April 21 Seascale to Leeds
The customary morning photo revealed that the cloud had reappeared and that the mountains I had crossed yesterday had vanished. As soon as I left the house, I discovered that the temperature had plummeted as well.Just along the coast is Ravenglass, home to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. At 9 am, it was still tucked up in bed so there was no point in going to see it. The Esk Estuary was dark and forbidding but the local street furniture was quite spectacular. |
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Further along the road it was still gloomy and a row of windmills suddenly emerged in the distance. They bestrode the coastal plane like behemoths … etc etc. There are far more wind turbines here than in New Zealand, which is strange, given that there is so much more space over there.
I stopped at Broughton to buy postcards and to have a wander. It is pretty, with narrow streets and dark stone buildings. Some of them have been decorated at the front but the rear elevations remain distinctly monotonal.
Right: Broughton in Furness |
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As I returned to the main roads, the traffic became heavier and heavier. By coffee time, I had reached Kirby Lonsdale, a small town with narrow streets, dark stone buildings etc etc. (Where have I heard that before?) The prevailing dull skies didn’t improve the situation.
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The Lunesdale Bakery had a log fire and a reasonable cup of coffee. The lass behind the counter was a bit confused when I asked if I could take a photograph of her buns but she did agree. It really is a proper bakers with a magnificent array of bread and cakes on display. |
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Towards Settle, the clouds lifted a little so that it was almost sunny and cheerful as I drove across the moors towards Malham.
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Kirby Malham was packed for a large funeral, the village pub is normally closed at lunchtime and the funeral party was heading for the pub at Malham after the service.As a result, we had to drive for about 20 minutes, into the next valley, to the village of Linton-in-Craven for our lunch.Left: Across the moors |
The village has magnificent almshouses, a bridge and ford crossing a small stream, and a village green with an obelisk commemorating the award of "The Loveliest Village in the North" title in 1949. It also has a pub, which served us an excellent lunch and some interesting local beers.
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Back in Kirby Malham, we visited the church, St Michael the Archangel, I took some pictures of the Serjeantson window, which is difficult because of the way in which it was inserted into the original church woodwork, bade farewell to David, and drove back towards civilization.
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After leaving the lanes, the rest of the journey to Leeds was dull. It drizzled, the traffic was very heavy and I wasn't able to stop to take photographs.
I found Jan & Frank's place without too many mishaps, had a rest and then, when Frank returned home from work, we set out for the Aagrah, a small and understated Indian restaurant in Bradford.
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The food was good - perhaps not as good as at Dronfield but light years better than anything in New Zealand - and the place was huge. It probably seated 300 and there were also function rooms upstairs.
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Needing more beer, we returned to Leeds, to what, in my day, was Weetwood Hall, a ladies hall of residence. It is now a big hotel and conference centre and the stonework has been restored to its former glory and is no longer dark and forbidding as I remember it. Part of the old complex has been converted into a surprisingly nice pub. We had a couple of beers and then sloshed home to bed.
Right: The Weetwood bar |
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