A trip to the country…

Sometimes don’t you just want to hop in the car and drive? Just lose the satnav and see where you end up. You know what I mean? Well yesterday we went on a trip that took in Wiggington, Haxby, Gate Helmsley and Stamford bridge. None of which are too far from York, but isn’t it funny how you never go see what’s on your own doorstep. And anyway, the journey was the point really, we took the scenic route and Yorkshire is very pretty this time of year.

The corn reminds me that it’s nearly autumn though. I seem to have missed summer under all the rain! This was the first properly sunny day we have had for ages and believe me, Scrabble can get real old, real fast :)

See the sign on the right? There are loads of these all over the countryside. Very picturesque but bloody useless for finding your way around :)

The Balloon Tree in Gate Helmsley is a farm shop and pick your own. Don’t you just love pick your own? My strawberries pretty much all got eaten by birds and mice this year, but pick your own is almost like growing your own, or at least you get to pretend you’re harvesting your own crops :)

Strawberry fields…

 

Me picking blackberries. It’s a little early so it was a hunt for ripe ones but we got enough for a pie!

 

Row after row of raspberry canes.

The harvest! Those strawberries are huge. Perfect for a cheesecake :) We’re freezing the blackberries to wait for our bramley apples so we can make a big pie or two.

    

 

 

 

 

Mum and my brother Nic feeding the ducks at Stamford bridge, scene of historic battles. The ducks seem to have carried on the tradition :)

The bridge at Stamford Bridge.

This used to be a water mill, up close you can still see the wheel inside the tunnel on the right. Now it’s a fancy restaurant like most fine historic buildings.

We walked a little way downriver and come to this huge Victorian railway bridge.

This is the bit that goes across the river. You can see kids have strung up rope swings halfway out – scary, I always hated those when I was a kid because I was terrified of the river eels wrapping around my legs!

So ends our little trip around my part of Yorkshire. It was a much hotter day than it looked and I got a little sunburned and very tired. Later I’ll show you what I bought in the charity shops we came across :)

Beccy