We departed our York hotel early, but not before taking one last photo of the beautifully decorated staircase with a newly installed Xmas tree.

Keeping with the festive theme, we took a short drive to nearby Harrogate and came across an array of wonderful boutique shops also adorned with Xmas decorations.

Any trip to Harrogate requires a visit to Betty’s tearoom.

After a walk around the town and some browsing of the independent boutique shops, we drove south to the pretty village of Harewood and a walk around the grounds of the Harewood Estate.

After an enjoyable walk we headed to the aptly named Muddy Boots cafe for a late lunch.

Our final destination today was Leeds where we are staying a couple of nights with Phil, Andy’s cousin, and his wife Kate. They live right in the centre of the city, in a fantastic apartment in an old converted Victorian building.

We headed out for dinner to a nearby Italian for a great meal and a catch up. The wine flowed, as did the Limoncello, so Andy is feeling a little sore today due to over indulging!