Wednesday  18th June 2025

Thorne  -  York    58kms   not much in the way of height.

What a truly splendid day.I

It didn't start quite so well, as our overnight accommodation was in yet another pub clearly marked for closure or upgrading. Just one member of staff on duty for breakfast and a cook. No breakfast was, apparently, available when we showed up except for a hot water urn with instant coffee or tea bags. We were instructed to take a seat and wait for our order to be taken (all with a smile). Cooked or cooked? Alan asked after the possibility of cereal only  to be told that was a available at weekends only! So, we had cooked. Sometimes , you just have to roll with it.

Today was a day for meeting and greeting. We stopped for our coffee break on an old airfield and hailed a passing dog walker. Not always a wise move. Clearly our dog person was  keen to chat. After 20 minutes of explaining his life history in the army followed by a  career as a dog handler in the prison service and how the latter was / had gone to the dogs, we did finally manage to explain that we needed to move on. As we left the airfield, a glider came in to land. Such a peaceful and graceful craft.

Having found ourselves on the trans pennine way, we then found ourselves off it and almost into the middle of the  canal (my shout). Fortunately, a nice young man redirected us to a route which should take us into York. We only got so far when we spotted a bench on a college green and, it being around lunchtime, decided to stop. We shared the space with a guy on a very engrossed  phone call  and  we consumed sandwiches and coffee. His call complete, we seemed fair game for a chat! Another life history - a very highly qualified decorator who had worked for royalty. You couldn't make it up.

We now, eventually found our green Lane into York which went through the York race track before we found ourselves consumed in crowds of people, one of whom provided good advice as to how to locate our destination. It wasn't his fault that we got lost dicing with death with cyclists, buses not to mention,  cars. Master Navigator found our house. Should never have doubted him. Took a while to access the key. How many codes does one need? 

All sorted now. A decent  microwave meal and a  bottle of wine and we will take on York tomorrow  -  for good or ill.