Friday 24th July (Day 14)
So off to York. First though the mandatory emptying and filling and also quite a long chat with the new neighbours. (Chris also gave my hair a tidy up). Then off on the two and a half hour trip to York. We stopped at Chesterfield for food & diesel at a Morrison’s supermarket. It was a good journey, except for the last mile and a half which took nearly half an hour due to heavy traffic. On arrival we quickly set up and had some lunch followed by a quick bit of clothes washing - which we managed to get dry by the evening. Then the twelve of us, Sue and Alan, Resa and Eric, Ron and Barbara, Dave and Gill, Chris and Graham (and Maisie, the cockapoo) sat outside and had a chat and drink. We then all opted for a pizza from the pizza van that arrived on site. It was a good pizza. A not too late night was had but a fair bit of alcohol was consumed.
Saturday 25th July (Day 15)
The plan today was to go into York by bus. 10.30am saw (most) of us at the bus stop and a short ride into the centre of York. The weather did not look great with grey / black clouds but it wasn’t cold. Our first goal was to walk the walls / ramparts. After about half of it we split up and Chris and I continued on the wall, while the others went to see York Minster. We both arrived at York Minster about the same time and discovered that York Minster had to be pre-booked online at a cost of £11.50 We visited the Minster on our last trip here and it is worth the money. Being a bit peckish we all strolled down to ‘The Shambles’ where we bought a pie each (a local speciality) from a pie shop for lunch. A short stroll around a market and then Chris (not my Chris) needed to sit down as her hip / knee was causing issues - she is on a crutch wawaiting a new hip, after her new knee! So to find a pub / coffee shop with space (outside) was the objective. (Two of our group were unhappy at being inside.) Eventually we found the ideal location, a pub with outside seating overlooking the river. Here we spent a pleasant hour or so with a drink while watching the fire brigade do ‘something’ with a huge cherry picker on the other side of the river. Then the bus back to the site and a congregate for some chit-chat and a drink or two (both soft and alcoholic). We then split up for tea and we had Texas ribs with ‘rice’n’ peas’. The ribs were quite disappointing (curse you Morrisons). Then back for ‘group time’ until around 10.00pm.
Sunday 26th July (Day 16)
A grey start to the day. One of our group (Barbara) has a birthday today. A gathering with food and drink was planned for early afternoon with games in the morning. So we started with cooking a mini big boys breakfast and ate outside as, although grey, it was quite warm. Then we all adjourned to an nearby grass area and played Kubb, Molky and Boules. Some of those present moved off quietly during the proceedings to decorate one of the pitches and prepare food. 2.20pm saw us all around at the back of one the motorhomes, out of the breeze. What a great spread was presented. Apart from 'the usual' food there was dill marinated herrings, salmon and caviare and much more. A birthday toast with Prosecco, then general drinks and the food. A couple of times it started to spit with rain but almost as soon as we noticed it stopped. The birthday bash continued until 10.00pm (ish). We all slept well.
Photo games on field, Masie and Gray,
Monday 27th July (Day 17)
Well today was meant to be wet and windy. The weather certainly lived up to that reputation. It poured and poured and the wind blew so hard I had to go out and ‘pop’ down our house that we had put up, with a bit of help. A snack in the motorhome and then around 3.00pm it brightened up so Chris and I went for a walk. We found a nearby footpath and then a walk along a road; another footpath was found and back along a second road to the site - all in all just over four miles. Having got back and sat down the heavens opened and the motorhome was rocked by the wind so we were quite lucky. After cooking the evening meal we went over to Resa and Eric’s MH for a game of (S)Uno. First to 300 loses. (S)UNO is a game of pure luck and, well I could have played with my eyes shut as everything fell my way. (I think the lottery this weekend might be worth a punt.) Around 10.00pm we left for bed.
