hi ho hi ho, it’s off to York we go
by Rachael
Harrogate, England
So if we’re off to York, why did we end up in Harrogate?
Just before we set off this morning, Jgirl14 mentioned Harrogate-where-Grandpa-lived-for-a-couple-of-years-during-the-war, but as Rob said not a word, we surmised we were not going there. Never mind – according to Aunty L’s description of York, we were in for a treat of a day anyway. (She had gone up there with Grandpa a couple of days ago before heading off to Canada).
It is a wonderfully old town with fabulous buildings and York Minster is a wonderfully gothic example of a cathedral. We didn’t even go inside and I was delighted with it. I’m glad we made the effort to visit. It is a small town with wonderful surprises round each corner – older than Bath not so grand but cute.
She also told us about some great museums that the children would enjoy, including a medieval one and a Viking one, but at a hundred pounds, we didn’t even momentarily entertain the notion of going there! Too bad they’re not English Heritage sites –although to be fair to EH, they have wrangled a ten percent discount for members. That’s just not quite discount enough for us!
Anyway, after a long lunchtime stop at a massive Tescos store (where Rob picked up a snazzy little gizmo that will allow us internet access for the next 30 days….and then tried to install it….and it didn’t work so he had to go back in to the shop….while we all sat in the vans in the pouring rain…..), we got zooming on a refreshingly boring motorway, England’s highest one, to be precise, and come four o’clock Rob spots a Harrogate sign. Before we know it, we’re off on a detour. 34 Saint John’s Crescent is plugged in to the GPS and we are soon sitting in Harrrogate Rush Hour Traffic…..then pulling in to Saint John’s Street, off which run St John’s Lane and St John’s Avenue and St John’s Crescent, the one we want. Out of the vans we all tumble and up the road for a look.
As Grandpa is, unfortunately, in Canada, we don’t get any extra stories, and there is really no reason to stay longer….but we decide not to proceed to York; it is abandoned in favour of a closer supermarket carpark, where we are granted permission to stay the night and can eat dinner at a reasonable hour (and spend the evening mucking about with the new internet thingy that will not accept we are over 18 years of age).
We are enjoying the flexibility of going where we want, seeing what takes our fancy. Of course, we will not be able to see everything, but we certainly seem to be fitting a fair bit in. In the next few days we will have plans to be in x town for a night, but will end up staying up the road next to an Abbey, partly because it will turn out to be a delightful spot, partly because it will be free, partly because we can. We can always stay in x town the next night instead.
Hi ho hi ho, who knows where we’ll go?
Time on the road: need to check Jboy13’s record!
Distance covered: 283km
Tags: 2008/09, grandpa's stories, history, postcard: England
rayres
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