Holiday in Yorkshire - Day 3 - Brimham Rocks and Ripon

After a vegetarian cooked breakfast at the cottage, to set us up for the day, we headed out to Brimham Rocks. There are hundreds of weird rock formations on the site.

It is like walking around an alien landscape. It was a bit busier than when we were last there in October. The car park costs £5 per car, which is their 'entrance fee', I suppose.

Dogs are allowed onto the site, so Brock came along and was off the lead for most of the way, although you do have to watch out for some steep cliff edges in places. We wandered at random along small grass pathways and over the moorland before coming back to the Visitor Centre, which sells souvenirs. There is a refreshment stand (not yet open when we were there), picnic tables and a toilet block.

We drove on to Ripon and ate lunch at The Royal Oak pub. Dogs are allowed into the bar and beer garden.

I had feta salad (the only vegetarian, gluten free option), Rob had a falafel burger and chips and we both had cups of coffee. There were about four vegetarian options to choose from. The food was tasty and well prepared, and the staff were very attentive. The other people in the bar were locals and chatted about dogs with us - always a good subject! Definitely a recommended place to eat.

Ripon has a good range of small, independent shops, as well as some chain shops, plus plenty of places to eat. We bought some food for dinner in the Sainsburys, then headed back to the cottage to read the papers and relax.

Holiday in Yorkshire - Day 2 - Thirsk and Sutton Bank

Thirsk, a small market town, was the first stop of the day. Brock enjoyed a walk by the river.

Rob and I then went for a coffee in Olivias Artisan Bakery & Cafe. After being ignored by one of the two counter staff for five minutes or so, she announced that she would "be with you in a minute". I stood there for several more minutes as she slowly filled pickle pots one by one and placed them under the glass counter. I eventually gave up on ever being served by her and went to the male member of staff who did take our order. The coffee was fine when it was finally delivered to the table, but the service was atrocious!

While we were there, we had a look on Trip Advisor to find a better place for lunch, and were directed to the Upstairs Downstairs Cafe where things couldn't have been more different. The young waiter and waitress were both polite and efficient. The food was fresh and tasty and the manager very attentive and genuinely concerned when we had a minor complaint.

The staff in the Tourist Information office were equally helpful as we looked for a dog walk in the area. We were directed to Sutton Bank and a 3.5 mile walk along the Bank, with fabulous views over Yorkshire.

At the midway point of the circular walk was Kilburn White Horse made on the side of the hill by a headmaster and his pupils in Victorian times. It was hard to make anything out from a close distance, but the walk is worth doing anyway. We took the lower path through woodland at the base of the Bank on the return leg and had a steep uphill climb at one point. If you prefer a flat walk, I would stick to the same path you started out on.

Brock met plenty of other dogs on the walk, so he was very happy.

My brother, Philip, came to stay with us overnight and we all went out for a return visit to Sonali Indian Restaurant in Tadcaster. Philip likes vegetarian food (although he is not one) so we ordered three vegetarain main courses to share: dhansak, pathia and madras, with two side dishes: bindhi bhaji (okra) and Bombay potatoes and three different versions of pilau rice (plain, mushroom and pea). It was really tasty and we managed to finish virtually every scrap, despite having poppadoms and pickles to start with.

I was amazed when the Manager remembered our last visit in October. The staff are all friendly, and our waiter even rushed out into the street after us, when he realised that I had left my scarf behind. I was very grateful as it was rather chilly!