More thoughts…

We've eaten at some amazing places. I don't want to do a bunch of photos of food right now but I do want to mention two places we ate for future reference and give a few pics.

1. The Bailiff Gate Bistro (the restaurant associated with the Cookie Jar in Alnwick) was really good. We ate there two nights in a row, in part because one of the nights was Sunday and there was nothing else open in Alnwick other than greasy pubs. But, in all fairness both nights were really good (high 7/low 8 out of 10). 

2. In Ambleside we ate at the 3 Michelin rosette restaurant in the Rothay Manor Hotel, the place we stayed. It is definitely on it's way to being great and should be a stop on the next trip. Great food, great service, and an amazing cheese trolley (I had a blue <Something> Cote that was the best blue cheese I've ever had). Fran's dessert, a poached pear with a few do-dads was the only disappointment, and then only slightly because the pear didn't taste fresh. 8 out of 10 on it's way to a 9 soon.

Ambleside is fun but I’m not sure I’ll post any pictures of the town. First, I’ve posted pics before. And second, the walks around the town are more interesting than the town itself. We will come back here but more for the walks than the town itself.

Trip has been great so far. We're both a bit saddened that it's coming to an end (we'll be home in less than two weeks - or a fortnight as they say here). But, we also miss our lives and family (particularly the grand kids) back home. Will we go for six weeks again? Maybe. We certainly love the hiking and the food. Hotels have been fine but, ultimately, a hotel is a hotel in my mind. It's been fun to talk to different people from the deep conversations we've had with the owner of the B&B in Sandwich to the fun joking we've done with the truck driver and his buddy in an 800 year old Stamford pub. I like the different perspectives we've been exposed to (although I think my ultimate conclusion is people are people). I've learned a lot (particularly about food, I've given some thoughts here but I may do another post about it). And, we've seen some amazing things. The history is fun (like King Georges palace in Brighton) but the countryside and the walks are at the top of my list.