June 19, Grassington

 I ordered a taxi for 6:15 to take me to Bolton Bridge....this is where I left off the day before yesterday.  The taxi showed up on time, but the driver had no idea where the B 6160 was; that is the road that goes from Ilkley to Bolton Bridge.  This is like saying, "I don't know where I 91 is," when you want to go from New Haven to Home Depot (unless you are going to the Home Depot in Hamden or some other place).  I showed him a map.  I showed him 2 maps.  He called the dispatcher, and we got onto the B6160, and, with reluctance, he stopped where I asked him to.  By 6:30 I was on my way.

Who lives here?

Near the beginning, in some woods, there were a number of attractions for children.  Here are two:

Then there was this weirdo thing:

It looks like it has giant snails or brain parts or something all over it.  I tried looking it up, but did not get very far, but then again, I did not try very hard. Maybe I just don't understand art.

And there was another weirdo thing:

A tree stump converted to a seat...not weird so far...with a very large number of coins embedded into the wood and no sign giving you a story.

Oh, gee, I almost forgot Bolton Abbey:

Near Bolton Abbey is the Bolton Abbey Tea Room.  I did so want to use the bathroom, but the door to the facility was locked.  HOWEVER,

The defibrillator works 24/7!

One board for each foot:

which is all you really need.

The route today was absolutely gorgeous, every single step of it.

There was the river:

the sound of which was a lovely as the the look of it.  And there was birdsong.  And everything was green green green.

And there were big buttercups:

And a view across the river

And then there was this:

Umm, maybe named for this tree?:

Sometimes there are no words:

(Maybe he was groomed by a beauty school dropout)

The The Hebden Suspension Bridge admits a single file crossing in one direction at a time.  And yes, it does shake!!

Grassington get a lot of hype as far as towns on the Dales Way go.  It is cute for sure.  The town centers around a square that has more coffee/sandwich shops (all with identical menus) and ice cream venders and chocolate stores and the like and everything closes at 3:00 except for the convenience store that stays open until 9:00.  I had thought that the grocery situation would be much better than it actually is.  You see, when you Google "grocery stores in Grassington" you get results that show supers 20 minutes away by car.

Anyway, today I was not as done in as I was yesterday.  Maybe the moors are just tougher than the dales although the hills start in earnest on the next stage.  Anyway, The Grassington House Hotel where I am staying looks like the Ritz in the pictures, and although it is not quite a dump, it is a bunch of ridiculously decorated rooms over a pub is what it is!  And way overpriced! And hte walls are paper thin. But the guy at the bar did let me access my suitcase before check-in time so that I could change my shoes and get organized.  And the wi-fi works!