Friday 21st May
The sun was shining so we wanted to find a walk by a river. We chose a section of the Nidderdale Trail near Dacre Banks.

After exploring a couple of miles of riverbank we walked up the steps by the bridge where the trail turns inland into the village.

After eating a picnic lunch while overlooking the valley we drove across the other side to Brimham Rocks.

We strolled along the footpaths enjoying the rock formations, such as this dog shape.

Half way around the trail we reached the balancing rock.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-brimhamrocks

Thursday 13th May
The sun was shining so we decided to go to Scarborough for the day. We crossed from the Grand Hotel to the Spa by way of the newly refurbished footbridge.


There was a group of surfers enjoying the waves.



We walked to the Spa which is in the process of being refurbished.

We strolled back to the car passing the quayside, which was very quiet.

We drove along to the other end of Marine Drive and visited the Open Air Theatre which is due to be opened soon by the Queen and Prince Philip. Everything was being repainted, resurfaced and replanted in time for the opening.

We crossed the road to circle Peasholme Park boating lake where there were lots of water birds.

Friday 7th May
Today we drove over the North Yorkshire Moors to Whitby, stopping at The Hole of Horcum for lunch and a breath of very fresh air.

In Whitby we walked over the bridge and up the 199 steps to St Hilda's Church and Whitby Abbey.

It was a cold and clear day with very few people around and so we were able to get a really close look at the ruins which are more complete than we expected.

The colour of the stone was particularily striking and the detail in the carving was superb.

We walked back down the steps to the Magpie Cafe for fish and chips.

Thursday 6th May
This evening we were invited by the RHS to tour the new building and site at Harlow Carr.
www.rhs.org.uk/Gardens/Harlow-Carr

It is very eco-friendly and sits well in the newly landscaped section of the gardens. We were shown round by the head of site & invited to make comments as the first public group to see inside the building.

Wednesday 5th May
Today we visited the Yorkshire Air Museum with Enid and John.
www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk

There were quite a few out of service aeroplanes outside and the large hanger was absolutely full of planes dating from the earliest days of flight to the 80s.

In the smaller huts there were displays from World War II and they really brought home the bravery of the people in the RAF.

Wednesday 28th April
As a birthday treat we went to the bowling alley at Clifton Moor in York for a couple of games. We haven't played for ages but managed to score around 100 in all our games and enjoyed ourselves.

Friday 23rd April

We visited the Harrogate Spring Flower Show today. The displays in the Flower Hall were superb and tempted us to buy several plants for our garden. There was lots to see, much of it outdoors, and the warm sunny weather made it a treat.
www.flowershow.org.uk