Pickering War Weekend 2016

Dear Readers,

This Blogtober malarkey is proving to be more difficult than I had thought even though I wrote a list! One of the problems is that Pickering War Weekend is always right in the middle of the month and as one of the biggest 40's weekends near by we always attend. This means a long weekend away busy sightseeing, shopping, walking, eating, and general frivolity gets in the way a bit of blogging.

This year, like last year, we camped in our parent's caravan although last year we stayed at the Showground. Since there wasn't as much going on at the Showground this year due to improvements to the sight, also lack of proper camping facilities, we decided to stay at a campsite just outside of Pickering. We travelled down on the Friday and after a number of mishaps, including forgetting all my clothes and a flat tyre on the caravan, we finally made it to Pickering early evening. Our friends Mike and Rachael were also in their caravan next door to us which made it really fun despite the general sogginess.

Due to the amount of travel and packing / unpacking we really only had Saturday and Sunday for larks and japes. On Saturday we spent the day in Pickering getting up early to hit all the best shopping opportunities. The train station carpark and the memorial hall had some great vendors and I happily picked up a grey American 1940's suit straight away. Then Indi and I hit the charity shops in Pickering as they save up suitable stock to sell during the weekend and I nabbed myself a 1940's faux fur coat which I have already got some good use out of. I wore a recently acquired suit from Ohh Laa Laa vintage swap and sell and felt the bees knees in it though it's a tad tight on the old hips.

We then spent the rest of the day wandering around Pickering, enjoying a drink or two in the Black Swan, and a bit of jazz in The Sidings. In the evening Indi and I headed to Whitby for dinner while Mike and Rach went to a dance. We had dinner at the Duke of York pub and ended up going on a ghost walk which started at the whale bone arch and lasted for about an hour and a bit. Since I was wearing heels my dogs were barking by the end of it but I really enjoyed the whole thing and the big, fat, nearly full moon added a great deal of atmosphere. The guide had a great sense of humour and £5 for an hours entertainment felt like a good bargain.

On Sunday we all decided to spend the day in Whitby since it's a while since Mike and Rach last visited the place. On the way we decided to stop off at Goathland to see what was happening there but the weather was very soggy and we spent the majority of the time taking cover in a tea room. I wore the jacket from my new suit which went well with my grey tweed trousers and I also wore my new faux fur coat over the top to keep me nice and cosy.

We parked on the West Cliff in Whitby and then headed straight to the East Cliff to climb the steps to Whitby Abbey. I love this place and have done ever since I was a child and mum told me about Dracula. We had great holidays there when I was little so it's a bit of a spiritual home for me. We had some good larks and japes up there and enjoyed the view but we were a little eager to go down again, out of the wind, and into the Duke of York for a drink.

We then had a little pub crawl heading from the Duke of York to the Black Horse and then on to the White Horse and Griffin. I particularly enjoyed it in the Black Horse chatting with the friendly regulars, enjoying a nice IPA, and it was so old fashioned inside I just loved it. Don't tell Indi though as his favourite is still the Duke of York and I have the suspicion it always will be!

After partaking in a little ale we became in need of some food and we had already agreed that we wanted to go to the Magpie Cafe. Indi and I go to the Magpie every time we are in Whitby and really enjoy their fresh seafood and friendly staff. Indi, Rach, and I all went for the Seafood Pot but had the starter size with some chips on the side. We were glad we did as the portions are so big we were all fit to burst by the end of the meal. We headed back to the caravans after this but Mike and Rach went on to another dance from there. I on the other hand had indulged a little too much and went off to bed with a pack of double action gaviscon - oh the glamour!

Finally Monday morning rolled around and the sun shone at last though we were packing up to go home. Since the weather was nice and I was reluctant for the weekend to be over I did want to go back into Pickering again but I knew we had to get the caravan back home in good time. We packed up and then headed to a nearby farm shop and cafe for breakfast before we headed our separate ways. While in there the heavens opened and it poured it down so in the end I was pretty glad we weren't in the middle of Pickering or we would have got mighty damp. We ran to the trucks, said quick goodbyes, and then set off for home. I was really sad that it was over for another year but it was one of the best Pickerings ever and I can't wait for next time.

ttfn!