Richmond, day 4

Jess and I were up at 8am and I had a cup of tea after packing up the lounge room. We said goodbye and I walked down the hill to the marketplace. It had snowed more through the night so the ground was well covered, but the precipitation itself was decidedly wet. I bought something to eat and waited for the 9.25 bus to Darlington.

I found the bus stop no problems and nabbed the front seat at 10.40 for the trip back to Chester, arriving about 4.15. I got the bus to Tarvin, where Derek picked me up. The snow turned to rain as we’d headed south, but there was a while when to change lanes meant driving over uncleared snow. The driver was sensible, but I vowed to never drive in the snow.

Richmond, day 3

I was awake again at 8am and went down for my breakfast at 8.45. I walked straight down beside the river to see the waterfall, which was looking rather brown, and then to try to see the tower near the Green but couldn’t get in the park. The walk up the hill certainly warmed me up, though!

I then went to Richmond castle. While it wasn’t snowing, it was still very cold and the snow was deep. I saw the exhibition then ventured outside again. I started with the remains of Scollands Hall and then through the beautiful snowy garden of evergreens. There was little else to see in the grounds, so I went up the keep. It has been preserved very well and gave a wonderful view all around.

I called Jess when I was finished, and we agreed to meet for lunch at 1pm, which gave me an hour to look in the rest of the shops. We met at the monument in the middle of the square and went to the Bishop Blaize for lunch because of their £5.50 for two meals. Big mistake! Half the menu was unavailable and what we did get was horrid. Jess visited the post office and Boots and we headed to the theatre.

Dick Whittington started at 2.30 at the Georgian Theatre Royal and was fairly juvenile, though worth it for the clever cast and the surroundings. Jess’s cousin Gemma was scarred for life. Jess’s uncle and aunt, Nick and Clare, invited me to stay the night and so Jess and I walked up the hill to their house.

Nick cooked a brilliant Chinese meal and we drank too much wine. Jess started to show me her photos from France and Germany but we were called for dinner halfway through. Nick asked what I’d like to listen to on the stereo, and my answer was, of course, jazz and dance bands. This led to Nick tossing out about two dozen records from his collection to play on the turntable. Most of them looked good and what he played sounded good (only a few tracks from each record). Then he showed me his wind-up picnic gramophone, and I vowed to find one while I’m in England as they will only be around £50 and are quite portable. Then he brought out the original 1984 Band Aid record and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and finally Stairways to Heaven and Queen. It was a very fun night. Jess and I stayed up talking and formulated a plan to travel after New Year’s – to London. I slept in a sleeping bag on the sofa and was very comfortable.

Richmond, day 2

I woke up at 8am and went downstairs for my included full English breakfast, which was lovely. I walked up to the marketplace in the snow and went straight to the post office to send my Cambridge application (Reporter?). I then bought a disposable camera from Boots because I couldn’t bear not capturing the snowy beauty around me. Then to the tourist office to see what I could do in winter since the info in my room said most castles and interesting places were only open Thursday to Sunday. The woman told me that the walk to Easby Abbey would be best, because I’d also get great views of the town. I asked about getting tickets to the pantomime the next day at the Georgian Theatre Royal. She pointed out the ticket office across the road and I bought a ticket.

On her advice, I walked up Maison Dieu and got some great photos of the town and then through the snow past some very cold-looking sheep to the Abbey ruins. It was very dramatic with the gravestones and jagged walls in the snow. I got snow in my shoes though, because it was so deep.

I walked back to town on the disused rail line beside the river and back up the hill, where I got fish and chips for lunch (or should I say fesh and cheps?). I then did the castle walk around the walls and looked in a few more shops before retiring gracefully to the guest house to warm up. I went out again to get some Thai for dinner from a lovely lady who worked there.

Richmond, day 1

The National Express coach left Chester at 1pm. It was a Newcastle-upon-Tyne coach stopping at Darlington. I started off near the back of the coach, but at our second stop, Manchester city (the first was Manchester airport) I managed to snaffle the seat directly behind the driver. We then stopped at Oldham, where there was snow on the ground, then Bradford – there was snow falling up on the highest motorway in England, the M62, just before it. Then we stopped at Leeds, Harrogate, Ripon (with its ‘Ye Horn-blower Tavern’) and arrived at Darlington just as the snow started in earnest at about 6.50pm.

I found the bus station and a local girl told me that as a holiday, the Sunday timetable was operating. This meant that I thought I would need to wait until 7.45 for the next bus to Richmond, so I went to Pizza Hut for dinner. It was yummy and I met some cool people. Back at the bus stop, the 7.45 driver told me to wait for the 8pm because his bus stopped at every village and took an hour. I got the next one and chatted to the nice driver as he negotiated the snowy road at a sensible pace.

He dropped me off up in the marketplace in Richmond, and I called the Old Brewery guest house for directions. I walked down the wet, slippery, snowy road, and found the guest house easily. The room was beautiful with brass bedheads, rose pattern bedspreads, and knick-knacks everywhere. Above all, it was WARM.