An early start deserves a naughty breakfast.


We were on our way to a cottage in the Yorkshire Dales for a long weekend to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. We surprised him with it on the 11th (his birthday) and then met with him, my mum, my sister Caroline and her boyfriend Jon there Friday lunchtime. We were in the village of Hawes, home of Wensleydale cheese - yum!


After an exploratory walk round the village and a visit to the Ropemakers, Caroline was on kitchen duty and cooked up a hearty moussaka.

On Saturday we walked to Hardraw Force. The countryside is real Postman-Pat-land and very relaxing.


We rewarded ourselves with a pub dinner and plenty of beer!

Hawes is home to the Wensleydale Creamery, and I was really looking forward to seeing the cheese being made. I wasn't disappointed, the cheese-makers were hard at work - demand is high - they supply most major supermarkets. There was something close to 20 different cheeses available in the shop to sample - all delicious. We bought one block of traditional and one block flavoured with onion and chive. Yum.


We still had time in the afternoon for a walk, so we drove to the nearby Aysgarth Falls. There are three falls, upper, middle and lower, each one more impressive than the last.


I cooked an early dinner so that Caroline and Jon could head home.

Our last stop this morning was the Ribbledale viaduct, part of the Settle to Carlisle railway. An impressive structure indeed.


It really was a good break. The Dales have a lot to offer and the fresh air certainly clears the head. We need to get out walking more often, we've decided. Happy Birthday Dad!

Labels: travel