It has always been my dream to do a walking holiday in the Yorkshire dales, so when I found myself with 2 weeks of vacation and no hard and fast plans I decided now was the right time. I have loved the Herriot books since I was a child, and this spring I discovered the tv series. It also turns out that the ship from Denmark to England is to stop running in September. Taking my own car over on the ferry seemed, after a good bit of research, to be the best way to make the trip, if I wanted to take my dog - which I did. Flying her to England is way to expensive and the train in England is very expensive as well.
There was a good bit of preparation involved. I ordered the holiday through a company that booked me into B&Bs at suitable walking distances, choosing accommodation that allowed dogs. They will transport my bag from place to place so that I don't have to carry everything on my back. They also arranged for a taxi to take me from where I park the car to where my journey starts, and sent me maps, a guide book and lists of pubs, shops and caffes along the way where I can buy dinner, lunch etc. I have spent a good number of hours studying the maps, and finding and printing driving directions. Yesterday I had to take Lucy to the vet to get worm and tick medicine.
According to Google maps it is an eight and a half hour drive to the ferry in Esbjerg, Denmark. I figured to be on the safe side I'd give it 12 hours and so I drove out of the driveway at 6 am this morning. As usual on the night before a journey, I didn't get to bed until midnight, and was wide awake at 4:30. It was cold this morning, only 5 C, and cloudy as I drove down through Østfold, singing to an Abba cd. Crossed over into Sweden at 7 am and an hour later I stopped for breakfast and to walk Lucy. It was still cool, but I sat in the sun at a picnic table to have my yogurt with honey and smoothie. The drive through Sweden was a bit tedious, though it was a gorgeous day. I stopped again at 10:30 to get an ice coffee and walk Lucy again.
The bridge over to Denmark is spectacular! You kind of feel suspended between the dark blue of the sea, with a bank of windmills to the left, and here and there a sailboat; and the paler blues of the sky, with its feathery clouds and seagulls floating on the wind.
When we arrived at the ferry port at 4:40 pm, they were already checking in. I handed my ticket, passport and pet passport to the lady and she gave me the gizmo to read off the chip. Once I was parked in lane 1, the lane reserved for motorcycles and people with dogs, I had half an hour to walk Lucy around the port area, and give her food and water before boarding commenced at 5:30 pm.
While all the folks with motorcycles got busy strapping them down, Lucy curled right up on the back seat of the car. She's exhausted after all the driving, I think. At 7:30 they'll take those of us who have dogs down to the deck to us to exercise them. There's a sand box that they're supposed to pee and poop in. It looks more appropriate for cats. Lucy willingly got into it, but had no idea what I wanted her to do there. I understand it's okay if they go on the car deck as long as we pick up after them. As for me, I'm about ready to hit the sack, and look forward to being rocked to sleep by the waves.
I got up early and spent some time standing on the deck watching the sea and the sky, before seeing to Lucy who had slept like a log in the car. After breakfast I went back to my cabin. I did some yoga, which was quite a challenge with the movement of the ship. The rocking of the ship also made me really sleepy, I found it hard to stay awake to meditate or read.
At noon we arrived in Harwich, and customs took no time at all. Getting used to driving on the left was not very difficult, though it worried me that there were no speed limit signs. There had been some signs about the speed limits with conversions to km, but they were partially hidden behind bushes, and it's not like you could pull off onto the shoulder to study them. British roads don't have shoulders. Most of the drive was through flat landscape on the motorway. Stopped at Petersborough, just north of Cambridge for lunch at 2:30 pm, then continued on. The last hour was in the North York Moors National Park, and it was spectacular! Especially when the sea suddenly materialized before me.
Arrived at Robin Hoods bay at 7:40 pm. The post office which sells tickets for several days parking was closed, and the machine only sells parking for 24 hrs, but the taxi driver showed me where I could park for free near the church. He then took me to Osmotherly.
No one is at home here at Vane House. I stood in front of the door for a while until one of the guests came and let me in. But, since the pubs all close at 9 I will likely not be getting any dinner tonight.
There was a good bit of preparation involved. I ordered the holiday through a company that booked me into B&Bs at suitable walking distances, choosing accommodation that allowed dogs. They will transport my bag from place to place so that I don't have to carry everything on my back. They also arranged for a taxi to take me from where I park the car to where my journey starts, and sent me maps, a guide book and lists of pubs, shops and caffes along the way where I can buy dinner, lunch etc. I have spent a good number of hours studying the maps, and finding and printing driving directions. Yesterday I had to take Lucy to the vet to get worm and tick medicine.
According to Google maps it is an eight and a half hour drive to the ferry in Esbjerg, Denmark. I figured to be on the safe side I'd give it 12 hours and so I drove out of the driveway at 6 am this morning. As usual on the night before a journey, I didn't get to bed until midnight, and was wide awake at 4:30. It was cold this morning, only 5 C, and cloudy as I drove down through Østfold, singing to an Abba cd. Crossed over into Sweden at 7 am and an hour later I stopped for breakfast and to walk Lucy. It was still cool, but I sat in the sun at a picnic table to have my yogurt with honey and smoothie. The drive through Sweden was a bit tedious, though it was a gorgeous day. I stopped again at 10:30 to get an ice coffee and walk Lucy again.
The bridge over to Denmark is spectacular! You kind of feel suspended between the dark blue of the sea, with a bank of windmills to the left, and here and there a sailboat; and the paler blues of the sky, with its feathery clouds and seagulls floating on the wind.
When we arrived at the ferry port at 4:40 pm, they were already checking in. I handed my ticket, passport and pet passport to the lady and she gave me the gizmo to read off the chip. Once I was parked in lane 1, the lane reserved for motorcycles and people with dogs, I had half an hour to walk Lucy around the port area, and give her food and water before boarding commenced at 5:30 pm.
While all the folks with motorcycles got busy strapping them down, Lucy curled right up on the back seat of the car. She's exhausted after all the driving, I think. At 7:30 they'll take those of us who have dogs down to the deck to us to exercise them. There's a sand box that they're supposed to pee and poop in. It looks more appropriate for cats. Lucy willingly got into it, but had no idea what I wanted her to do there. I understand it's okay if they go on the car deck as long as we pick up after them. As for me, I'm about ready to hit the sack, and look forward to being rocked to sleep by the waves.
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I got up early and spent some time standing on the deck watching the sea and the sky, before seeing to Lucy who had slept like a log in the car. After breakfast I went back to my cabin. I did some yoga, which was quite a challenge with the movement of the ship. The rocking of the ship also made me really sleepy, I found it hard to stay awake to meditate or read.
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| First glimpse of England at Harwich: families of Swans and ducks :) |
At noon we arrived in Harwich, and customs took no time at all. Getting used to driving on the left was not very difficult, though it worried me that there were no speed limit signs. There had been some signs about the speed limits with conversions to km, but they were partially hidden behind bushes, and it's not like you could pull off onto the shoulder to study them. British roads don't have shoulders. Most of the drive was through flat landscape on the motorway. Stopped at Petersborough, just north of Cambridge for lunch at 2:30 pm, then continued on. The last hour was in the North York Moors National Park, and it was spectacular! Especially when the sea suddenly materialized before me.
Arrived at Robin Hoods bay at 7:40 pm. The post office which sells tickets for several days parking was closed, and the machine only sells parking for 24 hrs, but the taxi driver showed me where I could park for free near the church. He then took me to Osmotherly.
No one is at home here at Vane House. I stood in front of the door for a while until one of the guests came and let me in. But, since the pubs all close at 9 I will likely not be getting any dinner tonight.
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| Nobody home at the B&B :( |
