Weekend in Yorkshire

Sorry, I've gotten behind with what's been going on. Here's some brief notes on our weekend in Leeds. *Updated!*

Andy and I drove down to Leeds late on Thursday night, through the dark and driving rain. Friday, however, was a nice day with off-and-on sun and clouds and a stiff breeze. I was especially pleased with the hot English breakfast made by Andy's mum--bacon, eggs, toast, veggie bean burgers, baked beans, and stewed tomato followed by toast and marmalade. It might not seem so exciting to English people, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to admit I'm partial to cooked breakfast from time to time--and the traditional sort of thing was especially fun for me to try.

Andy's dad had been collecting all his birthday cards on the counter next to the breakfast table and he added a few more to the pile. So with birthday wishes and some opening of packages, then a discussion of the best hiking options and some looking at maps, we set off five of us in Andy's brother's car for Bolton Abbey and the Valley of Desolation.

It wasn't all that desolate, really, but the name was certainly appealing. The walk took us over a bridge over the river, along a pond and through some sheep fields. The lambs and ewes all had numbers painted on their sides to indicate who belonged to whom, I think. Sort of like 24a and 24b sort of thing. You could really see the family resemblance, too! And I'm not entirely joking about that. Sheep aren't all exactly the same, you know.

We passed through some woods and heard a lot of birdsong. Andy identified them and I promptly forgot what they were. The path got steeper and headed up to the moorland--empty, rolling slopes covered with heather and bracken fern and large rocks scattered around. The wind was almost enough to push you over at times, gusting up the gorge. Andy's dad forged ahead at the front while I huffed and puffed at the back. The wind and the hill were enough to keep conversation to a minimum.

Up at the top off a ways we could see Simon's Seat, a large rock formation up on the summit beyond the hill we were on. It was a distance and we decided that it was nearly time for us to be heading back down, so we made ourselves happy with these rocks nearby and took a few group photos of the Dale hill climbers.


That night we ate a delicious dinner at a Greek restaurant just down the road from their house. Mmm, I was thinking, we can't get stuff like that in Oban. We'll have to learn how to cook moussaka and lamb kebabs... it can't be too difficult.

Saturday there was an ongoing birthday party for Andy's dad at their house... people arrived in three installments. Morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea and dinner. I met a lot of friendly nice people and made a large number of pots of tea. Actually I thought it was slightly odd that most people preferred coffee and asked for that.

Some friends arrived in the MG that they have been restoring for years and years, apparently. They seemed like the perfect couple to be zipping around in a red sports car--happy and contented, in their 80s and having a grand time enjoying life. I couldn't resist taking a few photos of the car.


Here's the back garden with a newly installed pond (just in front of the door at the end of that bed)--Andy and I brought back a water bottle full of tadpoles from the hike and they made themselves right at home sucking on pond scum.


We dug up a few strawberries that had wandered into the path and a few raspberry shoots to take back with us to Oban. Then on Sunday we got ready to leave and headed over to Saltaire for lunch and a walk with Andy's sister Lis.

Here's photos from along the canal. We saw a family of ducklings, some boaters, lots of walkers, some interesting birds, some geese eating the grass, and some sullen teenagers throwing rocks at each other.






Saltaire--an interesting town--a company town revolving around the woolen mills I think. We spent a little bit of time here last fall. The old mill is now shops and a gallery and restaurant and things like that, and some of the other old factory buildings have been turned into flats. There's also rows of cute old worker houses all in neat rows.


Then, the long drive back to Scotland and home. Luckily the drive was mostly in the daylight and the weather was perfect--clear and pleasant with banks of thunderclouds on the horizon and just a couple short showers.