For breakfast, my taste buds were looking forward to pancakes and fruit compote, but sadly pancakes weren’t on offer this morning leading me to plan B choices. After a bowl of fresh fruit, I selected some of the more visually appealing items that were on offer from the cooked breakfast area. The eggs looked unappetising and the bacon was a little dried out and hard.

After breakfast we visited Skipton Castle, which is a lot smaller than I remembered it. Perhaps it feels smaller because now there is a one-way system in place to make sure you see everything. The one-way system means that in some places you can’t explore the castle optimally. I still love the twisted yew tree in the central courtyard.

Whilst exploring the castle I had a humorous moment. Mr C had climbed a spiral staircase and said he would call down and let me know if it was worth the effort for me to climb them. He was gone for some time and he still hadn’t called down. Then, just as a man whose family we had been we had been following round the castle popped his head through the doorway to the stairs, a disembodied voice called down ‘you won’t be missing much’. I had to explain the voice was talking to me, much to the amusement of both of us and he said to me that he was also wondering if it was worth the climb.

We had lunch in the café before exiting the castle grounds to visit the nearby church. The church is small but lovely with interesting historical features. I wasn’t able to purchase the guide book to find out more in-depth information; the shop, although supposed to be open, was closed.

Then we returned to the Edinburgh Woollen Mill which we had visited briefly earlier when we explored the main street before visiting the castle. I purchased a couple of pairs of corduroy trousers to replace some of mine that have worn a little thin. I need them for the cold winter months when I am volunteering at Attingham Park. I also purchased the fun Christmas top that Mr C pointed out to me earlier in the day. I had noticed the top but not the tag line but, once he had pointed it out, I just had to buy. That will have to remain a secret until nearer Christmas when all will be revealed.

On our way back to Harrogate we thought we might visit Bolton Abbey, but the parking charge was  £15 based on people visiting for the day. This did not appeal to us when we would only be there for an hour… We gave it a miss, opting instead for tea and cake in Bettys, Harrogate where we were lucky to have a window seat. We then got a bit carried away with purchases in the shop; we had only gone in for teabags and a small Christmas cake…

Back in the hotel, browsing the internet I noticed that a dress I had missed out on a few days before (whilst I was checking out what size I should order) had been restocked with limited availability. I had been really disappointed to have missed out on what would be a fun dress for the Christmas season so I got Mr C to order it on his phone; I am useless at that sort of thing.

Later we dined in Sukhothai Thai. The restaurant is beautiful with impeccable service, delicious food and vibrant atmosphere. They make a lot of noise, involving xylophones and cymbals when delivering “happy birthday” cake to customers.

We had a nightcap in The Alexandra pub which Mr C had noticed earlier in the day. At last, he was able to enjoy a ‘proper’ beer, we tucked ourselves away in a cosy corner to avoid the televisions screening the football match. After the match the pub emptied and, although the pub was still very much open, we were the last people to leave.

Today was my birthday so I enjoyed a cup of tea in bed whilst opening prezzies. Breakfast was much as I remembered it although now it is completely self service whereas on our previous visit some of the breakfast items such as eggs were cooked fresh to order.

After breakfast we walked through misty Harrogate to Valley Gardens then through the Pinewoods to the RHS Harlow Carr.

By the entrance to the pinewoods, I stopped to take a photo of the beautiful autumn trees. A gentleman saw me and asked if Mr C and I would like him to take a photo of us together; he had also seen the photographic scene. After he had kindly taken the photo, we got chatting to him and his wife. They told us of a potential walk near Knaresborough where the trees are spectacular at this time of year.

It was mizzley and misty as we walked but by the time we had arrived at the garden the mist lifted to reveal brilliant sunshine. We enjoyed our early lunch of poached salmon and prawn sandwiches in a window seat in Betty’s where we enjoyed looking at the garden lit up by the sun.

Rather than follow our sandwich with a cake, we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather to enjoy the gardens at their best. The autumnal colours were spectacular. The sun graced us with its presence until we left the gardens through the shop and made a return visit to Betty’s for the cake we had promised ourselves.

The weather had become overcast as we walked back to town, with a lite sprinkling of rain. I had also been rather forgetful after my recent visit to Cardiff and had not recharged my second camera battery! So, part way through the return walk, I had to resort to plan B, my mobile phone camera.

