Author: elainehayesblog

Steaming Round Haworth

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On Sunday we decided to let the train take the strain, but first we drove over the tops to Haworth before it got too busy. We began in the Brontë Museum, in the parsonage where the family lived from 1860.

We learnt all about their lives and literary achievements, and the large number of personal items including Charlottes dresses, scarves and bonnets displayed in rooms they actually inhabited was quite moving.

Here is the dining room where much of the writing would have been done …

… and Branwell’s room, presented as it might have looked to convey the chaotic character of his mind.

We were also reminded how very fragile life was, with their father out living them all.

Chris was happy to sit for a bit, so we parked at Penistone Country Park and I took a short walk across the moor …

… and down to the Brontë Waterfall to take a few pics.

It’s amazing how quickly the weather can change as I had a strong wind with a slight drizzle in my face all the way but by the time I walked back, the wind had gone and my coat was round my waist!

Finally to the train. The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway which once carried coal and textiles to the local mills is now the only complete, preserved standard gauge branch line in the world and they regularly run steam trains. We were just buying our return tickets at Oxonhope as the announcement said the train was about to arrive, which it did!

The station looks really authentic in its burgundy and cream livery, but no time for a cuppa now, let’s get aboard.

Inside, the carriages are just as I remembered on the trains from Kenton to Wembley as a child, although they were diesel.

The route took us back through Haworth, then on Oakworth which was used as a location both Railway Children films and has prompted us to watch the newer one when we get home.

A lucky bend offered a good view of the engine …

The end of the line is Keighley and we got out for a look while they moved the engine round to pull us back, and got Yorkshire Tea and flapjacks to eat on the way back.

Appropriately, we went just round the corner to The Railway for dinner and we’re glad we booked as it was full of people tucking into huge plates of roast dinner. We’ve eaten incredibly well in Skipton with visits to Le Bistro des Amis and Elsworth Kitchen on previous evenings, all showcasing good local produce and great home cooking, and Chris has been impressed with the varied vegetarian choices.

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Wonderfully Woolly Yarndale

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Next day was Yarndale … and having learned that giddy is a good Yorkshire word, I think that perfectly sums up how I was feeling! During Covid, I took up slow stitching, particularly following the textile artist Anne Brooke and have taken part in her year long tag and flag projects. She is exhibiting at Yarndale which will give me the opportunity to meet her, but also to shop for bits and pieces to add to my slowly expanding stash of stitching goodies!

After breakfast, Chris decided to spend the day driving round and about, taking photos while I set off on foot to find Yarndale by following the woolly trail of crocheted markers along the Yarn Walk …

… which took me over the canal …

… and through a park to the Auction Mart, a huge shed decorated with woolly bunting …

… and separated into pens, usually occupied by livestock, but today all things woolly instead.

I wandered round and found Anne’s pen and it was lovely to meet her properly after all this time, and her friend Jane who often joins the online Stitch & Chat sessions. I was able to see some of her stitching on display and also share some of mine, and left after a little retail therapy well as the offer of a coffee at The Shed, her workshop in Brighouse, if I had time to stop on our way home.

Slowly I worked my way through some 200 exhibitors, quite a lot selling wool of one sort or another, maybe raised from specific breeds or hand dyed, or specially for felting/weaving/knitting.

I was very successful in my search for woolly bits and roving for a new macraweave wall hanging and it was good to have purpose to my browsing.

Once I was done, Chris picked me up and we drove to Grassington for a quick look, mainly as it is the filming location for Darrowby in the current production of All Creatures Great and Small. Once you look carefully, you realise how different the place looks when the film crew dresses the location for filming, adding pillars and fencing and removing the cars.

Nonetheless, we did spot the pub and the vet practise and a couple of premises getting in on the act! We had hoped for a cuppa somewhere but we’d left it too late, so had another excellent mug of Yorkshire Tea back at Highfield House. Chris told me he’d had a good day driving around the dales enjoying the views, taking a short walk to Linton Falls and sampling cake but he’d left his photo head behind!

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See Ewe in Skipton

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So here we are in Skipton, which grew as a prosperous market town, trading sheep and woollen goods with its name deriving from “sceap”, meaning sheep and “tun” meaning town. In the C19th it developed into a small mill town, connected to the major cities by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The mill buildings remain, a testament to the hundreds of looms that once wove here, but many have been converted to flats and shops. Today, it’s more about tourism and with the Yorkshire Dales rising up just behind the town, they are on the doorstep.

We learnt quite a bit about the history during our hour long cruise along the canal, complete with comedic commentary from Skipton Boats.

Later we wandered a little in the town and down the High Street where the market is unusual as stall holders can just pitch up in any available spot.

After coffee and cake we went to the town hall, unfortunately covered in scaffolding, but look at the poster outside!

