The weather was beautiful and we were at a loose end, so we hopped onto the motorbike and took off for a weekend away at Simonstone Hall, a cute little hotel about 5 minutes walk from Hawes, in North Yorkshire. Our first stop was the Lord Crewe Arms, a beautiful medieval tavern in Blanchland, dating back to 1165. The food there is amazing, and the beer garden is so chilled-out, it's perfect for lazing around on a sunny weekend afternoon.

Our next stop was a short ride across the twisties of Weardale to Middleton-in-Teesdale, where we stopped for a coffee. It's always good riding down this neck of the woods, but you have to be careful in spring, as the roads are cluttered with lambs who will gladly run under a front tyre to get to their mother when startled by a loud motorcycle.

We arrived at Simonstone Hall around teatime, as the sun was going down. The building itself is lovely, with a medieval charm that it still retains, despite being a busy working hotel. The room was really quirky too, with a layout quite unlike anything we'd ever seen before. The family of peacocks that roam around you while you enjoy your evening drinks are something of a novelty too. They're very friendly, but they will have you up at 5am with their morning chorus.

These photographs were taken on the amazing Fujifilm X100V.

Equipment used

Camera

Fujifilm X100V

Filter

Tiffen Glimmer Glass 1

About the photographer

I'm Alex Nichol. I'm an amateur photographer from the North of England. For me, photography is a way to share what I love most about the world. That includes everything, from family and friends, to wild animals and breathtaking places... or maybe just how the sun twinkles on a weed in my back garden. It's all fair game.

• Find Alex on Instagram
• License Alex's images for commercial use on 500px
• Buy high quality prints from Alex on Redbubble