Holiday in Yorkshire - September 2017 - Days 3 - 4

Rob and I went to Sutton Bank to walk Brock on Sunday, while Mum and Dad decided to explore the village at Askham Bryan.

The views range over the Vale of Mowbray and the Vale of York. There is a visitor centre, cafe and bike hire available near the car park.

Afterwards we drove to nearby Thirsk, where we had lunch in The Lord Nelson pub, and bought delicious yellow plums from an excellent greengrocers, and some food for dinner. The pub did not have any vegetarian choices on the menu, but the helpful landlady arranged for a plate of 'Sunday Lunch' vegetables with vegetarian gravy for both, and a Yorkshire Pudding for Rob. The bar area is dog-friendly.

On Monday we took my parents to Harrogate, parking in the multi-story car park next to the green - an ideal area to walk Brock. We had a look around the shops, buying postcards and food for dinner from M&S, and had a very good coffee and cake in the independent Starling Coffee Shop. Mum and Dad treated us to lunch in Wagamama's. The restaurant now has a separate gluten free menu, which made ordering much easier for me. We all enjoyed our food, which was brimming with fresh vegetables, spices and flavour - Thai fusion-style - with noodles or rice. Mum and Rob had the fresh juices, which were delicious. It was fairly quiet and we had a window seat, so it was a relaxing atmosphere with a good view of the busy street.

We drove on to Knaresborough next, parking up near the castle. The view is quite breathtaking with the Victorian viaduct, River Nidd and black and white checked building housing Mother Shipton's Cave ("England's oldest visitor attraction" - opened in 1630!).

 

After a look around the town and an ice cream, it was a leisurely drive back to Askham Bryan to eat our MandS curries with rice, and desserts for dinner! 

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!