Inside, we looked round the interesting little museum. You can see from this display that Sylko thread was made here in Skipton by the Dewhurst mill, and I’ve still got a couple of old wooden spools just like these!

There were also mill pattern books, and this one shows cotton shirt fabrics of the 1900’s made at Fareys Mill.

I also took a photo of this chap, mainly because of the amazing story!

I left Chris taking photos, and took a walk in Skipton Castle Woods.

I caught a glimpse of the castle high above, apparently well preserved and worth seeing, but we didn’t visit.

The waters of Eller Brook run through the woods …

… and a dam was built …

… to power all the mills.

Afterwards, I walked along the canal …

… to our B&B to meet Chris and we checked in to Highfield House, a tall Yorkshire house …

… where our room had a little Yorkshire sparkle …

… a view of the dales …

… and our first mug of Yorkshire Tea!

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Our Halfway House … Baddesley Clinton

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So we’re off! Today was a long drive, but that in itself was a change of pace and the road was fairly clear. The highlight was our lunchtime stop, a National Trust house conveniently chosen just off the motorway, complete with coffee shop.

According to the website, Baddesley Clinton is a charming moated manor house which was home to the Ferrers family for 500 years passing from father to son for 12 generations. The family was catholic with their fortunes rising and falling and while changes were made to the house, including a priest hole, it has retained many of its original features and character.

As soon as we got there we realised it hadn’t been oversold, it really was lovely, and the volunteers were eager to show us round.

There are always little gems to learn like the straw or thresh laid on the floor is kept in place by the piece of wood or threshold in the doorway. Also, I won’t think of Solihull the same way again having been told it is named for the soil hill it’s built on – no doubt ensuring excellent gardens!

There were several elaborate carved fireplace surrounds, including these.

We heard about The Quartet, four friends who lived a life of rural bliss here in the mid c19th.

Marmion Ferriers had inherited the house, married Rebecca Orpen and two years later they were joined at Baddesley by her aunt, Lady Georgiana Chatterton, and her second husband, Edward Dering. Georgiana wrote novels and other books and became a highly successful author, leaving the equivalent of some £4m in her will; Dering tried his hand at writing but was nowhere near as successful as his wife; Rebecca took up painting and there are lots of her pictures round the house and Marmion played the part of a rural squire ensuring the welfare of his tenants and staff. The house felt so homely, they could just have been out for a walk.

There were beautiful flowers in all the rooms …

… which was hardly surprising when we saw the lovely garden …

… including a well stocked cutting garden.

Time to move on, and we had intended another stop on the way, but the traffic was heavier and the rain started and we decided to cut our losses, pick up a packet of biscuits in Sainsbury’s and retreat to the Premier Inn when we arrived in Burnley. We had dinner a few steps away at the convenient Brewers Fayre and got an early night.

It was a beautiful morning and when we checked out, we noticed the photo behind the desk of a sculpture made of metal pipes resembling a windswept tree on the top of a hill. This is Burnley’s Singing Ringing Tree and we began with a detour to see it.

The idea is that the wind enters the tubes and makes whistling sounds although while we were there, there was only a slight breeze so it was hardly noticeable. Nonetheless, we got a great view and enjoyed watching a shepherd and his dog herding sheep, before setting off for Skipton.

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Chris & Elaine’s Yorkshire Tea Break 2022

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It all began with Yarndale!

I started sewing during Covid and had heard about this great textile show full of all things wonderful and woolly in Skipton, so we’ve decided to go, and this year is the 10th anniversary.

Of course there are lots of other good reasons to visit Skipton as it is a pretty market town at the foot of the Yorkshire Dales with a rich heritage. The Brontë Parsonage is nearby at Haworth and Holmfirth where Last of the Summer Wine was filmed, is on the road home.

Since the dodgy knee is still with us, we’ll take every opportunity to have a cup of Yorkshire’s best while we soak up the view and are really looking forward to a few days away.

Journal Entries

Our Halfway House … Baddesley Clinton

See Ewe in Skipton

Wonderfully Woolly Yarndale

Steaming Round Haworth

Bolton Abbey Blues

Peaks and Dales

Another Halfway House … Canons Ashby

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Farewell Triglav

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Next morning was clear and I asked where the best place was to spot Mount Triglav and we were directed to the pretty bridge in the centre of Stara Fužina where I got a perfect shot! We thought this was a great place to end as we drove off towards the airport.

It’s always strange knowing how to spend the day with an evening flight, but we used the time by taking a mountain detour through Pokljuka with some lovely views but no safe stopping places. We also saw men wearing what looked like skis on rollers making their way quite fast up the road carrying ski poles.

A little later we had pulled over the check the map and a van pulled up with Team Germany on the side, and then the man leading in a yellow jersey came to a stop to get water. We found out that this was Benedict Doll, a German biathlete and winner of a couple of Olympic medals. I had to Google the biathlon to understand this is a winter sport combining cross country skiing and rifle shooting in a race, and this was summer practice!

