Yorkshire Dales

We ate breakfast in York and decided to see the Yorkshire Dalles before making our way to the Lake District. Feeling tired of planning, Joel put me in charge of the traveling guide and map reading. I picked a small place called Pately Bridge(SE side of the dalles) and How Stean Gorge. We drove through the most gorgeous country side on the way to Pately Bridge. I was tempted to make Joel pull over and just leave me on the side of the road. With the beautiful weather, gorgeous countryside, and my nose buried in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver I couldn’t think of a single thing I’d rather do than leave behind my life and become a farmer. Pately Bridge was a cute town, filled like all the other towns with gift shops. It wasn’t so much the town that impressed us, but the drive out there. Carsickness, headaches, and all, I’d do it again. After picking up some cheese, biscuits, and pork pies, we made the 20 minute drive to How Stean Gorge. For 11 pounds, it was much smaller than we expected, but we both fell in love with the secluded stream and breathtaking walk. We found some fallen logs and had a picnic in the open fields. When we got in the car to continue onto the Lake District, we finally saw real English rainy weather. It took several hours to get to our bed and breakfast(Tock How Farm), but we were extremely pleased when we pulled into the most quaint farmhouse. Our room overlooks the cow filled farm, a beautiful lake, and mountains in the distance. We were wet and cold when we arrived and were happily greeted by a fireplace, tea, and hot chocolate. This has proved to be the highlight of our trip this far. We’re ready to kick back and enjoy a few days in the English countryside.