Forest Drive, Stonehaugh

At breakfast, Katie recommended that we take Basil to Stonehaugh in the Northumberland National Park where he could stretch his legs and have a run. Here we are at the forest drive which marks the walk along Warks Burn.

It was wet. At least we were out in the open air. Basil didn't run about as much as he had up at Elf Hill the previous day. Mist clung to the trees in the forest. Len was impressed by the composting loo which the Forestry Commission has placed in the car park - visible in the photo.

We stayed for half an hour. My knee was still hurting quite a bit and I didn't want to try walking over damp leaves.

We drove back to the main road. We do like the scenery in Northumberland. Big sky country and misty recessions all the way to the horizon.

We headed for Hexham. From the size of the Waitrose store, it didn't take long to assess it as a town of well-heeled people. Lots of little bijou shops. The abbey looked imposing. The problem was that we couldn't find anywhere to park, so after a brief stop at the huge Tesco to use the facilities, we headed back to Wark.

We'd seen the George Hotel at Chollerford en route so stopped there for a very welcome light lunch. The hotel sits right by the River North Tyne and has a large garden right on the bank. There's also a leisure club. Katie tells us there's a gym and swimming pool. Christmas lights festooned the inside and outside and children were welcome to go on a Santa treasure hunt.

Eddie, the chef at Battlesteads, told us that the George once used to be THE place to go, but had declined in recent years. It's been taken over by a hotel chain. I feel that the young people who are running it are trying to make it as welcoming as possible.

Back to Battlesteads for a snooze and then dinner.