Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
In an hour we can be over the border and in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. And who wouldn't want to be? A lovely drive to get to Grassington, just North of Skipton, and here is the view from the Trust car park. We'd planned on going down to the river, and found this well signed from the car park. .....down a narrow stone-walled lane, so typical of these parts..... and we soon saw Linton before us,.... and Linton Falls which over time had carved out its strange progress through the limestone... We then walked along the river - the Wharfe of course - past a trout farm, to an impressive set of stepping stones....... We reserved these for another time and continued on the East bank using some unusual styles with spring-loaded gates on top of steps passing half-hidden benches..... to reach the village of Grassington itself and to our surprise we happened on Sam West being filmed in the main square for the new series of 'All Creatures Great and Small'. We watched for some time, fascinated by the procedures involved... and we then had a good look around the 'set' noting how Grassington had been transformed into pre-war Darrowby a fashion shops became a bakers and a clothes shop a bookshop - such is the power of film! Having said that, Grassington is quite beautiful left to its own devices and, although there were a lot of visitors, the fabric of the place seems relatively little harmed. It was a real pleasure to wander around. and we ended up at the fudge shop where many years ago we bought home-made fudge for our own sweet shop in York. We couldn't resist of course and Frances ended up talking to the self-same owner we had dealt with all those years ago. Amazing. He brought us up to date with our icecream supplier too. Brymor the farmer we had used for our wonderful Pedigree Jersey icecream had died and the farm taken over by his son who 2 months later dies himself. Tragic. The farm was sold but someone took over the icecream side of the business which is still going strong apparently. As well as fudge we bought a boot stand for our hall from a lovely shop that specialised in wrought iron work. We can't wait to go back.
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As it was a gorgeous day we decided to visit Lytham Hall. It is Grade 1 listed and described as the finest Georgian house in Lancashire. What a pleasant surprise it was. We drove up the very long drive and, having parked, proceeded as normal to the cafe. This was in an indescribably beautiful courtyard with plant displays straight from Chelsea, and available to buy. The house itself looked a picture of what Georgian means.... and inside was full of interest. You hear of houses where it seems as if the family has just popped out. This was one of them. But the amazing thing is that after the last of the family frittered away the last of the inherited wealth, the house was sold - empty - to Guardian Assurance in 1963 as a kind of Northern HQ. They did Sixties things such as put up false ceilings and strip lighting, partition walls etc etc. Full marks to them however for not only carrying out repairs and maintaining it but also buying back and recovering all the family pictures. The house was sold by a later management regime. In 1997 Lytham Town Trust bought the building, with help from a donation from BAE, and subsequently leased it to Heritage Trust For The Northwest for 99 years. They and their splendid volunteers have been responsible for putting in appropriate furniture and odds and ends to bring it back almost to its full glory. On the third floor two of the Jacobean rooms from the original building have been re-created in an aythentic way..... and the 'suite' of 3 rooms where the last family member lived is pretty much as was. on exiting we walked along the legth of the Jacobean wing..... to a walled garden, again restored fantastically by the mainly elderly volunteers...what a delight it was..... Unbelievable what you can do by harnessing the power of a group of enthusiasts. We are very very lucky in this country that so much has been done by such groups. It was time then for the seaside. We parked by Lytham station which has been restored and greatly enhanced to create an outside cafe/bar area with an almost continental feel....... and proceeding into town we were pleased by the standard of shops - here Stringers department store, a really enticing shop (where we made several purchases). We strolled along the promenade, past the repurposed mussel tanks towards the famous windmill........ We walked back along the main road as we wanted to peep at the very desirable houses.........Lytham is full of them. Whether large and Edwardian.... or cottagey Walls were a common theme, done with the marine touch and simply everywhere.... Back at the station it was a hot day, so we couldn't resist a seaside treat..... We drove north towards Blackpool and examined the dunes between Lytham and St Annes, very nice they were too. A spot for a future picnic. What a lovely and rewarding day we had, and there was one last treat. Coming back through a busy rush-hour Preston, we dived off onto the old road to Clitheroe and how magnificent it was - views as far as the eye could see and fantastic countryside.
May 6th and Covid still with us. A trip across the Trough of Bowland was a fillip. Beautiful unspoilt views all the way. We didn't really know Lancaster. It impressed. Stone buildings everywhere, the town centre not too much mucked about. ......interesting-looking restaurants... and the castle proud on its hill.....a fascinating building........ Owned by The Duchy of Lancaster (Her Majesty the Queen is the Duke of Lancaster), the castle has witnessed scenes of significant historical, cultural and political impact throughout the centuries. These include incidents of religious persecution, the trials of the ‘Lancashire Witches’ and 200 executions for everything from murder to stealing cattle. Until 2011 it was a fully functioning HM Prison.......... The courtyard and cafe were open ....... as the rain came on and the cafe only had outdoor seating we were lucky to spot a brilliant refuge in the seats under the cloister...........the food at the cafe looked tremendous, and a return visit in better times would certainly encompass lunch there..... The area around the castle and church was certainly worth exploring even in the rain, beautiful cobbles and original stone buildings.... ....including a rather nice Judges' Lodgings (they certainly did well for themselves). Back down the West of the motorway, we called at Glasson Dock (not at all as I remember), and the very pleasant market town of Garstang where the market was on... We walked back to the car along the river....pleasant all round.
