UK Road Trip Week 2 - Constable Country to The Moors
- Ash Collins
- Aug 27, 2022
- 6 min read
Having farewelled our friends from Feering, we pointed our compass in a slight westerly direction towards the world class University city of Cambridge some 60 minutes away. Our short drive took us through the unspoiled village greens of Essex across the county line into Cambridgeshire via Steeple Bumpstead.
The historical charms of Cambridge, located on the picturesque River Cam complete with its medieval architecture, college courtyards and churches provided the perfect backdrop for a punt on the Cam (which we did for The Open 😜). As we kicked away from the Quayside dock, our trusty punter, a Sports Science undergrad at the University of Exeter, regaled us with his historical synopsis of a stretch of river known as the “College Backs”. In just under an hour tucked away in our traditional wooden boat, our erudite docent eloquently walked us through 100’s of years of history and architectural splendour as seen from our punt. Magdalene College, the Bridge of Sighs, The Wren Library, Kings College and the Mathematical Bridge were amongst the key sights along this small stretch of the Cam.
With Cambridge in the rear vision mirror, we set our sights for our overnight destination on the North Norfolk coast, King’s Lynn. My trusty navigator plotted our route along the A11 onto the A1065 toward the seaside village of Cromer On the spectacular North Norfolk coastline Of the North Sea. Interestingly, this is one of only a few areas where you can see both the sun rise and set. From Cromer we headed West following the A149 coastal route through popular resort towns of Wells-Next-The-Sea, Hunstanton and into King’s Lynn. Being Summer school holiday time, finding a parking space was on par with stepping in rocking horse shite so we opted not to spend much time at each location, rather viewing the spectacular coastal region from the relative comfort of our low riding Mazda 3 hatch.
Cockahoot with our 10am gin tasting at WhataHoot Distillery coupled with a tour around King’s Lynn, it was time to saddle up and head further North to one of my favourite UK cities, York.
Motoring along the A17 and onto the A1(M), this 3 hour drive was somewhat less impressive as we were confined to the major arterials that provide very little in the way of views. With that said, the incentive to get to our destination was strong. Historic York is a living, breathing museum of a city with its great Minster and medieval streets is considered to be the spiritual capital of Northern England. At 2,000 years old, this walled city built on the River Ouse, showcases its rich architectural tapestry of medieval and half timbered Tudor houses, set amongst its many churches, galleries, museums, bars and restaurants. Having arrived safely at the Hotel Elmbank for our 5 night stay, we opted for an early dinner and drinks in preparation for some serious walking in the days ahead.
The Hotel Elmbank was a leisurely 15 minute walk toward the major entrances into the city. Micklegate Bar is the main southern gate entrance to the city of York. As tradition would have it, when entering York, the King / Queen has to stop at Micklegate Bar and ask permission from the Lord Mayor to enter the city…Queen Victoria famously ignored this tradition and cried out “Bollocks” from her Royal carriage when entering city during he reign on the throne.
Having walked the walls and city streets of York it was time once again to fire up the ignition of our trusty Mazda 3 to explore the Yorkshire Dales. Our first port of call would be the vibrant and elegant town of Harrogate that lies on the edge of The Dales. Set in amongst the narrow winding streets and alleyways were a multitude of boutiques, antique shops, restaurants, bars and cafes and of course the spas for which that towns reputation was built.
From Harrogate we set our sights on some of the quintessential Dales villages of Grassington, Wensleydale and Hawes. Favouring the B roads to live the experience of this region tested my rally-like driving skills as we meandered our way through the National Park. The B6265 proved to be a genuine opponent for this B-grade driver with both clutch and brakes taking a hammering en route to Grassington. Arriving in one piece, my navigator exhaled a great sigh of relief, leaping from the passenger side door to plant feet firmly on terra firma. Our visit commenced with a short hike to Linton Falls. Linton Falls is a popular waterfall on the River Wharfe which drops down from the river into Grassington. Although fairly modest in height it is the largest waterfall on the River Wharfe. The falls once provided a source for the local area’s energy needs via the now decommissioned Hydro plant beside the falls. The falls area is also a very popular swimming hole for the locals who were out in great numbers in an effort to seek relief from the unseasonably hot 🥵 Norvern summer.
Having wiped the sweat from the brow, we mustered up enough courage to climb back into the Japanese chariot to continue our journey. Climbing over 700 meters along the narrow B6160 we set course for the village of Hawes in Wensleydale in North Yorks. This bustling village at the head of Wensleydale is home to the renowned Wensleydale Creamery whose produce lines the market stalled streets of Hawes. If you’re in the market for good quality cheese or ice cream, there is no better place to stock up on your dairy produce. Of course it would have very rude of we travelling Aussies not to sample some local fair so in lieu of a brew, we helped ourselves to 2 larges scoops each of their famous ice cream to whet the whistle.
Now on the A684 that, by comparison to the narrow B roads looked seemingly like an international airport runway, we arrived at Aysgarth Falls. In appearance the falls were not too dissimilar to Linton. Once again the locals were spread across the grassy areas in their swimming costumes, rising only to negotiate the rocky outcrop to seek relief from the heat in the chilly waters of the River Ure.
Having experienced some of the best that North Yorkshire had to offer, it was time to set the navigation path for York. Knowing that there was a cool pint of Morretti with my name on it, I used the force setting a course at warp speed along A6108 via Ripon and onto the A1to the Elmbank Hotel.
Our final day of this for tonight would be spent on the road en route to our final destination of Newcastle upon Tyne. However before we hit Geordieville, we plotted some stops along the way to break up the journey. Our first stop was the lovely village of Malton for breakfast. Initially we thought that the entire village was closed on a Sunday however we did locate the only cafe that was open at 08.30am. With a bacon roll and an Americano under the belt we jumped back into the 3 for our next leg stretch at the magnificent Rievaulx Abbey.
The Abbey provided the perfect escape from the tranquil valley of the North York Moors. As we approached the car par, we discovered the impressive ruins of this most magnificent 12th century Cistercian monasteries. Rievaulx Abbey's fascinating past coupled with the lives of the monks who called Rievaulx Abbey their home was brought to life by the FOC guided audio tour. We explored the museum displaying previously unseen artefacts that told the story of the rise and dramatic fall of the first Cistercian abbey in the North of England.
The audio tour described in detail certain areas of the abbey’s extensive ruins relating stories and tales about the building and their inhabitants detailing how the abbey looked along with the lifestyle of the monks at various stages of its history.
Our penultimate stopover would be the visually dramatic and buzzing fishing port and resort Whitby. Other than their world renowned fish n’ chips, this charming yet spooky town was made infamous by author Bram Stoker’s Gothic vampire tale of Dracula. Originally built in AD655, Whitby Abbey became the source of inspiration for his novel’s blood sucking main character. The Abbey is perched high above the town (200 steps to be precise) adjacent to the equally spooky St Mary’s Church and graveyard. It’s no wonder these two edifices provided the dramatic setting for the fanged Count. In keeping with the eerie environment that is Whitby, the entire town was shrouded in a deep fog making the climb ever so more ghostly and hair-raising.
And that concludes a busy week 2 of our intrepid adventure driving through the UK. Stay tuned for week 3 as we head over Hadrians Wall into the the land of the the kilts n’ celts.
Cheers…
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