Shakespeare's First Folio, on display in Skipton Town Hall, Yorkshire

One of the most important books in the English language

I visited Skipton. A copy of Shakespeare's First Folio is housed in the Town Hall in Skipton. 

Shakespeare died in 1616. In 1623 thirty six of his plays were compiled in one volume, known as the First Folio. The First Folios took over two years to print. It is thought that around 750 First Folios were printed. 233 of these are known to survive. The British Library owns five of them. Fewer than 50 remain in the UK. It seems that no two volumes are alike.

Many of Shakespeare's plays would not have survived without the First Folio. This copy was donated to the museum by Ann Wilkinson, a local woman. It is on permanent display and the pages are turned regularly.

There are few places in the world which have a First Folio on permanent display. Skipton is lucky to have such a treasure in the town. I would have travelled much further to see such a historic book. It gave me goosebumps to see it. After leaving the exhibit I returned to take a final view, unwilling to leave it. When you consider the age of the book and what it means to world literature, it's almost a miracle to have it quietly displayed in this small corner of the world.

Bryn Williams' restaurant Porth Eirias

The decor and setting (huge plate glass windows overlooking the beach and the sea) are lovely. It's easily the nicest setting of any restaurant in the area. However I feel, as a new eatery, it has yet to bed down. The staff do not seem fully to know what they are doing. I ordered a teapot of cocktails. It was a lovely idea for presentation which is why we ordered it; however the cocktail itself, named as an Enchanted gin tea tail, tasted like watered down mint tea. We couldn't taste the alcohol. The waiter described the teapot as a way to get "cheap cocktails," which is not what I wanted to hear. I would rather pay more for quality than drink a quantity of an inferior drink. Despite the fancy name, the drink was actually an inferior version of a mojito. The teapot was lovely but it had a filter which meant it filtered the mint out of the mojito when it was poured into the glass, making the drink even more dilute.

I ate a vegetarian risotto which was pleasant enough but lacked flavour. Apparently it had aged parmesan on top but I couldn't taste it. It also required more seasoning. There was no salt or pepper on the table and the salt was brought only after a request for condiments. The staff were evidently trying and the setting was so good I could overlook the teething problems and will certainly return in the hope that some of their early problems can be resolved.

The puddings we ordered: Baked Alaska and Creme Brulee did not disappoint. They really were excellent which made up for the main course. The dessert wine, a nice Sauternes, was a lovely accompaniment to the puddings.

Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters

Images of Haworth in Yorkshire, home of the Bronte sisters

Photo of the home in which the Bronte sisters grew up at Haworth in Yorkshire. It opened as a museum in 1928. With furniture and belongings belonging to the Brontes still on view, the Parsonage still has 'the dust' of the Brontes in it.

Site of the gate which stood between the Brontes' garden and the churchyard next door.

 The school opposite the Brontes' house in which Charlotte taught.

A shop in Haworth

Shops in Haworth

A pub in Haworth with a certain blue box outside. Has the Doctor been paying a visit to the Brontes?

Sweetie shop in Haworth

A popular restaurant in Rhos on Sea, Hickory's Smokehouse

Hickory's Smokehouse, Rhos on Sea

There is a lot of meat on the menu at Hickory's so it's  nice to see a few very good vegetarian dishes. Above, cajun vegetable fajitas: Peppers & onions, warm floured tortillas, guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream & Cheddar cheese.

Three bean chilli (right)with Texas garlic toast is a great choice for vegetarians. The garlic toast is delicious. Sour cream and grated cheese accompany the chilli.

The tall drink is Hickory's Smokehouse Hurricane cocktail. Ingredients: Bacardi Oakheart & Bacardi Negra rums, passion fruit, pineapple, orange juice.

The drink on the right is the Mississippi Mule composed of Southern Comfort Cherry, fresh lime, pressed blueberries topped with ginger beer. It's a terrific drink on a cold wet evening. The ginger beer makes it really warming.

Front is cherry soda.

The soda drinks are served in jam jar glasses.

