Part Two: How Harry Climbed Sutton Bank and How a ‘Superpitch’ wasn’t really.

We moved on on Tuesday (31st August), happily ‘landing’ at Tesco’s in Northallerton without looking for it, so shopping for essentials before going on to Cote Ghyll Caravan Park near Osmotherley, just inside the North York Moors National Park. Osmotherley is another pretty little village – not quite as picturesque as Dunster in Somerset – but very nice, with a very attractive little reservoir just above as we found only when driving away on Friday.

Cote Ghyll is very different from St. Helena’s! The latter is ‘adults only’, this was full of children. Lots of caravans and tents of all shapes and sizes, arranged in terraces on either side of a stream with fairly steep sides. We paid £5 a night extra for a ‘superpitch’, which offered our own water point, grey water disposal point and television aerial connection, reception being poor if you didn’t connect to the aerials up on the hillside. Well, yes, it was all there, but very caravan-friendly. The water, good, we filled Harry’s tank fully for the first time ever! The grey water disposal, useless for a motorhome, unless carrying a roll-away tank like a caravan. It was at the side, near the tap, not where we could drive over it. The aerial made a huge difference, but the wire wasn’t long enough to reach to where we needed to park Harry (on hard standing) to connect to Harriette (on the grass). We went to ask for an extension, but reception was closed by then, so we just parked with a space between the van and the tent which was OK because the weather was fine and we didn’t need the connecting ‘tunnel’.

On Thursday we were free of commitments and thought of doing the North York Moors Railway, but settled in the end for a drive up Sutton Bank – a notorious climb which defeats some HGVs and where caravans are not allowed. 25% gradients and S-bends. How did Harry manage? Easily! No problems. On top we picnicked, ‘did’ the Visitor Centre, then walked along the rim of the escarpment past the Yorkshire Gliding Club’s premises. There were at list six gliders ‘up’ when we started, most of which came in to land in front of us.

We completed the day with a scenic drive through Helmsey – very pretty, but we didn’t stop, worth a re-visit, and on to an excellent dinner at the Black Bull in Swainby, the next village north from Osmotherley. Found it by chance, very lucky.

AND FINALLY (though nothing to do with Yorkshire) ‘How Harry Met Sally’ (!) – that was Carol’s idea; I wanted to call him ‘Fred’ or her ‘Freddie’ (Don’t take a vote on it!), but anyway; we drove home (and Carol drove from Scotch Corner) via Kendal, where we actually picked up the little red car! (No photos yet) Once ‘our’ salesman was available – and curiously enough, the delay was because he was dealing with a family with a Chausson Flash 03 Motorhome who were collecting a red C1 to tow behind it! – once he was available to us, the hand over was very quick, everything having been done last week and the cheque having cleared: ‘There are your keys, there’s your car, have fun, goodbye!’ So Carol drove home in a nice shiny (nearly) new red car, while I trundled along in the (still) battered old (by comparison) van! That’s life, init?!