Easter Excursion Day 4 - Yorkshire Dales & Beatrix Potter Reprise

After a genuine English Breakfast ...

... We set out for home, opting for a route that took us through the Yorkshire Dales again, instead of through several genuine, but rather large English cities. This "highway" was slightly less slow than our previous Yorkshire Dales excursion, and we enjoyed our lunch break at Aysgarth Falls:

We had the path through the woods mostly to ourselves:

Since a walk in the woods is a good time for reflection on other things, I may as well admit that despite our distaste for the Lake's commercial, over-populated feel, tourist traps sometimes exist for a reason. Though unpleasant in the moment, our day in the "Lakes" did more to prompt new and stimulating avenues of thought than our more pleasant outings in Yorkshire.

Still checked out from the library, for example, is the (decoded) Journal of Beatrix Potter, as well as the National Trust's Beatrix Potter (1866-1943): The Artist and Her World. The lavishly illustrated second volume has helped me appreciate Beatrix Potter's children's book illustrations as serious art, and led me to admire the industry and skill of the author, artist, sheep-breeder, scientist, and conservationist:

“Her stories began as picture letters for real children; they ended as tributes to real animals. In the years between she painted and wrote to please herself. ‘The more spontaneous the pleasure – the more happy the result. I cannot work to order; and when I had nothing to say I had the sense to stop.’” (68). 

Still, if we ever have the chance to vacation in England again, it will be Yorkshire not the Lake District that makes it on our list of places to settle into.

A cow-free public footpath in Yorkshire Dales

Easter Excursion Day 1 - Castles, Moors, and Walls

On what may be our last multi-day excursion before our return to Canada at the end of July, we sampled three more medieval castles, many miles of stone walls–most of which were rather too close to the side of the road for comfort–and some breath-taking views. Our destination on Monday was an AirBnB in Walton (“Wall Town”) in Cumbria, but instead of heading straight north on the M1 as Google directed, we took a few roads less-traveled by.

Our first diversion was an early lunch break at Pontefract Castle, the site of Richard the II’s death in 1400, under suspicious circumstances, and one of three castles on S’s bucket list. 

According to our road atlas, the castle is not far from the highway, but it was more difficult to locate than I anticipated. Locating parking was more difficult still. Entrance is free, which is good, because there was not much left after Oliver Cromwell finally crushed the Royalist forces who had withstood a four-month siege in the winter of 1648-49.

Cromwell's troops also ruined the nearby All Saints church:

The 19th-century restoration--creating a church within a church--is striking:

Since it was more-or-less along our route, we decided to make another stop at Middleham Castle, the long-time residence of Richard Neville, the king-making Earl of Warwick, and one of the favourite haunts of “King in the Car Park” Richard III (1452-1485).

From Middleham we opted for one of Google’s lesser alternatives that would, I thought, shorten our trip by seven miles and let us see more of the Yorkshire Dales to boot. So instead of returning to the main highway, we set out northwest into the national park. I neglected to consult our road atlas, which labeled the route across Redmire Moor from Leyburn to Reeth a DANGER AREA. Now, however, we know what a moor looks like; we can also confirm that moors are indeed prone to  impenetrable fog.*

From Reeth we abandoned Google for what our atlas indicated was a more established road through the villages of Healaugh, Feetham, Low Row, Gunnerside, Satron, Muker and Thwaite, among others. The one-way lane bordered on each side by stone walls was certainly scenic.

Unfortunately, since we were anxious to get to our destination before nightfall we didn’t stop to take pictures, but pictures wouldn’t do justice to the experience.

*Full disclosure:  The "Danger Area" sign is to let passersby know they are driving through a military shooting range not to warn them about unsafe roads or treacherous fog. Does that make you feel better?