Anyway, that’s really the end, nothing more to report as we wait at the gate for our delayed EasyJet flight home, munching complimentary breadsticks!

As they say here … zelo dobro … which means very good … and everything has been, with friendly people, beautiful scenery and great food so we feel sure we will pay another visit.

Not quite sure when we will be off travelling together again as there is nothing planned … yet!

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Lake Bohinj from all directions

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Today I walked from the bridge to Ukanc, along the footpath than runs close to the northern shore. It was very peaceful …

… with lots of wildflowers…

… and views of the lake and mountains …

… including for the eager eyed, the Vogel cable car.

Towards the end, the path crossed the Sava Bohinjka river …

… then in Ukanc, I met Chris who had come by boat. I had a swim to cool off followed by coffee and we took the boat back together.

Next stop was the Vogel Ski Centre so we could take the cable car on a 4 minute ride to 1535m.

The views down and across the lake were great …

… and we could see Mount Triglav, the tallest peak in the National Park which is just to the left of the cable in this shot.

After having a look round …

… we took the chairlift still higher, to 1670m …

… and then back down again!

We stopped for a swim stop on the way home where even Chris had a paddle! The shore of the lake is quite stony all round so getting in is hard on the feet … especially without the water shoes we left at home!!

On our way back we stopped at the Alpine Museum …

… which gave the history of cheese making in the area, learned from a Swiss chap from Emmental so the local cheese is of a similar style.

The curator of the museum was so enthusiastic and informative that it really made the history come to life. It must have been hard, taking cattle to mountain pastures and living in a hut on your own for several months before returning with your herd to your family before the winter.

It’s no surprise that this way of life pretty much died out, but more recently, young people are returning to the old ways now that there is a premium for organic products and tourism and we bought some cheese to take home.

Our last night in Slovenia and we returned to Gostilna Bohinj, the local restaurant where we have eaten every evening.

Tonight’s meal was just as good, an amazing mushroom pizza for Chris, complete with fresh porcini, and tenderloin of pork for me with štruklji and mustard sauce…

… together with the recommended local red, with Mount Triglav and Zlatorog, the golden horned chamois on the label.

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Bohinj and the hayracks

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I heard another thunderstorm in the night with the rumbles echoing round the mountains while the rain came down hard, and when I looked out, the morning was misty and cooler with cloud hanging in the valley and the promise of a mixed day so we settled on exploring.

Breakfast was a spread of beautifully presented cold cuts and cheese, eggs cooked to order and bread with homemade jam.

I walked down through the village to the lake …

… and met Chris who had driven. The church by the bridge is dedicated to St John the Baptist with a scary wooden decapitated head on a plate just inside the entrance dating to the C14th, which used to be worshipped by those with head or neck complaints.

Outside there is a medieval porch with a square painted coffers on the ceiling and paved with round river stones dating to 1639.

The St Christopher on the outer wall was common in the Middle Ages as people believed they would not die a sudden death during the day if they had looked trustingly at an image of St Christopher in the morning.

Inside was richly decorated with frescos …

…. the earliest from the C13th being this one of St John the Evangelist.

The richest in the presbytery dated to the C15th such as George and the dragon …

… Mary and Christ with apostles below …

… the baptism of Christ …

… the ceiling with a boss of Christ with angels and evangelists …

… and angels holding a curtain all around the lower wall.

The bell tower was there to be climbed and naturally gave a view of the lake.

We were surprised how quickly the temperature had risen, but after all that rain, it was humid too. We continued to Studor where we looked round one of the three museums included with our tourist card, Oplen House, a traditional local house built in the early C19th.

The story of the family who lived there for the last century before it was abandoned in 1974 brought it to life, together with the household effects and furniture still there.

So now I have to talk hayracks, which we have been spotting since our first day in Slovenia. Often there isn’t a safe place to stop and take photos, so we saw loads before we had pics. To begin with we thought they were for drying crops …

but then we saw them used to stack and keep firewood dry.

Later we saw more complex racks combined to make a kind of barn …

… and then today we finally saw them used for drying hay!

The next museum on the list was shut for lunch so we had a coffee and watched as the sky darkened and a few drops of rain fell. The museum hadn’t reopened, so we headed back to the lake, along very wet roads, which just shows how localised the showers are, and continued along the side of the lake to the second church on the lake. There are a couple of stories about the building of The Church of the Holy Spirit in 1743, one that it was part of three vows made by farmers on the advice of a monk after three years of poor harvest because of a worm and the other that it was advised by the Pope to end the drought, hence a roof like a camel’s back!

And it has a St Christopher on the outside wall too!

There was a small wooden dock by the lake …

… and a perfect spot to go for a swim before catching the panoramic boat for our daily trip.

