I love an Arboretum.

Good evening. I think I've got time to squeeze this one in before I go to bed. Thorp Perrow is a 100 acre Arboretum a few miles south of Bedale. So let's go and have a look. I thought the entrance fee of £14.75 was a bit expensive, but never mind. What I didn't spend on two nights B&B, and food, means I can well afford to splash out on visiting places. 

Luckily the weather was glorious, which was perfect for walking through trees. I can't imagine that this would be much fun in the rain.   

The arboretum is a historical living collection of trees from all over the world, some incredibly rare, some unusual and many ancient. Trees have featured strongly on the Thorp Perrow Estate since medieval times, evidence tells us that Springs wood – the heart of the arboretum – has been continued woodland since this time.

The 1840s were exciting times on the estate with the introduction of many trees from distant lands, over time adding to existing woodland, and forming what we now call the Pinetum. The planting continued with the arboretum starting in 1931, with the introduction of thousands of trees, again from across the world.

Copy and paste from the web site. 

There is no access to the house it is private.

Come for a stroll with me. 

Still not finished yet. One more place to visit before I go home. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Checking out Bedale, again.

Good afternoon. It's Sunday and I am still waffling on about my Yorkshire break. Day two and I am in Bedale. It's morning and most of the market is in full swing, except for one trader who is yet to set up his stall. 

Where do you fancy going? I have been here before. If you want to see my previous posts click on the links. 15th May 2022.  

I also passed through Bedale as part of a long walk, 5th May 2014. Photo's on these two posts are very similar to what I have here. I must look for new places I haven't been to before. 

Five years ago these stones were painted and set in concrete. Sadly some of them are faded. If I lived here I would bring some paint and a brush and spruce them up a bit. 

Another picture of the Church of St Gregory, as seen in previous posts. 

And a second video of this church. Previously seen in 2022.

Let's have a look at the station. The crossing gates were closing to let a train through just as I got there. Not a very interesting train, just two carriages. 

I like these old fashioned stations. Comparing the pictures it looks very much the same as three years ago. 

A couple of hours in Bedale and now I'm ready to move on. Where to next? Somewhere I spotted on the map. Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Sunday. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Hospital visit

Good morning. A short break from the Yorkshire posts while I post an update on my poorly Hedgie. He/she/non binary 😵 has been appearing in my garden during daylight hours. It appeared to be ok, always feeding, didn't look sick. How can you tell without a closer look anyway. I put a small dot of red paint on his back so I would recognise him again. 

The night before last when the weather was wet and windy he was trying to find shelter under the hedge. I found him just before bed time. He was trembling with cold, and didn't look too good at all. I got the cat carrier out and made a bed for him in there, and brought him indoors for the night. 

Yesterday morning I rang the Hedgehog Hospital and they said I could bring him in. They checked him over, found three ticks which they removed, and weighed him. They found a small poo in the bedding and put it under the microscope. The verdict, he has Lungworm. Thankfully this is treatable. Apparently they catch it from eating slugs, which they are not supposed to do.  

Little Hedgie is now being taken care of at the hospital. He has his own private accommodation. He is snug and warm and has his food delivered. As you can see he has settled in rather nicely. He will be monitored over the next few weeks and fattened up. He will have regular weight checks and treatment for the Lungworm. When he has recovered they will let me know, then we can decide what's best for him. If I should want to have him back here they will need to do a home visit to make sure that my garden is suitable. It's much the same procedure as anyone wanting to home a rescue cat or dog. 

Andrews Hedgehog Hospital is near Appleby/Broughton, not far from Brigg North Lincolnshire. The lady in charge has been there for 30+ years, she lives in the bungalow there. 

Here is the web site for the Hedgehog Hospital. 

My other hedgehogs came last night. They seem healthy and are fattening up for the hibernation season. Last year they stopped coming in early December.

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your weekend. More to come on the second day of the Yorkshire trip. Bedale, Masham, and Thorpe Perrow Arboretum.  

Toodle pip.   ilona

Let's look at Richmond

I drove through Richmond on the way to Reeth. It looked interesting so now's my chance to have a look around. A couple of hours should be enough to take some photos. I parked in a quiet road and made a coffee. I was ready for that. Let's see what we can find. 

The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin Looks glorious against the blue sky. Hard to get a bigger picture of it due to the tall trees close by. 

Some interior shots. Fabulous windows. 

In the centre, the historic cobbled Market Place. 

The Castle stands high above the town. There is a walkway all around it which gives some lovely views. 

The main entrance to the Castle. 

Here are the opening times. More information on the English Heritage web site. 

A fabulous sea of colour in these gardens. 

This is amazing. The old Railway Station repurposed into an art centre with galleries, a cinema, a library with meeting places, gift shops, and a cafeteria. It's light and airy and retains many of it's original features. What a super transformation. 

A smashing place to end a busy day. All I have to do now is park up for the night. The plan is to go back to Scotch Corner Services, it's only six miles away. Tonight I shall be sleeping once again with the robots. Those lights will be on all night, but I have a remedy for that. Use my skirt as an eye shield. Drape it over my head to cover my eyes and it blocks all the light out. 

Thanks for popping in. Come back for day two of my little expedition into North Yorkshire. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona 

St Andrews Church in Grinton

More on my North Yorkshire visit. After spending the morning at Reeth Village, and the Show, There was still time to wander up the road to Grinton Village. Two villages right next door to each other. Let's look at the Church. 

A picture from a previous visit. February 2010. 

The churchyard extends far beyond what you can see here. The ground nearest the church has been mowed, after that it has been left to nature. Very overgrown and unstable to walk on. 

Thank you for the invite, I will come inside. 

I had it in mind to take a look at Grinton Youth Hostel. I stayed there many years ago and wondered if there had been any changes. It's about a mile from the village, so I went back to my car, still parked at the showground, and drove to the hostel.  

Yep, still the same. 

From a blog post in February 2010. I must say I think my photo's have improved a lot since I upgraded my camera. 

I had a chat with a cyclist who was staying there overnight. It was a short chat because I wanted to move on to the next place I had in mind to explore. 

Fantastic views from the hostel. 

When car camping there is no point in parking up too early just to sit around and wait for nightfall. I like to make the most of daylight hours. I was going to go to another show the following day, but after Reeth, I didn't need to do all that again. 

If you come back later I will show you where I went next.

Thanks for popping in. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona