It was a short run from Sweethope to Wark, and a bonny one, if a little queasy in places. Don’t get me wrong, I have never in my life suffered any form of motion sickness. The A68 however causes me some apprehension and I tend to travel stretches with my eyes closed. On our way over to Sweethope Mr Snail had remarked “This is a fun road” as we topped another vertiginous crest and I had muttered “um“. Here we were again, going the other way along this switch back road. It makes me woozy.
Wark was just under six and a half miles away as the crow flies but more like 25 miles by the road route that we took. There was little choice as most routes were sporting “Light Traffic Only” notices due to a weak bridge with a 3 Ton weight limit and a 2 metre width limit. The long way round it was.
We had originally intended to sleep in the van at Battlesteads – it is listed both in Britstops and on other lists of pub stops. However, we had been drawn by its description and elected to book a room to make a joint celebration of both Mr Snail’s birthday ad our wedding anniversary.
We chose well, not least because building works are in progress and there was no sign of the EHU when we got there. In fact the parking places were tiny and we felt a little greedy hogging the car park as it was.
Our “Luxury Lodge room” was both amazingly luxurious and dog-friendly. Dog towel, dog blanket, poo bags and dog biscuits were provided. We humans had to make do with tea, coffee, homemade biscuits and fresh fruit.
The room was huge, with lofty ceiling and a massive skylight for sky-watching.
The bathroom alone was larger than Vincent the Van and it sported both a walk-in shower and a corner whirlpool bath plus his and hers wash basins.
Battlesteads has some impressive green credentials, a gigantic tracking solar panel array, and its own observatory! All that plus a labrador and a cat; the former friendly, the latter… feisty.
Our Dinner, B&B package included the 8-course Tasting Menu and we added the Wine Flight to that. A most pleasant evening ensued.
The meal itself was excellent and we hope to return, if not to a room, then certainly in Vincent, for more foodie adventures in the future.
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