Yorkshire Staycation Day 5 - Hawes and going home

Going home slowly! 

We packed up our lovely room and walked to the Bordar tea room for breakfast, sitting on the picnic table again. 

Breakfast!

It was sad to say goodbye to Masham but we did say we would try to return once a year.  I hope we are able to do this.

Our idea was to go slowly through the Yorkshire Dales and stop for coffee and cake along the way. 

Our first stop was Hawes, one of our absolute favourite  Yorkshire villages.   We parked at the Ropeworks and always enjoy going in there.  You never know what you will find that you did not know you needed!  However, it was not open to the public - only the rope works was working, meaning you could shop online……. About half the shops were not open, not just food related but also retail.  

Hawes has a lot of traffic that go through it, some very heavy and noisy so our dog was not able to relax because she is still very frightened of engine noise.  There were some hotels open and a few coffee shops, but the outdoor tables were too close to the noisy roads.  Other places we have enjoyed going in to were not open, all of these for no apparent reasons…..  We discussed going to the Wensleydale Cheese factory but I said no, the time in Hawes was just too sad.  

The best bakery....ever!

However, one of the reasons we will take massive detours to get to Hawes was not closed, so it was not all bad.  The first time we went to Hawes together (Alan had been before I moved over), we discovered Cockett's bakery and butcher shop.  We went in that first time and found the absolute best pie ever made.  It was apple and blackcurrant and made a lasting impression on us.  We have stayed in Hawes often but also made huge detours just to buy pies.  Sadly, the apple and blackcurrant pie was retired many years ago, but we are still very loyal fans of their pies, preferring apple but will buy other flavours if that is all they have. On this day, we got one apple and one blackcurrant to take home. I have been known to sit on a bench in Hawes and eat a whole pie, but that was years ago and I was pregnant at the time!  (and it was a small pie!)

various photos of Hawes.

We drove through the Dales and along Buttertubs, the scenery was perfect, as always.  

Next stop - Thwaite - another place with very pleasant memories, including time spent there with my Mom and Stepfather.  And again, the teashop we looked forward to going to was closed, for no reason.  

Thinking Nateby or Kirkby Stephen would offer some sort of tea shop there.  Sounds like we were getting obsessed with tea shops but it had been hours since breakfast and we needed to eat something.  

The drive through the Dales was scenic and I loved being there, but it was also heartbreaking to see so many closed shops and tea rooms.  

As we left Yorkshire, we came to Tebay in the Lake District and found a little hotel where we got lunch.  I got terrific Leek and Potato soup!  But it was disappointing not to be able to see and enjoy Yorkshire the way it should be seen and enjoyed.  

Sorry to end our fabulous first “staycation” on such a low note, but it is sad to see how the countryside is being affected.  I hope we can find a way to make our new era work out for the benefit of all of us.

As we crossed the border to Scotland, we saw a lovely horse and cart.  I guess full circle start with horse and carts and end with them too.