We had driven just behind Storm Babet on the way north, but at Houghton-Le-Spring we were well and truly in her skirt tails. Rain and high-winds meant my planned trip to Beamish was off, due to a power cut, and instead Annabel and I found ourselves making the most of the time working for various…

Thursday, 6 days after arriving into Otley, it was time for us to venture north towards Houghton-le-Spring, but not without taking in some interesting locations on the way. Avoiding the main roads at all cost, our first stop was the delightful town of Knaresborough in north Yorkshire. It is hard to imagine a town that…

Wednesday, and we decided to make the most of our National Trust membership and visit East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley. This meant a fun trip over Ilkley moor, which sits between Otley and Keighley. The drive over the moors was an enjoyable set of sweeping bends along open roads, boarded by the rich green of…

Fourth day, and we both accepted the fact we had to work, at least sometimes :-). Our lifestyle may have changed, but nothing comes free. Morning spent staring at computer screens, before Annabel and I escaped the confines of the world of IT problems, and social media. A drive with no real direction led us…

Third day, and our legs needed some good exercise after the weekend and this was achieved with a trip to Stainforth, with a hope of watching the salmon running up the river Ribble. Our plan was simple, have a good walk up on Malham moor, and then descend to the river level, walking up stream…

Our second day on the road, and we were all a little quite after Saturday’s run at the beer festival. A lazy wake up, was followed by a wonder around the town of Otley, which is delightful for its architecture, history, range of ‘open’ shops and depending on your humour, street names – being the…