by Jim Bellomo | Jun 8, 2024 | Food Experiences, Photography
I tried to come up with a wittier headline than that but it really says it all. The Isle of Skye is drop-dead gorgeous. Of course, there are some who would find a tropical island with lots of sun much more to their liking but for me, give me Scotland.
Move to Skye Friday
I almost forgot that the last post only got you to the end of a very long Thursday. On Friday we were up, fed and on the road…leaving Oban by 9:30 to drive north and a little west to the ferry at Mallaig. On the way, we drove through some lovely countryside and stopped for a few photographs. We stopped for lunch in Mallaig just before we boarded the ferry. Here’s a map of our drive on Friday.
We had done our research on a number of Scotland travel groups on Facebook and one thing we had learned was you better have ferry reservations before you go or you aren’t getting on. We had ours and there were a few cars behind us who didn’t make our trip. They got to wait and hope they could get on the next boat two hours later. Below are our final shots from the mainland and the village of Mallaig. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
On the way to Mallaig…
we would stop every so often and get out to stretch our legs and I would take photos.
Photos alongside Loch Linnhe
Kathleen and our little blue Mercedes. Great car for narrow roads.
An old Inn we passed
Just incredible scenery
Since it was raining one minute and sunny the next, there were waterfalls everywhere.
Another stop along one of the many lochs
For another waterfall
And another beautiful.
So much green…
Finally we are at the sea and ready to head north to Mallaig.
But still more beauty on the way.
Lots of it.
Small islands everywhere.
And of course boats.
In some swells
And finally the village of Mallaig
The ferry ride took about 45 minutes and then we arrived in Armadale…finally on the Isle of Skye. We stopped briefly to visit Armadale Castle and Gardens where we had our best example of Scottish weather yet. We entered the castle grounds and walked a very short distance to the castle itself. I shot about 15 photos. At this point I had been looking out to sea and at the castle in beautiful, warm sunlight. I told Kathleen to wait for a couple of minutes while I went out to shoot the castle from in front of the lawn. In the time it took me to reach the front of the lawn and turn around to shoot the photos (about two minutes) a huge rain squall moved in and I yelled at Kathleen to get back to the entrance or get soaked and I took the shots and ran. In less than those 120 seconds it went from beautiful sunshine to POURING rain. By the time we got back to the entrance gift shop, we were soaked.
Armadale Castle in brilliant blue sky
It is overgrown and there really is no interior.
But it’s a pretty cool ruin.
You can see the ivy growing inside the window.
Here’s a panoramic shot of the entire view from right in front of the castle.
In the three minutes it took me to walk from here to the other side of the lawn…
…passing this path…
…and this statue of Scotty dogs…
the storm hit.
From Armadale we drove north to our home for our three days on Skye, the Balintoy Bed and Breakfast. The three nights are the longest consecutive stay on the trip (until the cruise next week) and we are glad they are here at this very small bed and breakfast. The owner Gillian has been wonderful pre-trip with lots of very valuable info. Things like telling me that if we didn’t book tables for our three nights here we would not get into any restaurant and would be forced to eat dinners from food stands…if we were lucky. She was so right. I had made reservations for all three nights and at every place we have been (we are on our third morning as I write this) there have been signs saying, “Sorry, we are booked full!”
The Balintoy also has the largest room we have had on this trip so we get to spread out a little. The breakfasts are excellent and light. We needed a couple of days of granola, fruit and yogurt instead of the protein-heavy Scottish breakfasts in Glasgow and Oban. We were also able to get some laundry done. We have been out for more than a week now and there were a few things that needed washing to get us through until we board Viking Venus on the 14th. Kathleen had found the Skye Laundry Service online before we left. They pick up a good-sized, full bag of laundry and return it to you clean and folded the next day for only £20. Quite the deal for a busy traveler. Ours was picked up yesterday and we will get it back today. Until then we are touring naked ?. Not really. I wanted to see if you are still paying attention.
We had dinner at The Antlers Inn which is located inside the Portree Hotel in downtown Portree (the largest town on Skye) and made our plans for our drive around the island on Saturday.
