Tuesday 12 May 2015,
We took some photos of the bar and dining area of The Village Pub at Barnsley during breakfast to try and record the ambiance; the low ceilings, the log  fire, rustic tables and comfortable chairs and left at about 8:15am in light rain.

The Bar, The Village Pub, Barnsley	The Village Pub, Barnsley
The Village Pub, Barnsley	The Village Pub, Barnsley

We drove into Herefordshire and to Goodrich Castle which overlooks the Wye Valley at Goodrich. Work started on the keep in  the 11th Century by the English Land owner Godric who named it "Godric's Castle." Under King Richard the Lionheart, Goodrich castle, along with the Earldom of Pembroke was given to the William Marshal who probably built the inner ward. After Marshal's five sons had inherited it, the Castle passed to Henry III's half brother, William de Valence. The castle was destroyed during the civil war when the Parliamentarians used a mortar named "Roaring Meg" which is on display inside the castle.

Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire	Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire
Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire	Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire
Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire	Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire

Roaring Meg Roaring Meg was a mortar cast in 1646 for the siege of Goodrich Castle. With a 15.5 inch barrel diameter and firing a 2cwt (100Kg) hollow ball filled with gunpowder, Roaring Meg was the largest mortar of the English Civil War. The weapon and its ammunition is believed to have been manufactured near Lydbrookat Howbrook furnace and forge whose then owner, John Browne, is known to have supplied weapons to the Parliamentarians. She was instrumental in the capture of Goodrich Castle in 1646 by Sir Thomas Fairfax. During the siege the Roundhead commander, Colonel Birch, was so excited with his new weapon he personally fired the last 19 balls. Following Roaring Meg's success at Goodrich, it was subsequently deployed at the bombardment of Raglan Castle. Roaring Meg is preserved by Herefordshire Council and has been on display at Goodrich Castle since 2004.

Next we drove to Arthur's Stone which is a Neolithic tomb

Then we went onto Much Wenlock and saw the ruins of Wenlock Priory. An Anglo Saxon Monastery was founded here by King Merwalh of Mercia. His daughter, Milberge, was an abbess who became a saint. Her relics were miraculously re-discovered  here in 1101, attracting both pilgrims and prosperity. 

We then had a quick look at the Iron Bridge near Telford in Shropshire, and finally a visit to Daniel's Mill in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

We then drove to our lodgings for the night, The Old Downtowm Lodge a few miles out of Ludlow in the country. We were meet by Pippa and Megan and shown to our excellent large ground floor room with every modcom one could ask for. There are pastures all around the Lodge and all we can hear are the birds and the bleating of lambs and sheep. It is a perfect setting. I think the original building was barn. The most impressive part is the dining area with the high raked beams and a large tapestry on the end wall.

Wednesday 13 May 2015,
We woke to a warm sunny day. Breakfast was between 8:30 and 9:30am. We set off for Ludlow at about 9:15am. Being Wednesday, there was a market in the town square. Ludlow prides itself on it's food, and so there was a good range of vegetables on display.

Ludlow Castle, Shropshire	Ludlow Castle, Shropshire
Stone bridge just below the castle, Ludlow, Shropshire	Fly fisherman, Ludlow, Shropshire
Tudor buildings in Ludlow, Shropshire	Tudor buildings in Ludlow, Shropshire

There were also a good number of Tudor buildings in the town. We didn't go into Ludlow Castle, but walked around it instead. We followed the path down to the river and took photos of the bridge and got chatting with a fly fisherman. He retired here 7 years ago.
After an hour or so we set off to Stokesay Castle. Technically speaking this is a fortified manor house.

Stokesay Castle, Shropshire

Stokesay Castle, Shropshire

Stokesay Castle, Shropshire

Stokesay Castle, Shropshire

Tudor Building, Ludlow, Shropshire

We did the audio guide of Stokesay and then moved on to Clun Castle in Shropshire.

View from Clun Castle, Shropshire	Clun Castle, Shropshire
Clun Castle, Shropshire	Clun Castle, Shropshire

The local population were out enjoying the sun, many sitting on park benches, some sitting drinking beer outside one of the numerous the pubs. Although the castle is a ruin, the surrounding countryside is beautiful.

