 12;00 and quickly found a taxi to take us to the airport. First crisis of the trip - Mark left his beloved cap on the seat in the taxi, not discovering his bareheadedness (some might say air-headedness) until standing in the check-in line in the airport!
As we had a few hours to wait, we journeyed up to the Fallow Restaurant and Lounge for a bite of fries, a sausage roll, and a glass of wine. The flight over the Irish Sea was uneventful and we, together with our luggage, arrived at the Manchester airport by 4:30 PM. This is a huge airport with three separate terminal buildings. We deplaned into a coach for the 15 minute drive around the airport to reach the baggage terminal, so we viewed a good portion of the facility. A travel note - there was no immigration or passport control upon our arrival. We sauntered through the “Nothing to Declare” doors and we were in the arrivals area. Perhaps that was because we were required to show our passports at our boarding gate in Dublin before boarding the aircraft. Our next stop was the Enterprise Car Rental counter to pick up our assigned vehicles - a Nissan SUV similar in style and size to our own RAV 4 back in Omaha.
We spent a few minutes familiarizing ourselves with the vehicle and its controls. Although we had picked up a large map book in the airport, everything now has SAT-NAV included so we set our destination to the village of Askrigg and we were on our way. The drive was about three hours; due to shortened daylight, it was nearly dark when we left the Manchester airport, so most of the drive was in the darkness, a bit harrowing when one is in unfamiliar territory but, other than a few sharp words between the pilot and the navigator, we managed without too many wrong turns to arrive at our new “home” Brook Cottage by 8:30 PM. We unloaded, parked the car and clambered into the cute cottage, tired but glad to be on the next step in our journey.
The Cottage is thoroughly modernized and fresh on the inside. steep steps to the upper level holding the bedrooms and the bath, but otherwise, one of the nicest places we have ever stayed. A bit of a struggle for two old, tired travelers to wrestle our luggage up the steps, but once that was accomplished we were able to settle in for a good night’s rest.
We awoke Sunday morning, fresh and happy. The weather was cool, not rainy, but cloudy. We quickly found the coffee paraphernalia and injected some caffeine into our systems. Deb has a bit of a sore throat and a nasty canker sore in her mouth, but the warm beverage helps. We plotted our day, knowing we had to make a provision run for some food, wine, and other essentials. We are very familiar with this area as it regular readers will know. this is our third year of traveling to the Yorkshire Dales National Park area and we have our favorite stores and suppliers.
First stop of the day was a drive into nearby Hawes to replace Mark’s cap. This was the store where he had purchased his beloved waxed cotton cap on our first trip - luckily the store still carried the same brand, color and size. With his head now properly covered we drove on to Leyburn, a large market town on the eastern edge of the National Park area to shop at Campbell’s of Leyburn, a larger grocer and wine merchant Here we stocked up on most of our grocery and wine needs, then across the market square to the Co-op grocery store for some more necessities. Next we stopped at the House & Home store, a kind of household goods emporium, for a bag of logs for the little black stove in our parlor.
To be honest, we could drive all around the Dales and never tire of the natural beauty and the charming villages, valleys and fields. We ooh and aah over the same scenery every year but it fills us with a sense of belonging. We feel like we are coming home every year and hope we still have a few more trips in us.
Back home, we stocked up our kitchen, started a cozy fire in the stove, curled up with a book and rested for the balance of the afternoon into the evening. We snacked on crackers, Brie, and hummus for our evening meal.
Monday we were slow to get rolling. We showered and then Mark made a “Full English” breakfast (less the baked beans.) we headed out late morning for a drive back into Leyburn where we secured more logs, kindling and fire starters as we were quick to burn yesterday’s supply. We stopped in our favorite tea shop - The Posthorn, for a cup of tea and a cheese scone. Arriving back at the cottage, we snuggled in, laid some more fire in the fire stove and then snacks and watched TV. Turning on the television we were surprised to find we were viewing Criminal minds, and NCIS while lounging and drinking our wine. It occurs to us that we spent a lot of money to sit around doing exactly the same thing we do in Omaha!
Tuesday morning we arose with a plan. We breakfasted on scones with strawberry rhubarb jam and then got on the road. We drove south east towards the village of Dent, passing under the Dentdale viaduct. The scenery was glorious and the weather cooperative. Although we had been to Dent before, it was only a quick drive though for a photo stop. This time we drove more slowly, enjoyed the scenery and made an extended stop at the Dent history center. We enjoyed the displays and had some coffee and a huge shortbread cookie, called a shortbread ring. Delicious enough that we purchased two for the road.
Dent’s most famous citizen was Adam Sedgwick, 1785-1873. Sedgwick was a geologist and Anglican priest, one of the founders of modern geology who proposed the Cambrian and Devonian period of the geological timescale.
Leaving Dent we directed our vehicle towards Hawes and arrived around 2:00 PM. We parked up and walked a bit before dropping into The Fountain Pub for a late lunch and cider and a pint. This pub is featured frequently in one of our favorite detective series featuring Harry Grimm and his crew of police, headquartered in Hawes, written by David Gatward. We both have just finished reading the latest available installment during this trip. It brings the books to life as we sit in the pub surrounded by patrons, each with at least one dog tucked under their tables. We soon realized we were the only patrons without a canine accomplice in the premises.
We wandered around a bit, looking over the quoints (a form of horseshoes) field below the pub, and making the acquaintance of the neighborhood sheep stationed in front of the pet supply store.
We arrived back in Askrigg just after dark and later snacked on cheese and crackers with wine. We had picked up a few bottles at Elijah Allen Grocers in Hawes. Not nearly the selection available from Campbell’s in Leyburn. The bottle of Australian Shiraz we opened was barely drinkable - sweet and fruity. Deb diluted hers greatly with soda water to make it palatable. Mark did not, but uncharacteristically cut him self off early in protest of the taste.
Another interesting day in the Dales. We tucked in for the night, knowing the U.S. election was well under way and that we would find the results the next morning. We went to sleep hopeful for an intelligent outcome.
