Yesterday we moved on from the heady delights of Hartlepool. To the metropolis of Hull. Mmmmm. But in between we traversed some very picturesque country in the Yorkshire moors. We also went to Castle Howard, still owned by the Howards who are throwing everything into restoring repairing and keeping the place a going concern. Part of the Castle was burnt in a fire in 1940, and so gradually since then the family has struggled to rebuild the damaged areas - notably the dome atop the grand hall. There are still some rooms that require restoration but they are at least now closed off to the elements.

While we were there, the grounds were host to a polo tournament, someone had hired a function room for a birthday party and the place was swarming with day trippers. It is a beautiful place with an amazing story to tell. The gardens were quite special too- gorgeous roses, delphiniums and peonies. Inspirational, but I am not sure how I will make it come to life in our garden. Need more water!

After Castle Howard we went to Nunnington Hall, quite a different style of house. Originally established in the Middle Ages, it was bought in 1629 or so and seriously renovated. The story of the house is in its bones - bayonet damage from civil war soldiers who used the place as a barracks. Extra little windows out into panelling to give light to rooms rendered dark by the addition of new wings, stair cases with a lean, family photos and portraits all through. Really enjoyable in a different way to Castle Howard.

Travelling through the moors was lovely, but it did mean we ran into some sort of motorcycle enthusiasts' rally and an amateur cyclists' day out. Which are potentially frustrating on a wide road, but just scary on the narrow, hedge bound country roads. But we survived - and so did they!

Today we had to part with our little car - I never thought I would be so sad to part with a Peugeot, but our little diesel 208 has been so game and reliable for the past month, we were sad to drop it off this morning. In fact we told the man at the desk that if he wanted to give it back to us when we return in a couple of days we would gladly have it back.

So we walked back down Beverly Road, and into the old town with its cobbled streets and medieval buildings. We had been in the same area last night, just walking around looking for dinner, when a mob of 12 year olds flooded out of an under age gig somewhere. Made me feel very old, this mass of squealing, yelling youthful people excited at the end of the school year. Mind you, I get excited at the end of the school year too....

So we wandered to the Maritime Museum, being free, and looked at the various exhibitions on whaling, fishing, and the convoys of WWII. The setting is spectacular, a fantastic old building with offices and hugely ornate rooms from its previous life. We hadn't quite started humming sea-shanties, but we weren't far from it when we left.

It has been quite sunny of late, and in my naïveté I had not thought I would need sun glasses this trip. Ha! So I acquired some from a boots chemist. I was very glad I did, because in getting to the ferry port, we took to shanks' pony again. On the map it looked fairly straight forward. But in reality, we were walking along the main road from Hull to the docks, and there were freight trucks roaring past us as we walked along the footpath. We managed to get through the roundabouts, but the dust in my eyes would have been fierce without the sun glasses. Timing is everything. But on the return trip we have already decided that we will use a bus or a taxi to get back to the hire car depot.....