Mystery Tour!

Another grey sky morning, so absolutely no chance of seeing the moors in all their magnificent splendour, though I guess the photo is more typical.

I've walked along this road as part of a very beautiful circular walk that starts in Danby Dale and then goes along the ridge via this road before descending into Little Fryup Dale. I've also driven along it twice now and each time I think what a long and monotonous stretch of road it is - but it always evokes the essence of what the moor is about.

We'd stopped because my dad had decided he was too warm and needed to remove his coat. I, meanwhile, decided I needed a blip, hence the car boot being open so that I could retrieve my camera.

It really is this bleak up there.

Mystery Tour Itinary:

Along the coast to Sandsend and up Lythe Bank.
Cut across to the A171 and take the Danby Road to the bakery and tea-shop. Stop for morning coffee and cake (the highlight of the day as far as my dad was concerned).
Take the minor road through Ainthorpe that goes over Danby Rigg and looks out over Little Fryup Dale.
Stop to take a look at the remains of the old industrial railway and mine workings in Rosedale.
Through Hutton le Hole which was celebrating a Napoleonic Day with one French soldier and one boy and his mum (all looking pretty grey).
Through Kirbymoorside, Helmsley and down Sutton Bank (shades of the great Australian sandstone bluffs but fairly minor in comparison!)
First glimpse of blue sky over Helmsley (don't try to drive through Helsmley [James Herriott country] on a Saturday lunchtime without getting stuck in a loooong traffc jam).
South on the A1 to our inevitable lunchtime venue (I'm going to draw the line at this in future - I didn't enjoy lunch and there has got to be an alternative).
Back through Castleford and Pontefract to drop them off, a big hug from my mum before my final forty minutes drive to reach home on the edge of the Pennines just west of Barnsley.

Pheww - much relief to be back and enjoying the luxury of doing my own thing!

... and they enjoyed the drive across the moor even though it was very grey.