Sandra's 70th Birthday Weekend in Reeth

We had been invited by Sandra to Reeth for the weekend to spend some time together celebrating her 70th Birthday. We met Margaret and Robert at Gretna and I drove the 4 of us to Reeth in time for us to go on the Wensleydale Railway from Redmire to Leyburn. This is a lovely railway line run by volunteers and today they had added extra trains to take people into Leyburn for the Tour of Yorkshire Bike Race. It was a great way of doing it and avoided problems parking and the service was free with just a collection tin for donations. We are on the old train and these kind of carriages brought back some happy memories from 50 years ago.

Sandra, Margaret, and Gaye have been best friends for well over 50 years 

Having our picnic in Leyburn before the race. Bob and Sandra were the perfect hosts and this was a lovely place just a few yards from where the cycle race would pass in about 30 minutes time.  

This shopkeeper provided Gaye with a chair from which she could watch the race go by

The breakaway group of 5 riders were a good 3 minutes ahead of the peloton but much later in the race and just a few kilometres from the finish they were caught and eventually these 5 finished well back in the field. It was a great atmosphere in Leyburn with plenty of entertainment going on in the square.

On Saturday evening Sandra, Margaret, and I went for a lovely walk along the river Swale and it was the most beautiful evening with so much wild life to be seen beside the river.  

Sandra & Margaret enjoying the last rays of sun beside the river. 

The sun had disappeared in the valley but up on the hill my cousin Hilary's house was still enjoying the late evening sunshine on The White House at Fremington Edge. I walked up there early on Saturday morning and it was just beautiful looking over the town of Reeth

The village of Reeth from the road heading up to The White House 

On Sunday Sandra had planned a walk from the village of Muker up the Swaledale valley to a small village called Thwaite where we stopped at a lovely pub for a drink before heading back along the trail to Muker.

After our walk we headed to Arkengarthdale for a birthday lunch at the CB Inn which was Gaye and Margarets treat to their best friend Sandra. It had been a whirlwind weekend and we had to leave after lunch to come home but the weather and hospitality had been superb and it was a weekend to remember for years to come. Special thanks to our hosts Sandra & Bob.