Enjoying retirement
In The Red Rose County
We spotted this farm shop on our way home from Skipton, so on a Saturday went to do our shopping. It's an amazing place with huge quantities of everything you can think of (where else can you buy jars of sprout powder I wonder?). F. was like a kid in a sweet shop, loading our basket with everything (me too). The cafe/restaurant is closed but we will return....... On a mixed Sunday for weather we decided to keep it local, so walked outside our front door to climb the hill opposite us which is what we see all the time from our bedroom and living room. After a short climb......... .......we looked back to where we lived in Trawden....... ......and we did a loop, ending up at the pub in Trawden (closed of course). The skies were dramatic, but luckily we avoided the rain. ......and saw in the old farms we passed signs of an older way of life... Some of the squeeze stiles were very narrow........ The fields and paths were very muddy indeed and we had no hesitation at all in going back by the B road.....
We estimated a 40 minute drive to Ilkley on this day of blue skies, so for a change set out there for our daily exercise. The trip was pleasant enough, over the moor to the Keighley Road and then passing through Silsden and Addingham, substantial stone places with a variety of shops and buildings. Having found somewhere to park, we walked into town and headed for All Saints Parish Church the start of our walk. All Saints is a fine old building on the site of a Roman fort, and indeed has 2 Roman altars built into the tower (had I known at the time we would have looked for them). The church is thirteenth and fourteenth century, and certainly worth a visit when open. Opposite is Ilkley Manor House one of the oldest surviving buildings in West Yorkshire. Mainly Seventeenth century but with older portions, it is now an Art Gallery and Museum. Looking away from the church we looked across to the other side of the River Wharfe... ....and to the site of Olicana first founded by the Roman Emperor Agricola. We then strolled down to the river....which on first encounter we could see was very high indeed.... The walk along its south bank was a delight on a crisp day like today, and soon our first objective the suspension bridge came into view, one of four bridges in Ilkley. Beautiful views East down the Wharfe from the middle of the bouncy bridge....... ....and on the other side Middleton Woods where we did a little unscheduled detour.......certainly worth it.... We now retraced our steps to town but on the opposite side of the river. Reaching town we continued along Riverside Gardens, and then up into the shopping area passing a theatre, the operatic society, a bridge club (you can see what sort of a place Ilkley is.....). There are lots and lots of very good shops, restaurants and bars. I did like this sign outside a very large and very smart Deli........I've always wanted to enter somewhere through a 'pie door'! We couldn't visit a place that had a Betty's and not visit it.....so here is F. queuing to enter for a fat rascal for me, Yorkshire curd tart for her and two fine coffees...which we enjoyed in the sunshine in the gardens opposite... One location we didn't see is the big Lido......next time? Looks terrific.
We picked a car park on top of the moors between here - Trawden - and Skipton and devised a circular walk. A typical moors walk very wet underfoot, but the views were inspiring. We took a walking stick each, and we needed them. The views kept improving. Here we could see the Pennines, but we had almost 360 degree views including of the Trough of Bowland and the Yorkshire Dales. We dropped a few hundred feet to Elslack reservoir - this is stocked 4 times a year with rainbow trout, blue trout and with the occasional brown trout. Fish on this water have grown to considerable size with the record fish, a 15½ pound brown trout, coming from here.....a big fish indeed. Walking around the reservoir and down some country lanes we arrived at Elslack itself. Here the Manor House (where we had quite a chat with an Indian gentleman who was sitting on the Manor's garden wall enjoying an extensive lunch)....... ......and here its very, very long seventeenth century barn. We tried hard to discern the Roman Camp which is near here.....could this be it? It was quite extensive apparently, a base for 500 cavalry. We had an easy walk but stiff climb back along Clogger Lane.... and then drove to Skipton for a quick look around. This 'shopping centre' was really one of the nicest we have come across.... and the entrance, with its amazing ironwork, reminded me very much of a similar structure in Lisbon....
