After a wonderful night of sleep, most of us were up and ready to go around 8:00. Dad got up early and went for a 4 mile run beside the canal that runs through Gargrave. The rest of us took a short walk there before we left for the day.

Our first stop was the town of Skipton where we heard there was a market and a castle. We did some shopping and grabbed some breakfast at the market and the little shops. Lanita and I had ham & cheese toasties, Dad had a hot pastry with cheese inside, and Andy found a place with award winning pork pies.

Next we climbed the hill to Skipton Castle which was built in the 1600s. It was beautiful and interesting. I liked how they left the rooms inside mostly empty, rather than trying to fill them with stuffy drapes and tables laden with china. It left lots of scope for the imagination. The man at the entrance told us we could spend the night if we wished. Only the dungeon was available though, so we decided just to look and leave again. I didn’t get many pictures there, but from the top there was a pretty view of the Yorkshire Dales, and I did think these staircases merging was clever.

After that, we drove to Malham Cove. It was a beautiful drive on a one lane road. We found a car park in the middle of some grassy fields (the dales) and followed the footpath through them. The hike checked all the boxes for us. Cool temperatures, stone fences, cattle and sheep, and beautiful views. Whenever we got to a fence we needed to cross, there was either a ladder or stepping stones we could use. We got to the top of the cove, then there were steps going down. A few went down the steps to see the cove, and the rest of us walked back to the van and drove down to pick them up at the bottom.

Next we headed to Gordale Scar where we bought some snacks from a food truck, took a short walk, and drank from a spring that appeared out of the ground. The Dads have been noticing all the different kinds of rocks, and they admired the limestone cliffs there.

Our next stop was the Ribblehead Viaduct. We got to see a train crossing just as we got there. The evening light was so pretty and it was quiet and refreshing out there.

We were planning to go to a cheese shop, but it was closed by the time we left the viaduct. We had made reservations for dinner at a pub and had a little time to kill so we walked the streets of Settle for a bit. In the upper part of this charming town, there were narrow cobblestone streets and stone houses with the cutest names and signs on them.

Dinner at the Talbot Arms lacked nothing. Our food was delicious and our pints were refreshing. They had the most crispy Pepsi on tap, and we’re already craving more.

After we ate, we got petrol for our van, as we’ll be driving several hours again tomorrow. We had quite the time figuring out how to get to the gas cap, but Lanita finally saved the day. Back at home we did some laundry, had a cheese tasting, played a game of Authors, and walked to the Co-op to buy picnic things for tomorrow when we plan to explore the Lake District.

Love and goodnight,

x Ella