Beck Hall
All day Thursday during our Magical Mystery Bus tour Amanda was thinking about & missing her dad, knowing how much he would have loved peeking into the lives of The Beatles. On Friday morning, we were walking from our hotel toward the parking garage when she looked down & saw a single “dime” (5 pence) on the pavement. It was a very emotional moment.
We dropped our gear in the secure parking garage (ask us about getting in & later finding the car unlocked), and then walked to Lovelocks for breakfast.
Amanda loved their matcha.
Tasty mocha
If this image doesn’t capture us both at our very cores, I don’t know what does—two slices of sourdough vs a Full English (vegan style). One little moment that feels so wonderfully, unmistakably us.
Wandering Liverpool
A two-story Lush!
On our way to Beck Hall we stopped in Newton-le-Willows for petrol & a potty break at Tesco, where Amanda found “dime” #2 at the self-check till.
A historic 1705 coaching inn reimagined as a cozy countryside escape, Beck Hall is celebrated as England's first fully plant-based hotel. The 2-hour drive included plenty of rain & some lovely single-track roads toward the end to make it extra challenging, but we arrived safe & sound.
Ready for dinner.
These keema matar (“mince & peas”) samosas were pure flaky-dough perfection, filled with beautifully spiced tempeh & green peas, served over a bed of raita & pickled mango purée. Absolutely exquisite!
I swore no more beer, but the Ilkley Brewery Beck Hall Blonde cask ale melted my resolve.
Amanda had the wild garlic pesto linguine with plant chicken & toasted sunflower seeds.
On the left: glazed gochujang (red chili paste) tofu with hot chilli ginger glaze & black & white sesame seeds. Heavenly! On the right: white bean & red pepper hummus with Kalamata olive tapenade & fried capers. Yum!
The pièce de résistance—a vegan vanilla crème brûlée that was too good for words.
My scrambled tofu on sourdough with smoky lardons, roasted red pepper mayonnaise, & avocado for Saturday breakfast.
The rain had passed, so I enjoyed my morning mocha by the river.
Riverside reading
😂
The only way to reach Beck Hall is over this charming stone footbridge.
“What are men to rocks and mountains? Oh! what hours of transport we shall spend! And when we do return, it shall not be like other travellers, without being able to give one accurate idea of any thing. We will know where we have gone—we will recollect what we have seen. Lakes, mountains, and rivers shall not be jumbled together in our imaginations….” —Pride and Prejudice, Vol 2, Ch 4
In the early afternoon we drove to Parcevall Hall Gardens.
A wonderfully fragrant English rose.
Ballerina Fuchsia hedging
Perhaps not a bona fide toadstool, but it does have a red cap.
The limestone hillsides of The Dales.
With time on our hands, we did a little photo shoot.
Amanda’s beloved hydrangea.
After our stroll through Parcevall Hall Gardens, we headed to Grassington for dinner.
Outside the car park.
The sign at the entrance to the Grassington village square.
In a bit of serendipity, a 1940s fête was filling the village square in Grassington, making the whole place look as though we’d wandered onto the set of All Creatures Great and Small.
Tristan to James, “He let you drive the Rover?”
The actual 1935 Rover 12hp Tourer owned by Siegfried in the latest remake of All Creatures Great and Small.
Vintage 1930s MG
Possibly a 1936 Austin Six Hertford Saloon.
Possibly a 1930s British Austin saloon, most likely an Austin 10/4 or closely related Austin 10 model. This is similar to the 1933 Vauxhall Light Six “hooptie” with passenger seat that slides backwards & highly intermittent brakes that Siegfried gives James to drive.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a country cottage without a wooden duck. These slightly eccentric & whimsical items of home décor are quintessentially British. We’ve been seeing them everywhere for the past 17 years, so it seemed high time we had one too!
Say hello to Debbie Duck in Darrowby, standing at the front door to the veterinary surgery. The dcuk company (the name emphasizing the UK) hand-carves & hand-paints each duck.
Steve on the steps of the veterinary surgery in Darrowby FaceTiming with Jeff, Madi, & Emma.
We made a dinner booking at The Devonshire, the pub that stands in as the exterior of The Drovers Arms in All Creatures Great and Small.
The Drovers Arms is unmistakably The Devonshire.
The jolly good fun continued inside the pub, of course.
Waitress dressed like Rosie the Riveter.
An extra cold Guinness & a Timothy Taylor’s Drovers Best cask ale.
Amanda loved her butternut squash risotto with miso & vegan parmesan.
My wild mushroom, sweet potato, chestnuts, spinach & kale Wellington served with roasted new potatoes, sautéed fine beans & carrots, & vegan gravy. All I can say is, “WOW!” A British classic at its finest!
By the time we finished our dinner, the village square had settled & many of the familiar sites from All Creatures Great and Small were recognizable.
Oh Tricki Woo, what a day we had!
