We had to take great care to pack our bags because Ryan air has strict weight requirements and we’d had enough with paying hidden fees. When we dropped off the car David asked the attendant about the M50, he said yes indeed we’d be charged and that we could get the whole story from the desk staff. So off we went, a little sad to leave the nice people of Ireland, but relieved to be escaping the expenses of another day in Dublin.
The flight to Yorkshire was quick and easy. We landed, got the car and headed to our lovely little B&B. The iphone didn’t work, I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or worried that we’d be perpetually lost, but it all turned out okay and with only one wrong turn and back track we made it to the lovely town of North Stainley. Our hostess was quite friendly and the accommodations were really comfy.
It was about now that we considered curling up in the bed and sleeping the day away. One of us (I forget who) had the resolve to get us up and out of the room. With such beautiful surroundings, it really is a waste to stay inside! We had the little matter of laundry and hungry tummies so we headed back to Ripon to get a bite and find a Laundromat. The food wasn’t too good, typical English pub fare. And it was served up by a gal who was talking constantly to a friend who was visiting her. She was friendly enough, but pretty distracted by her conversation. So we were in and out of there pretty quickly.
We found an all natural shop to buy some laundry detergent and headed a few doors down to put our loads in the wash. While David went off in search of some water to cure my hiccups I stayed behind to monitor the clothes. In came a gentleman and a cute little girl. He had to run out to change his money so she and I stayed there together, I kept asking her questions to which she pretty much answered yes or no. David and our new friend came back and we had a fun chat about artwork and the US Bill of Rights. This chap was brought up by art forgers who ‘did it for fun’. Then we went our separate ways.
Back at the house we headed out for a walk around the town which ended up being just around the periphery of a pasture. It was another less than ideal hike, but at least we were moving about and not asleep in the bed. Then we headed to the Staveley Arms located across the street from our B&B. We were 2 of 6 guests in the place and the proprietor cooked a tasty meal for us. The Arms and the The Coach house are both businesses leased from Lord Staveley who lives in the big house adjoining our modified stable accommodations. We drove up to his place by mistake when we first arrived, we could tell immediately that it was the wrong place: definitely not a coach house!
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