roaming the streets of English towns – part 1 of 2

After spending a week with my good friend Cecilia in Farnborough, Hampshire and a weekend with another old friend Victor in Gloucestershire (I will blog separately the amazing time I spent wandering in Victor’s impressive garden and green house), I took the train up north to meet up with Joan in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire.

The English weather has been kind to me so far, meaning it has been dry and the warm hospitality Joan and her partner Stuart extended to me certainly had helped chase the chills away! Apart from making sure I get to try as much delicious food as possible that I cannot get back in Malaysia in the few days I stayed with them, they took time off to take me around a few towns and villages near Middlesbrough. I certainly had a lovely time roaming the streets of these beautiful places.

Stokesley (16.03.2015)
After Joan and Stuart picked me up from the train station we stopped by a little village named Stokesley for tea on our way home to Ormesby, Middlesbrough

river in the village of Stokesley

ducks crossing the road to get to the river…

a glimpse of the village

Middlesbrough (17.03.2015)
Joan took me for a wander in the town of Middlesbrough and all I managed to take was this picture…

Middlesbrough town hall

Saltburn (18.03.2015)
We stopped for a short break in Saltburn on our way to Whitby.

seaside town Saltburn

Whitby (18.03.2015)
A scenic town famous for it’s black jet jewellery, where Captain James Cook set sail for his epic voyage to Australia and New Zealand, was featured in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and is a town Joan insisted I must never miss should I ever come to see her in the UK so this was a very much anticipated day trip.

It was a very windy and chilly day but I was impressed nonetheless. With the cold weather at this time of year it obviously was not the best season for tourists so the streets were not crowded and we were not hurried. We took our time to wander around the cobbled streets, checked the little quaint shops out and had a nice relaxing lunch and later a nice cup of tea before we bid farewell to a beautiful seaside town.