By the time I’d walked back to the guesthouse, I felt I’d got my steps in, good job with the huge plates of dinner they serve here like my Kranjska klobasa, served in the traditional way with potatoes, sauerkraut and mustard.

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Lake Bohinj

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It was a short hop from one lake to another as we left Bled and drove to Bohinj (another silent j!). Despite being only 25km apart, the atmosphere is completely different … Bled is a bit smarter and more sophisticated, while Bohinj has a relaxed rustic charm of its own.

We are staying with Tanja and her family at Rooms Pekovek in the village of Stara Fužina, near to the lake.

She welcomed us with peach schnapps made by her mother and told us how we could make the most of our visit. Being within the Triglav National Park, there is a real push to be as green as possible here, so we bought the tourist card that enables parking in designated spots and free use of public transport, including a daily return trip on the electric panoramic boat which runs up and down the lake almost silently. It seemed like the perfect way to get our bearings so we headed for the lake.

While we waited for the next boat we looked around. The iconic views of Lake Borhinj either include the church and the bridge or Zlatorog, the golden horned chamois of Slovenian folklore. Even the summary of the tale is complicated, suffice to say it includes a handsome hunter, a beautiful girl, a couple of rivals, the chamois, magic flowers and an unfortunate ending!

Once aboard, a brief commentary explained it is a glacially formed lake basin holding almost 100 million cubic metres of water and that the flow through the lake is so great that the water replaces itself three times a year.

It’s about 1km wide and just over 4km long and took 30 minutes to reach the far end at Ukanc, which legend says comes from ‘u konc’, which is said to mean the end of the world.

There is a campsite and water sport centre and a 10 minute stop before the boat returned, although we could have stayed longer.

It was very warm when we got back so we parked close to the lake and I took a swim while Chris took photos. It was like the best infinity pool, with barely a ripple and what a view!

The sky had been darkening for a while but by the time I’d got out and changed, the first drops of rain fell.

We joined others sheltering under a tree and to begin with, we just saw it as a photo op.

After a while through, the rain got heavier and the tree no longer provided any shelter …

… so we decided to make for the car park as quickly as we were able, trying to keep our bag of stuff as dry as possible. Some hope! The rain was torrential, but I got to shelter under a roof overhang while Chris went for the car. As we drove back there were hailstones the size of golf balls so I’m glad we weren’t cycling, Back at the guesthouse, wet and chilly, we proceeded to wring the water from our clothes as we took them off. We struggled to remember an occasion when we had been so wet! The storm eventually passed, and we walked to the local (inn/restaurant) for dinner. Apart from a couple of swanky hotels, it was the only place to eat in the village, so everyone was there … couples young and old, families and groups of friends. We shared our table with a couple of Belgian girls as it was so busy. I had venison goulash and Chris chose pizza although both portions were so large, we could have shared a dinner!

Fortunately the rain held off all evening so we got back safely without another drenching.

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Lake Bled … and THE view!

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Awake early again, with another hot day expected, I was up and out quickly as I wanted to walk round the lake and climb Ojstrica, the hill overlooking the lake. It took twenty minutes to get to the base and maybe the same to get the first good view across to the island. I did start to climb further to the seat at the viewpoint, but it seemed some way further and the path was quite steep and rooty. Mindful I was there on my own, and I was very hot, I decided I was pleased with the photo I had, so made my descent.

I returned the same way I came and got this shot of the island with the steps from the shore.

Another delicious and leisurely breakfast followed and we decided to take a short drive to Radovljica. We took care to follow the parking instructions …

… then headed into the old town centre where we found a selection of preserved buildings, some with frescos, others with quirky architectural features and interesting metalwork.

The church had a beautifully painted ceiling and a collection of embroidered vestments on display.

We stopped at one of the cafes for iced drinks before returning to the guesthouse and relaxing in the garden until the lunchtime heat subsided.

Now time for a real treat! There has been a chairlift to the Straža ski slope since 1954 and today it caters for both winter skiers and summer hikers, as well as those like us who want the thrill of whizzing down by summer toboggan!

We decided one go wouldn’t be enough, so bought a ticket for two runs, once to get the measure of it and the second to maximise the potential! We got chatting with another couple, Emerson and Vee, who are travelling round Europe from the US having finished college and they decided to have a go too. So the first step is the chairlift up …

… the photo at the top …

… getting aboard …

… and whizzing down!

Lovely to chat with Emerson and Vee and thanks for taking pics which we look forward to sharing … safe travels to you both!

When Chris read that Restaurant Central Bled leave their pizza dough to rise for at least 48 hours, he said it definitely needed a visit, although with tankards of draught Lasko, I took the opportunity to try the spicy Kranjska klobasa, a local sausages, served grilled with sauces and potatoes.

It was a good decision as dinner was great, and we took a final look at the lake before returning to bed … tomorrow we move on.

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