Countryside, Wales

Countryside, Wales

We then headed off to our final destination for the day which was the Ffynnon Townhouse, in Love Lane, Dolgellau in Wales. Wales is mountainous when compared to the parts of England we have visited and the buildings are made of large dark grey stones. Some of the stones have been cut but many of them are random form.
Ffynnon Townhouse is off the main road and up a steep narrow road with high stone walls on either side. It is barely wide enough for the car to fit. The house itself is a large multistoried home, with a gracious carpeted wooden staircase sweeping up to the upper levels. The lounge has a baby grand piano in the bay window and a bar which works on the honour system. As does the chocolate bar in the passageway outside the lounge by the stairs. There is a small kitchen area with a fridge for preparing meals if you wish or eating take-aways. Our room is large, light and airy. The two windows open as does the one in the bathroom. The wall to wall carpet is off white and the decor is basic red, white and black.
It is within walking distance of a number of restaurants and takeaways. Although they are a hundred metres or so down the steep hill. We had dinner at the Royal Ship Hotel (Lamb burger ₤9.95, Beef burger ₤9.95, Pint Stowford Press cider ₤3.50, Half Pint Dizzy Blonde ₤1.55.)

Thursday 14 May 2015,
The wind started blowing quite strongly at about 3:00am. It was still blowing at breakfast time but not raining. We decided to visit the Harlech Castle. As we drove the rain began to fall. I classified it as "Driving Rain" (pun intended) if the windscreen wipers are working continuously and "Light Rain" if I can use the intermittent setting.

Old shed on the way to Harlech

Old shed on the way to Harlech

When we reached Harlech we were in driving rain and the wind was about Force 9. We bought our tickets from a fellow who warned us that it was dangerous up on the top of the wall in these conditions. We went up there anyway and braved the wind and the rain. It was bitterly cold. We decided to wait for a better day before we tried taking the castle!

Harlech Castle, Wales	Harlech Castle, Wales
Harlech Castle, Wales	Harlech Castle, Wales
Harlech Castle, Wales	Harlech Castle. Note the crafty yellow thing for scaling castle walls

We headed off to Caernarfon Castle. The entrance fee was ₤5.10 each (Concessional). The wind and the rain began to abate. We explored the Castle in light rain, but thankfully no wind.

Caernarfon Castle, Wales	Caernarfon Castle, Wales
Caernarfon Castle, Wales	Caernarfon Castle, Wales
Caernarfon Castle, Wales	Caernarfon Castle, Wales
Caernarfon Castle, Wales	Old boat in estuary opposite Caernarfon Castle, Wales

We then drove to Conwy Castle. The walled town of Conwy is beautiful and it was a pity we couldn't spend more time there.

Conwy Castle, Wales

Conwy Castle, Wales

 The weather seemed to be clearing as we drove home to Dolgellau. We stopped a number of times to take photos of the countryside and things of interest, which included a quick stop at Castle Dolwyddelan.

Castle Dolwyddelan, Wales	Countryside, North Wales
The bridge over the River Conwy, Llanrwst, Wales	Hills of slate, Wales

Ffynnon Townhouse, Dolgellau, Wales

Ffynnon Townhouse, Dolgellau, Wales

We put another ₤55.00 of diesel in the car and went down to the Royal Ship Hotel for dinner (Two beef and ale pies ₤14.95 each, Black Dragon Cider ₤3.90, half of Dizzy Blonde ₤1.55.)

Friday 15 May 2015,
We woke to a glorious sunny morning. It was such a contrast to yesterday morning when everything was windy, dull and miserable. Breakfast was at 8:30am as usual and we were on the road by about 9:15am. Our plan is pretty simple, just drive north east from Dolgellau on the west coast of Wales until we reach the sea at Whitby. The GPS guided us smoothly from Motorway to Motorway carefully avoiding Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds. We arrived in Whitby at 2:45pm. Paid ₤3.00 to park the car for two hours and wandered up the High Street past all the quirky little shops towards the Abbey. Once again we got in free by using our English Heritage membership cards. Membership is is excellent value.
Interestingly, we left Wales not being able to understand a word the locals said and arrived in North Yorkshire and still not able to understand the locals!
 

Countryside in North Wales	Whitby, Yorkshire
Whitby, Yorkshire	Whitby, Yorkshire
The Abbey, Whitby, Yorkshire	The Abbey, Whitby, Yorkshire
The Abbey, Whitby, Yorkshire	The Abbey, Whitby, Yorkshire
Whitby, Yorkshire	Countryside just outside of Crayke, Yorkshire
Countryside just outside of Crayke, Yorkshire	Ivy Cottage, Crayke, Yorkshire

After taking a few photos we headed to The Durham Ox, Crayke, Yorkshire, which is where we are staying for the next two nights.
I had forgotten that I had agreed with the Management, at the time of booking, that we would be happy to stay in a cottage rather than one of their pub rooms. So we have a two storey cottage in the main street, called Ivy Cottage, with three bedrooms (anyone who can get here by tomorrow night is welcome to stay with us), kitchen, garden etc.
We had "Ox Burgers" for dinner at the Durham Ox washed down with a Black Sheep lager and a local Symonds cider for Briar.