I want to stop for a moment to say that not only have we had great food here in Scotland but the people in the restaurants have been awesome. The servers have taken VERY good care of us, the other patrons have been fun to either watch or talk to and all our dining experiences have been outstanding. For instance, The Antlers Inn had superb background music. We asked our server what it was and she said she loved it too but wasn’t sure. She rushed off to ask her manager who came out and we had five minutes of discussion about the music. That kind of thing. People just being people. That’s what travel is all about. But we do have to admit that many times we have needed subtitles on this trip. Scots have one of my favorite accents but the farther out from the cities you go, the deeper it gets and sometimes we will just look at each other and smile. I know that this means that one day I will end up eating haggis or blood pudding but I would rather do that than insult someone by asking them to repeat it four times, or to slow down. We usually get it by the third ?.
See you tomorrow (or maybe later today) with the story of our first FULL day on Skye. It was beautiful.
I come more to Scotland than I ever used to, so I feel more connected to it, more part of the zeitgeist. You know when you realize you have a choice and I’m choosing my homeland. It’s funny: when you get older these things creep up to you. —Allen Cumming
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 5, 2024 | Food Experiences, Photography
Surprise! Two posts in one day. This is because we have to leave our Oban hotel tomorrow morning by 6:45 to get on a ferry to three islands at 6:55. I will have a complete report on that tomorrow (or, more likely, on Friday morning). But today was fun.
Our day was built around picking up our rental car and driving it from Glasgow to Oban by way of Inveraray. But nothing goes perfect on a trip, and this morning was but a minor inconvenience. Of course it didn’t seem so at the time because I was already a little stressed out just because I was going to have to rent car with the steering wheel on the “other” side and then drive it on the “other” side of the road. Please note that I did not say the “wrong” side of the road.
We were supposed to have breakfast at 7:30 and then call the rental car company when they opened at 8:00 a.m. At exactly 8:01 a.m., I called and was told the shuttle was very busy and couldn’t be here until 9:00 a.m. It’s really strange how so many people called in at exactly 8:00 a.m. to beat me to schedule the shuttle.
The woman on the phone said that the shuttle couldn’t be there until 9:00 a.m. we should take our bags and wait outside at 9:00 a.m., and if he didn’t show up by 9:15, we should call back. So out, we go onto a not-too-great street at 9:00, and there is no shuttle. I called at 9:15. She said he was held up in traffic and would be there by 9:30. This is about when it started to rain. We can’t really wait in the hotel as it is on the sixth floor of an office building attached to Glasgow Central Train station. So we waited. He finally showed up at 9:45. It was only an hour and forty-five minutes after we had originally scheduled to be picked up, but hey, what’s more than an hour between friends?
The driver (a very nice Scotsman) drove us to the car hire office at the edge of Glasgow. The “in-training” person took almost an entire hour to get us set up and on the road. We were finally out of there by 10:30 or so.
We wound up with a very nice, blue Mercedes-A-Class sedan. Just the right size to be big enough to carry us and our bags but small enough to fit on the narrow country roads. And some of them are VERY NARROW! When the car rental trainee said he was giving me a Mercedes, I said NO! I remembered that our friend Mike had put a very large Mercedes in a ditch when he drove here on a trip. Kathleen keeps freaking out because she says I am too close to the right edge of the road. She should have driven behind Paul when we were in Leeds ?. Then she would have seen what getting close to that edge is really like.
We headed north out of Glasgow towards our first stop, Inveraray. On the way we drove along Loch Lomond for most of the balance of the morning. Absolutely beautiful. We stopped at a small campground at the top of the Loch (a place called Firkin Point) so I could take photos. The light was about as close to perfect as you can get at midday, and the sun kept going in and out behind big, puffy clouds. Behind the clouds was a VERY blue sky. One minute it would be bright and sunny and the next a torrential downpour. Here are some pics from our first stop, including a photo Kathleen took of me when I was first driving on the “other side” of the road.
How I feel when I drive in Scotland.
This is the Firkin stream
Looking out at Loch Lomand
Kathleen in front of the Firkin stream
Looking at the hills above the Firkin stream
Another look at Loch Lomond three minutes after the first shot.
One of our in-frequent selfies.
