Ingthorpe Grange

Ingthorpe Grange (from their website)

We've just returned from out little get away. The children seem to have had an absolute ball but they haven't had anything like the treatment Ang and received.

Mum found us an amazing place to stay just outside Skipton. Ingthorpe Grange is a beautiful house and exquisitely presented inside and out. It's set among beautiful and near deserted rolling dales while only a 20 minutes drive from Skipton. Our room was enormous, roughly the same size as the whole upper floor of our house. The en-suite bathroom dwarfed our bedroom. Ang and I usually find we miss our bed but the four poster at Ingthorpe was hands down the nicest I've ever slept in. In short, Mum found us the best Bed and Breakfast ever (to the best of my knowledge anyway).

However, what made it was the atmosphere. Though much of this is created by the rural location and the owners apparent obsession with tasteful interior design, the persisting memory will be feeling like being we were being welcomed wholeheartedly into someones lovely home. We only ever met Sean (and the dog) but he couldn't do enough for us even though he doubtless had enough on his hands tending to Lesley who broke her arm while we were there.

Sean recommended a lovely pub for dinner and made sure they kept a table free for us. The Angel Inn in Hetton is lovely. A gastro-pup for sure, they don't seem to have chips or pie anywhere on the menu. What I will always remember about that particular restaurant was that when they brought the cutlery, it came in little bags which is completely new on me. Oh, and the food was very good.

It's a shame I had the coffee at the end of the meal. I'm not sure why people offer you a highly caffeinated drink just before you're going to go home for bed. I'm really not sure why I though it would be a good idea. Perhaps I'm just even more idiotic than I though. It's such a shame because I've not been getting much sleep with it being the Christmas holidays and being the proud owner of two early rising children. That luxurious bed in the silence of the countryside was an opportunity I couldn't afford to miss. Needless to say, that cappuccino kept me up long after I got to bed so the opportunity was well and truly missed.

I'd like to think that we will get back there one day. Ingthorpe Grange really is somewhere special. Perhaps if we do, the weather will be a little nicer. It was touch and go getting out of there this morning. See below.

I was just getting my wellies on to see how deep this when when a van came flying through at which point I decided it must be passable.