One of the joys of traveling in England is just driving.  The views from the little lanes and byways are just magnificent and each district truly is unique.  We're definitely putting Portia to the test and we're astounded at how she's able to steer us through the most convoluted backroads to reach our destinations.

Saturday we circled the North York Moors - out to the coast at Robin Hood's Bay for a short walk along the cliff edge, then along to Whitby for a quick peek, then down the B1257, 20 miles of glorious scenery to finish up at Rievaulx Abbey, a ruin of one of the most powerful Cistercian monasteries in England.

Cleveland Way at Robin Hood's Bay

folk dancers down by harbor

sustenance for the climb back out of town

Whitby

Rievaulx Abbey

Yesterday we abbey-ed first, at Jervaulx Abbey which not only is much smaller than Rievaulx, it's been left in a wilder state, and one can wander the ruins at will, there's only a Honesty Box for admission.  Then to Middleham for our day's amble which started beside Richard III's castle, and carried us thru some cow pastures, down a slope to a stream, and along that for a while, before circling back up to town, 4.5 miles total.  A nice cream tea lunch fortified us for our Sunday afternoon drive.

smaller Jervaulx Abbey

our morning walk

Sustenance was needed for our drive as on sunny Sunday afternoons every single motorcyclist is out on these leafy, winding roads giving their bikes a run and motorists heart attacks.  The roads are narrow enough that I drive with both hands on the wheel in the attack position (10 & 2), ready to swerve into the LEFT (think left, look right!) hedgerow should anything pass by too closely.  This is compounded on weekends with bicyclists and hikers using the same road (sidewalks, even verges or shoulders, are unheard of here), and motorbikers whipping around corners faster than you can register the blur.  The speed limit on these roads is an unbelievable 60 mph, but I'm rarely over 45...

narrow roads, I'm totally in the bushes!!

We continued up into Wharefdale, and through the Buttertubs Pass which is biker nirvana and over to Richmond area to our little Travelodge for the night.  Oh, for Top Gear fans, this Pass is Jeremy Clarkson's favourite route in the whole of Yorkshire, as he describes it as “England’s only truly spectacular road”.

Buttertubs Pass

Today was another day of dales and driving.  The weather forecast was to change from the perfect sunshine we've been having to rain tomorrow afternoon so we bumped up our itinerary to do the Malham Walk today instead.  I think we drove thru all the dales heading down from Richmond: Swaledale, Wharfedale, Wensleydale (we stopped to pick up some famous Wensleydale cheese, right Gromit?).....

that's actually Sheila's ice cream!  honest!!

Malham is a ramblers/climber/birder/geologist's dream.  The receding glaciers and subsequent weather have carved the weak limestone into crags, gorges, scar, steps and tarn. (cliffs, rocks, lake).  It's about a 8-mi walk to see it all, which we did, and well worth it.