Well, now all can be revealed - and the winner was - - - - the M6! - six hours to Penrith on Friday (my own fault - I should have known it was the start of half term! Good humour not much improved the next day by four hours to Edinburgh to watch England get beaten by Argentina in the company of a surprising number of surprisingly cheerful Scots. Monday capped it all - I suppose not strictly the fault of the M6 as it was closed at the time! How I wished we'd chosen Newburgh as we passed junction 27 in the gathering dusk, but Mrs SJ had voted for Leek (wasn't this supposed to be about the North of England?) as it looked like an interesting little town (as opposed to a village) and of course we would be able to enjoy a pleasant stroll around exploring it in the warmth of a late afternoon in Autumn - or as it turned out in the pitch dark of a rather bleak evening. Still we found a bite to eat (and a drop to drink) and eventually crept rather rudely late into the session at the Wilkes Head where the weekend was rescued as we sat at the bar and absorbed a friendly atmosphere, some excellent beer and a really tight session from a goodly groop of regulars (I presume) who obviously sing and play together a lot. - really cheered me up, it did! Thanks especially to them, and to all who took an interest. Next challenge - North Norfolk in mid November, but I should start a new thread for that, I guess.

SJ