We surprised ourselves by being ready to set off on our holiday adventure early. The Satnav took us on a delightful route through Hodnet, Whitchurch and Tarporley. Just before we joined the motorway south of Warrington, we stopped off at Hollies Garden Centre in Little Budworth, Cheshire for a late breakfast. I chose a danish pastry and a refreshing cup of tea. The wasps were out in force so I had to keep my pastry half wrapped in its bag to keep them at bay.

Our lunch stop was Kirkby Lonsdale. After struggling to park we found a sandwich bar where I chose chicken salad and watched the chicken being freshly sliced. Whilst the sandwiches were being made we chatted to the lady serving us. She mentioned that she often had customers who were cycling from Lands End to John o’ Groats. We ate our sandwiches sitting under the town’s market cross and enjoying views of the distant hills.

After lunch we rejoined the M6 before travelling through Kirkby Stephen where we realised that we had mixed our Kirkbys up (again) and this was where we had intended to stop for lunch. Our journey took us past Brough towards Scotch Corner and  Mainsgill Farm Shop where we stopped for a cup of tea. It has changed a lot since our previous visit a few years ago so we took the opportunity to browse around the shop. I enjoyed seeing the resident camels, although I still miss Kevin who was such a character, often wandering over to customers and posing for photos.

Later, we arrived at the Vermont to find that the hotel carpark was full and we had to pay to park the car overnight. After checking in and unloading the car we headed into Newcastle. Whilst in town we spent some time in Waterstones both ending up with a purchase, mine being a cookbook ‘Simply Raymond’ which I had had my eye on for some time.

Back at the hotel we freshened up before dining in the hotel restaurant. We found that the menu had become more down market than on our previous stays, although when the food (Haddock and Chips for me) arrived it was both excellent and delicious. We had a nightcap in the hotel bar before retiring for the evening.

I awoke good and early but drifted off to sleep again and the next thing I knew it was 9.20am. There was no sign of Mr C and no sign of a cup of tea so I leapt out of bed, at which point Mr C, having been distracted by something on his computer, realised what time it was!

After making a cup of tea Mr C packed his bag and we set of on our journey to Newcastle, slightly later than intended. Our intention had been to have lunch in the delightful town of Kirkby Lonsdale which we had accidentally found on a detour on a previous trip. The SatNav was predicting that we would arrive there to late for lunch so when we spotted a suitable tea shop in a garden centre near Sandbach we decided to stop there instead. I opted for an egg sandwich which was delicious.

The SatNav in Mr C’s car seems to have a mind of its own and shortly after lunch we arrived at Crewe which should have taken us about an hour from where we live but by this time we had been travelling for two hours. We hastily reprogrammed the SatNav to a different route type and continued on our way arriving in Kirkby Lonsdale in time for afternoon tea and a cake.

Unfortunately Mr C nipped into the cafe and was almost seated when I arrived through the doorway. It would have been a lovely cafe for lunch but it didn’t do cake so I settled for a cup of tea. As we left Mr C noticed next door another tea shop (with a window full of cakes) and realised that this was where he had been aiming for, having seen it as we drove past. I was reminded of our recent trip to Elan Valley when a similar thing happened. I see a theme emerging…

We ensured that the SatNav was programmed for the fastest route and continued towards Newcastle. We drove through some delightful Yorkshire countryside and were taken off our normal A66 route onto the A67. This took us past Barnard Castle and Raby Castle, both impressive, which we intend to go back and visit when we have more time. On our final approach to Newcastle the Angel of the North revealed itself as if by magic, one moment it is quite hidden from view before appearing as if out of nowhere.

We checked into the hotel then made our way to our room where gentle music was playing and on the dressing table there was a lovely note welcoming us back and wishing us a fantastic stay. As we had arrived later than intended there was no time to chill out on the roof terrace before dinner.

The restaurant was busy due to a couple of large groups and our food, although delicious, didn’t arrive exactly as ordered. The steak arrived with fries rather than chips and my fishcakes arrived without the salad that was advertised on the menu. I did query this but was told that the fishcakes only came with fries (not fries and salad). On checking the menu again later, I realised that I was right and the waitress had been wrong.

We had a well earned nightcap in the snooker bar before retiring for the evening.