YORKSHIRE MOORS

The North Yorkshire Moors is a national park, which until about 2000 BC was a forested area, and we have a multitude of ancestors to thank for removing most of the trees and giving today's generation a stark, barren landscape.

It is however, a beautiful place, with countless number of small villages dotted around the area, all with a pub or two. I noticed in Yorkshire that although many villages no longer have a post office or a general store, the pub seems to have survived, even in this age of Police Breath Testing and smoking restrictions. It must tell you something about the resilience and priorities of the Yorkshireman (and woman). They can go without food and stamps, but they still need their beer.

The North York Moors also plays host to one of the UK's best preserved steam railway lines, naturally the North York Moors Railway (NYMR), like most of these organisations run by volunteers whose parents never bought them a train set when they were young, and so now they play with their very own real big train set.

It's 18 miles runs from the beautiful old market town of Pickering to the village of Grosmont with ocassional trips extended into Whitby. It was part of the old British Rail network but was closed back in the 1960's. It has often featured on English TV shows, most notably 'Heartbeat' where the station at Gaothland is transformed into 'Aidensfield' . Unlike many preserved lines, the NYMR runs every day from March through to October, and is fairly busy most of the time.

We drove to Grosmont, with the plan to catch a train to Pickering, where we would have morning tea and a walk around the town, and then come back as far as Goathland where we would have lunch and a few beers at the Goathland Hotel, which doubles as the 'Aidensfield Arms' in 'Heartbeat' and then get a later train back to Grosmont

The girls on their first full size steam train

Here's Chanelle in the carriage trying to hide from Karen.

"Keep your head down Chloe, she can't find us"

and off we go

Typical countryside that the line passes through

Chloe seems mildly amused by the experience

Chanelle, however, was enthralled by the trip, spending most of her time hanging out of the window

Stopping at Levisham, one of the intermediate stations on the line. All the stations have been restored to a 1950's - 1960's decor, and all have traditional tea rooms

Chanelle explains it all to Karen, "Of course I wasn't hiding from you, mother"

The main street at Pickering

Now there's a good place for morning tea!

On the return journey, she finally got some soot in her eye.


A train pulls into Goathland

For railway buffs, this is an 'A4' class locomotive. This one which lives on the NYMR is named 'Sir Nigel Gresley' after the engineer who designed the locomotive. The aerodynamic design, which is not unlike the high speed trains of today, in 1935 was years ahead of its time. An identical loco to this one, the 'Mallard' is in the National Railway Museum in York, and is the holder of the record of the fastest steam journey in the world, set in 1938.

The NYMR locomotive shed

and so to Goathland, or 'Aidensfield', this is the village green and shops, which are frequently shown in 'Heartbeat'

Scripps' Garage is now a souvenir shop/museum. There's quite a few cars from the 50's and 60's around the place, but this was an out-of-town visitor.

Aha! Time for lunch I think

A classis piece of British engineering.

One of the locals out for a stroll

Even the Goathland general store is now called 'Aidensfield Stores'


Tomorrow we go to Whitby................

GREAT YARMOUTH

After a hectic few days in London, we picked up a rental car and headed to Great Yarmouth on the east coast of England to visit my cousin. Our major task (other than taking a spot of R & R after New York and London) was to buy a car, which was to see us on our trip around England and then to take us to Germany.

My criteria for the car was that it had to be fuel-efficient (the cost of petrol in both England and continental Europe does not bear thinking about), so a 4-cylinder was in order, and it had to be practical, enough room for the four of us, plus our luggage, so a hatchback was the preferred option. Karen's criteria was somewhat different "It has to be red. I like red".

"Yes, my sweet rose, but what about the practicalities?"

"Well.....yes.....but it must be red"

We looked around a few car yards, and discovered an oh-so-bloody-English establishment with the wonderful name of "Binks of Beccles" (Beccles being a small town not far from Gt Yarmouth). The salesman, Deane Binks, who was also the owner, was as far removed from a car dealer as anyone could ever imagine. Wearing a pin-stripe suit, and referring to us continually as "Sir" and "Madam" (which was interesting as my knighthood is not due until the New Year), he bore more resemblance in his manner to a very polite bank manager of 20 years ago.

