We could not book into the hotel until after 2pm so abandoned the car and went off to the Railway Museum. Not our first visit there but it is always such an absolute joy that no opportunity to visit is ever neglected. It is one of the best free attractions in Britain and to a railway enthusiast absolute heaven. Once booked into the hotel I went down to the basement swimming pool and had a good hour in there to make up for the exercise missed whilst travelling. I do find that if I go two or three days without exercise then my body siezes up and all my joints stiffen. One of the joys of being in my 60s I suppose.
Our room was very large and well furnished with extremely comfortable beds, we had a view over the gardens to the Minster and it was lovely to sit and watch the sun setting through the enormous window. It being Thursday evening we wandered off to the local Wetherspoons for the curry night and Onslow was very happy to be back eating the sort of food he likes rather than the poncey stuff I favour. Friday dawned a bit grey with intermittent rain so after my morning swim we donned our waterproofs and went walking around York. There was a wonderful farmers' market on in Parliament Square and since the sun broke out at lunchtime I shopped for a picnic lunch and we sat on a bench eating it and watching the world go by. We then continued to wander around the city admiring the architecture generally and browsing in the bookshops. Saturday dawned a bit brighter and we went to the William Etty exhibition in the art gallery in the morning and then met up with some internet friends for a picnic in the park. It was lovely to meet people I have only "talked" to via a message board - most of them had travelled some distance and brought foodie treats for the picnic which they had made at home. We had a lovely couple of hours together and then we went off to the Cycle Touring Club annual rally which was being held in the middle of York Racecourse. Onslow is the proud owner of a recumbent tricycle and he had a whale of a time buying lovely presents for himself and the trike whilst I followed and produced the pennies. We actually got sunburned that day, despite me having factor 30 lotion on my arms I really picked up the rays and so am glad that I had anointed myself before leaving the hotel. We were too tired to bother much about supper so just shared a platter back at Wetherspoons with a drink before falling exhaustedly into bed.
Sunday we were up early and checked out to head for Caistor in Lincolnshire and went via Beverley because I have always wanted to see the Minster there. Beverley is a delightful market town with a good selection of shops, a fine square, some interesting architechture and the wonderful Minster. We spent about four hours there and then headed off to stay with my brother who has moved to Caistor in Lincolnshire since I last saw him. The drive over the Humber Bridge was well worth the toll fee, the views were interesting, the bridge itself is worth looking at and it was very quiet. Possibly it is much busier during the week but on an early Sunday afternoon there were very few vehicles using it. Caistor was a real surprise, I had always assumed that Lincolnshire was flat fen country but Caistor is set among rolling hills and my brother lives on top of one with fabulous views which reminded me of the Golden Valley in Herefordshire. The weather was glorious so we sat outside drinking wine and eating a barbecue followed by a huge dish of fruit. Lovely.
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