Leaving Chester behind we headed north east to our next stop of York via the Pennines which is the hill chain running down through the centre of England and known as the backbone of England.
This was country of rolling hills, no vegetation, lots and lots of sheep, windswept moors, dry stone walls and of the Brontes.
We visited the Bronte Parsonage at Haworth and learnt about the tragic lives of the 3 famous Bronte sisters. A staggering 8 million visitors come each year to this hardy northern town to visit the Bronte Museum.
We then travelled the rolling hills of the Yorkshire dales and visited a revamped old cotton/woollen mill on the outskirts of Bradford where an enterprising young cotton broker, eager to improve the lives and appalling conditions of mill workers built a town called Saltaire in the mid 1800s which included small tenement houses, schools, a hospital, recreation areas etc. There are very few, if any of the 170 odd mills remaining but there is one which is now a huge but interesting gallery and which depicts the history of this important initiative and the industry in the area.
After a delicious hotel meal we continued on our way to York for 2 nights.
With gorgeous sunshine we discovered York and walked most of the way around the intact 13th century walls to get fabulous views of the city. The full circuit is 4.5 miles. We also walked along the cobbled lanes of the 'shambles' where centuries old buildings overhang so much that they almost meet above your head in the street. We spent some time walking along the river but spent most of the afternoon visiting the National Rail Museum, a free but really interesting museum - truly, it's not just for train buffs.
We've had some beautiful weather the last day or so and we noticed quite a few sunburnt English people walking around today!