Probus Summer Lunch

Usual venue (Ardmore Hotel) wasn't open so we went to Verulam Golf Club

Monday - Ripon

We drove to Ripon where we had booked two nights at The George Country Inn.

 On the way we visited the village of Washington and  Washington Old Hall, a manor house  associated with the family of George Washington, first president of the USA.

As the National Trust café at the Old Hall wasn't open we lunched on the village green where two trees were planted in 1977, one by President Jimmy Carter, one by PM James Callaghan, to mark the USA's bicentenary

In the afternoon we visited Barnard Castle and toured the impressive castle ruins, high above the River Tees.

We'd booked The George Country Inn because it had a restaurant. But that and the bar were closed all week so we had to drive into Ripon for dinner at an Italian restaurant. When we got back to the George we decided the stairs between the bedroom and bathroom were too dangerous to manage while half asleep, and we decided to drive home, so we  left. And thus our holiday ended.

Saturday - Sunday - - Hexham

 

After one night in Montrose we drove towards Hexham and the Barrasford Arms for two nights. The pub was in the small village of Barrasford, some 10 miles by narrow twisty country lanes from Hexham and the 'gourmet' restaurant was a grim room with bare tables and not open on Sunday evenings.

On Sunday we visited Housesteads, one of the forts along Hadrian's Wall.

There was a long walk from the car park, down a valley and up to a ridge and the museum at the ruins of Housesteads.

We took a short walk alongside the Wall and met a couple who recommended nearby Corbridge for  lunch.

There we went to a small tea shop where we had the best homemade scones I have not made myself,  served by friendly hardworking staff.

As Barrasford Arms restaurant wasn't open for dinner we drove  to Hexham and had a lovely roast beef dinner and a decent bottle of Carignan in The Heart of Northumberland pub/restaurant.

Friday - Travel to Montrose

Friday we left Banff and headed south, stopping at Dobbies for (after a 20 minute wait)  coffee. We went to the volunteer sun Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre, for lunch. Because of Covid not all exhibits were open, nor was the café where we had intended  to lunch.

The airfield opened in December 1913 for  2 Squadron of  the Royal Flying Corp (1 Squadron operated observer balloons). Montrose was the first operational military airfield in the UK, and closed on 4 June 1952. The airfield is now set for an industrial park, and some of the original 1913 hangers are used by companies, with one preserved by the museum.

The airfield's position, on the site of an army base, was chosen because aeroplanes based there could defend nearby major Royal Navy harbours.

We spent a good 90 minutes looking at exhibits there, then lunch called. Technology showed a nearby beach café, but it was only serving takeaways and the weather wasn't good for sitting out. However there was a sit-down burger joint next door.

The menu - which has a lot more than just burgers - is a punners delight. We had the Original Moo Coo Aberdeen Angus burger from the page of the menu headed Absolutely Burgered.

Then a brief walk along the beach, which was at high tide, 

and then to our overnight hotel - The Park which was packed and because a large group was booked into the restaurant at the time we wanted to eat we had to accept a later time. But over a glass of Prosecco in the bar the barman managed to get us into the restuarnat where we placed our order before the large family group were seated.

It was a good meal, and we had Durbanville Hills Pinotage as well!

Our room was small but we had a good nights sleep.

Thursday - Portsoy - lunch Macduff - Dinner India Garden

 

Having done in one what we thought would take two days, we decided to lunch at a harbour side seafood restaurant at the village of Whitehills, but we didn't book and they didn't have a free table. Actually they did, but whether they were 'social- distancing' or short of staff, we would not be served. 

So we drove back to McDuff and had another fine lunch in Knowles Hotel.

In the afternoon we drove to Portsoy, couldn't get a coffee and the salmon bothy museum was closed but we walked around the harbour.

The original harbour has old warehouses and has been used as a location by many film  and TV  productions, including Peaky Blinders.

Old harbour with Portsoy Town behind

Then back to the hotel and in the evening walk to India Garden for another fine meal and another bottle of the excellent Ruffino Reserva Chianti Classico 2015. Strangely the restaurant was empty  - we were the only diners.

Wednesday - Banff-MacDuff-India Garden

Plan to day was to visit Banff harbour. It was only a short walk from the hotel, and a quiet smallish harbour. 

There was a wide sandy beach on which a few hardy people walked along, but is was too cold and drizzly for us.  

Too early for lunch, so we drove across the river to neighbouring McDuff to look at the harbour and find a café for lunch.

We couldn't find a café so went to Knowles Hotel and though it was crowded, a couple left as we waited and we got a nice table with a view out to sea.

The wine list was short and poor, but service was friendly, competent and fast, so I had a glass of Chile Savvie with a delicious fish and chips.

Overlooking the hotel on a grassy promontory which can be seen also from Banff is a war memorial. On a warmer less windy day we would have gone up to it, but we got back to the car and drove into the countryside to find the farm that Joan's forebears had owned. It didn't take long. We drove past it a couple of times and then went back to the hotel.

