So a bit of a belated post today. At the start of May we went on an adventure to East Riddlesden Hall, a National Trust property near Keighley. We had chosen what looked to be a lovely day to go and the weather certainly held up as we drove across. We arrived a little before our friends so we did a little bit of exploring and James hit the play park. Even Lyns was having a play before anyone else arrived. It was not long before Dominique and Gav arrived and chaos ensued in the play park. Even little Elliot was zooming down the slide.

After all had had a good play, we headed into the hall itself. To keep the children entertained, there were a series of wooden mice to spot which meant we walked around with our eyes peeled. It became as much of a game for the adults as it was for the children.

After a quick trip round the hall It was time for lunch before we explored the gardens. Here we had loads of fun as there was giant connect four to play, not that the boys quite got the hang of it and it was all about who could put the most circles down. There were also skipping ropes to play with. Dominique and I tried to encourage the boys to have a go, however, all we managed to do was look silly ourselves! Luckily I was the one with the camera.

After we left the gardens, the weather started to turn and the rain came down. There were a series of Geocaches in the extended grounds so off we went to find them. The first two were easily(ish) to find, apart from avoiding the dog poo and nettles. The third was a little harder and it took a lot of crawling around in the rain to find it under a board walk. By this point, the weather had turned severely and the rain was coming down.

Only one thing left to do, beat a hasty retreat to the cars and decide where we were going for tea. We headed back in the general direction of York when Gav had an idea. We headed to The Cow and Calf on Ilkley Moor baht’at. The food there was lovely and it was a wonderful way to end a fab day out.

After dinner we headed home. Apart from the turn in the weather, which meant we had a good excuse to go for dinner, it had been a lovely day. I do not think I would be in a rush to head back as there are better places close to home, but definitely worth a visit!