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.
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