The good news was the bread for the continental breakfast was not stale. The bad new was that there was no bread at all. Leaving breakfast slightly underwhelmed, we put our luggage in the car and checked out of the hotel.
Our first stop was Barnard’s Castle to visit the ruined castle which we had found impressive as we drove past on a previous visit to Newcastle. Once inside we found the castle footprint impressive, the ruins and history less so. We enjoyed the town of Barnard Castle as we walked to and from the car park. I have added it to my list of potential places to stay when we next travel up north.
The guidebook for the castle listed a couple of nearby sites, including Egglestone Abbey which shared a family connection (Bowes) with the castle. We decided to visit, although we got a little lost on the way taking an unplanned detour through wonderful countryside. We found the abbey more captivating than the castle.
Continuing on our homeward journey, we stopped for lunch at the ice cream parlor in Brough. Everything is home made and served by the owners of the farm where it is situated. I chose a delicious blueberry scone and the lovely weather allowed us to enjoy our lunch sitting outside with views of the ruined Brough Castle. After lunch I couldn’t resist walking up to the castle to experience the wonderful view over the countryside.
Our next stop was Wheelock Farm for afternoon refreshments then, as we neared home, we called in at a supermarket to buy some ingredients for our evening meal. This brings us full circle to day one of our holiday and my book purchase ‘Simply Raymond’ from which we chose the simple and delightful dish ‘cod cassoulet’. A perfect way to end our holiday.
The recipe for cod cassoulet can be found on the following link. We have also cooked Chicken braised with white wine & mustard.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-9163723/Dishes-Raymond-Blancs-new-book-inspired-mother.html
I have a lot to catch up on, Cherie, but I will look back if I can
oh i absolutely Loved this countryside Cheri !
i can understand why after lunch you walked towards castle to have a panoramic view
The view is stunning
Looks a lovely last day of your holiday and you have visited some wonderful places.
It is hard to believe how many places we visited. It was a great adventure
Is this managed by the English Heritage?
I prefer EH to NT cos they have more free sites
It is looked after by English Heritage.
Currently I prefer English Heritage sites (free or otherwise) over National Trust properties. The National Trust own lots of free sites but they are not usually associated with bricks and mortar