The public path through my bedroom.

On our way up to Scotland we stayed two nights at the Golden Fleece Hotel at Thirsk. This is one of our favourite hotels. It is an old coaching inn, famous for hosting the Northern HighFlyer which was the express stagecoach service from Newcastle to London. The stable yard is now the car park and the stables have been converted for human accommodation. The inn itself has all the characteristics of ancient inns – crooked doors, creaking corridors, blocked up doorways and short flights of stairs everywhere. It is great! see here for details.

However, one little quirk made me sleep a little uneasily. Our bedroom was part of the fire escape route and, as the notice aside indicates, when the fire alarm sounds, our bedroom door would open automatically for the guests to troop through to safety.

It was a good job I remembered to pack my pyjamas.

The view over the Market Place as seen from our bedroom window.