This time to see the bluebells.............Lancashire Past has this to say......"Originally called Oxheywoode, Spring Wood was owned by monks from Whalley Abbey. It was described as being “one bow shot East of the Abbey” in 1553. We know that the wood contained trees such as hazel and elder, as these are mentioned in a survey from 1528 carried out by the Crown. Such trees would have been coppiced- that is cut back to ground, every 20 years. This does not kill the tree, but encourages the stump to produce new stems, that then vigorously grow. By managing the trees in this way, timber of the required size and shape could be produced.
Today the wood is classed as semi-natural ancient woodland, which makes it a rarity, especially in Lancashire. The hazel trees are being coppiced once again, which allows sunlight to fall into the cleared area until the trees regrow. These well lit areas encourage the growth of flowers that would usually be shaded out under a thick woodland canopy. Trees are also managed by pollarding, which involves cutting higher branches to keep the height restricted and encourage a thicker crown. This too would have been a traditional management practice that would have been carried out under the ownership of the abbey. In the springtime the wood has a good growth of bluebells and wild garlic. The Friends of Spring Wood have planted an arboretum and wild flower areas to increase plant diversity. Roe deer frequent the wood and some of the dry stone walls have been modified in places to allow them access, by lowering the wall to create “deer leaps” (see the picture to the right). This is a seems a fitting thing to do, as the original Oxheywoode was once part of a deer park in medieval times." There are several trails, one wheelchair friendly, and on reaching a bench at the top of the hill you have a magnificent view over Whalley in the valley below. 30 - 40 minutes does it, but well worth while. Waddington is one of our 'go-to' walks. We walk there at least once a week and sometimes several times. Now that Summer is here Coronation Gardens are looking particularly lovely...... and with three terrific pubs all with outside seating areas what's not to like..........
To celebrate our anniversary we drove through the Trough of Bowland to one of our very favourite pubs/eateries. I couldn't resist stopping on our way to take a shot of just how fine our scenery is (and all just a short drive from Industrial Lancashire. The lunch was one of the best meals we have had in a long time, nearly everything you could wish for from a meal, so good we went the full three courses (which we never do). Home-made puddings were gorgeous...... But what was spectacular was the view through every window in the restaurant, perched as it is above the River Hodder with its plentiful trout and salmon. Post lunch we had to do something, so we had a leisurely stroll down to the stepping stones. There's a walk on the far bank but that's for another day............
What an address.....love it! We were on our way back from Preston (Dobbies garden centre and Morrison's very cheap petrol), and in no time were at the garden. Set on the banks of the River Darwen, and built over 50 years by Chris with whom we had a long chat, it has a mysterious grotto, very flimsy bridge across which you go (we didn't) to an enormous tower built back in the day for his children, the garden has lots of nice areas and spots to relax. We also talked to a Texan who is a writer and working in the gardens on the WorkAway scheme. We'd never heard of this, but it sounds great. Our writer does 10 hours a week work in the garden and in return gets free board and food. We also chatted to an Italian on the scheme. Well worth our short detour when we eventually found it......... .....and when we got back, Clitheoe castle grounds was looking superb....how lucky we are.
During Covid we haven't been able to use our free bus passes but today we took the bus from Clitheroe to Skipton. A beautiful journey, totally unspoilt countryside and villages. On reaching Skipton the market was on........a good one too. But we came to walk, and within two or three hundred yards of the town centre you are at the start of Skipton Woods. and doing the walk through the woods you are conscious at times of how beautiful the surrounding country is. Dappled sunlight was our treat today, and the woods quite magical. Plenty of wild garlic......... We did a slightly different route from our last time here, this time keeping to the side of Eller Beck..... Yorkshire, like Texas, likes to boast of its features and this, in the middle of the woods, could be one of the longest seats in England. F. was joimed on it by a little companion. This is not a lawn, but the dam covered in chickweed....... .....and nearby one of the surviving weirs On exiting the woods, you are greeted by a very atmospheric townscape. A tranquil and interesting walk from the heart of one of our best market towns.
A beautiful day and just a short drive through beautiful countryside to the privately owned Browsholme Hall. Open mainly on Wednesdays throughout the Summer, we had booked a tour of the house, and very good it was too. The guide Jean was exceptionally friendly and knowlegeable and we appreciated the informal atmosphere (as far from a National Trust house as could be). The Parkers have lived here since 1507 and so Browsholme has a genuine claim to be the oldest surviving family home in Lancashire. As to their astonishing longevity I can do no better than quote their own words...... 'The family motto ‘neither wind nor wave shall move us’ perhaps bears witness to the survival of Browsholme through the Reformation, the turbulence of the Civil Wars, the extravagance of the Regency period then through the Napoleonic, Boer and World Wars. Each period has left its trace … a skull from the Pilgrimage of Grace, a royalist coat worn by Capt. Thomas Whittingham (killed at Naseby), furniture by Gillow and Hepplewhite, even a fragment of a Zeppelin.' Indeed that gives just a flavour of the feel for the family history you get from the hundreds and hundreds of bits and pieces and objets d'art, furniture and paintings, collected and retained by the family over several hundred years. So many that you get the feeling that the family can't keep on top of them all. I must find out lots more about this remarkable house and family. See Browsholme Hall for just a start. The gardens were a delight in themselves, a series of different areas, which added up to a splendid whole.......and we didn't even see the lake. Lastly, just to say the tea room was a superb example of its kind.......the cakes home-made and delicious. We will return.
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August 2023
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