On Friday night’s arrival in Yorkshire Dales, we gathered at the local Crown pub for a bite to eat or a pint, saying hello and catching up time – before going to bed.
After a good night’s sleep, on Saturday morning we had a delicious full English breakfast at the Rowe House. Each breakfast plate was decorated with a different sprig of fresh herb from the garden that we had to guess what it was (just a little something to wake us up…). Afterwards, ready for our first tennis session held indoors at a local private school with comprehensive facilities. As there were ten of us, we split into two games, five on tennis and another five for a game of pickleball. Have you heard it before? Well, Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis. It was fun and highly recommended for indoor activities when we can’t play tennis on rainy days…
After tennis/pickleball, we headed to a local cheese and wine café for a bite to eat first, before heading for our challenging walk up the Pen-y-Ghent - one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks and a popular walk from the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale. We were so lucky with the weather, and it was a great walk on a beautiful hot sunny day. Those who reached the summit of Pen-y-Ghent enjoyed the wonderful panoramic views of Yorkshire Dales before returning home.
A special dinner of coq-au-vin was served for us, cooked by Robert the Chef and served by Jane the Glamourous Hostess. For dessert and to Lucy’s delight was the legendary Robert’s lemon tart, followed by a selection of finest cheeses.
Sunday morning started with delicious hot porridge and/or full English or kippers/smoked haddock breakfast at the Rowe House. We then headed to the local tennis club at Austwick village, about five miles from Settle for our second day of playing tennis. With another gorgeous sunny day, we had great fun playing tennis in a tranquil setting, surrounded by wonderful landscapes dotted with sheep…
Sunday afternoon was spent on a panoramic train journey to a sleepy town of Appleby, passing the most photographed Ribblehead viaduct. In the evening, a delectable dinner was served in a private room at a traditional Yorkshire pub near the viaduct.
Our last day on Monday morning, after yet another delicious breakfast we said farewell to the Burdetts, before our long journey back home to Buckinghamshire.
Our heartfelt thanks to Jane and Robert Burdett for their hospitality and for being the greatest host/hostess in Yorkshire Dales! Not forgetting our big thanks also to Robert Skinner for organising the 2018 tennis trip. Great fun was had by all in the sunny Yorkshire Dales.
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