In between trips around the world, and other long-haul adventures, it is refreshing to venture back to other halcyon days, when any travel abroad was “out of the question”. Even today’s short break to Whitby, staying a few days in a former mansion overlooking Yorkshire’s Eden Valley, would be a very rare treat indeed.
Larpool Hall, around a mile from Whitby Town Centre, and up a steep hill, now provides recently renovated accommodation at fairly hefty hotel prices. What you then get is a freshly decorated room with more than adequate and seemingly brand new en-suite facilities. A small flat screen television is wall mounted to alleviate possible boredom if England’s lack-lustre climate decides to be too inclement to venture out. I like the way the sleeping accommodation has been decorated, plain and flower patterned walls. The beds are of hotel standard and far more comfortable than my now ancient bed at home. Breakfast gives scant regard to my brutal diet regime and is both plentiful and utterly delicious. However, the first night reminded me that structures erected at the end of the 18th century are, generally, noisy buildings, every footstep marked by an amplifying thud, and the twittering of said wall mounted televisions, not a problem in 1798! Inadvertently, I had signed up for three days of sleep deprivation as the occupant of the room directly above mine would pace up and down, not only in the hours leading up to 11.30pm, but from 05.30 the following morning. In desperation, at around 06.30hrs, I Googled the nearest Premier Inn to Whitby. Every town has at least one….but not Whitby. Gently, I voiced my concerns to who I believe is a manager. I was offered another room with no other accommodation above. Peace, perfect peace, but perhaps not for the person next door as I watched (as I do at home) “Question Time” which follows the BBC’s news broadcasts at 10pm. Aware of the possible leakage of sound to next door, and possibly even further, I kept the volume to an almost inaudible level. Next door “retaliated” at a respectable 7.30 the following (this) morning!
Right now, I am finishing a ham salad lunch in Russell’s cake shop and cafe in Pickering, Yorkshire, where, unbelievably, I have found a home for my hundreds of railway periodicals which I need no longer. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway have agreed to relieve me of them. That means their consignment to landfill is delayed! In fact, I do hope that eventually, they find a new home, or several new homes. De-cluttering my house is “a work in progress”, and a long term one at that. But for these three/four days, I am enjoying for the first time, travelling the length of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway between Whitby and Pickering. I shall write more on these three days soon.
All the best, David.
David's Cruise 