Pics from a recent outing

Whitby Abbey - the now-ruined church provided the setting for some of the scenes in the book Dracula

 All across England there are trails that you can walk and hike on that cut through public and private property. One minute you'll be walking through the woods and then next you're cutting through some guy's sheep pasture (complete with real live sheep). All you have to do is stick to the path and close any gates that you open and no one minds too much. Each wall or fence has a different kind of gate or stile to let you out and keep the sheep and cows in.

We spent the night in a camping barn. Think Warnick's Cabin, but made of stone. It was freezing cold and the heat from the wood stove never reached more than 5 feet into the room. That's our dinner in the bowls on the stove. It took 2 1/2 hrs to warm it up to an edible temperature. 

 The remains of a castle. Whoever defeated the guy who owned this castle dug a big hole at the base of the tower, filled it with gunpowder, and then blew the whole backside of the building off.

 For the Downton Abbey fans - There is a nice little square in the middle of town, but we didn't see any people from the local estate wandering into town on business.

 Some hiking in the Peak District of England - the word "peak" is used very loosely here.

 No Kevin Costner sightings

 1000+ year old oak tree in Sherwood Forest