We couldn't face another dinner in the hotel so went into Banff to have dinner at India Garden. Restaurant was packed out, good service and food but what made it exceptional was the wine.

The wine menu said Chianti with a name I didn't recognise, but we were served this stunner - for £16.95. We booked a table for the following evening.

We saw this chappie on the way back to the hotel...

Tuesday - Banff

On Tuesday we drove to Banff. Our planned coffee stop wasn't open on at the beginning of the week so we found a nearby Dobbies' Garden Centre.

Instead of walking straight in we had to queue as they were limiting the number of people inside their café and there we discovered that the NHS Track & Trace app didn't recognise Scottish QR Codes. Later I was able to download the Scottish Track & Trace app. Covid restrictions had, unlike England, not been lifted and were rigorously enforced.

Our lunch stop had been booked but a Harvester was mistaken for it.

The in-car sat-nav didn't have the new Edinburgh by pass, so we used Google Earth on a 'phone till the battery expired, and  we got to a café in a garden centre at 4.05pm but they wouldn't sell us coffee because last orders were at 4pm. But I did buy a bottle of DeWaal Pinotage 2018 at £9.99 which is a good price.

Finally we arrived in Banff at the Banff Springs Hotel - our accommodation for the next three nights. Despite its pretentions, the rooms were TravelLodge standard  and the restaurant was overstaffed with waiters who circulated the room refusing to see diners' signals.

After an hour of enduring whiny pop-music on a loop our food was eventually delivered, and it wasn't bad. 

The wine list was large but trying to get anyone to take our order was fraught and we got it shortly before the food arrived. The meal wasn't relaxing and we left without a dessert or coffee unable to bear the whiny music or any more delays.

Monday - Banburgh Castle - Seahouses - Alnwick River Mouth

To Banburgh Castle. We'd last seen this more than 40 years ago from the beach, but we had tickets to go inside today. The small town was heaving and we follow signs to the overflow car park, a £4 field. When we walked up to the castle we saw the nearer main car park had plenty of spaces and then the carpark at the top of the castle hill by the castle entrance had many free spaces.

Banburgh has had many names over the centuries, one was Bebbanburg which was the home of Uhtred of Bebbanburg in Bernard Cornwall's saga and Last Kingdom, the TV series based on the books. But, unlike Alnwick which caters to Harry  Potter fans, there is no mention of Uhtred at Banburgh. 

We toured the rooms, and tried to get lunch in the castle but they had few outlets and couldn't handle the numbers of visitors, so we left, feeling a little deflated there was so little to see in such a huge and impressive castle.

We managed to get a coffee and cake on the way to our next destination, Seahouses, which had grown to mythical status in our minds after a visit 40+ years ago when we enjoyed the most memorable fish'n'chips. 

But that was then. Now it's teeming with tourists and shops are full of tourist tat. 

We had a short walk along cliff tops to the harbour (above) where we sat for a time. 

Having time to spare we went to Alnmouth, where the River Aln flows into the sea. A helpful attendant taking money at the entrance to the beach carpark told us where we could go to park free of charge. Alnmouth was small and quiet, and had a wide sandy beach (above) which the river cut through.

Back for our last night at Hog's Head Inn, we enjoyed a glass of Prosecco (with raspberry) then fish'n'chips and a so-so bottle of Picpoul de Pinet.

Sunday - Alnwick Castle - Barter books

In the morning we drove to Alnwick Castle. There was quite a long walk from the carpark to the castle. Had we but known it, we could have walked to the castle via Alnwick town in the same time.

The car park was enormous and packed but the castle, its gardens and grounds absorbed them and we didn't feel crowded.

This is the entrance to an inner courtyard and the state apartments. There is no queue and you could walk straight in, but we took a free historical tour and then visited the various exhibits and by the time we were ready for the state apartments there was a queue, but it moved fairly quickly.

The castle has been used in films and TV including Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, thus there were a lot of children running around in wizard's cloaks.

The castle has been home to the Percy family since the 1300s. One of the early Percys was Harry Hotspur.

This statue of Henry (Harry Hotspur) Percy is in the castle grounds. Hotspur gained his nickname from the impetuous way he'd spur his horse into battle. He features in Shakespeare's Henry IV (Part 1)and is remembered in the football club name Tottenham Hotspur, who's ground is on land once owned by the Percys.

Alnwick Castle is very good at handing visitors, with many attractions and a selection of restaurant from an old fashioned fish and chip place to the coffee house with indoor seating that we chose.

In the afternoon I walked to Barter Books, a large second hand bookshop with a café in the grand Victorian Alnwick station.

Model trains run along to tops of bookshelves.

In the evening at Hogs Head Inn we had the cunning idea to order one rump steak and one aubergine and lentil dish and divide them between us.

The wine was a rather good Syrah