Back in town Mr C took me to the board game shop, Gamers Crusade and bought me an extra birthday present, Kelp, the game that caught my eye the previous day.  Back in the hotel room we weren’t able to crack it open and play it. Although the room was large there was no table to play it on.

Later we dined in the hotel restaurant, The Pickled Sprout. Before dining we had an aperitif in the bar, once again perched on high stools which I found difficult to navigate in a skirt. When it was time to dine, we relocated to more comfortable seating in the restaurant. The lighting was rather dim making it difficult to read the menu (the couple next to us resorted to their mobile phone torches). I chose fish and chips; the fish melted in my mouth but the meal portion was enormous! Mr C chose salmon which was slightly overcooked accompanied by undercooked stringy beans. Perhaps not quite the gourmet experience for a ‘special’ birthday meal.

Before returning to our room we rounded off the evening with a nightcap in the bar where, thankfully, there was room to sit on the more comfortable lower-level seats.

We arrived at breakfast to find that it was ‘to order’ as starters and mains. Everything was there although perhaps not in quite the right order for me personally. I opted for the American stacked pancakes with berries. The breakfast room was a little chaotic, so rather than linger at the table we returned to our room where we could chill out before walking to York Minster in time for when it opened.

As we walked to the Cathedral we took in a few of the ice sculptures that were part of the Ice Sculpture trail that was taking place over the weekend. Mr C toyed with the idea of visiting the Yorvik Centre but soon changed his mind when entry was slow and the queues were getting longer.

When we arrived at York Minster we waited in a short queue before we were able to enter the Church. Once inside we tried to book in at the ticket desk, but the computer said ‘NO!’. This meant entering the Minster took a little longer than anticipated. The Minster was as spectacular as always. I particularly enjoyed the display (which included a full size replica) about the statue of Queen Elizabeth II that was commissioned for her Platinum Jubilee but which was installed in a niche on the West front of the Minster after her death.

We spent longer in the Minster than we had anticipated leading us to join the queue for Betty’s tearoom later than was ideal. The queue was the longest I have experienced. During the 40 minute wait I was bumped and pushed by several members of a family who were queuing behind us. For some reason bodily contact with me was acceptable; some people have no concept of manners or personal space. Our waitress was lovely as was our sandwich and cake. Before we left we had a conversation with the manager about lockdown, its consequences and the length of time staff had worked there. She is quite rightly proud of the lovely, loyal team that provide us, the customers, with one of the ultimate lunchtime experiences.

Next we embarked on the wall walk which I had initially intended to do on my own whilst Mr C was attending a trade show. I had a change of plan because I thought he might enjoy the wall walk too. We started the walk at Bootham Bar but due to our late lunch we only made it as far as Clifford’s Tower. Dusk was arriving so the wall walk was left to be completed the following day after the trade show.

After our hectic day we chilled out in our room before having a pre-dinner drink in the hotel bar, where the bar man talked us through all the local gins; I chose Spiced Apple (with cinnamon spice)  whilst Mr C opted for a more traditional Gin. We dined in the hotel. I chose Haddock and Chips and was advised that the portion was large portion but when it arrived, to my relief, I found it to be a modest, manageable portion.

Our meal was accompanied by Lily Kersby who was performing in the hotel bar area. She has a beautiful voice and it was a shame that she was singing to herself. After dining we joined her, which she appreciated. For her last song of the evening she sang the Proclaimer’s ‘I will walk 500 miles’ which made me smile because it is the adopted song for the #walk1000miles Country Walking Challenge. I couldn’t resist showing her my badges and explaining how that had become a special song for me.

I awoke after a cosy and comfortable nights sleep and had to remind Mr C that it was my birthday, he had taken control of my cards and presents and they were tardy in being given.

We descended to the dining room for breakfast. It seemed rather quiet and we found out that breakfast was in the Sky Lounge on the 5th floor, something they forgot to mention when we booked in. We eventually arrived in the breakfast room to find the room and breakfast choices were perfect, partly self service but with the cooked food being waiter served from the counter. We even had a window seat looking out over Harrogate, causing us to linger over breakfast.

