Invitation to private Bowls Club ITINERARY:
SEPT 8/FRI Departed USA for Manchester
SEPT 9/SAT Arrived Manchester airport where our coach met us. We began our tour with a
stop at Thornton to visit the house in which the Brontes were actually born. Mystery
author Barbara Whitehead purchased it for restoration. She met us and told us the story.
After a short lunch break, we continued on to York, with the rest of the afternoon open
for us to explore this ancient-walled city. CB,L
SEPT 10/SUN We departed for Eden Camp. Built on the site of a WWII POW camp. Each
barrack told a little piece of British war history, from The Blitz to U-boats. Our visit
reflected the recent books Peter Robinson, Reg Hill, Deborah Crombie and others that have
incorporated WWII events into their stories. Although we could eat in the canteen here, we
skipped the tinned food for better fare. Off we went to the Crown & Cushion for a
traditional Yorkshire dinner of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and fresh
veg. Thus fortified, we were off to visit Castle Howard. It is here that Brideshead
Revisited and The Buccaneers were filmed. Besides the house, there were immense grounds to
explore, including a boathouse down by the lake. That night, DI Malcolm Richards (retired)
was our guest for dinner, to lend authenticity to the many Yorkshire police procedurals.
B,L,D
SEPT 11/MON Our blue badge guide took us on a walking tour of York Minster and the
Snickleways of York. If you read Barbara Whitehead, you recognized many of the streets and
places we visited. Afterwards, we had the afternoon free to enjoy York in whatever way we
preferred. A list of attractions helped us decide. That evening we drove out to Huntington
Bowls club for dinner and an evening as the guests of Mr. Ray Blogg, Vice Chairman of the
club. He was happy to show us how to play this favorite British game. B,D
SEPT 12/TUE Our coach took us to Pickering, the start of our North Yorkshire Moors Rail
ride. Before taking off, we had a few moments to enjoy this picturesque town, and shop at
the used paperback store across the street from the station. There was a large section of
mysteries, many not available in the USA, all at less than ½ price. Our train journey
took us along one of the most scenic routes in the country into the station at Goathland.
Often used by movie and TV shows, we recognized it from Poirot, Holmes, Brideshead or All
Creatures. We met Nicholas Rhea at our hotel for lunch and he told us about his life as a
village bobby and how he came to create "Heartbeat", now a successful BBC police
series. He broght some of his books for us to buy and have autographed (not available in
US). Before dinner, we walked down to see the waterfall. When darkness fell, the Dracula
Walk began. Whitby, the town where Dracula landed, was used by P. Robinson in Past Reason
Hated, and Fete Fatale, by Barnard, and possibly by Reg Hill, also. B,L,D
SEPT 13/WED Unexpectedly spectacular, Rievaulx Abbey represented the wealth of the
Cistercian monks. One of the custodians was able to tell us the history before we explored
the impressive ruins. We lunched at the Fauconberg Arms, a 17th century inn that is
rumored to have Cromwell's bones buried in a secret bricked-up vault. Across the street
was the church where Laurence Sterne, the randy author of Tristran Shandy, was Vicar in
1760. The well-loved country vet Alf Wight, known to us as James Herriot lived in Thirsk.
His house and surgery have been lovingly restored to commemorate his life. We drove
through Herriot country into P. Robinson country to our own manor house, a lovely dinner
and the story of "James Herriot was my Vet" as told by our host. B,L,D
SEPT 14/THUR The pretty town of Durham sits in the crook of the River Wear. Frank
Reuter, who lived and taught in Durham, acted as our private guide through the Cathedral
and we also had a tour of the Castle, now a college, and a look at the Treasures of St
Cuthbert. For our visit to Hadrian's Wall, we picked up a guide to tell us the area's
history, not only of the Roman era, but of Debatable Lands, a time of lawlessness and
killing. Catherine Cookson set her C19th novels around this area. On our way home we
stopped to see the birthplace of our own George Washington. B,L,D
SEPT 15/FRI Faires, giants and folklore came alive as our guide weaved Yorkshire tales
on our drive through the soft countryside of Wensleydale. Characterized by rolling green
hills dotted with grazing sheep and criss-crossed by dry stone walls, the beauty was
quintessential English. We visited a waterfall with perfect acoustics, used in The Hanging
Valley. We walked a bit of the Pennine Way, past a graveyard and by the Beck to Gayle,
model for Gratly, where Alan Banks now lives. We had a little lunch and tour at the
Wensleydale Cheese Dairy, made infamous by the Wallace and Gromit videos. The birthplace
of Richard III, Middleham Castle, was on our way back to Richmond and our guide gave us a
tour into his murderous history. That we attended a performance at the restored Georgian
Theatre Royal. B,L,D
SEPT 16/SAT Easby Abbey, just outside of Richmond was mostly ruins, but the little
church next door had some unusual frescos. We took a little peek before our visit to Mount
Grace Priory. This Cathusian monastery had a monk's cell completely restored. It surely
was very much like the place Brother Cadfael lived. For lunch we stopped at the Village
Inn pub on our way to Harrogate, home of the Old Swan Hotel where Agatha Christie
"disappeared", and the location for the film "Agatha". That night was
a real treat, with our hosts Lizzie and Nigel Stanton welcoming us with a Pimms and
preparing a cordon bleu dinner for us. Their C17th farmhouse sits high on a hill
overlooking the surrounding countryside and a little flock of sheep. They invited their
friend, and retired village bobby, John Fort, to join us for more tales of real police
work in a small English town. B,L,D
SEPT 17/SUN East Riddlesden Hall, a merchant's house built at the time of the Civil War
had a dramatic history and a host of ghosts! Our period-costumed guide took us through the
house and then a custodian told us of the several resident ghosts known to inhabit
Riddlesden. This exciting morning was followed by an afternoon with the Brontes. This tiny
village outside Haworth, had plenty of choices for lunch, and we visited the Parsonage at
our leisure. We made sure to read The Missing Bronte and Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori by
Mr Barnard, our guest that evening. We picked him up at the train station and drove up to
the hilltop village of Heptonstall (A Hovering of Vultures, Barnard). A little walk took
us to the grave of Sylvia Plath. We supped at the Old Silent, one of the titles of Martha
Grimes, with Mr Barnard. We brought our books for signing. B,D
SEPT 18/MON Home of the Earl and Countess of Harewood, this incredible Stately Home
boasted of spectacular interiors and unrivaled collections of Chippendale furniture, china
and art. Our Behind the Scenes guide took us through the State rooms, told us about
Victorian Harewood and took us belowstairs to the Old Kitchen and Sculleries, areas not
open to the public. After a nice lunch, we enjoyed a relaxing boat ride and strolled
through the Capability Brown grounds and the Bird garden. Although it was hard to leave,
we went to take a look at the Ripon Law & Order Museum and Workhouses, where our guide
showed us the other side of society. Such a contrast! That night we had dinner at the
hotel and prepared for our early departure for the airport next day. B,L,D
SEPT 19/TUE Returned to Manchester Airport
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