Saturday 16 May 2015,
It was a clear crisp Spring morning in Crayke with a few light clouds away in the distance. We set off to York at about 9:15am. The GPS started playing up but eventually we found a car park not far from York Minster. We took a few photos outside and went inside to get out of the wind. Although I am not a regular churchgoer I thought the asking price of ₤10.00 each ($20.00 each) to view the Minster was a bit steep and so we left and headed off to the Shambles.

York Minster, Yorkshire

The Shambles, York, Yorkshire

The Shambles, York, Yorkshire

The Shambles is a street or streets very close to the Minster. It is a quirky place with spruikers out on the pavement trying to sell chocolates, books etc and little Tudor style shops selling coffee, cakes, bread and everything else imaginable, like teddy bears, paintings, jewellery etc.

The Shambles, York, Yorkshire	The Shambles, York, Yorkshire
The Shambles, York, Yorkshire	Shop window of Thomas the Baker, The Shambles, York, Yorkshire
Explanatory Brass Plaque, The Shambles, York, Yorkshire	Sword Swallower, The Shambles, York, Yorkshire

After a couple of hours we returned to the car and drove to Rievaulx Abbey. The ruins indicated that, in its prime, the Abbey would have been huge and spectacular.

Fields alongside Rievaulx Abbey, just outside Helmsley, Yorkshire	Rievaulx Abbey, just outside Helmsley, Yorkshire
Rievaulx Abbey, just outside Helmsley, Yorkshire	Rievaulx Abbey, just outside Helmsley, Yorkshire
Rievaulx Abbey, just outside Helmsley, Yorkshire	Rievaulx Abbey, just outside Helmsley, Yorkshire
Cottage alongside Rievaulx Abbey, just outside Helmsley, Yorkshire	Rievaulx Abbey, just outside Helmsley, Yorkshire

We next visited Helmsley Castle. There is not much left of the castle apart from the moat and and a couple of stone towers. Like all sites run by English Heritage, it is well presented, with the lawns in beautiful condition etc.

Helmsley, Yorkshire

Helmsley Castle, Yorkshire

Helmsley Castle, Yorkshire

Helmsley Castle, Yorkshire

Helmsley Castle, Yorkshire

Finally we headed off to Bylands Abbey. It is probably the largest ruined abbey we have seen. The original abbey would have been massive.

Bylands Abbey, Yorkshire	Bylands Abbey, Yorkshire
Bylands Abbey, Yorkshire	Bylands Abbey, Yorkshire

Once again I am having a minor problem with the Mercedes hire car. One of the back tyres has a slow leak and every time the air pressure reaches a certain low level decided by Mercedes, warning lights flash up on the control panel and warning bells ring. I put air in the tyres in Wales two nights ago and this morning the warnings returned. In all my years of driving Toyotas I have never had to put air in any of the tyres. With this fancy European car I have had to put air in the tyres four times in ten days. Maybe I should wait until I'm in some remote place in the Scottish Highlands and call them up and ask them to come and change the tyre for me!
At 6:00pm we headed off to the Durham Ox for dinner. They have a "Saturday Night Fever" special on. A two course meal is provided for ₤14.95 but it must be finished by 7:30pm. It is a neat way to get two sittings in at the restaurant on a Saturday evening. Washed it down with a pint of York Brewery Guzzler, Rudgate. Golden, crispy, refreshing beer.

Sunday 17 May 2015,
We left "Ivy Cottage" at The Durham Ox, Crayke, Yorkshire at about 9:15am and headed north west totwards the Lake District. We put some air in the back tyre and headed off into Cumbria. Although the sky was clear, except for a few clouds, there was a chilly wind blowing. The outside temperature was 11˚C. We took photos along the way of the every changing countryside.

Countryside, North East Yorkshire	Countryside, North East Yorkshire
Countryside, North East Yorkshire	Countryside, North East Yorkshire
Brougham Castle, Brough, Cumbria	Countryside just outside Grasmere, Cumbria

We even took photos of Brougham Castle just outside Brough.
We then headed to the Castlerigg Stone Circle and then onto Grasmere.

Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cumbria

Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cumbria

Grasmere is where William Woodsworth got the inspiration to write "Daffodils" in 1807. It is a pretty little township filled with arts and craft stores everywhere and it takes every opportunity to cash in on Wordsworth's popularity.