Looking at the OS map we worked out a circular walk starting from the little village of Kildwick near Skipton. A pretty place indeed. We parked at the pub (unfortunately closed) and climbed up to the Leeds and Liverpool canal. Surprisingly, thinking it would be running along the valley bottom, we found it to be at quite a high level above the village. I find that some canals are very boring as walking routes. This was not. We enjoyed our stroll along here very much indeed. The scenery was pretty and there were lots of interesting canal features. We looked back at Kildwick Church which is 14th century and quite impressive. And were interested to see the variety of swing bridges, some manual some requiring electrical or mechanical operation.... And the old mileage posts seemed to be all in place... At our appointed point of departure from the canal we dropped down a very muddy farm lane to the River Aire. This is the river that rises in the superb countryside of Malham and eventually travels through Leeds before ending up at Goole. Up here in the early part of its course it holds many varieties of fish including trout, chub, barbel, grayling, roach and perch (very impressive) as well as hosting otters....... and swans..... Looking over towards Silsden, we saw a very striking cloud formation (difficult to show in the pic) but one we had never seen before. A pleasant walk. We then drove to Skipton, parked on the cobbles and had a quick look round and a beautiful hot chocolate from the home made chocolates shop.
By enemy territory I do of course mean Yorkshire. It is a long time since I have been to Hebden Bridge, and I have read about its transformation into 'fourth funkiest town in the world', 'best small market town in the UK', and 'greatest town in Europe'. High praise indeed. It is also known as 'the lesbian capital of the UK', and for being very gay friendly. Interesting. We had a spectacular drive over the moors on a very minor road to get there... And as we arrived we could see its amazing location in a real bowl of hills. The centre was very pretty indeed, and cram bang full of independent shops including a nice bookshop for sale due to retirement........we had some fleeting thoughts but decided to ignore the opportunity. The river ran through the town, and felt a great part of it ......the modern town hall having an enviable location riverside. and there were quirky features everywhere... Where old mills remained they had been converted into some very swish apartments. Ancient features in this old mill town like the medieval packhorse bridge all added to its character. We really enjoyed our visit here, we didn't meet any lesbians or gays, and would love to return when some of the splendid pubs, cafes, restaurants and shops are open for business. And maybe we'll scout out some of the locations used for the super TV series 'Happy Valley' (whose dark doings don't reflect Hebden Bridge in 2020 I'm glad to say). After our wander around, we saw a very steep lane going up to Heptonstall, but in the end F. decided we should drive there.... And what a delightful place it proved to be, deserted to be sure, but full of atmosphere. Poet Laureate Ted Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd and lived in Heptonstall, and his wife Sylvia Plath is buried in the churchyard here. Many visitors flock to the town on a pilgrimage to visit the couple’s former house and Sylvia Plath’s grave, to commemorate the important work that the duo produced. Uniquely, Heptonstall has two churches within one graveyard. At the centre of the village are the ruins of the Church of St Thomas a' Becket built between 1256 and 1260. Later adaptations gave the Church two naves, two aisles and two chantry chapels as well as a tower. Following a great storm in 1847 however the west face of the tower fell away. Some measure of repair took place and the church remained in use up to 1854 when the present church, St Thomas the Apostle, was completed. Back home across the moors, having vowed to return as soon as we can.... On the OS map I saw nearby to Trawden a waterfall which on investigation was Lumb Spout quite a favourite of the Victorians apparently. We decided to investigate. We were directed by a local plumber working at one of the farms (very helpful the locals...). And, if not a spectacular falls, it proved a pretty spot. And just nearby were the remains of a bungalow and tea shop which served the Victorian sightseers. Retracing our steps, F. went home whilst I pushed on on an alternative track to Wycoller which we had visited yesterday. Slightly more substantial a path this time... And far-reaching views.... I have always loved this countryside with its stone-walls, moors, isolated old farms, friendly pubs and many signs of old industries. I noted again the ancient bridges and of this John Bentley in The Journal of Antiquities says 'The Clapper bridge, sometimes called the Druids’ Bridge, Weavers’ Bridge or the Hall Bridge, is just a short distance along the beck. This is a primitive