Comfortably replete, we walked to Valley Gardens. Mr C needed to dial in to an office conference so he chose a suitable bench whilst I explored the gardens. I ventured further afield than on our previous visit and noticed a sign for the Pinewoods. I couldn’t resist the temptation to walk along the pathway. The walk was delightful in the autumn sunshine until, with reluctance, I turned back and retraced my steps to return to the gardens to coincide with the time I thought Mr C’s phone call might end. As I walked along the garden pathway Mr C was coming towards me and we finished my circuit of the garden together. In one of the trees next to the path I was treated to a display of birds playing in the lower branches, including a nuthatch that ventured quite close to me.

We headed into Harrogate town centre for a wander before lunch in Betty’s where I chose a Salmon sandwich and a cake with almonds. Something went wrong and our sandwich was delayed. We were given an apology and offered complimentary drinks for our patience (we hadn’t even complained).

We enjoyed the afternoon in Knaresborough, enjoying a town and river walk in glorious sunshine. The Remembrance Day display around the castle was spectacular and moving. After our walk we returned to the hotel to relax before dining in the Fat Badger at the White Hart Hotel.

I was considering the possibility of a bubbly aperitif whilst we perused the menu when out of the blue a couple of complimentary glasses of Prosecco arrived because it was my birthday. The restaurant was loud and bustly, the food and service excellent, I chose fishcake with an egg on top and was too full for a dessert.

After dining we returned back to the relative calm, but still vibrant, atmosphere of our hotel bar where we had a lovely phone call with my brother and his wife. They had tried to call whilst we were dining but we’d missed it due to the noise level.

After a good nights sleep it was time to sample the hotel breakfast. In all sorts of ways, it was a vast improvement on the offering during our recent stay in a Cotswold’s hotel. There were several choices of cooked items and a continental option. I chose the continental option and was served with granola, fruit compote, yoghurt, fresh fruit and mini pastries (freshly baked), perfectly presented on a plate.

We had booked an early time slot in the Pump Room so after breakfast we set off at pace through The Stray (no time for photos) to make sure we got there on time. It took us a little while to find which street the Pump Room was in but we managed to arrive before it opened. Once inside we found it to be a museum rather than anything else. It wasn’t possible to sample the water due to Covid-19. Perhaps that was a blessing because I am told that the water tastes quite foul.

We spent the rest of the morning walking around the nearby Valley Gardens, ending up near the War Memorial and Bettys Tea Rooms for lunch. I chose a salmon, prawn and lemon sandwich followed by three dainty cake delights.

We walked back to the hotel so that we could pick up the car to drive to the nearby RHS garden at Harlow Carr where we had an enjoyable afternoon exploring the gardens.

Back at the hotel I was sitting and relaxing before dinner when I heard voices at the door and a comment ’someone is already in here’. I got up to find two people entering our room. They were most apologetic and beat a hasty retreat. As they left I could hear them say to each other ‘it is the room number we were given’. Clearly it was because they were able to enter with the card key they had been given. I felt sorry for them but a bit disturbed about the security breach of the mix up.

When we went for dinner we queried the episode with the hotel receptionist, who was most apologetic and said she would be raising the incident with her manager the next day. We had another enjoyable meal, in my case fish and chips, which was even larger than my meal the previous day. We arrived back at our room to find that our card key didn’t work. It had obviously been cancelled along with the other peoples’ keys. By this time the hotel reception was closed, leaving Mr C to hunt down the restaurant manager to help us with the problem. Luckily he knew a man that could fix the problem!

My walk around the ice trail was split between two days. As walking goes it was unsatisfactory there were far to many people around.

The ice sculptures were fabulous and after a walk what could be better than cake in Bettys Cafe Tea rooms .

Feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep, it was time for breakfast. The cooked-to-order breakfast was delicious although I missed my fresh fruit options for a pre-breakfast starter.

After breakfast Mr C attended Vapnartak 2020 (a wargames show). It was my plan to walk York City walls whilst he was enjoying his hobby and despite the mizzly weather, I set off on a walk around the walls starting at Bootham Gate. I managed to get off track on a couple of occasions (most notably by Clifford’s Tower) when there were breaks in the wall and the trail markers were either confusing or absent.  However I got there in the end and was quite chuffed that I had negotiated the walls on my own.