"We have to buy a car off him" said Karen, "He's just so nice and well-mannered" (an addition to her criteria I hadn't foreseen).

Fortunately Mr Binks of Beccles happened to have a car which met everybody's criteria. Unfortunately it was a Renault. Wrestling with years of mocking French cars (well, everything French actually), and with the image of my father looking down at me frowning (It's ok Dad, they don't make Austins any more), I succumbed to the pressure and purchased the said vehicle.

But it's all ok. "It's got nice wheels" said the love of my life, as if that was the crowning glory.

Comfortable with the fact that it was unlikely that I would bump into any old school or work colleagues from the past, I donned my best balaclava and drove the car home.

Anyway, on to Gt Yarmouth, and for all those knockers who reckon the sun doesn't shine in England, we scored summer on the day out we had at the seaside.

Yes, the umbrella is for shade from the sun. Karen was concerned she might get skin cancer from the scorching rays. Here are the girls at the Britannia Pier.

A view from the pier showing the Gt Yarmouth beach. And YES, that is real sand

Chloe and Chanelle at the pier

A pub in Gt Yarmouth (or "Yarmuff" as the locals pronounce it).

I just liked the name of it, so we had to sample their brew

Chloe choses her bucket and spade for the beach

A little bit of self-indulgence here

Back on the pier, we had to play one of those silly amusement

machines where you roll your money in and hope that it

pushes a heap more money and prizes out

And WE WON!!!! Yes, after only about a pound, we won this little teddy bear

keyring which must have been worth........well.........at least 10 pence!

......and we were on a roll, about another 50 pence and Karen won a lolly worth

at least 2 pence. Never had any luck with these machines before.

We decided to leave at this point, before they kicked us out

The next day we went with my cousin to Lowestoft, another seaside town

just down the road from Yarmuff. Unfortunately, summer was over

Well, Chanelle seemed to be enjoying herself

Even got a smile out of Chloe, although she couldn't use her bucket and spade

The girls did have fun with a little rubber boucing ball,

until it bounced too far and they lost it

Before leaving Yarmuff, we did buy one of those roof box things for the car to store some of the luggage. I'll post a pic at a later date.

So after about five days in Yarmuff we set forth for Yorkshire.

LONDON

We landed at some ridiculous hour - about 5.00 am I think - at Heathrow, and as expected Chloe and I with our EU passports were waived through immigration like old friends, whilst Karen and Chanelle had to join the alien queue. By the time they got through, Chloe and I had already collected our baggage, had breakfast and read (and acted out) the first six chapters of War and Peace.

We were able to check in early at the Travelodge at Euston just north of central London, and we hit the streets. We had only a few days in London before we were heading off for the provinces, so we hit the pavements to take in the sights and sounds

Karen, Chanelle and Chloe at Trafalgar Square

From the doorway of the National Gallery with Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column in the background. Also visible in the distance is the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament known as 'Big Ben' although the name is actually that of the bell inside the clock


The girls with the National Gallery in the background

Walking down towards Buckingham Palace, with the

Queen Victoria memorial in front

Chanelle and Chloe at "The Palace"

As New York has its 9/11 day of infamy, so London had it's turn of terrorist attacks on July 7 2005. Since then it's not unusual to see police officers

wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying sub-machine guns.

Heathrow Airport in particular has scores of them, and there

were several out the front of Buckingham Palace

A more serene moment at St James' Park near Buckingham Palace

Chanelle and Chloe at The Serpentine in St James' Park with

Buckinghuge Palace in the background

The girls at Westminster Abbey

A 'teenage moment' as Chanelle captures a 'myspace' style

picture on Westminster Bridge

Hmmm...interesting way to have a wedding

The girls contemplate a movie at Leicester Square

Chloe's first trip on a London double-decker

and Chanelle and Karen share the moment

The rebuilt Globe Theatre, where Shakepeare plays were staged way

back in the 1500's, and the ice-cream van where it is claimed, William

bought his cones during the intermission

Interesting moment at Southbank on the Thames

A 'two-for-one' dessert special at Lloyds Wine Bar, Leicester Square