structure but of massive proportions consisting of three flat gritstone slabs resting on two stone piers, one being a round-shaped boulder, the other a thinner pillar-shaped stone that looks quite fragile, but it is in fact very strong. It was originally a two-slab bridge sup-ported on one central pier. However the bridge has succumbed to floods over the years and has had to be reconstructed a few times. Its three slabs are heavily worn by hundreds of years of use. There is a legend that says this bridge led to a grove where druids practiced their strange rituals; there is no sign of this mystical grove or amphitheatre today, and the handloom weavers of Wycoller have long-since hung up their clogs! The clapper bridge is thought to date from the 16th-17th century, though a few historians ‘think’ it might date from before the Norman conquest." This shot of the pack horse bridge is almost exactly as depicted in the painting where we are staying (which I may yet buy). In a sequence from the film 'The Railway Children', Jenny Agutter is seen sitting on the bridge, talking to Dr Forrest who is driving his pony and trap through the ford...... I must mention a singular feature round these parts which is the prolific moss and lichen, said to be a denotes of fresh air....I particularly liked the footpath sign where the moss is rampant... Haworth is just over the moors from here, so off we went to encounter more fog than we have see for 50 years. A very atmospheric drive you could say. Haworth is of course usually crammed with tourists. Not so today. For our exercise we undertook a walk around the town..........or I should say up and down the town. The cottages, all stone of course, were all well looked after, very solid, and the pubs and shops were virtually 'tat-free' which was great. In fact the local Guide stresses that Haworth is getting a name for itself as a haven for independent businesses of quality. And Haworth is just far enough from London not to care what happens there! The extra quarter of a mile makes a difference..... Of course we had to visit the church and school (seen below). Patrick - the Bronte father, was curate at the church, and he built the school in 1832 and all his children taught there. But the Pennine village where the Bronte sisters grew up and lived was then a crowded industrial town, polluted, smelly and wretchedly unhygienic. Although perched on the edge of open country, high up on the edge of Haworth Moor, the death rate was as high as anything in Liverpool or Bradford, with 41 per cent of children failing even to reach their sixth birthday. The average age of death was just 24. And whilst obviously we couldn't visit it today, the Parsonage where the Brontes lived looked lovely and peaceful.... Haworth, certainly a place to come back to. We didn't walk far but the streets were very steep. Even the riders in the Tour De France thought so!
So, we've sold our house in Cornwall, but are not yet ready to move into our new (for us) house in Clitheroe. Temporary accommodation at Kingfisher Cottage in Trawden beckons for a while. Where on earth is Trawden? Well, it's on the borders of Lancashire and Yorkshire (always my vote for the friendliest part of the country), and is on the Bronte Trail. We usually pick well (last time was an exception), and Kingfisher Cottage lived up to our hopes. The view from our bedroom was great, and just look at the thickness of the walls on this stone terrace....amazing. Over two feet thick. Next day, we drove over to Clitheroe for food shopping. Whilst there we had a quick look at the market..lovely design, stalls around the circular plaza and shops behind. The streets of Clitheroe were just as we remembered, full of independent shops, nice pubs, and the castle often in view. And we couldn't resist buying a couple of different types of sausage from the dozens on offer at Cowman's Famous Sausage shop. To get to Holmes Mill for lovely sourdough and other provisions we walked through the castle grounds looking at their best in their autumnal splendour. Beautiful clear views of Pendle from the top......... And what a lovely day, England's best. We drove over Pendle on our way home, and this was our reward.... Next day a walk from the cottage door through the village and over rather a large hill to a site beloved of the Bronte's - Wycoller Hall (which is on a painting in our living room). I'll let the pics tell the story....... And when we got there, Wycoller Hall was we found a romantic ruin full of atmosphere in a beautiful hamlet with stream, clapper bridge, pack horse bridge, and beautiful Sixteenth Century farm houses...... And we paused in Trawden on our way back at the old Methodist Chapel which had the tiniest graveyard (what you can see is it), and very large monuments...an incongruous combination! I have since read that one of them belongs to Sir William Pickles Hartley who gave the world Hartley's jam. |
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August 2023
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