During my parents final week in Scotland we drove down to England, through the Yorkshire Dales, and over to the Lake District for a short stay. They were able to meet the family I lamb for and wander through some of the historic villages. On our way through the Dales we followed the Edan River through the Vale of Mallerstang which is some of the most uninhabited land in the UK. Pendragon Castle (12th century) was along the way and legand has it that the original castle there was built by Urther Pendragon, father of King Arthur.

We stopped at a little pub called the Moorcock Inn for a rest and some tea in the afternoon and it was delightful! Great atmosphere, Christmas decorations, board games to play, etc. I'll definitly stop there again if I'm driving through the Dales.

The weather wasn't very nice, although the the Lake District has a true beauty no matter what the weather. Our bed and breakfast, Maggs Howe, was set about 8 miles up a valley, almost at the end of the road, and had been a working farm for hundreds of years. All the buildings in the area are built of a dark stone and high stone walls line both sides of the very narrow, one lane road. An adventure to drive at the best of time and tons of fun when it's icy and misty!

On our drive home we stopped in Keswick to wander around the town and I picked up enough Kendal Mint Cakes to keep me for a few months. As we crossed back into Scotland we hit the Gretna Green Outlet Mall and wandered around stores such as Cadbury's Outlet!