Apologies for not relying earlier but we haven't had easy access to the Internet for a few days. We have also been kept pretty busy by friends (from college days) who organised all sorts of things for us to do.
We had a couple of days in Norwich and found out just how attractive that area is. Wonderful cathedral and narrow streets with lots of history. Out in the countryside we went to the Broads and to a beach where, at low tide, the sea almost disappears from view - it goes out so far. We found it though. Then on to Redcar in N Yorks. We walked on the beach, looked at the shops, went to the hot air balloon festival, celebrated Richard's birthday, visited Fountains Abbey (a World heritage site), went to Whitby, rode the N Yorks Moors restored railway and inspected Barry's allotment. Along the way we saw the villages where they filmed Heartbeat and the Vet programme.
The scenery in these parts of England (and Suffolk where we were to start with), is just gorgeous. Everything seems on a small scale, esp after America, but that adds to the charm. We then drove across the Dales to Kendal and are now in Heversham where R went to school. We stopped for coffee at a pub in the middle of the Dales. The landlord told us that of the 36 people in the village only 3 were customers. He then described the shortcomings of the other 33 individually. The loos were down the road and round the side, no lights - good thing it was mid morning. See photo. We've taken a look at Windermere, very beautiful but a lot of other people were looking at it too.
Meanwhile we are in the middle of a heatwave - even here in the North it is over 30, and due to remain so most of the week. Of course no-one has air con (though some cars do) or even a fan. I don't expect much sympathy. Wednesday Now in Manchester, staying with Gill who was our first Freeloader visitor in NZ. Came down the M6, or tried to - a bus had rolled and was across all 3 lanes. We had to wait in the car for 2.5 hours in the hottest weather the UK has EVER had in July. Now all showered and watered and Gill has broadband so all is rosy - esp me, it is still v hot.
More thumbnails ...
| 
Manchester Hotels
1 vote 
