We set off at a leisurely pace after having breakfast. Mr. Tillotson came out to see us off and we went at about ten o’clock. To enable us to come home via Buttertubs Pass and Wharfedale we went a long way round. The weather was poor but we were in good spirits as we drove along the Swale valley, through Reeth, Healough, Low Row and finally, at about three o’clock, to Gunnerside.
Gunnerside (named after Gunnar, a Viking chieftain) is smaller than Kettlewell and contains, I would say, about 40 houses. From the large amount of holiday-maker types wandering around with loaves of bread, bags of sugar etc., it appears that most of the cottages were rented out.
We had a bit of trouble finding the cottage (Mum and I stayed in the car while Dad and Andrew went off to find it), but eventually it turned out to be by the car park at NW edge of the village. The cottage itself was the middle one of a row of three (the far end one being derelict), and contained seven rooms: two bedrooms (double bed and two single beds); bathroom; toilet; dining room; kitchen and pantry; and living room with T.V. The rooms smelt musty at first but we soon had a coal-fire blazing away.
In the evening we walked southwards along the road towards Muker and Keld, and then along the river bank for a few hundred yards. It was still and quite warm and really superb as we sat by the river. A whole holiday ahead of us. At about ten we all went down to the King’s Arms where I had a half-pint of shandy and a packet of “pork-scratchings.” We must’ve looked really typical holiday types there in that pub and it is easy to see how the locals must look down on us.
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