Tuesday 28th July (Day 18)
After breakfast we went for the 10.30am bus into York with Resa and Eric who were booked in to visit York Minster. We separated as soon as we alighted the bus. A gentle stroll for us and we opted for a 45 minute cruise on the Rover Ouse. So some history of York, ignoring the Romans who set up home here for a long time. St Peter’s School is the oldest school, or a contender at least, being established in 625AD. One famous pupil is Guy Fawkes, of the Gunpowder Plot (1605) - allegedly the only honest person to enter Parliament! York minster was built in 627AD of wood and the current one is the 3rd iteration. There are five bridges over the River Ouse (the Fosse is also a smaller river in York). Lendl Bridge is similar to Westminster Bridge in London as it was designed by the same architect, Thomas Page. The Ouse bridge was first in the city ,built by the Vikings and when replaced they built a bridge beside it then they knocked the old bridge down and built the second half next to the first new build. The ‘join’ is still visible. At the other end of the timescale, the Millennium bridge was opened in 2001, it should have been in 2000 but it was delayed by floods. Floods are a feature of York and one pub, The Kings Arms, had a canoe event where canoeists paddled up to the bar to order their drinks. After a quick ‘Beasty Pork and Crackling’ lunch we caught the bus back to the site and walked to join the others at the local pub - a Harvester called 'The Hopgrove’. No ‘real’ beer (John Smiths only!), no crisps, no snacks and service that made Faulty Towers looks like the most attentive ever! Indeed I have been to some poor pubs, and this is not the worse by far, but I think maybe they are trying to rush down to be so. Anyway a walk back to the site and we all ate separately in our dwellings as it was very windy and there was a chill in the air. Then we joined Resa, Eric and Barbara to play another game, this time Phase 10. A cross between rummy and Uno - sort of. Well I really think I ought to do the lottery this week as, despite a bad start, I ended up winning by just 15 points. If Phase 10 is played to the end (we did) it is quite a long game so it was gone 11.00pm before we said our good nights.
Wednesday 29th July (Day 19)
So the day started sunny with no wind but soon clouds rolled in making it not cold but cool. Not to be deterred we sat out for breakfast and opened our wedding anniversary cards (42 years married)!!!!! Then a gentle start sorting scratches in the plastic MH windows, a job I have been doing, intermittently, over the last two plus weeks. It is certainly paying dividends as they are now barely noticeable. We then got the games out and all played boules for a couple of hours. Then, at around 3.00pm, the others got scones and cream and a cake out to celebrate our anniversary. The drink flowed and so did the chat and laughter. We then placed an order for a Chinese take-away to be delivered and by 7.30pm we’re tucking in. It was a good meal. We sat out until just before 9.30pm when it was getting a bit too cold and we all said our good nights.
Photo boules game; Chris and me.
Thursday 30th July (Day 20)
So the weather forecasts on Monday, Tuesday and even yesterday as late as 10.45pm showed that today the weather was going to be great. Why do we pay weather forecasters? Rain in the night, overcast and cool was the start and it didn’t get much better, other than it did, eventually, stop raining. Still today the plan was a bus trip to Scarborough. We caught the 10.10am bus and with masks suitably donned off we went. Only ten of us as Chris and Graham stayed behind - probably just as well with her dodgy hip. It was a 90 plus minute journey. Free for old foggies like me but only £6 return for Chrisandother 'youngsters'. A jolly ride with a stop at Malton where the bus company cleaned all the rails and hand grabs. Eventually we arrived and walked the down the High Street towards the sea. Then down the steep steps to the promenade and along it. Despite all the Covid warnings it was very busy with little self distancing. Eventually, and not too soon for me, we went for lunch. Scarborough = fish and chips. We found a chippy with outside, but covered, seating. Everyone had a great meal. Indeed the fish and chips were really good. We have probably had better but cannot recall it. A bit more of a walk and then a ride up to the High Street on the Victorian Tram. The weather was still average so we opted to catch the bus home. Our view of Scarborough was, a quaint Victorian seaside resort than was ‘tired’. It is the burial place of Anne Bronte buried in the church on the hill. Anyway a bus trip back and the weather decided to change making it hot hot hot on the bus, Back at the site we had the usual gathering and Ron did his signature group dish of hotdogs and onions. The smoked hotdogs (Costco) were smashing and in a tortilla rather than a bun making them less filling, which was nice. It was a warm evening and it was gone 10.00pm when we all said our good nights.
Friday 31st July (Day 21)
Of course we were on our way home as the grandchildren had flown in and two he weather was a scorcher, 36 degrees! We said our goodbyes to the other ten who were off to Whitby. (I was going to punch the next person who told me how lovely Whitby was.) So just after 10.00am we were off with a stop first at ASDA for cheap LPG. The run home was relatively good. The travel time was five and a half hours and even with a few slow queues we were home by 3,00pm A great three weeks but sad to leave ‘the crew’.