Scarborough with Rosie and Inga at Orchard Lodge!

Chuck and I made our way to Flixton near Scarborough for our last pet / house at Orchard Lodge. Scarborough is a summer resort town on the North Sea. It has a statue dedicated to Queen Victoria and was the place to stay during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We stayed at the Royal Inn the night before heading to Orchard Lodge. The Royal Inn was a great but tired old hotel but our room was large and there was plenty of hot water and the view was gorgeous. It was also decorated for Christmas! Yay!

Our last Trusted Housekeeper's house/petsit was at Orchard Lodge, an absolutely delightful Bed & Breakfast in Flixton. Andrew and Lucinda entrusted us with the care of their two magnificent black Labs, Rosie and Inga.

We were lucky enough to spend a couple of days with Andrew and Lucinda before they went on their vacation to learn the lay of the land. They did warn us, however, that Rosie liked to eat stones but as long as she was on a lead, no worries. Chuck and I took walks with the girls and spent one afternoon at Filey Harbor strolling on the boardwalk. Surprisingly, there were quite a few surfers out. It was cold and windy! Brrr! 

Inga and Rosie really enjoy their walks but when we got up our first Sunday morning during our stay, Rosie had a terrible limp. She could not put her left back leg on the floor. We decided to take her to the vet. Rosie absolutely loves going to the vet. She knows her way around and does not mind being poked and prodded. The prognosis: nothing specific, a shot to help with inflammation, a daily pill (that she loved) and no walks. This was the first time in our 14 Trusted Housesitter assignments that we had to take one of the pets in our care to the vet. :( 

We had a wonderful time visiting Scarborough and walking along the harbor. We were able to visit Scarborough Castle and even had our own personal tour guide. The views from the castle were breathtaking. Ren, our guide, made the history alive. Even though it was very cold and windy, it was time well spent.

We were surprised that milk was still delivered and left outside the door!

Chuck and I had such a wonderful time in Scarborough and Orchard Lodge with Rosie, Inga and their humans, Andrew and Lucinda. They made us feel right at home. They offered to let us stay in the B & B side of their house after returning from their holiday to Germany. The Orchard Lodge is by far the best B & B we have had the opportunity to stay while on our Grand Adventure. The views are beautiful, the rooms are comfortably and tastefully furnished with an en suite and it's dog friendly! You could not ask for better accommodations or better hosts. It's within driving distance to Filey (a quaint little sea village), Scarborough, and York is only an hour away. There are also lots of places for long walks through the moors and countryside.

Andrew and Lucinda certainly made our last stay as Trusted House special. Lucinda prepared a wonderful Sunday Roast that we shared and when we left for the airport, they got up really early to see us off. We've made new friends. There was only one incident that caused some excitement and a little bit of trepidation. Rosie managed to eat a stone after Lucinda and Andrew returned home. She got to return to her beloved vet's office for surgery to remove the stones she had consumed, but she's home now and doing well.

I have sad news to share. Our little Reanult Clio that we named Frankie became ill and developed a really bad cough. So bad, in fact, that at times we did not know Frankie was going to make it to Scarborough. Chuck and I decided it was time for Frankie to go to the big scrapyard. Frankie was almost 20 years old and she gave us all she had for six months. It was sad to see her go but we later found out that even though she had been scrapped, she was able to give life to other Clios through organ donations and skin grafts. Frankie, we miss you!

From Par Sands Beach to Land's End and and Charlestown

We had so much fun with Bella in Luxulyan, Cornwall. One of our favorite walks with Bella was at Par Sands Beach. We visited at different times of the day and in all kinds of weather. It was one of the most beautiful spots we've seen, and we've seen some of the most beautiful in the United Kingdom. Bella is a fanatic ball retriever and she can run forever.

Our wellies have certainly come in handy. Our feet were nice and dry and most times warm.

Chuck and I couldn't leave Cornwall without visiting Land's End. We did choose a good day to visit: the tourist concessions were closing for the season the next day. It was a great day. The weather cooperated; there was a little sun and a few clouds and a bit cool but a great day for walking. We also enjoyed a traditional Cornish pasty with a cup of coffee. It was truly a good day.

We also made a couple of trips to Plymouth. Plymouth is not in Cornwall but is in Devon, just over the border from Cornwall. We originally made the trip to ship back another suitcase full of our charity shop treasures and clothes we no longer needed. While we were there on that mission, we did some exploring. Plymouth was well worth the visit. 

A lone swimmer!

Plymouth is a port city in Devon known for its maritime heritage and the narrow, cobblestone streets of the Barbican. This is where the Pilgrims set sail for the New World in 1620.

Walking through the pedestrian area, The Hoe (greenspace near the waterfront), and the Barbican was so much fun. We had cream tea in a lovely little shop. The only difference we can find between Cornish cream tea and cream found in the rest of the UK is in which order the clotted cream and jam are spread on the scone. Should you spread the clotted cream on first then the jam or is it vice versa?

We also discovered Charlestown, a lovely little seaside town very close to Luxulyan. Several movies have been filmed there, such as Moll Flanders, The Eagle Has Landed, The Three Musketeers, Rebecca and Odyssey. Several television programs have also been filmed in Charlestown. Two of those are Poldark and The Hornblower series (one of our favorites) which aired on the A & E network. We stopped to have tea, coffee and cakes at a little restaurant near the hotel where at least one scene (the one where the German officer jumped from an upper story window) from the movie The Eagle Has Landed was filmed.

This old vessel was taken away, cut in half, added to, and brought
back to Charlestown after it's appearance in one of the
Pirates of the Caribbean movies!

We were able to spend an extra day with Robin, Sarah, Richard (their son) and Bella before we made our way to Scarborough for our final housesit. Robin prepared a delicious Sunday roast. The chicken melted in your mouth! Mmm! The company was great also.😃

We said our goodbyes and were on our way to Scarborough, but first, we made a trip to Portsmouth to visit the HMS Victory!