Today we embarked on our first maiden family voyage in the Ford Galaxy, now known as the big girl, to York, approximately 180kms north east of Penkridge. We were accompanied by "Gertie" the Sat Nav, she came in handy most of the time, we did have a few hairy issues at time, but Grant handled it all very, very well, including me laughing so much at one stage, in the centre of Mansfield, that I was crying! Not good, when he required assistance in finding his way back to the correct route, still hilarious all the same, I'm sure Grant would beg to differ!!
So off we went, first stop - the fuel station. By the time we went past, heading in the wrong direction, then did a u turn to go back the right way, then finally pulled up at the fuel tank, filled up with diesel at £1.38 ($2.80AU), then attempted to exit out of the enter only, we knew it could possibly be a long day!!
But once we got on our way it got alot easier... So for all the UK driving buffs, we drove towards Cannock then onto the A5, then on the A38 towards Derby, unaware of the roadworks and the traffic delays, so we did get stuck in truck for awhile, but whilst in traffic, we heard of the lengthy delays on the M1, so a quick change with Gertie, and we ended up in Mansfield, not to far out of our way, and was obviously meant to be, as my mum told me later it was the birth place of my great grandmother!
We stopped in Mansfield for a lovely lunch at The Rushley, and then on we continued. Once I got Grant lost, and then found again in the centre of Mansfield, it was onto the A1(M) heading North to York. The roads over here, when not in peak hour traffic are amazing! The major motorways and highways are three lanes wide, and can be very free flowing, however if there is roadworks or an accident, they do come to a standstill very quickly. There is a huge amount of trucks travelling on the motorways. Even though the train system is fantastic it is mainly used for passenger travel, so all freight is moved via the motorways.
We went through Worksop and Doncaster, and several little villages, turned off the A1(M) onto the A64, and found our way into the beautiful city of York. "Gertie" unfortunately didn't take us to our correct destination, The York Priory, which was to be our home for the next two nights, so a quick U Turn, and me jumping out and running into a Pub to find a couple of lovely gentlemen, who were very willing to help (it's the Aussie accent - they love it!), I was given directions to our accomodation. "Gertie" wasn't too far from where we meant to be, so all good, and we arrived and booked in, dropped our bags, toilet break and we were ready for the 10 minute walk into the city centre.
Now, in terms of our accommodation, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, apart from its brilliant location. However there are several other lovely B&B's near by, plus the Novotel. The beds were extremely uncomfortable, the wifi never worked, the tv didn't work, it was dog friendly, so there were dogs everywhere inside, no lift so a long hike carrying heavy luggage up four flight of stairs, and it was uncomfortably way to hot in the rooms, with no way of turning the heating down. However, this did not dampen our spirits, as we only slept there, we spent most of our time walking around, marvelling at the lovely sights.
We decided pretty quickly that afternoon tea was a definite requirement, and Katie had told us about "Betty's" a very well known tea rooms in York, which is a must to visit. We found our way there, but it was extremely busy, with a queue out the door. I happened to read on the menu hanging in the window, that there was a sister cafe just around the corner, so off we went. What a quaint little place it was, we walked through the bottom shop, which sold all takeaway cakes and other yummy things, and made our way up the stairs, where we were greeted by a man in a suit, who was more than happy to set up a table for six. We took the last two tables, which the joined together, and we ordered our afternoon tea. As they say "When in Britain do as the Brits do", so I ordered the Yorkshire Cream Tea! So delicious... It was two scones with fresh homemade jam and cotted cream (this cream is quite amazing, but I'm sure extremely unhealthy), all bought out on a three tiered cake stand, and a lovely pot of tea for one. Grant ordered the Rosti and an Americano (Long Black), while the kids ordered cakes from the cake trolley, which was bought to us, and Hot Chocolates.
After our delicious afternoon tea, we wandered to the York Minster for photo opportunities, but it was starting to rain, so sorry to you all, as this is the best photo I got, and does not do this beautiful building the justice that it deserves!
From here we found our way to The Shambles, an old street, with overhanging timber framed buildings, some dating back as fas as the fourteenth century, with lovely cobblestone paths.
After walking for a long time, it was home for a quick rest, and then to the Weatherspoons pub just down the road for dinner. We made some plans for what we should do the next day, and then it was time for bed for everyone, after what was a fun, exciting day of seeing some lovely countryside, and a beautiful city.
Highlights & Tips
* Grants awesome driving skills, and my amazing directional skills
* Afternoon Tea at Betty's
* The York Minster
* The Shambles
* Avoid staying at The York Priory
Lots of love,
Chrissie xx
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