Day 3. Stockton on the Forest to Easingwold

Oh my word, what am I doing at York Youth Hostel tonight I'm not supposed to be at York, it wasn't on the agenda. You're gonna laugh at this. I thought I would have an early finish today because my feet were feeling a bit sore, and if I carried on past Easingwold I wouldn't have found a bed. Now wouldn't you think that a popular market town like Easingwold, would have some B & B's, well you would wouldn't you? Wrong! The George was full, I asked several people and all looked blankly at me. Someone suggested The Old Vicarage so I went and asked there, only to find the owners hard at work preparing their house for sale. They have given up taking paying guests and are ready to downsize. Oh dear, now what, I've drawn a blank. 

The kind people tried to help me out by ringing places they thought might be able to accommodate me, still no luck. Then it was decided that I should get a bus somewhere and I might have a better chance. My new friend suggested the Youth Hostel at York and he got them on the phone, yes they did have a bed. The bus left at 6.30pm and I would get there at 7pm. So here I am. My bed for tonight with breakfast cost £27, all I have to do is get back to Easingwold in the morning. 

Right, what sort of a day have I had. As I left the B & B I was handed a pack of sandwiches and biscuits, I hadn't asked for any, so that was a kind thought from the owner. Lovely they were to, cheese and pickle. This is a photo of the church opposite Church View B & B.

And the B & B. Nothing fancy, just clean and friendly hospitality.

It was a shorts and teeshirt day today, the weather was glorious. The route out took me through a massive golf course, I was on the lookout for flying golf balls, ha ha. I skirted round the edge of Strensall, and picked up the path alongside the river for a short distance. It went under this railway bridge.

Then some road walking to Sutton on the Forest. This is a pretty village with lots of flowers and bushes clinging to the fronts of the cottages.

I heard the church bells ringing and saw some people up ahead who were dressed up in their best togs. What a bonus, it was a wedding. And it gets better, look at this magnificent sight, what a bonus to be passing just as the carriage was waiting to collect the bride and groom.

I stopped to chat with the young lady who was steadying the horses while they waited. She was delightful, telling me about her own horses, and how she volunteers for this job, and how she loves her training to become a nurse. I love it when people tell me about their life.

This is Sutton Hall, just across the road from the church, where the wedding reception was being held. The guests had to wait though, as the happy couple went for a ride in the carriage before it started.

After a sit down on the church bench, all the people had gone by then, I took my boots off to give my feet a rest. Then onward to Huby. I came across this unusual stile. It's like a gate. 

You push the two upright posts to the side while you step through. Very clever.

Out of Huby I took a track past a pig farm, there are quite a lot of them in these parts. Look at these little baby porkies, how cute. Mother was guarding them and eyed me with suspicion as I snapped away.

Opposite a caravan and camping site there there was a wood carpeted in millions of bluebells. Spectacular.

I've had a lovely day, not done quite as many miles, only 15.86, but the bonus is another cheap B & B, with the downside that I have to get the bus back to Easingwold in the morning.

I'll just mention something I saw today that shocked me. I know travelling people set up camp anywhere they can and I don't generally take much notice of them, but today I had to walk right by a group in a country lane who were living on a grass verge next to the road. It looked as if they had been there a while because the place was strewn with all kinds of odds and ends. They had built a pen for their chickens, they had ducks and chickens free ranging in the field, and there must have been a dozen dogs tied up of all sizes, and all yapping away. I think this kind of travelling is quite common in the summer months. What shocked me was the state of the people. They sat huddled round in a circle on the bare ground, some of them looked at me as I walked by, and their faces were filthy along with their clothes, and matted hair. Even the women looked terrible. It looked as if they hadn't seen water for months. I am not really sure why people live in this fashion, what do they do for food, how do they feed their animals? This is beyond my comprehension. I really don't understand this at all.

My two room mates have gone out and I am sitting alone on my bed. I'm just off down to reception to ask the girl about bus times in the morning. I did think about getting a bus back to Hull because I was feeling a bit despondent. Sometimes moments of doubt creep in but a copout would be too easy. I'll hobble downstairs and get the bus times, that's if I can get off this bed, ha ha. Toodle pip.