Along the way to The Old Coach House...

We left Southport this morning after a nice breakfast at Bay Tree House. 

We got to help ourselves to this...

And were served this (hers)...

And this (his)...

I've got this thing bat taking picture of the tea trays...I think it's because the tea is comforting to me being away from home. And it's very English, right? :-)

Had to get this in...thought it was the cutest thing!

This is the lounge area of Bay Tree House where I sat to write the last blog post.

So far, Southport was Mike's favorite area. He really likes the sea and the peace of it. We learned that it is a big retirement area so there are lots of older people around. We thought it was interesting that the young girl who worked at the B&B said Vegas was her favorite spot during her last visit to America. 

On the way to our next stop, we went to take a few quick pictures of my old residence hall in Leeds where I went to school for a year in 1998-1999. It was really awesome to be the again. It looks exactly the same, and I was really excited to stop by because when I left 15 years ago, I honestly thought I would never be back again. So. Cool.

An older me now in front of Devonshire Hall.

Inside the courtyard.

My room was in the light building on the far left, second window from the top.

The street the hall is on...it was so nice to see it in good weather.

Making the last turn before leaving Devonshire Hall again, probably REALLY for the last time now.

We drove on to Ilkley, which is a small town in the moors in West Yorkshire. I took the train each week to Ilkley for bassoon lessons. It was far more crowded than I remember, and I was bummed about that because it was nerve-wracking finding a parking spot. I drove today for most of the time, but being in Ilkley rattled me and after awhile I handed over the steering wheel to Mike for the last little bit.  But while in Ilkley we did stop for lunch here at Betty's Tea Rooms.

I hadn't planned on going to a high tea this trip and didn't want to mess with the whole gluten free findings of one so this was quite good enough! Such a special, special treat. 

Lamb kabobs with green beans and a potato side called a Rossi that was similar to hash browns.

Some macaroons in the window at Betty's. We recently saw an episode of Master Chef when the contestants had to make these. It was really neat to see such beautiful little works of art.

Some sheep filled pastures traveling through Yorkshire.

Finally, we arrived at The Old Coach House, our next stop for two nights before finally heading to Scotland. This is the back of the coach house, which has been "sympathetically" restored.

And the entrance from the car park.

Walking up to our main door...I think there are about 3 or 4 rooms on this side called The Dales.

At the main door.

So this is the main house at the back of the property that The Old Coach House lies on. We can just catch a glimpse of this house from our back window.  The man who lives here owns the coach house (our B&B) and the pub across the street. We are in a rural area.

Alas, the tea tray here.

And just on a side note, I've encountered these old fashioned locks a few times now and you can count on me standing at the door trying to unlock or lock it for at least 5 minutes!!! Agggghhhhh!!

We are officially in North Stainley, which is just outside of Ripon.

Tomorrow, off to the city of York for the day. Hoping to take the train. But with the driving, practice makes perfect!!!

Happy to be exploring, but....I do miss my dog. :-( Mike says hello!