The Covid Pandemic has meant that a lot of people have decided to take their annual holiday in the UK this year.

My husband and I are due to have a week’s break in Seahouses at the end of August. However, as my husband was on holiday from work last week we decided to book a few days away in a cottage in North Yorkshire.

The cottage was situated 4 miles north east of York beside a small village called Murton so we were well placed for visiting quite a number of places.

For our first day out we decided to visit York. We usually try to have an annual trip to York Races but of course we are unable to do this as due to the Pandemic all horse racing is being carried out behind closed doors. Instead we visited the City Centre which was quite busy, however everyone took notice of social distancing which definitely put me at my ease. A lot of places of interest which are normally jam packed with tourists were closed so we decided to take a look down the various streets. Of course we had to miss out The Shambles as unfortunately I was not wearing a sports bra that day and would have definitely done myself some damage had I gone over the cobbles on my scooter!

Anyway, after going down a few streets we came across some signage for The Museum Gardens which amazingly we had never heard of even though we have visited York numerous times. On entering through the gates we discovered some amazing botanical gardens which were absolutely stunning and even managed to find a seat for my husband to sit down on. The setting is so peaceful and tranquil and you can easily forget that you are in the middle of a City Centre. It was so good to see couples and families enjoying picnics or just having a quiet sit down in the sunshine, as it made everything seem so normal for a change. If you are ever visiting York the Museum Gardens are definitely worth a visit!

On our second day we decided to visit Whitby which is one of our favourite places especially as it is steeped in history and is very picturesque. I would definitely recommend visiting the Abbey however if you choose to do it on foot be prepared to climb the 199 steps to the top. I can remember when I was young challenging my two brothers on who could run to the top first which seemed so exciting at the time. Now I am older and wiser I think I would now be having second thoughts at attempting this even if I was fit and well ha ha! It is thought that the 199 steps were used as a test of Christian faith to those who wished to worship in St Mary’s Church. Climbing the steps would prove that you were faithful. I think if I had lived during those times then I would definitely have declared myself an Atheist!

Whitby Abbey

We usually go on the open top bus when visiting the Abbey which is much more relaxing, that is until the Tour Guide points out the guesthouse which has a model of Dracula in the garden and then a lot of people (adults and children included) start screaming! The first time we witnessed this, my husband thought someone had fallen off the top of the bus which was even scarier!

The only negative thing I would say about Whitby is the fact that there are a lot of hills to climb. Of course, I was fine as I had my scooter however my husband came home 3 stones lighter due to the buckets of sweat he lost whilst climbing all of the steep inclines. I know I should have offered him a “backer” but the aroma of fish and chips in the air was so tempting I left him for dust!

Whitby Seaside

We also spent a day driving across the Yorkshire Moors and visiting a number of picturesque villages including Goathland where the ITV drama series Heartbeat was filmed. It is great seeing the various buildings which were used for Heartbeat including the Aidensfield Arms and the Aidensfield Garage. Of course if you are wanting to take photographs standing in front of these buildings you normally have to queue up as they are very popular. There is also the Goathland Railway Station which was used for the Hogsmeade Railway Station in the Harry Potter films.

Travelling across the Yorkshire Moors is also lovely although not all of the heather is in flower at this time of the year. My husband always thinks it is too barren and there is nothing picturesque about the Moors however as I enjoy reading historical romances I often think of poor torturous Heathcliffe wanting to be with his beloved Cathy. I remember reading Wuthering Heights for the first time when I was about 12 years old and picturing this tall, dark, handsome man striding across the Moors. Whilst in our car I did close my eyes at one stage imagining Heathcliffe searching for me but was rudely jolted from my vivid imagination with my husband swearing at the fact that there were roadworks ahead and that there was a massive build up of traffic waiting at some traffic lights. I am quite used to my husband having an uncanny knack of bringing me down to earth however I do object to traffic lights being locatedin the middle of the Yorkshire Moors!

For anyone who is unsure about going on holiday during the Pandemic I can definitely say going self catering is brilliant. We took enough food for breakfasts and lunches/picnics and on an evening either ordered a takeaway or visited restaurants or pubs where social distancing was definitely being noted.

At first I was a little nervous about leaving home and especially visiting places where I knew tourists would be but I just made sure I wore a mask at all times plus as I had my scooter I was able to quickly move if anyone got too close.

I am so pleased that we decided to go away as the change of scenery definitely did both my husband and I the world of good!

We are now looking forward to our week’s break in Seahouses at the end of the month. Goodness knows what adventures we will get up to there but one thing is guaranteed you are bound to hear about them!