Coast & Country

We had planned to have a drive out to the coast on Boxing Day but as I was beginning to feel under the weather, we put it off. You know when you've been looking forward to something and then it doesn't happen, it tends to be on your mind, and a trip to the coast was on mine, so the minute I felt I was on the mend, off we went. 

We decided on Bridlington on the east coast, about sixty miles from where we live. As is often the case, we didn't check the tide times before we set off but we were lucky, the sea was a long way out and there were huge, wide open spaces for as far as we could see. Perfect for a little dog to have a good run.

Archie enjoys the seaside as much as we do. The good thing about this time of year is that dogs are allowed on all areas of the beach, dog bans come into play between May and October, and there aren't the crowds during the winter months that there are later on in the year. This was a Saturday and look how deserted it was. Yes, it was a bit nippy but we wrapped up warm.

I think I enjoy my trips to the seaside more out of season. The majority of people we saw were dog walkers, we're a hardy breed braving all weathers, and we get well rewarded for it. Miles of unspoilt empty beach with the odd dog running around here and there and beauty all around us.

Archie had a whale of a time, he doesn't do much running around now as he's an old boy but he loves all the new smells as well as having a little paddle. He loves making new friends too.

There are lots of rockpools on one stretch of the beach. If it had been a little bit warmer I might have explored a little to see what I could find.

Beach treasure. I didn't find any sea glass on this particular day, though I wasn't really looking.

Just look at those pink fingers. Yes, it was rather cold.

The pleasure cruisers were still taking passengers for trips around the bay despite how much the temperature had dropped on this particular day.

After our time on the beach we took a walk around the harbour. There wasn't much water left in it with the tide being so far out.

The Turnstones were grubbing about in the mud which was left behind.

As we passed the harbour we could see Flamborough headland in the distance. Flamborough is a little under five miles from Bridlington and it's the place where was saw the seals on Our Staycation.

A little further round and there's the lure of the amusements. I'll admit that I'm quite drawn to the 2p pushers but I resisted on this occasion.

I did give in to a doughnut though, well who can resist the delicious aroma when it's wafting through the air, not me!

The following day we decided on a trip to the Yorkshire Dales and in particular, Reeth, which is in the north of the Yorkshire Dales and again, about sixty miles from where we live. It has a population of about 700, though it looks rather busy with all the cars parked here but I believe there are many walking routes which can be taken from the village so people park up here. We did see evidence of this ourselves with people changing into walking boots and others returning to their cars with their walking poles.

The village has a little more for tourists than some of the small villages in the Dales. Fleece is an arts and crafts cooperative and a non-for-profit organisation. Arts and crafts from a number of different makers are sold here and it's a lovely shop to look around.

There are a number of small shops, a gift shop, an art gallery, a post office and general store as well as a toy shop. It was a shame to find most of them closed on Sundays. I would have particularly enjoyed looking round The Threshing Barn, a fibre arts shop, but their winter opening is just Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and it doesn't open at all on a Sunday, even in summer. It was nice to find Dragonridge Hills open for a browse. Here you can buy some beautiful jewellery as well as a selection of textile items and fossils and stones.

The ice cream parlour was open for business though it was far too cold for ice cream in my opinion. They do sell hot beverages though too.

Reeth has three pubs. We noticed that one of the signs outside The Black Bull is upside down and looking on Google when we returned home, discovered that this was done as a protest when a previous landlord removed the render when he tried to tidy up the exterior and exposed the original walls, only for the National Parks officials to take exception to this and insist that the render be replaced, threatening legal action if this didn't happen. Some local pranksters, apparently, turned the sign upside down in protest and it's still upside down to this day.

What a funny place to put a cat flap, in the window. Right next to the bird feeder too!

Reeth Evangelical Congregational Church.

Swaledale where Reeth is situated is known for its farming landscape of fields, barns, drystone walls and hay meadows. The village is surrounded by beautiful scenery. I wonder who lives in that white cottage halfway up the hill.

There was snow on the tops of the hills.

I can't go to the Yorkshire Dales without taking a photo of some sheep. The one on the right is definitely trying to tell me something.

After visiting Reeth we decided to head over to Hawes to stock up on some Wensleydale and Fountains Gold cheese from the Wensleydale Creamery. Before we realised which road we'd taken we were heading over Buttertubs Pass, a road which crosses high moorland between Hawes and the small hamlet of Thwaite. Jeremy Clarkson has apparently labelled it as "England's only truly spectacular road". It's a meandering road with hairpin bends and sheer drops to the side and only a length of barbed wire between the car and the edge in some places. To make matters worse, it had been snowing up there. The photo above was taken through the windscreen as we were driving.

I really don't have a head for heights and I couldn't look as we were driving the parts with nothing to the side of me, but as we got further along we stopped the car so that I could get out and take a photo. There isn't usually much traffic up there anyway but I think we saw just two cars on this particular day. Absolutely stunning scenery over the pass but I won't be rushing back, especially in the snow!

We're so lucky to have these beautiful places, and many more, not too far from where we live. Our small town is just under eight miles from one of the largest cities in England. We have all the amenities that a large city offers on our doorstep if we need them but we're far enough away not to be bothered by the negative aspects, and where we live is surrounded by beautiful countryside. The coast is less than sixty miles away, so very convenient for day trips. We really do have the best of all worlds.