After our Firkin stop, we headed off to Inveraray, a lovely little seaside town. Or should I say Lochside town? Either way, it was cute and quaint, and it had a castle that was closed (boo hoo ?), but I still was able to walk all the way around it and then saw a sign that said that even if it had been open, no photography was allowed inside. We are sorry we missed the inside but there was nothing I would have been able to show you. Here’s the pics. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
A very cool, one-lane bridge we crossed to enter the village.
The harbor
The castle
Almost a fairy tale
I mean really cool
The sky and the light kept cooperating.
I shot all three sides I had access to.
The lord and lady of Inveraray still live there.
This is their personal banner.
Way up on the hill that patch is wild rhododendron
A quick pano of the fields behind the castle with the carriage house down the road.
Downtown Inveraray
Another pano of the loch
The Inveraray Inn where we had a very nice lunch.
And of course a Scottish war monument.
From there we headed north and west to Oban. On the way, we stopped at The Pass of Brander, where a major battle took place in 1308. I took one pic up Loch Awe (which is the largest fresh-water lake in the UK), and then we went on to Oban.
When we arrived in Oban, the first place I had been told to see was McCaig’s Tower. It’s an old relic sitting above Oban. It is overgrown but stunning, and the views are amazing. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
The view from the Pass of Brander. I hope there was less water when the battle happened.
McCaig’s Tower
Very cool
Inside the ivy had grown all around the and through the windows.
But you could see for miles.
The entire city of Oban
The Harbor
The keeper of the tower, this cat didn’t even open its eyes when people would pet it.
The Tower from below. More of a giant castle than a tower
The harbor from sea level.
A ship sailing off. We will be on the same kind of ferry tomorrow morning.
A pano from the Tower
And from the harbor itself.
And the only thing left to show you before I head to bed (remember we have to get up REALLY early) is dinner and the hotel. We went to a very cool seafood place (incredibly fresh seafood) called Ee-Usk and then back to our hotel where I took a photo of her in front of the door. We are staying at The Manor House, which is an old (but updated) British Inn. The service and room are WONDERFUL so far.
Kathleen had the halibut
I had the seafood salad—both were delicious
And here’s our inn—The Manor House
There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter. —Billy Connolly
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 4, 2024 | Food Experiences, Photography
Yup, I still have the cold. A little better than yesterday. We had planned to do the HoHo bus (Hop On/Hop Off) bus yesterday anyway but it was the perfect way to do an easy day and still see a lot of Glasgow. The weather wasn’t as beautiful as the day before, but there was a little blue sky every so often and no significant rain.
We had breakfast at the hotel and then took a brief ten-minute walk to catch the HoHo. Two people, two lines, one day, 50£. Not a bad investment. We started downstairs in the warmer parts of the bus, but then I had to go upstairs to take photos without them being shot through glass. I got a lot of things I am very happy with. I just kicked the shutter speed up and took the shot. And lots of copies of every photo. Sorry about the lack of captions. The wonderful lady who was doing the tour narration was a very fast speaker with a very deep Scottish accent. Suffice it to say, if we were watching her on TV, we would have had the subtitles on. You can tell me what you think about the photos after you see them. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Glasgow is surely a city of murals. This one of St. Mungo (founder of Glasgow) is the most famous.
Another one
Clock?
Fountain
Top of fountain/Queen Victoria
Middle of fountain
Bottom of fountain
Building across from fountains
Freddy Mercury mural
Hail Italia
Famous guy with traffic cone.
This statue is like this all the time.
Bridge & Building
Three masted schooner
Non-commisioned murals
Really cool.
A bunch more…including The Mandalorian
Murals…
Lots of Murals…
Murals everywhere.
James Watt thinking about steam engines.
Castle through the trees
Kelvingrove Gallery
Pretty impressive
Clock tower/
That was pretty much our day. We came back to the room and tried to make up for the missing hours of sleep that I coughed through and then went to dinner at The Ivy restaurant. The Ivy is a chain of pretty cool places throughout England and Scotland. We have reservations at the original Ivy in London’s West End in about a week. Here’s some pics from dinner.
A quick pano of the room we ate in on the second floor.
Kathleen and tonight’s negroni
Best thing for a sore throat…a spritz.
Roasted tomato soup and some very fresh bread.
