We made good time and stopped at Woodall Services for a loo break, coffee and pains au chocolat. The roads seemed a bit busier today, probably because of the Easter Holidays now in full swing. We turned off the A1(M) at 10:15am, so it had taken us three hours to get here, including our breakfast stop, so we were delighted with the progress we'd made.
Yesterday, we telephoned a pub in Croxdale called The Daleside Arms to see if they were open today, as Keith wanted to have a drink there. They said they'd be open at 1pm, so we decided to have a coffee before seeing Val, and then we could leave a bit later and go to the pub afterwards.
Sophie directed me to a Starbucks on the edge of Bishop Auckland, which was on a large retail park. I found the road layout very confusing and I think I annoyed several drivers as I negotiated my way around! We had a drink and a snack, topped up the car with petrol, and then made our way to the care home to see Val. The gardens of the care home looked beautiful with an abundance of tulips and daffodils, but the inside was as depressing as ever.
Val beamed when we walked in, so that was lovely to see, and he really seems to appreciate our visits. He was angry with his son, Jeffery, as he hadn't been able to contact him on the phone and spent a good while grumbling about him! He was a bit hard of hearing, so he did a lot of talking, and I tried to contact Mike to have a FaceTime session with him, but he didn't answer. We had given Mike the chance to come up with us today, but he was doing overtime at work.
We stayed for over an hour chatting, with Keith finding out some information about his family that he didn't know before. That's the problem; once Val goes, a lot of valuable information will go with him. When Val's lunch arrived, we said our goodbyes and left, hoping that he'd be moved somewhere else a little more comfortable when we next see him. We drove the short distance to Croxdale, driving through the town of Spennymoor on the way. Sophie has a friend at the gym who was born in the town, so she wanted to see what it was like!
At first sight, Sophie wasn't impressed with The Daleside Arms, and seemed reluctant to go in. However, inside was quirky, and it was obvious that it was a shrine to Newcastle United. As soon as we walked in, the landlord recognised Keith, which was great, especially as they hadn't seen each other for thirty years!
Sophie and I had half of Hobgoblin Stout each while Keith had a pint of Vaux's Samson. Keith stayed at the bar chatting to the landlord while Sophie and I sat and relaxed.
We passed a very pleasant hour at the pub, with Sophie and I sharing a second half pint of the Stout and Keith enjoying another pint. The pub was very old-fashioned but welcoming, with a couple of grizzled, grey-haired, tattooed men nursing pints of lager and watching the football showing on the television screen. There were pictures of Newcastle United everywhere - Sophie should have worn her shirt today!
The landlady came in with a bowl of roast potatoes for the regulars and was pleased to see Keith as well. He'd had a great time reminiscing with the landlord at the bar, and I think it did him good.
Although the plan had been to go to Durham today, Sophie asked if we could go back to Barnard Castle instead, meaning we'd take the M6 home. We drove past Raby Castle and stopped at The Wheatsheaf in Staindrop so we could use the loo! I had always loved this pretty village with its large central green and cottages, so I was more than happy to stop.
We walked into the bar and Keith ordered a pint and two halves of Guinness. We sat at the bar and Sophie really did not like this pub at all! The upholstery in the lounge had the aroma of a thousand bums ground into it, and it was old-fashioned and tatty. The people were friendly, though! When Keith and Sophie went to use the loos again, Keith pulled the handle of the door off... we made a rapid exit after that!
It didn't take us long to get to Barnard Castle, and we managed to find a space in a small car park off the high street. We wanted to have lunch here before the long drive home, but the first two pubs we looked in weren't great. We settled on The Three Horseshoes Hotel, which was busy with people sitting outside and enjoying the Spring sunshine.
They were serving Hobgoblin ale and Sophie was delighted to see a North-Eastern dish, Chicken Parmo, on the menu. Ever since I'd seen a man carrying a bag with fish and chips earlier in the day, I'd been craving the same meal, so that's what Keith and I chose. We also ordered potato skins and garlic bread to share as a starter (big mistake!).
It was evident that the pub was well-run and the staff friendly and efficient. Our starters were delicious but on the large side! Sophie thoroughly enjoyed her Chicken Parmo, but it defeated her, like mine and Keith's fish and chips. Keith was impressed with the crispy batter, something he rarely encounters in a pub fish dish. I think in the future, we will resist starters unless we're ravenously hungry!
Obviously, we had no room for puds, so we left to return to the car. Keith went back while Sophie and I had a look in a charity shop, run by a strange young woman. In fact, we were to encounter some quite weird people on the short walk back to the car... firstly, a man who had been standing behind me while I hovered in the doorway. When I realised it was a stranger and not my daughter, I apologised, but he completely blanked me and scuttled off. There was also a couple looking around, but they were weird as well! Brother and sister or married couple? It was hard to tell!
We saw them again in the small Morrisons when we popped in to get some provisions. I think I was in their way, but I was met with blankness when I apologised. I suggested to Sophie that we get out as soon as we could! It was like being on the set of A League of Gentlemen! The woman who served us at the checkout had the weather-beaten look of a farmer's wife, and this could have been a clue to the way the local people were, living on remote farms on the harsh fells and not coming into contact with a lot of others!
We made another hasty retreat and started on the long journey south, with Sophie sitting in the front with me while Keith dozed in the back. It had turned a little cloudy, and I could just imagine how inhospitable this part of the country can be, with remote farmhouses scattered over the fells.
The journey home was long and tiring, and I came across many, many cars sitting in the middle lane of the motorway when the first lane was empty, which was annoying. The gantries should flash a message up saying stay left unless overtaking, a simple rule that would make driving on the motorway a lot easier!
We arrived home, finally, at about 8:45pm and Sophie made me a drink, bless her. I definitely needed it!
No comments:
Post a Comment