A Trip to North Yorkshire

Recently, Mike and I took a little trip to North Yorkshire. As some of you might know, I occasionally write for a travel website, and we were lucky enough to be gifted this trip away so that I could review The Feversham Arms Hotel and Verbena Spa in Helmsley.

We arrived on Friday afternoon, and were immediately enchanted by the picture perfect little market town and the stone exterior of the hotel. I have a certain affection for stone buildings. In Kent, where I grew up, you just don't see them - everything is red brick - so when I see stone houses like this, I know I'm in the North!

First things first, we checked into our room, and had a quick look around. The style was very "country cottage". There was a bedroom and separate living area with tea and coffee making facilities, a sofa and armchair and a stack of books and magazines to read.

I fell in love with this little fellow. He was our "do not disturb" sign!

The bathroom was lovely and full of natural light due to skylights in the ceiling. Plus, they put a candle by the bath, which was very thoughtful of them!

Both the bedroom and living area had large patio windows, which led out onto a balcony, but exploring that would have to wait till later as I was booked in for a facial at the spa. (I know, I know, it's a tough life!)

I will say right from the off that the Verbena spa is the number one attraction at this hotel. My facial was incredible and left my skin looking smooth and clear and feeling amazing. I was so relaxed during the treatment that I very nearly fell asleep! I also loved the delicate, beautifully fragranced Temple Spa toiletries my facialist used, not to mention the list of recommendations she kindly provided for me afterwards. You don't have to be staying at the Feversham Arms to enjoy the spa facilities so if you're ever in the vicinity and feel like being pampered, I can recommend this place!

With my facial finished - and my skin glowing - I headed back to the room to meet Mike. It was well into Friday afternoon and after a long week, we were feeling just a little bit sleepy. As the sun was having a bit of a moment in the courtyard, we decided that relaxing on our balcony with a nice cup of tea was all the excitement we needed.

The sunny courtyard was full of people enjoying the outdoor pool. I have to say, they were a lot braver than me! The pool was heated, but even so, the outdoor temperature didn't even reach double figures the whole time we were there, so I certainly wasn't about to go swimming! The whole pool area looked very pleasant though, and I can imagine during the summer months that the courtyard becomes a little sun trap and it's actually quite nice to take a dip. Not this time though, thank you very much!

I was quite content to sit tight and enjoy my tea instead.

Jumper, jeans - Topshop, Boots - Zara

We had a quiet night, eating in the Italian restaurant Gepetto's in the centre of Helmsley. I didn't blog this place and it doesn't seem to have a functioning website to link to, but I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a restaurant in the area. It was very popular and we thoroughly enjoyed our food.

The next morning, we were looking forward to a bit of exploring, so we kicked things off with a good breakfast in the hotel restaurant - eggs and bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms, tea and pastries, toast and fresh grapefruit juice. Yum.

Suitably fuelled up, we jumped into the car, and set off on our adventure. Our first stop was the North Yorkshire Moors. 

I hadn't really seen them properly before, and they're just breathtaking. Wild expanses as far as the eye can see, rolling fields of coarse heather, and not a soul in sight beyond the occasional sheep.

It was so picturesque in the sunshine, but still wild and rugged. You can just imagine how gloomy and foreboding it must look under stormy skies. A very fitting setting for "Wuthering Heights"!

It was pretty cold and windy up there, so after a little while, we continued on. Not too far away was Whitby, a coastal town I was sure I had visited as a child and really liked. As soon as we arrived at the harbour, I could see that my memory had served me well.

According to my Aunty and Uncle, who are basically experts on every inch of Yorkshire, Whitby is a great place to get traditional English fish and chips. After all, the fish couldn't get much fresher! However, that was one experience we were forced to put off for another time. We were unfortunate enough to arrive in the town in the middle of its bi-annual goth weekend, and as soon as we got further into the centre, we could hardly move for the crowds of people in full goth/steampunk regalia. Typical! It was a real shame, as the town really did look lovely with its narrow winding streets and old-fashioned tea rooms, but as it was we just couldn't wait to get away from the crowds. Why does this sort of thing never happen to Rosie from The Londoner?!

By this point we were starting to feel peckish, so we headed back to the hotel, just in time to get showered and changed and have a few minutes to relax in the bar with a drink before dinner.

Set out like a cosy living room, the bar was the perfect spot to sink down into an armchair, sip at a kir royal and chat about the beautiful scenery we had visited that day. And to peruse the menu, of course.

When we had finished our drinks, dinner was served in the hotel's Weathervane restaurant, an interesting room with glass panels in the ceiling and enormous lampshades.

We started our meal with fresh, warm bread rolls, lashings of butter and some good red wine. A combination which, if I'm honest, I could quite happily live on for the rest of my life.

Mike and I both chose a starter of red mullet with mussel chowder, fennel and chervil. This was absolutely beautiful. I never used to be a fan of mussels, but they've been steadily growing on me! I could eat this all over again right now.

For the main course, I went for fillet of Angus beef with a marrow and horseradish crumb, spinach and sprouting broccoli. And yes, those are crisps! I'd never seen anything like that at this kind of restaurant before, but they went surprisingly well with the beef. The dish was rich but very, very good.

Mike chose the lighter option of turbot with quinoa risotto, salted carrots and celeriac. It was as good as it looked, although I think he could have eaten a larger portion!

With dinner over, we headed upstairs for our second and final night in the hotel. The following morning, after another hearty breakfast, it was time to check out. We debated going straight home, but I had heard that the famous Fountains Abbey wasn't too far away, and had always wanted to see it. So we decided to take a little detour on the way back.

We were both so glad that we did.

Fountains Abbey is an old monastery which was founded by a small group of monks in the 1100s. Over time, it grew to become one of the largest, wealthiest and most powerful abbeys in the country, but it was abruptly closed down in the 1530s when Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic church and dissolved all the monasteries and nunneries in England. What remains is a glorious ruin, bursting with atmosphere. You can almost hear the footsteps of the monks in the eerie half corridors that still stand, all covered over with grass.

Isn't it stunning? You can just imagine how imposing it would have looked back when it was a functioning monastery, with all the buildings intact and the windows full of stained glass. It was so spectacular to see it up close, and we both agreed it had been the highlight of our trip. North Yorkshire is full to the brim of beautiful places to see - most of which I haven't even begun to explore yet - but I cannot recommend Fountains Abbey enough. If you're ever headed to this part of the world and can only see one thing, make it this!

Mike and I both thoroughly enjoyed our trip away, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of this lovely area at the next opportunity I get!

Have you ever been to North Yorkshire?

Kate x