Temple Folly

We spent an hour or so this morning wandering around Ripon cathedral. Then we decided to take the opportunity to visit Fountains Abbey, as this was only a mile or so away. However, when we got there, we were turned away because it was full!

So, instead, we took a leisurely drive through the beautiful scenery in Nidderdale and Wharfedale, enjoying the sunshine, watching the young lambs in the fields, and admiring the cyclists who kept pedalling up even the steepest of hills. There is a lot of enthusiastic preparation here at the moment for the Tour de France which starts this year in Yorkshire and will be travelling along a lot of the roads around here.

In the late afternoon we arrived at our accommodation for the next three nights - this extraordinary stone folly built in the late 18th century. It has been converted into wonderful cosy accommodation for two people. The ground floor of this octagonal construction in Swinithwaite has a living room cum kitchen (with a bathroom off). A stone staircase leads to an external first floor balustraded balcony, and walking around the tower at this level brings you to the door to the bedroom, a beautifully appointed room with stunning views over the Yorkshire countryside. A wonderful setting, particularly in the spring sunshine.

This is another black blip because of the lack of internet access around here (indeed, the lack of even a decent mobile phone signal much of the time)!