And their famous shepherd’s pie
Going back down the stairs.
The first floor.
It was a really great meal. When we go to London, the menu is slightly different, plus my brother Steve and my sister-in-law Jamie will be with us, so it will be more fun. The dinner was so good that I could eat the same thing again.
Today should be “fun.” As soon as we finish breakfast, we will check out of Grasshoppers and pick up our rental car to head to the Islands and the Highlands. It’s been 20+ years since I have driven on the other side of the road and the other side of the car. Like I said…”fun.”
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. —Oprah Winfrey
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 3, 2024 | Food Experiences
I keep getting accused of being a constant complainer when I travel. My three British friends tell me I remind them of a character named Victor Meldrew. I think I mentioned him in Friday’s post. I try not to be like Victor. I really do. At home, I’m not that way. I am a happy-go-lucky guy who hardly ever complains about anything.
So, what am I complaining about today? Not the train ride we took yesterday. It was truly beautiful chugging through the British countryside, and the trains were on time. On the second half of our ride, we were on a high-speed train in the first-class coach, where two outstanding conductors helped me bring the luggage on board and then served us a delicious lunch. So, I have no complaints about the train.
Maybe the hotel we are staying in? It’s called Grasshoppers and even though there might be some tiny tiny stuff, it is basically a very nice place. And talk about convenience…it is situated on the sixth floor of the same building as the Glasgow Central Rail Station. So all we had to do was walk out the front door, make two quick turns and go back inside and up the elevator. We thought we would leave our bags and head off to look around downtown, but our room was ready. What a nice surprise. The people here are very nice. They have a room called the Sitting Room that I am sitting in now while Kathleen gets a little more shuteye.
Did I mention that they give you free breakfast if you book directly with the hotel? Or that they have cakes (choice of four) available 24/7, along with some delicious ice cream. How can you have a better hotel than that? Well, maybe better beds, but that has to do with my big complaint. Keep reading.
Am I complaining about the weather? Not me. If anything, it was too good. Bright sunlight and warmth with hardly a cloud in the sky. I took some photos, but the light was harsh. I much prefer that early morning sunrise light. Here are the pics I took so you can see what I mean. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
Found the Tardis but no Doctor.
Seagulls are funny.
They made this guy a blond.
As I said, it was a beautiful day.
City Hall
Looking back down towards our hotel.
Street shot.
Loved this building. It’s an office building on the top and a Thai restaurant on the bottom.
The Royal Concert Hall
Looking down Buchanan Street.
They even had an Apple Store.
Very cool building.
It housed the Argyle arcade.
Dad and son feeding the pigeons.
Found the River Clyde.
And some gulls that wanted to pose.
Really happy with the clarity I am getting from my new lens.
There are murals everywhere in Glasgow.
Some were commissioned.
Some are graffiti.
But with a message.
Glad it wasn’t me they were yelling at. Apparently, Glaswegians don’t like having their photos taken.
A panoramic shot of the Clyde.
And back to our hotel. This is the street entrance.
Maybe it was the place we went for dinner last night? Not that, either. We had reservations at Banco di Roma, a lovely Italian restaurant about three blocks from the hotel. We figured by the time we were on the fifth day of our trip, we would want something a little different, and this place was just right. The food was superb (see the photos), and the ambiance (it is located in an old bank building that has been lovingly converted into a restaurant) was really cool. We even had two tables of people right in front of us for people-watching. You know the situation, family drama, where you make up stories about everyone, trying to figure out where they are from and who is related to whom. We do that all the time, but it has been a while since we had this many great people to figure it out.
The outside of the restaurant
The inside of the restaurant
Kathleen enjoying her Foamy Negroni. They had five kinds of Negronis.
Our appetizers. The chicken at the upper right was to die for.
The bread bowl. The top bread was pizza crust. YUM!
My entrée-Octopus bolognese.
And Kathleens eggplant parmesan. She won the best entrée contest. Delicious.
