Two-Nannies on the North York Moors

While staying in Thorner, we travelled up to the North York Moors for a day trip. There were few fences, lovely sweeping views of wide open spaces, and wild flowers, particularly heather, growing all about. Visited a number of the small iconic towns of the area, including where the TV show Heatbeat (which my mum is still enjoying reruns of) was located. 

Did a small 2 hour hike through fields and farms. 

The Sheriff of Nottingham

As we had decided to extend the tripping about, we had to return to derby to renew the car rental lease and swap cars. Derby is a shit of a town to drive through, with annoying one way systems and roundabouts that don't quite match the GPS instructions, so decided not to stay there any longer than necessary.  And we were so close to Nottingham, and I've been a fan of Robin Hood movies, so why not go there. 

So the following day we located Sherwood Forest. This was a lovely place to walk, easy to get away from the throngs, and we developed an appreciation of the oak tree. 

This is the oldest oak in the forest  - 800-1000 years old. 

A few oak facts:

The oak doesn't produce acorns for at least 40 years

In the 1700's it would take 2000 mature oaks to build what was regarded as a smallish ship

Then we drove to our next Airbnb, a lovely apartment above the old stables in the quiet quaint town of Thorner. 

 

The entrance to our apartment above the stables. 

Liverpool

Heather was allocated the task of finding accomodation once we left wales. And as budget is a big part of managing in the UK, we quite often let suitable accomodation influence our location, and heather was keen to see this city. 

We took the long road out of Wales through Snowdonia, which was very unspectacular. I think you must have to leave the roads and go hiking to see the amazing landscapes here. Though, a crazy spat of electrical storms had killed 3 people in this area just a few days prior, in 2 different locations. Highly unusual. 

We arrived in Liverpool via the under ground tunnel that goes under the Mersey river. Even though I'd been through the Chunnel, it gave me the heaby geebies thinking of all that water over top of us. 

And everywhere we have driven, we both mutually burst into song or rhymes of all the hits and history that are named after these places. So do you know what we were singing as we drove up to the tunnel?

The Mersey river

This church was bombed during ww2, and the city decided to leave it in its semi destructed state to remember the devistation the city experienced. 

More of Wales

This ancient church built in the ?1600 's was one of those unexpected finds. I was ready for a driving break, and we Sara sign for this and thought we would just pull into the car park so I could have a stretch. But when we checked it out, we were pursuaded by the women running the info office/ ticket desk to go and see it, and we had such trouble understanding this welsh women with a lisp, that we almost felt obliged. 

It is a stone church, with old timber pews, and the most fantastic wooden Angels adorning the chapel. 

A Quick Trip Around Wales

Wales is very green, the roads narrow and slow, it rains, people talk funny, and there's no way we were able to work out how to say the place names.

I will have to post captions when heather is back with her laptop.

 The horses were in the paddock next to our rural airstream stop over. They always moved in unison, and stood together. 

The roads here got very tiny and narrow but this. Is just ridiculous

Beautiful Bath

We had another crack at staying in hostels. And you can see the room is light, and spacious, shared with 15 - though thankfully not full while we stayed. And it was ok, except unlike the communal sleeping on marae where people know to come early and set up their bed, not turn the light back on after its out and very late, and if you want to talk quietly with others to go to the dining room, so I'm not that keen on dorm rooms. 

Everything about Bath just screamed Jane Austin. Ezmae would be in heaven here. 

The old Roman baths. Best taken early in the day, as the water apparently grew grimier as the day progressed, with a fresh water change at the end of each day. But those Romans were very clever, there were steam rooms, a variety of pools and social areas, and underfloor heating.