A cooked breakfast and then off to catch the 11:06 bus outside the campsite which is very convenient. It’s about thirty minutes into Ripon.

There’s a busy market in the main square which we nose around before checking out the shops.

I find some Christmas decs made from sari scraps in a shop called Karma all popped into a beautiful bag also made of sari material.

We visit Ripon Cathedral next. It’s rather austere on the outside with a huge echoing knave at the centre.

The buses between Masham and Ripon are very irregular, our first return bus not until 3:30pm so we are thankful to learn that there’s a free concert at 1pm in the Chancel with complimentary hot drinks and biscuits! Heaven. A local GP is the violinist accompanied on the piano by the cathedral assistant director of music. We listen to Debussy, Blake and Richard Strauss with about one hundred other people. We both enjoy the Blake and Strauss.

Back towards the bus station via the cathedral gardens I find a cute Christmas jumper for Elijah and then we enjoy a leisurely pint before catching the bus.

Back at the van a delight of a video call from Rach and Elijah with Elijah singing happy birthday to his Gaga. Our grandson is such a joy in our lives. A bit of blogging and DVD watching before we wander back into Masham about 7pm for T’s birthday dinner. He’d really prefer a curry but has to make do with dinner at The Black Sheep brewery restaurant. The crab starter is divine and the mains good with huge portions that we can’t finish.

We have a drink in the White Bear which is a Theakston’s brewery pub and then a final one in The Bay Horse before walking back up the hill to the campsite.

National Treasure is T’s DVD of choice to end the day and our trip. Home tomorrow after a varied enjoyable and mostly dry autumnal jaunt to Yorkshire.

06:11:25