So if it was the hotel, the food, the train or the weather, what am I complaining about—it’s the fact that once again on a trip—I am sick. I have come down with a horrible cold/flu. I don’t think it’s COVID (I have had every shot known to man), but it’s an ugly cold with a cough (that keeps Kathleen up all night), a very sore throat and a stuffed-up nose. I HATE BEING SICK WHEN I TRAVEL! It’s the worst. I am in a tiny hotel room with no place to go so Kathleen can sleep, and I can be comfortable. It just sucks. Hopefully, this doesn’t last long. We are going to go do the HoHo bus today so maybe that will make me feel better. Off to breakfast. I hope you have a great day.
Never complain and never explain. —Benjamin Disraeli
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 2, 2024 | Food Experiences
I mentioned yesterday that we were heading to Wensleydale today for lunch at a cute little place called The Wensleydale Heifer. Wensleydale is famous because of the Aardman Studios cartoons of two characters named Wallace and Gromit. People ask me, “Who are Wallace and Gromit?” These two are Wallace and Gromit. They live in Wensleydale, they eat Wensleydale cheese (Wensleydale is famous for cheese) and we love them dearly. They are pretty much the only animation outside of Pixar that I have watched in the last 50 years. And I have to admit that Kathleen turned me on to them. I had really never heard of these two before I met her.
So we were off today to have lunch at a wonderful restaurant/hotel called the Wensleydale Heifer. We stayed there overnight and had dinner with Paul and Gail when we last visited in 2019. Recently, Paul and Gail had been there to celebrate Gail’s birthday and found out they were now having a big lunch on Sunday (which I was just told is very common in England). So they asked us if we wanted to go up for lunch on the Sunday we were here (today). So, about 11:00 am, we were off to Wensleydale. On the way, we stopped for a walk around a very typical small town—Leyburn. While we were there, I got some photos of the village (only four that I liked enough to display), and I hope you like them. It took a bit of Photoshop work this time. Most of these beautiful, historic buildings were plastered with signs and banners. I had to remove all that to show the the beauty of the buildings themselves. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
A building downtown
An old hotel
One of two churches in the village.
And here’s the other one.
After our quick tour of Leyburn we were off to the Heifer for lunch. And what a lunch! I did it again, though. I was so hungry and so much in a hurry to try the unbelievable food that I forgot to take a photo of the meal until dessert. Shame on me. Suffice it to say that the meal was amazing. Here’s the menu if you are interested.
We all had the traditional roast beef Sunday lunch with Yorkshire pudding, roasties and so many other wonderful things. You can see them all on the menu. But here’s what dessert looked like. It’s a Hazelnut Terrine, Honeycomb Cheesecake with Honeycomb Ice Cream. Delicious.
As long as we are showing photos, I thought maybe you would like to see all of us together. If you notice a balloon at the table, Paul’s birthday was last Thursday, so we were celebrating belatedly. We had the best three days with them, and they took such good care of us. We can’t wait to see them again. We FaceTime regularly, but it isn’t the same as getting together. 
And that’s about it for yesterday. We are off to Glasgow this morning by train for a two-day visit and then off to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. See you then.
It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 1, 2024 | Food Experiences
This post will be a personal one as opposed to my usual travel stuff wherein I complain about something ?. We are spending the first four days of our current trip with our good friends Paul and Gail at their home in Leeds, England.
After our ride with Welcome Pickups we arrived at Kings Cross station to take the train north to Leeds. If you are unfamiliar with European trains, I can only say that I LOVE them. They are a wonderful form of transportation that I wish we had more of at home. Clean, safe, on time and more.
We had pre-purchased a three-day (non-consecutive) rail pass before we left home. It allowed us to travel on any train in Great Britain for three days in a 30-day period starting on the day of first use. It took me a few e-mails with the folks we purchased it to understand how it worked, but I finally got it. You have to activate the pass for a particular day in advance. You can also purchase assigned seats for a very small amount ($5.00 each), and I did that for two of our trips, but I couldn’t for this one to Leeds because we were not sure what time we would get to the station from the airport. We know what time we will be leaving on our remaining train rides, so we have reserved seats.
Before we left, I downloaded the schedule and knew there was a train to Leeds every half an hour for most of the day. It was almost noon when we were in the car about a mile from Kings Cross. There was a train to Leeds at 12:03, 12:33 and 1:03. Since it was noon, I figured that by the time we got there and got our luggage out of the car, into the station, found the train platform, we needed to be on, we could get the 1:03. Nope. We walked into the station at 12:20, got quick directions, walked to the platform, used our passes to get through the gates, and talked to a nice lady who directed us to our first-class coach. and we were aboard and sitting in our seats on the 12:33. Can you imagine doing that at an airport?
