We’ve been back in the States for over a month now, but I still have a few more things to share about our England adventure.  For our “last hurrah” trip, we spent a week in the Yorkshire Dales.  We did a good bit of sight-seeing, but we also slowed down our pace and made sure we relaxed as well.

We spent our first night in Leeds where we visited the Royal Armouries:  Britain’s museum of arms and armor.  Some of us found this place very interesting (i.e. all those family members with a Y chromosome).  

From Leeds we drove up to Newcastle upon Tyne because we had tickets to see an Olympic football match – more on that in another post!  After the game, we headed to the little village of Sowerby in North Yorkshire.  We rented a lovely cottage for the week (Wheelhouse Cottage) that was perfect for our family.  There were farm fresh eggs, flowers, and wine waiting for us upon arrival!  

The boys liked playing in the enclosed courtyard. In particular they loved the riding toys left for them to enjoy.

We got an early start the next morning and went into the nearby town of Thirsk whose claim to fame is that it is the home of the veterinarian who wrote the James Herriot stories.  Joey and Paul had been reading the books, and we were all keen to take in The World of James Herriot.  It was very interesting to visit the actual home of the author (which was preserved exactly as it was when the family lived there), see some sets from the TV series, and learn a bit more about the history of the author, books, and TV show.  

Veterinary Dispensary

Future vet?

From the World of James Herriot, we drove to see Fountains Abbey – the amazingly beautiful and dramatic ruins of an ancient abbey (founded in 1132!).  

Yorkshire is beautiful.  We were in awe of some of the gorgeous countryside we witnessed as we explored the county.  Of course, it didn’t hurt that we were incredibly fortunate to have fantastic weather for our trip!