Ice Cream Superbowl Sundae - to share


The Sundae is brought to the table with a sparkler on top. Two of us shared it but it would have been enough for three or four people, making it a very economical dessert. Kids would like it: There's vanilla ice cream, plenty of cream, pieces of biscuit, chocolate sauce, marshmallows. Personally I prefer the more sophisticated ice cream Sundaes served at Fortes elsewhere in the locality.

Toast your own marshmallows at the table and dip them in chocolate sauce. A fun dessert which is easily large enough to share.

French Quarter Moonshine:

Ingredients: Buffalo Trace bourbon, fresh raspberries, lemon juice and pineapple. A pleasant drink but not as nice as the Daisy Duke or Mississippi Mule cocktails on offer.

One of the oldest trees in the world, in Conwy

The Llangernyw Yew 

This famous tree is estimated to be around 4,000 - 5,000 years old and is one of the 50 Great British Trees. It grows in the churchyard of St Digain's Church in Llangernyw, Conwy, North Wales.

The churchyard in which the tree stands

The church is thought to have been founded in the thirteenth century. Many people must have sheltered beneath the yew tree from the rain over the centuries; or perhaps children played in the shade of the branches. Sitting under the tree, which provides seating in the curve of its trunk, beneath its green foliage, thinking of who might have sat there in the past, is like rubbing shoulders with ghosts.

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Stone lychgate of 1745, with wrought iron gates, forms the entrance to the churchyard. Slate-topped benches line the two sides.

View across the River Elwy from the churchyard to a tumbledown barn

Llanfair TH rainbow

Rainbow over Llanfair Talhaiarn

On the hunt for cocktails in north Wales

On the hunt for cocktails in north Wales

How hard is it to find a good cocktail on a weekday in north Wales? It's surprisingly hard!

After a trawl on the internet for cocktail bars we tried The Bridge in St Asaph. It was closed. Being the cautious type I hadn't paid for parking; deciding to hold off to see whether I liked the look of the place before committing myself to paying the parking charge. Fortunately I wasn't made furious by paying a parking fee for a place that is always closed except at the weekend according to the notice of opening hours.

We moved on to The Plough in St. Asaph. They had some cocktails which were previously unknown to us. After pouring over their cocktail menu and whetting our appetite we were told that - yes you guessed it - they only mix about half a dozen common cocktails during the week. It seems that to obtain any of the more exotic ones we would have to come back at the weekend. It would have been nice if they had saved us the drive and announced this on their website.

Next stop Prestatyn which we don't know very well. We spotted Bar 236 on the corner of the main street in the town. It advertised cocktails. They had no cocktail menu! On asking what they served we were informed that they could mix anything. I asked for suggestions. The bartender reeled off a list of cocktails which are served everywhere and which I was bored of. "Could you keep going?" I asked. He reeled off a few more. Again they were cocktails I was bored of. This wasn't going too well. But he said he could mix anything. Yet he didn't have a book or any recipes. I was intrigued. I was tempted to ask for something that he'd have to send to the furthest reaches of the earth for ingredients, or to ask him to invent a cocktail but that seemed a bit mean; so I settled for asking him to mix an Amaretto Sour - a cocktail I'd had recently in superior form at the Deganwy Quay Hotel - so I'd have something to compare.

Like the other place, he apparently wasn't required to do much  mixing for cocktails during the week so he had to track down the bag with the cocktail shaker in it. It must be a thing in north Wales - this matter of cocktails at the weekend but not in the week? I was dubious about a place with no book or app for recipes however he had no trouble with the simple concept of a sour, which is: alcohol, lemon or lime juice and a sweetener. At least he knew the chemistry of it. When I asked a bit further he practically gave me a chemistry lesson on the science of drinks mixing. He was clearly wasted in a bar that didn't make the most of him. The most friendly and helpful of bartenders I've come across. Certainly he was a wasted asset.

The cocktail he mixed didn't look as pretty as the Quay Hotel cocktail; it was also slightly sweeter but it definitely had something to it. Very enjoyable and it was almost half the price they charge at the hotel. My companion said, "surprise me." She was 'surprised' with an espresso martini garnished with a few coffee beans. It was on the superior side, deliciously creamy although it's not a drink I enjoy on an empty stomach. I think it always tastes better after a meal.

Next time I shall go back with a real challenge for him to mix. Any suggestions?