The ride north was just short of two and a half hours. We only made four stops, and they were quick ones. The midday train was about half empty, so we had no problem finding seats. Our “first class” ticket came with lunch, which turned out to be a drink, a sandwich and crisps (almost typed chips ?). It was not gourmet, but we were hungry after that horrible Virgin Air breakfast, so we were happy to get it.
Once we got to Leeds, we quickly got off the train, and Paul and Gail met us as we left the station platform. We got into their car and drove back to their house. We had visited them pre-pandemic before our cruise from Dublin to Iceland, but they had moved since then, so we got to see their beautiful new home. It is really very nice and just perfect for the two of them and the grandchildren who visit often.
Most of you who read my posts know that I am an early riser, but I have to tell you that yesterday, I don’t think I was up and moving until well after 8:00 a.m. I slept a full nine hours after being up for almost 30 hours, Thursday through Friday. We were both wiped out. Today, I seem to be back on schedule, getting up at my usual 5:30 a.m., which gives me a chance to write this. Win-win!
Our day yesterday was leisurely as Paul and Gail planned to let us recuperate from our flight. We went into nearby Harrogate midday and did a short walk through a beautiful park and around the city center before we stopped for lunch at the amazing Bettys Tea Room (no, there is no apostrophe). We had been to Bettys before as it is a Yorkshire institution. And the lunch was delicious. I had a rarebit that came with my choice of three chutneys (Onion, tomato and apple), but I asked for all three. Yum! But as good as lunch was, what you come to Bettys for is the Fat Rascal. The photo at the top is us holding the Fat Rascal that we split. After having lunch, there is no way to eat an entire Rascal on your own. Think of a Fat Rascal as a kind of giant scone (about that consistency) with raisins and maybe currants inside and almonds and cherries to make a face on the top. They are delicious and a must-eat treat if you come to Yorkshire (the general area where Leeds and Harrogate are located).
After lunch and another quick walk around the town, we were back to Paul and Gail’s, where Kathleen took a nap, and Gail and I went out on a 3+ mile walk around the area (which is beautiful). I did take a few photos while we were walking around Harrogate so those of you who follow me for those had something to look at. Nothing that will make my top ten, but certainly some things I liked. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…
When you are in any part of Europe, you realize how young our country is.
So many of the buildings in Europe are older than our entire country.
And if the sky is right, they make great photographs.
And I love street stuff like this trumpet player who was playing on a pedestrian street we walked down.
Gail saw me shooting this old iron fence and wondered what I was taking a photo of. I was just trying to be fancy with my depth of field.
This is a Chilean lantern tree that is in P&G’s front yard. It is so beautifully delicate.
Then it was off to dinner at Murgatroyds, where they boast they have the “best fish and chips in England.” We have to agree, although I think the atmosphere was better at The Magpie, where Paul and Gail had taken us on our last visit. It is in the beautiful village of Whitby, but that was a complete day out, so this was close enough to just run over there for dinner. After dinner, it was back to the house to catch the final half of the Champions League game on TV. It’s funny that when we were here in 2019, I had no idea about football (soccer for the Americans) at all. No clue as to what was going on. But thanks to the amazing Ted Lasso, I can now ALMOST figure out what offsides is. And I can definitely follow the game.
Back at the house, we even got a proper English Trifle that Gail had made for dessert. They have been feeding us very well, and we certainly will give them high marks on Trip Adviser after we leave.
Later today we are off to the Wensleydale Heifer for lunch. If you are a fan of the Wallace and Grommet animated films, they are set in Wensleydale, and they have a world-famous cheese store there. But we are only going as far as the Heifer. On our last visit, we went north through the Lakes District and spent the night at the Heifer (where every room has a theme) and had a wonderful dinner at their excellent restaurant. But this trip we aren’t going to be here in Yorkshire for that long so lunch will have to suffice ?. A full report on our drive north and lunch will follow tomorrow. See you then.
Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends. —H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