As I arrived back at York Minster at the end of my walk of the walls Mr C texted to say that he was on his way back to the hotel from the wargames show. Whilst he made his way back to the Minster I enjoyed a pleasant walk around Dean’s Park Garden viewing the war memorial, the garden, the Deanery garden and the Dean’s chapel.

When he arrived we went for lunch at Happy Days cafe where we had also eaten on our previous visit to York. I opted for the plum frangipane.

Afterwards we walked around York taking in a few more ice sculptures along the way including Harry Potter and a fine carving of Hedwig at Middleton’s Hotel. There was also an ice wall filled with chocolates that children were busy hacking away at to obtain a chocolaty delight. It was nice being in that part of the city again, having stayed there on previous visits. We had walked up an appetite and paid a second visit to Betty’s tea room. On this occasion I chose cherry and chocolate cake with cherry liqueur.

After this indulgence it was time to return to the hotel to freshen up before dinner in the hotel, a red letter day gift of a three course meal and prosecco. The food and service were excellent.

We went to breakfast a little later than the previous day. Consequently the breakfast room was more crowded due to it being a bank holiday Saturday.

After breakfast we made our way to Barley Hall. I stopped to take some photos along the way and Mr C and my mum carried on ahead. By the time I caught up with them I found that they were chatting with a gentleman. I found out that he was from the Gideon Society and that he had given Mr C a copy of the New Testament and Psalms. This was fortuitous as I had accidently left my copy, which I normally take on holiday, at home.

Barley Hall is a reconstructed Medieval Hall, the remains of which had been hidden under a more modern building. It was only when this modern building was due to be demolished that the medieval structure was discovered. The oldest parts of the Hall date to around 1360 when the Hall was built as the York Townhouse for Nostell Priory. Later the Hall became the home of a leading York citizen, William Snawsell, a Goldsmith, Alderman and Lord Mayor of York. The Hall is currently housing an exhibition called The Power and the Glory; York in the time of Henry VIII. On display in the exhibition are some of the costumes from the BBC’s Wolf Hall dramatization.

After our visit to the hall we browsed around a few shops to keep warm and dry until it was time to queue for lunch in Bettys. We didn’t have to queue for too long and the poached salmon and lemon mayonnaise sandwich was well worth the wait. After our sandwich, we all indulged in a naughty cake. As we arrived the waitress had asked if we were celebrating something so I mentioned that it was my mum’s birthday weekend. We presumably didn’t look like tourists. When we had finished our cake, the waiter brought a small fondant cake with a candle on top and presented it to mum. What a lovely touch. He then brought a small box and bag and packed it up to be consumed later in the day.

Next we visited York Minster, all decked out for Easter with the Easter Garden underneath the Five Sisters Window. This happens to be my favourite glass in York Minster. There is something about the way the light shines through the smaller panels at the top of the window. We also visited the crypt and the undercroft which houses an excellent exhibition covering 2000 years of the history of York and York Minster.

Mum made her way back to the hotel whilst we returned to the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop that we had browsed around earlier in the day. We bought some (too many) Christmas decorations to replace the ones that got broken when a box slipped out of the loft as we were getting them down last Christmas. The girls in the shop were horrified when we told them this tale.

We enjoyed another delicious evening meal. This time we dined in La Vecchia Scuola. I chose Sea Bass with prawns and clams. The food was delicious, even the clams (which I don’t normally eat). I followed this with a small scoop of salted caramel ice cream. The restaurant had a very lively atmosphere, with live piano music.

After lunch it was time to make the second attempt to visit the castle museum.  I found it rather disappointing compared to the last time I visited.  Some of the best exhibits seemed to have gone and part of it was still being refurbished.

After freshening up in the hotel it was time for dinner in The Blue Bicycle and it was easily the best meal of the week (more on that later).  I was then dragged into a pub that stated it was one of the oldest and most haunted pubs in York!  It was empty, maybe the ghosts had scared everyone away?  Pub choice number two was much more lively and friendly and they were serving taster beers on a tray of three, in third of a pint glasses.  I have not seen that done before, but it seemed very popular.