Number Seventy News

By folding bike to Helmsley.  Few spring flowers yet apart from snowdrops and crocuses, one patch of celandine, and few lambs too, though lots of fat ewes.  Catkins, but not yet the light green sheen on the trees which is the true colour of early Spring.  Sun, and a light breeze from the SW, so mainly behind me.  A fine descent, new to me, from Yearsley to Ampleforth, with some fine views.  The White Swan at Ampleforth proved a gem – well-kept Black Sheep bitter and the best toasted sandwich I’ve ever had.  Brie and bacon both excellent, delicious coleslaw, a very mixed and interesting mixed salad, and crisps.  9 out of 10. It would have been 10/10 if the crisps had been Seabrooks instead of Walkers.  Must get back there to see if their meals are as good as their snacks.

Past the stream bridge of family fame and on to Helmsley for the bus home.  Several crossings of the former railway which ran from the ECML to Pickering and on to Scarborough.  Some fine station houses remain, and a signalbox at Coxwold.

“An Enemy of the People” at the Crucible was absolutely first rate.  Anthony Sher as Dr Stockmann – an endearing and somewhat naive enthusiastic idealist – quite unworldly in lots of ways.  His brother quite sinister as the politician.  A parable about climate change in a way.  Even some laughs – not Ibsen as the common prejudice goes at all.

Considering that the last place visited by this log was Paris, Doncaster is up against strong competition – and comes nowhere.  The Frenchgate centre in the evening is like visiting a world where all human life has evaporated – and it hasn’t gone to the pubs.  White Swan closed, Great Northern closed, The Plough a little gem with some nice Vermuyden ale.  The Leopard somewhat deserted though beer acceptable, the Corner Pin had an eccentric clientele and, considering it had got the Doncaster CAMRA award for a town pub recently, didn’t seem to have kept the beer in top form.

Streets of Doncaster deserted – all rather sinister.

Brasserie St Louis, Musee de Cluny, Cafe de la Place in the Marais, Flea Market, and a wonderful tiny flat on the 4th floor on the Ile St Louis.  April in Paris may be marvellous, but February is pretty good too.  Like most big long-estalished European ciies, it’s so rewarding to just wander almost at random, and come up with little gems round every corner.

Eurostar on the way back was delayed leaving by British passport officers understaffed and working to rule so we found out that, provided you are at the front of the Eurostar and make a prompt exit, you can get from St Pancras arrival to King’s Cross departure in 7 minutes, at a very brisk pace, having originally allowed 31 minutes for this transfer.