// Y O R K S H I R E
actually, it's true, the grass really is greener in
YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND
In fear of catching the 'disease that shall not be named' or being stung by hasty changes to quarantine rules, i've chosen to turn to the trusty and all encompassing lands of the United Kingdom to get my adventure fixes for the foreseeable future.
After recently returning from a long weekend in Yorkshire, I really don't know why everyone is so intent on chucking their hand luggage onto the first plane that's going anywhere other than their local shop, a public footpath or village pub. I, for one, do not miss the snaking queues to get through customs, having my bag emptied out and undies exposed when the custom officers are convinced you have some liquids hiding in your bag, delayed flights, crying babies, and the odd people who decide it's perfectly acceptable to crack open a container of boiled eggs they had brought from home and eat them as a snack on the plane.
Honestly, if you have a good imagination, you can pretend walking in Yorkshire is like hiking in Switzerland (just a little less dramatic in terms of mountain magnitudes), the castles and abbeys are similar to those found in the quaint villages of Southern France (minus the chocolate croissants) and, more importantly, everyone speaks English (even if you can't really understand the Northern accent).
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So, if you've never been, or have been waiting for a sign to go, here's why you really, really should.
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1. The countryside is b-e-a-u-tiful!
All you outdoor lovers will instantly feel at home in Yorkshire. The landscapes are filled with green, bordered by dry stone walls and dotted with black and white sheep that run along the fields and up the mountains. I've often thought that i'd come back as a bird or a whale in my next life but, now i've thought about it, I think it would be kinda cool coming back as a sheep. I mean, hiking would be soooo much easier and I would have the warmest jumper all year round!
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2. It's jam-packed with pubs
Every village in Yorkshire's expanse has a pub, if not two or three... or four. The pubs often have a good range of local and further afield beers, as well as selections of mouth watering meals that will send you into the deepest of food comas. We stayed in a village with three pubs to choose from. Two of the three were owned and run by the same couple; the only real difference was the caliber of food options available on each of their menus. One, The Kings Head, was a little more refined, while the other, The Bluebell, offered more of what you'd call your 'traditional pub grub'. The food was amazing at both places, but i'd say the second place had a better range of meals and their portion sizes were a little more generous than their fancier counterpart. That being said, I had the best (and most sophisticated) chicken-whatever-it-was-called at the Kings Head on the first night we were in Kettlewell.
3. It's the original stomping ground for the beloved Sunday roast
I've learnt that a Yorkshire pudding on a Sunday roast for an Englishman (and woman) is akin to having a good spread of butter on your vegemite toast for us Australians. A good light and fluffy Yorkshire pudding is a staple in any good Sunday roast - and what better place to sample it than the very place where it was invented. The Yorkshire pudding we had with our Sunday roast looked like it had fallen from the heaven of the giants. I guess that size also matters for Yorkshire puddings too.
4. It has the cutest market towns
The village towns of Yorkshire embodied the epitome of cuteness and radiated a charm that lured us into spending too much money on food, alcohol and postcards. Normally, local farmers markets, foodie markets and vintage markets pop up all days throughout the week, but these have all been suspended due to current restrictions imposed on social gatherings and people in numbers. We stayed near the market town of Kettlewell in the North of Yorkshire. It has a few tea rooms, plenty of niche shops you can pick up something special for someone at home (or yourself) and, like I mentioned before, lots of pubs. It's also a good place to start a walk from if you have some time up your sleeve or if you need to burn off some of those scones and jam you tucked away for afternoon tea.
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4. Endless walking/hiking options!
I think that you could walk a different path every day for a year in Yorkshire if you wanted to. Our step count for our long weekend easily exceeded 60, 000 steps. But, unlike the everyday steps we do at home, these ones didn't even feel like exercise. On one of the days, when the weather was uncharacteristically warm and sunny, we walked from village to village, stopping to replenish our fuel stores with beverages and sweet treats. On the next day, we followed the river and did a 8 mile round trip to a nearby village, to see the place where I had heard a lot about. On both days, the paths were fairly busy, but we didn't mind it that much because every one was so friendly and usually had a cute dog in tow.
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5. The cottages are sooooo cute
I mean, need I say more ....
And a little sneak peek of our living room views.
I could tell you many more reasons why you should jump in the car and roadtrip up to the North, but I think it's probably best if you just do it for yourself. You won't regret it!
Stay wild,
Nat xx