West Riding Excursion - Thurs 9 Jul

After a little research, we went of a retail centre north of York and spent about $150 on a compact camera to use on the rest of the trip - a Fujifilm A100 - 10Mps but otherwise very ordinary - only X3 optical zoom amongst other deficiencies. I would have liked to do much better but cameras are just so expensive here in the UK compared to Australia and as I am likely to get a as-good-as or better replacement for my Canon, we decided this little one would make a reasonable stop gap. It's major problem is that often it is hard to see what s on the screen. Still, I have uploaded some albums from it already and the three here were taken using it.
From where we ended up getting the camera, we opted to go to Knaresborough where my Kirby great grandparents were married and we were pleasantly surprised by this lovely village. We did eat at the World's End Inn (no, I did not ask if the HH guide to the Galaxy was the inspiration). You can even see our meal here. We visited the Knaresborough Castle which, sadly, was mostly demolished following the Civil War but it retains a poorly kept bowling green. The views from the castle grounds are magnificent as the photo of the viaduct over the River Nidd amply displays.
We returned via Newby Hall which is a magnificent estate and mansion which largely retains its orginal decor and nature. It was used as the setting for the BBC's production of Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park". Enjoy the photo of the two water nymphs.