SECOND honeymoons are what most romantic couples dream of.

And for one pair the dream has come true - more than half a century after they tied the knot.

Wes and Brenda Overin decided to revisit their honeymoon hotel after a 55-year gap. And as they checked into the Feversham Arms, in Helmsley, they discovered things were a little bit different from when they last stayed there.

Mr Overin, 78, said: "When we came in 1947 it was just a little country pub with a few rooms, but it's very different now. It's got a swimming pool for a start."

His wife, now 80, said she was glad the weather had improved for their return trip.

She said: "The weather has been lovely this time - it was about shoulder-deep with snow when we were here on our honeymoon.

"Everything was frozen and when we left Knaresborough there were people having bonfires on the river because the ice was so thick."

Mrs Overin said hotel food had changed dramatically since the days of rationing after the war.

But she said: "There was a lot of game on the menu then that they seemed to get hold of somehow - plenty of roast pheasant and partridge.

"The landlady seemed to be able to make the best of it."

The couple, who live just outside Bradford, said they decided on the trip back to the Feversham Arms to mark their anniversary in style.

Mrs Overin said: "We just fancied a bit of romance.

"Your ambition is to have a golden wedding, but another five years has ticked by. We feel very blessed."

Updated: 11:08 Friday, March 08, 2002