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Via Haworth to the west

Yesterday night it felt cold but this morning it feels really warm when we get up, although the sun refuses to shine. When we are busy packing our things we sweat like we are in a tropical country. It is 25 degrees and very humid. Our destiny today is Wales, but first to Helmsley where we buy the last bags with my favourite candy.

At Ripon we make our first stop. We have a coffee somewhere near the classic cathedral. There used to stand a cloister here and we learn that Willibrord, who went to the Netherlands in the 7th century, was born here. We also drive to the ruin of Fountains Abbey, one of the most impressive of the country as we are told, but we don't agree and not even make a picture of it.

Then we continue our way through the country and pass through Brimham Rocks, an area with fields of heather and very special rock formations. Our thermometer tells us it is 27 degrees, very nice weather to walk around in the beautiful nature here.

The area lies east of Pateley Bridge and there are many rocks with different shapes to admire. The wind and the rain has carved the rocks into imaginative figures and the most impressive rock weighs 200 tons and balances on a small basis.

We make some detours but finally we arrive at Haworth, where the sisters Brontë have lived, well-know female writers from the 19th century. Haworth is a charming town with a steep road in the old centre. The surroundings apparently can be very depressing and was a great source of inspiration for these remarkable sisters.

Next to the church where father Brontë held his sermons is an old and neglected cemetary which could be used in a vampire movie without any alterations. The vicarage where the family used to live is now the Brontë-museum.

When we drive away the sky turns black within a few minutes. A heavy lightning breaks out and in the downpour we drive on towards Lancashire. We will look for a hotel tonight, no campsite! The traffic almost comes to a stop on the roads and in a line we drive less than 30 kilometers an hour since the visibility on the road is almost zero. The storm goes on for at least half an hour before it becomes a normal shower.

We start looking for a hotel near Ingleton, because we ant to see the Ingleborough Cave there tomorrow. But all hotels are full or too expensive, so in the end we drive back to Settle where we find a small room. Well, that is all we need and it feels good to have a real shower again after 3 days, since it was quite primitive on the last campsite.

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with Elisabeth and Teije