Sunday 5 June 2016

Out for lunch.


At last we have a Summer's day here with a temperature in the low twenties and with wall-to-wall sunshine and no wind.  On the strength of that the farmer and I thought we would have a drive out to Hawes and to our friend's restaurant 'The Pantry'.

It is a big, straightforward restaurant where the food is all put straight on to your plate, gravy added and it is put in front of you, so it doesn't suit everyone (although they always do at least a hundred plates each Sunday regardless of the time of the year.)   But the big plus (they are farmers too) is that it is their own meat and there is always a choice of roast beef, lamb or pork.   I had lamb and the farmer had beef (he likes the Yorkshire Pudding!)

Hawes is always full of people winter and summer - I think one big draw is the Wensleydale Creamery, where they make the now World Famous Wensleydale Cheese.  You are able to go round and watch the process and coach loads of visitors arrive to do just that.

One draw back with the little town is that it is a mecca for motor cyclists in Summer.   This is the view at the doorway of our friend's restaurant today:


After our lovely lunch I persuaded the farmer to drive over the Buttertubs Pass and back through Swaledale in the lovely weather.

Climbing up towards the Buttertubs gives spectacular views above the tree line.  As you go up, the first thing to be passed is the hotel and restaurant where Jeremy Clarkson had the famous fracas which resulted in him leaving Top Gear and the BBC.
Then it is on and up to the top and the watershed where the road drops down into Swaledale.


Dropping down into Swaledale with its protected Hay Meadows, which cannot be mown until after July 15th (to give time for the seed of the abundant wild flowers to  set for next year's show), the buttercups were spectacular, as was the May Blossom.   There are fields alive with mountain pansies, but they are well away from the road.

By the time we got home Tess was ready for her walk and I had a few pots of plants to water - then a well-earned rest.

21 comments:

Terry and Linda said...

OH! I LOVE THIS TRIP! I dream of seeing England some day...then on to Ireland and Scotland and Wales! I wish I had blog friends from those three countries. Thank you so much! This was a huge joy for me.

Linda

Derek Faulkner said...

Wow, what fantastic scenery. I'm also in awe at the amount times that you eat out.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Such a beautiful part of the world.
You are so fortunate to call it home.
xoxo

angryparsnip said...

What a lovely trip and Thank You for taken us along.
I would have had the lamb too.

cheers, parsnip and thehamish

Sue said...

I can remember my step-father used to play dominoes at The Board Inn in Hawes every market day.

Virginia said...

What lovely photos Weaver, all except the one of the hordes of motorcyclists ! They just make the roads tricky - we have troubles also with cyclists of the ordinary pedalled variety - slow around the windy bits, and very slow on the hills! How is Tess? Are any of the remedies giving her relief yet? I do hope so.

Frances said...

I am so glad that you had you camera with you, and that you were able to persuade the Farmer to take that gorgeous route home from your delicious lunch. I am guessing that it did not take too much persuasion! What a lovely day for your ride.

xo

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

I've missed a glorious day, trapped in my windowless workplace

Barbara said...

I truly enjoyed that little trip!
Your landscape is so very different than ours, I do love the areas that look so wild and uninhabited.
Sounds like a wonderful restaurant! ...and good for you, ordering lamb! (says the shepherdess)

Penny said...

Sounds like a lovely day.

donna baker said...

Wonderful day Pat. I can't think of a better one.

Mac n' Janet said...

I'd have had the lamb with you, what beautiful drive. Glad your weather has gotten better.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Glorious weather at last! Biker gangs AND Jeremy Clarkson - you live in a dangerous part of the world!

Librarian said...

Thank you for taking pictures for us from your trip! I've been wanting to visit Hawes and the Wensleydale Creamery for years, but never got round to do it - there is always so much to do and see during my brief annual Yorkshire Holiday!
On a summer's day like that, I would have loved going for a hike and walk where those beautiful meadows are; seems almost a pity to spend time in the car :-)
I gather The Farmer is better, or else you would not have gone out for lunch together. That's good news for sure! And Tess hopefully had her walk without being too much affected by the grass.

Dawn said...

The restaurant sounds lovely and its nice to here it supplies locally produced meat :-)

tilly said...

I was in that part of the country 2 weeks ago staying in a shepherds hut. I had lunch in the pantry and it was delicious! The buttertubs are a wonderful place to drive and I stopped off at the monument on top, I had 3 days of glorious sunshine, but not very warm
Tilly

thelma said...

Is it not glorious this weather Pat;). Our little pub does less covers on a Sunday but is always well attended by local farmers. We saw a motorbike accident yesterday, there are plenty of them around here to, they roar along the straight roads in convey, hardly gangs, many of them are quite old;) littering up restaurants and pub car parks.

Heather said...

Very pleased that the farmer is well enough to go out for the day, and what a lovely day it must have been. All that glorious scenery. I would have loved to see the mountain pansies. Enjoy this weather while it lasts. I had planned to do more gardening today but I think it is going to be too warm for that - not that I'm complaining!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for your visits. The farmer is on the road to recovery but not quite there yet. Today he is mowing the lawns and is out in the sunshine - I hope it will do him good.
Thelma - we always say all the motor cyclists are middle aged to elderly because the bikes cost so much they can't afford then when they are young. But they haven't all learned road safety, sadly.
And Derek - I am afraid I belong to that band of ladies who lunch. Any opportunity to not cook for myself and I am off. Yesterday was the farmer's suggestion.

Gwil W said...

A bunch of harriers used to run over the moorland footpaths from Hawes to Kirkby Stephen every so often. I went with them twice. We'd stay in the YH and run back to Hawes the next day.

Anonymous said...

Just returned home from your neck of the woods - love it there.
Latest blog post is all about it: http://captaincustardatps.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/ay-up-lad.html