We're all going on a Summer Holiday......

Actually, we've BEEN on a Summer Holiday - and come back.  I finally got the packing done and,  left at 7.30 last Saturday morning to drive to the Yorkshire Dales.  I was staying in a cottage in Buckden, which was a converted Chapel (yes, I could see the irony in that too).   My sister and brother in law had already arrived - and we got the holiday off to a good start with these .............

My sister had stopped off at a food fair in Clumber Park.  I had the pink one, she had the one with Jelly Beans and Mark had the macho yellow one.  (Yeah, that's what he said, too)

The cottage was lovely, with this view from the kitchen window ...

And from the garden -

We went for a long walk on Sunday, over 11 miles with fantastic views (necessitating steep climbs)

and went to Kettlewell, where they did a lot of the filming for Calendar Girls.  Recognise this? Its the hall they all walked into when they were going to their WI meetings.

On Tuesday I had arranged to meet my Yorkshire friend Betty in Harrogate.  Well, I thought I had, but when I sent her a text to say where I'd parked, she rang me in a panic to say she was in the middle of bathing one of her old ladies (it's a job, not a hobby) and it seemed that ONE of us (I think it's her, she thinks it's me) got the days mixed up, so we arranged to meet at Bolton Abbey the following day instead.  Which meant I had the day to myself, shopping in Harrogate.  They had some great charity shops and an even better button shop...

How about this for a selection of buttons ...

I spent a small fortune,  for which I hold Betty wholly responsible. Even though I was on my own, being a right Billy-No-Mates didn't stop me going to Betty's (no relation) for afternoon tea.

I asked for a pot of tea and one lemon macaroon, but they don't sell them individually, you have to have a selection.  The girl assured me they were very small, but she did give me a bag to take the others home in if I really couldn't manage them.

Oh, in case you're wondering, I folded the empty bag up and hid it under the empty plate.  They WERE only small.

The next day I went off to Bolton Abbey, as re-arranged.  Betty rang en route to suggest that we meet at a village called Burnsall for lunch, and then walk it off in Bolton Abbey afterwards.  She told me to look out for the Red Lion pub.  So I did, and I found it and I parked in it's expansive car park.  And waited.  Then waited a bit longer.  After 45 minutes and two answered texts I was getting a bit concerned.  It should only have taken her 5 or 10 minutes from when she rang.  Fearing the worst,  I pictured a scene of carnage, with Betty being cut out of her upturned Mini , surrounded by paramedics.  I left my car, intending to walk up the road and stop a passer by to see if there had been a problem on the road - and just as I did who should stroll into the car park but a completely unharmed Betty.  Turned out she had been sitting for 45 minutes in another car park.  I think we need to make better plans.

Anyway, we had a bit of a walk around Burnsall, then a very pleasant lunch at the Red Lion, after which we drove to Bolton Abbey

and had a longer walk there,  including across the Stepping Stones.  Or at least I did, Betty declined as apparently every time she's done it in the past she's ended up falling in.  Now do you see why I was concerned about her earlier?

I don't usually include photos of me, but I look deceptively skinny in this one.  Must make a point of only having my picture taken from a distance, in the middle of a wide river.

On the Thursday I went out for a drive with Linda and Mark, and I managed to talk sis into sitting in this chair.  Not sure she would have agreed if she'd properly read the sign behind it, and realised how I was going to crop it ...

On Friday my brother in law talked us into walking up Buckden Pike, behind the cottage.  It did LOOK steep, and the book SAID it was a strenuous climb, so we should have known, but we still weren't quite prepared for HOW steep.  To give you some idea, there were a couple of RAF jets whizzing back and forwards on low level flying manoeuvres in the valley, and at one stage we were looking down on them. Anyway, we got to the top and at 702m it's just a bit higher than Pen-y-ghent, which at 694m is one of the three climbs in the "Three Peaks Challenge" - so we were quite inpressed with ourselves. 

With hindsight, we probably should have taken a better lunch than the three apples I put in Mark's rucksack. Good job we found a tea shop in the village when we got back.

It was a lovely holiday, with lots of laughs, and great weather. 

Certainly beats sitting at an airport waiting for the volcanic ash to settle.

Stopped off in Kettlewell on the way home, so I could pose on the "Calendar Girls" bridge.  With my top on.