2012 Grand Tour

8th and 9th June
Whatever made me think that it was a good idea to travel by motorbike to Scotland in June?  Thinking I'd chosen the best month for a warm, dry holiday.
On the 8th June we travelled from Southwick to Langdale Lakes in Lincoln in winds of over 60 miles per hour.  Wondering whether we would ever get there in one piece, we eventually did and had a lovely evening with Karen and Tony and set off early the next day for Barnard Castle.  During this journey the wind was less fierce but instead we rode through tremendous rainstorms with thunder and lightning.  The roads went from dry to three inches of bouncing water, then back to dry again.  It was like riding into a dark hole at times with the clouds reaching the earth.
We stopped off after crossing the Humber Bridge at Beverley and had a beer in the White Horse pub, an old fashioned pub with old fashioned prices - know locally as Nellies.  This is a must if you like good beer and quaint places.

Langdale Lodge - Lincoln

Lily Hill Farm

Eventually we arrived at our first B and B which was Lily Hill Farm and were welcomed by another Karen with freshly made scones and a lovely comfortable room.  It was on a par with Karen and Tony's B & B at Langdale Lakes, set in the  countryside - a working farm with views of sheep and horses from the windows.  The nearest pub was about 1.5 miles away - luckily it had stopped raining by the time we were ready to eat so we walked to the pub - The Morritt Hall Hotel - an interesting place with connections with Dickens.  Nearby is a place called Dotheboys Hall - Dickens visited this place and featured it in Nicholas Nickleby apparantly.  The George and New Inn in the novel was modelled on The Morritt Arms and it was here that Squeers and Nicholas alighted for Dotheboys Hall where Nicholas taught.  The bar is decorated with paintings from Dickens novels.  Whilst we were eating, in the next bar was a wedding reception with a very loud "pub singer"  and as the door between the bars kept swinging open all the men in the bar took turns trying to shut it - the spirit of Dunkirk!