England Day 4: Yorkshire!

We got up bright and early, took the tube to the train station, got a train for Thirsk and got in about 10:15 after a two and a quarter hour ride.  A man offered to share his taxi into town and we were at the Golden Fleece ten minutes later.  Here's  where the plan I had hatched back home really got crazy.  We quickly dropped our bags, got a taxi back to the train station, caught a train with five minutes to spare, took a 16 minute train ride to Northallerton, got directions from a lady, hoofed it through town, down a lane that turned into a track, jogged the last two minutes (shocking I know) and just -- just caught the steam train excursion run into a corner of the Yorkshire Dales area.  We were on that train for 80 minutes or so and saw some beautiful country.  The reason we needed to catch that train was so we'd  have a couple hours  in Redmire, the town that's  currently at the end of the line for the steam train.  So glad we made it.  We walked into town and had a delicious lunch at the Bolton Arms.

 Some passing scenery.

 One of the stations on the way.

 House by the Bolton Arms.

 Ploughman's lunch.

 

It says 1874 on the building between the two upper windows.

After lunch we asked the way to the footpath to the Castle Bolton view.  For a long time we were pretty sure we were going the wrong way...

Behind properties, through stiles (quite narrow and they got narrower),

Past the trolls,

Narrower... (can't  have those sheep getting out!)

Over the bridge..

Some wonderful stone walls.

The Castle Bolton!

And back to the train station we went.  We left plenty of time because we were warned not to miss that last train!  So thrilled to be in Yorkshire!

The Tour de France came through here last year.  This 

year  it came not too far from Amsterdam, but a week or so before we'll  get there.

 The incredibly nice steam train folks walked us back to the regular rail station on the other side of Northallerton, we got a ticket back to Thirsk, took a taxi into town (I had already adjusted my previous delusional thinking about walking to and from the train station into town) and we arrived at the wonderful Golden Fleece hotel.  The oldest carriage house in England I read somewhere.   It was delightful!

We found a delicious Chinese restaurant on thesquare for dinner.  Just as we were settling down for some much needed rest the annual fireworks show started!  I had read about it, but had forgotten.   Fireworks are great, but I was glad it was a short show!