Grasmere, Cumbria	Grasmere, Cumbria
Grasmere, Cumbria	Grasmere, Cumbria

We headed out towards Windermere, but the traffic was slow and heavy due to the large number of cyclists training for the "Tour of Cumbria" and also the Cumbria Marathon was being run and so there were runners everywhere.
We arrived at our hotel, The Britannia Inn, Elterwater, Ambleside, Cumbria for the next two nights at about 3:00pm. We went for a walk alongside a small river for about an hour and then checked in.

The Britannia Inn, Elterwater, Cumbria	A Bridge alongside The Britannia Inn, Elterwater, Cumbria
Countryside near The Britannia Inn, Elterwater, Cumbria	Countryside near The Britannia Inn, Elterwater, Cumbria

Our room is upstairs and quite small, but it is comfortable and has an en suite bathroom. Although we had to climb up one flight of stairs to the first floor, the window opens onto a grassy area which is at ground level. So the hotel is cut into a hillside. We had dinner in the bar. Two beef and mushroom pies with chips (₤14.50 ech) and I tried a half of Britannia Gold and a half of Neddie Boggle Bitter (₤4.30 per pint.)
At 9:00pm we went down to the bar and joined in the Sunday night quiz session. We teamed up with Hatty (Harriette) and Scott from London. We scored 24/40 and were let down badly by our knowledge of the meanings of road signs. However, I was probably the only one in the room who knew that it was the Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge that was destroyed by very low speed winds (collapsed because of aeroelastic flutter) in 1944.
There is light rain outside but no sign of the heavy rain, winds and thunder that we heard on the radio. Went to bed at about 11:00pm

Monday 18 May 2015,
I thought the girl had said that breakfast was at 7:30am when we checked in yesterday. Apparently she said 8:30am and so we could have stayed in bed listening to the rain for an hour longer. it was still raining after breakfast and so we drove to the township of Windermere and then onto Cartmel. Like most of the small towns in this area it caters for the tourists with art and craft shops and cafes. Nearly every town we went through has some kind of tie with either with William Wordsworth or Beatrix Potter or both. Long live Peter Rabbit and the Floppsy Bunnies! We saw the Priory Church but didn't stop to look at it closely.
The rain continued from "medium" to "driving" which meant much of the landscape was blocked out by cloud and mist. The back tyre had lost pressure again over night and so we stopped to remedy that. Finally I had my dashboard back. The incessant warnings about the low air pressure in the tyre was gone and I could read all the functions, such as the outside temperature. It was 7.5˚C. We drove onto Hawkshead and saw the picture perfect white washed cottages, but it was raining too hard to take any photos. The rain began to abate at around 11:30am and we stopped numerous times to take photos of the countryside and the lake. We returned to The Britannia Inn at about 1:30pm. It had finally stopped raining and so we decided to see where the path down by the river went. About 2 miles later it abruptly ended in the carpark of the next pub down stream. It appears as though people wander back and forth along this almost level path and have a meal and an ale when they reach either end, then turn around and return to whence they have just come. The pathway is very well used by the British and their dogs. The number of dog droppings gives testament to that. No "doggy doo bags" in this neck of the woods. There are dogs on leashes everywhere. There are big dogs and there are small dogs, there are exotic dogs and there are common dogs. Just like the British and their cars. There are exotic cars and there common cars. The exotic ones like the Audis rarely make room for any oncoming traffic in the narrow laneways (goat tracks). While the common ones are usually a little more understanding and compromising and help make room for you both.

Lake Windermere, The Lake District, Cumbria	Lake Windermere, The Lake District, Cumbria
Lake Windermere, The Lake District, Cumbria	The Lake District, Cumbria
The Lake District, Cumbria	The Lake District, Cumbria
River Brathay,  Elterwater, Cumbria	River Brathay,  Elterwater, Cumbria
River Brathay, Skelwith, Cumbria	River Brathay, Skelwith, Cumbria
"I wandered lonely as a cloud" - William Wordsworth	River Brathay,  Elterwater, Cumbria

River Brathay,  Elterwater, Cumbria

The front bar of The Britannia Inn, Elterwater, Cumbria

We took numerous photos on our walk, but it is hard to find an evenly lit landscape. There always seems to be patches of light and shade moving across the viewfinder. It is not like taking photos at home where only two exposure settings are needed. One for sunny days and one for cloudy days!
We had dinner in the Britannia Inn. Shepherds Pie ₤14.50, Herdwick pale Ale ₤3.60, Conston Brewing Co, Britannia Inn Special Edition ₤3.40 per pint.