Flying High

Once more we must board the magic carpet in an effort to catch up with that illusive traveller who flits off to the next adventure as we trail along behind.

We'll pause for a moment over the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society near Harrogate and admire the sweeping lawns, the tranquil lake, the stately trees and the beds overflowing with flowers. A whole area is set aside to display garden styles through the centuries, and horticultural students hone their skills in the trial beds nearby.

Now look down if you will to see the magnificent Castle Howard, setting for the dramatised version of Brideshead Revisited. An ostentatious flight of fancy built for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle and designed by John Vanbrugh, a playwright who'd never built a house before in his life!

Leaving Castle Howard, look back as we pass over the Hambleton Hills and you'll see Yorkshire's White Horse looming on the hillside near the little village of Kilburn. But what's that fellow doing down there? By George, he's painting the thing! This not being a chalky region, it's necessary to give him a make-over every so often. I wonder who thought a White Horse was a good idea in this area?

As we fly south you'll see the spire of the great York Minster come into view, crowning glory of a city still surrounded by ancient walls and steeped in history. Train spotters will head straight for the National Railway Museum in York. Some, like me, may have their hearts set on seeing the original Flying Scotsman, but they will discover that it's currently in a million bits being restored! Never mind, there's afternoon tea at Betty's Tearooms to look forward to, except the queue to get in the door stretches halfway down St Helen's Square!

Then across the southern-most point of the Pennines to alight at Hilderstone in Staffordshire. Not far away are the ruins of the Stafford family seat, Stafford Castle. I'll be off on the morrow to see how well they're looking after the ancestral pile. Rumour has it that it's glory days are in the past. Perhaps the present Lord Stafford won't be much good for a loan after all!