Yorkshire Day Three

A showery, sunny day, but we made the most of it and didn’t get too wet. We went to Ripon, and stopped for a look around and, perchance, a decent coffee and pastry (our holiday breakfast). And we were in luck! I'm not too sure about trying wee independent cafes, having had too many mediocre coffees, so we went to Cafe Nero on the town square. And it was excellent. AND there was quiet classical music on!!

There was a market in the square, and as we chewed on a supersoft pain raisin and looked out on the market place, we mused that we could have been in France. No, I never had such a good coffee in France, actually.

We had a wander round the market in the sunshine, chatted to the Town Crier, with his three cornered hat, three war medals and hand bell, then walked to the magnificent cathedral.

We drove on to the amazing Brimham Rocks. A huge area full of rocks balanced impossibly on each other and eroded into fantastical shapes over millions of years. There were several school groups, in full rock climbing gear and helmets, climbing all over, and under and through the formations. JR also climbed on top of a couple of the easier ones. It was terrific, and we only got caught in a couple of wee showers, taking refuge in the shop.

From then on, the weather closed in, though we still enjoyed a tootle around the Dales, with lunch (just got there before the kitchen closed) in a country pub.

What a lovely part of the country! So much to see. Alas, we're off home tomorrow. We've had regular news from of Archie - he settled in well, and has enjoyed many walks with his pal Mylo.