Vancouver to London (Gatwick Airport)….. and onwards to Skipton, UK

September 1st & 2nd, 2017

Well once again we are on the road (actually flying) … it has been a busy year and we are concluding with another journey…..after the Mother of all Road Trips we figured some rest was in order and then the summer to plan this trip. Hmmm …some health scares …yes the parentals are getting older and things got a bit hairy towards the end: angiograms, stress tests, new meds, then DOUBTS….and, as one can guess, our preparation was a bit less than what we wanted…after numerous trips to Gibsons (doctor) and Vancouver (tests and doctoring) we are pronounced, “good to go”….pushed up the walking regimen and then a last setback Annie and her sister got beat up on a Zodiac trip through the Skookumchuck Tidal Rapids as the Captain (loosely defined) hit a wave the wrong way resulting in a hard landing and a very sore back for several weeks. Nevertheless, we ….(yes, Moosie is coming with us again) are at the Vancouver International Airport as ready as we can be…..requisite pic with our talisman:

…and the flight departs at 14:00 September 1….a bit behind schedule….after a short hop across the marvellous Rockies (although we did see huge plumes of smoke from the forest fires raging below) we land in Calgary…..an hour and a half,  1st inning stretch, and, aloft we go again. The Airbus 310 is full and of the 250 folks on board there seems to be a disproportionate number of crying, whining and screaming children on board…as we climb to 35,000 feet, the darling child behind us tells mommy: “I want my tee-shirt”, as we pass 25,000 feet he/she/it is screaming the same message for the 250th time …each ever louder scream carefully calibrated to coincide with every 10 feet of elevation gain…I COUNTED !!……we are flying Air Transat (the airline in the news recently for inhumane treatment of passengers) >>> the plane seems new and engineered for very thin, narrow, lightweight passengers, the entertainment package is woeful and we got a choice of 3 warm sandwiches (although only 2 choices were left when they got to us) on an 8-hour flight….the sandwich salad combo can best be described as revolting…..only offset was the pleasant attendant who took pity on us and gave us 2 cups (not the measly plastic wineglasses) of wine each to reduce the pain….suffice to say sleep was minimal…..in any event we are deposited on schedule (and a day lost to father time) in the UK > Gatwick Airport at 10:00 on September 2nd.

Immigration >>> massive line-up taking about 40 minutes (nobody asked about Moosies origins), luggage pick-up easy and customs a snap, and we are off to the Onward Travel Desk to pick up our train tickets/discount pass (Two Travel Together)…..very polite and helpful. Next, the Gatwick Express Train to London’s Victoria Station (35 minutes), Tube to King’s Cross (10 minutes), walk to King’s Cross Train Station (15 minutes) …..whew !! Quick lunch at Pret a Manger (thanks for the tip Robert)…

…Harry Potter is still eliciting excitement from fans…those of you who have ever read a Harry Potter book or seen one of the films, Platform 9 ¾ needs no introduction. For those of you who haven’t, this pseudo-fictional location at Kings Cross train station is where the Hogwarts Express begins its long journey to Hogwarts School:

 

…and next the Virgin Train (kudos to Virgin their website/service is A+) to Leeds (2.5 hours)…

…actually slept on this one, hardly anyone on board !! When we arrive in Leeds, one more transfer for the train heading to Skipton, in the Yorkshire Dales (super fast turnaround = 0-minute wait) >>> as soon as we reach the platform we are let on to an earlier departure by a friendly conductor …..THIS HAS BEEN A BIG DAY, and we arrive at Skipton train station ahead of schedule ….tired but somewhat refreshed by the onboard sleep…

Being walkers we decline a taxi and walk in the brilliant sunshine to the Wooly Sheep Inn (doesn’t it sound cozy?) …

… smooth check-in and given the lovely weather, decide to do a quick walkabout in this rather charming town…

…then following British tradition pints at our Pub, followed by dinner in the Wooly Sheep Restaurant: a lovely sea bass for Annie and beef stew for me, with a bottle of Chilean red…excellent food quality with service a little rough (bottle set on table > opening /pouring > for my a/c) at a reasonable price 47 STG (75 CAD) tax + service included.

We are thrilled everything went so seamlessly….the party is just beginning downstairs (the Skiptonites take their beer very seriously), but we are DONE!!!