Tag: Skipton

Bolton Abbey Blues

elainehayesblog

A sunny morning with a beautiful blue sky and today we are moving on, but first a quick detour to the romantic ruins of Bolton Abbey.

Scottish raiders began the destruction of the monastery and Henry VIII dissolution did the rest, but the body of the church survived as a parish church.

We had a look inside and particularly liked the painting behind the altar by a local artist depicting Madonna lilies as the church is dedicated to St Mary as well as barley, olive, vine, Passion flower, wild rose and palm, all of which symbolise the passion.

There are also windows by Pugin, telling the life of Christ.

I was looking forward to using the stepping stones, first laid as a crossing point for the lay workers at the Priory, but some have recently been dislodged by trees so we had to use the bridge. I left Chris taking photos while I went for a walk through the woods …

… and along the river, down one side and back the other.

Our other stop of the day was Shibden Hall, just outside Halifax, a Tudor Manor House which had been home to the Lister family from the C17th, set on a hill overlooking the valley.

Anne Lister was born in 1791 and is sometimes described as the first modern lesbian. She was a successful woman entrepreneur and landowner and her full story was revealed when her diary was unearthed in an archive.

We watched a short film where Helena Whitbread described how she found the diary when looking for source material for a research project. She then managed to decode secret sections revealing Anne’s lesbian sexuality, as well as her views on men, money, business, and the society in which she lived.

Her subsequent book formed the basis of the script for the TV series Gentleman Jack which has brought quite a number of visitors recently, including us, interested to learn more about Anne Lister and to see where she lived.

Anne Lister was eager to improve the house and grounds and made several alterations to the house such as removing the ceiling here to give the impression of an open medieval manor hall, complete with gallery and striking staircase.

She also added the mock gothic tower which she made into a library and landscaped the grounds which still offers walks and a boating lake open to the public, but we didn’t explore these.

Another short drive found us pulling up in the car park of The Huntsman, an independent country pub with rooms on Saddleworth Moor, high above Holmfirth village.

We settled into our cosy room and later had dinner in the restaurant.

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Steaming Round Haworth

elainehayesblog

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

elainehayesblog

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

elainehayesblog

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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Chris & Elaine’s Yorkshire Tea Break 2022

elainehayesblog

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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