After a good night’s sleep, despite the noisy camp site – some guy in a campervan who had to slam his door each time he got into and out of the van every ten minutes or so, or the other person who started playing their radio at quarter to six in the morning.
I left Barnards Castle and because I like history, especially the middle-ages, I headed for Richmond to see Richmond Castle. Founded in 1070, just after the Norman conquest it was expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries to what it is today. It spent most of its heyday belonging to a noble families then falling into crown hands, and then falling back into the hands of a family. By the 1530’s it stopped being used as a crown or family castle and started to fall into disrepair but by the 1800’s the castle was rejuvenated and used as a barracks for local militias, and duringWW2 it was used to house POW’s.
Then it was back on the bike and down to East Witton to see Middleham Castle. Built around 1170, it was used from the 1200’s by the powerful Neville family, and was a local power-base during the War of the Roses. The Neville’s held the castle until the 15th century, when it was taken over by Richard III until Richard was killed at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 by Henry Tudor’s forces. The castle then fell to the Crown, and from the 1600’s changed hands between different families. By the 1700’s it started to fall into disrepair and even thought it was still privately owned, it wasn’t until 1930 that it was gifted back to the state and almost in ruins.
After that it was back on the road and along the B-roads and south through the beautiful rolling hills of the middle-earth-like Nidderdale to the ‘Route 59’ – which is a Bikers café on the A59 just outside Skipton. After a delightful egg, bacon and sausage roll – plus a mug of exceptionally fine tea and some great conversation with some other bikers – it was south to Manchester to visit my Mum and sister for a few days.
The weather was great, with no rain, and very little traffic congestion. It was pleasantly warm and the roads of course, were brilliant.
