We had breakfast in the cottage then trooped up the hill to our car and headed for the North Yorkshire Moors National Park.
Moors are, to quote wiki, “characterized by low growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland nowadays generally means uncultivated hill land . . .”
In Yorkshire the moors are thousands of acres of land set aside for, well, mostly sheep and small villages. The dues paid are; for the villages, to remain picturesque and for the sheep; well to make wool or become mutton.
Stone walls, often covered with moss in town, divide the yards and fields.
It is a vast area of rolling hills and not a lot of trees.
You can easily spot villages and farms from a great distance if you are on one of the narrow moorland roads on top of a hill.
The road signs are very interesting at each intersection.
The buildings are made of stone and look like they belong to the land.
Like I said my kinda place.
We first visited one of the park's visitor areas and looked around its displays and the indoor play area for the kids.
Then we spent a while at the outside playground for Emelaine.
Again the day threatened rain, but mostly just stayed cloudy.
The visitor information area is much like one you would find in most national parks; displays of local flora and fauna, maps, books, gifts, tea room.
Nearing one-thirtyish when we left, we started to look for a pub to have lunch at.
We first tried one in Danby, the Duke of Wellington. A beautiful 18th century Victorian pub done in English reds and dark wood, with a fireplace in the pub area.
Sturdy stone exterior.
Unfortunately, they did not serve lunch.
They suggested another down the road and off we went.
We (I) were a little worried about not making it in time because some pubs stop serving lunch at two p.m.
So off we went.
It's up the road this way, I’m sure.
Nope.
Ok, .lets go this way.
Nope.
Ok, John, ask for directions.
Ok.
“’eye, it’s just up the road, there. . .”
We found it. The “Fox and Hound”. Twenty past two, would they still serve lunch?
Yes!!! We were in luck.
The Fox and Hound, in the village of Antithorpe, is a 15th century coaching inn.
Very welcoming inside with a good menu and beer, and not very busy at 2:30 in the afternoon.
Fireplace in the main pub room.
Robin had a stilton cheese and strawberry salad. the Stilton was wonderful.
I had a local ham sandwich with chips.
After lunch we drove around touring the moors and its villages for the rest of the afternoon.
We stopped in Hutton-le-hole which had a good artisan community and some interesting shops and galleries.
We than drove through a little village that had a very old church with an old Norman crypt still intact below the main church. Robin got some excellent pictures inside the crypt.
The home near the entrance to the church had a beautiful garden.
The flower lady’s dog greeted us as we went in.
We drove through a couple other villages with old church’s and pubs.
We did stop at some more church’s, but, alas, no more pubs.
We did find a beautiful Celtic cross along one section of the moorland roads.
Emelaine was getting pretty fried by this time so we headed home and dinner at the cottage.
Most of these pictures are Robins.
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