My Dad grew up in Richmond, but his one was on the outskirts of London, rather than this one in North Yorkshire. As my Mum was from Lancashire, the arch-rival of Yorkshire, I did not visit this part of the country when I was young. Yorkshire’s Richmond is a fine market town with a rich history that we caught a glimpse of.
Our rest day priority was, er, rest! However, having gone to bed pretty early the night before, most of the adults were awake as usual so headed to the cleaners for the second priority of the day – getting some clothes washed! We regrouped to get Tracy some new walking shoes to replace her worn-out ones. The outdoor shop had a limited choice, with even less in her size, leading to the best choice being a rather unstylish men’s pair. As long as they help her get through the remaining 80 miles, no one will care! Though Bailey might be reluctant to get in photos with them 😁. See if you can spot them in tomorrow’s photos… Surprisingly, Bailey got Samuel up for the hotel breakfast, which closed at 10 am. The Ireland family were eager to explore the town a bit, whereas the Townsends were content with chilling out more seriously!
We headed to Richmond’s castle which dates back to the 11th Century, shortly after the Norman conquest, and it even has a link to the defeated King Harold. More recent history includes the imprisonment of conscientious objectors during WW1. The views from the top of the keep were grand on this especially clear day, and the kids made the most of being able to roll down grassy banks on which sheep had not recently roamed… The town’s market square was a fun hub of activity, and we found a quaint cafe for lunch. Bailey took a “0.5” photo of me that immediately persuaded me to have a shave and get a haircut, though I’m not sure her “after” photo looks that much better! The day concluded with a fine dinner at an Italian restaurant. Bailey’s request for “marinara” sauce with her calamari led to quite the interaction. After they brought mayonnaise, it became obvious that they did not know what we were talking about. After a bit of googling, we learnt that this sauce, which is similar to the tomato base on a pizza, is “Italian-American.” They explained that the closest sauce was “Provençal” (which I thought was French…) and the head waiter gave us some mussels in this sauce which was very kind, and Bailey certainly enjoyed!
The team seems well refreshed for our ongoing journey. We had in our mind that tomorrow was 10 miles, but it looks closer to 14. It is flat and the maps suggest it is not even undulating, but we shall see… There are a couple of possible routes, and we will need to decide between road and path from about halfway as we head towards the small town of Danby Wiske. Surprisingly for us, a concern for the next few days will be high temperatures. While Houston endures 104 degF, it seems unrealistic that 75 will be “too hot,” but our nights have already felt a bit uncomfortable. Our air-conditioning is opening the window 😎. As for our rest day, it was a fine reset, though I still have clocked 10,000 steps!
This page is linked to from my England’s Coast to Coast home page.
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The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 
What a glorious day or rest! Loved the picture of Peter and Janet and the group shot. Really only 80 miles to go? I thought you were going to swim the English Channel. Love you guys!!
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