“Oh, it’s raining again!” says Jonathan with a smirk as he comes downstairs for coffee this morning. I don’t think we’ve experienced a dry day since we arrived in N. Yorkshire in two weeks ago, although we have caught a glimpse of enough blue sky to “cut out a pair of boy’s trousers” on a couple of occassions. The wet never ends (yesterday’s headline read “Rainy year-end poised to seal 2012 as UK’s wettest ever”), but at least we are mercifully free of bugs! And although it is wet and cold, it is not bitterly cold, so who’s complaining.
The short days invite laziness. The weather invites pub visits. I hope this won’t prove to be an impediment when we attempt some more serious hiking in New Zealand. We have taken a few short jaunts through the countryside, as of my favorite aspects of England are the public footpaths, which generally allow one to walk from any Point A to Point B on a car-free path. Jonathan downloaded the Ordnance Survey to his iPhone and I’ve taken to affectionately calling him Map Man because he finds an excuse to pull it up every time we leave his mum’s cottage. One day we’d love to do the Coast to Coast walk in England (preferably, in summer), where one can walk across England yet with the creature comforts of a country inn and a pub dinner each night.
One of the other great characteristics of this part of Yorkshire is the ease (although not necessarily the cost!) of train travel. J’s mum and sis live in the cute village of Burley-in-Wharefdale and it is a 10 minute walk up Station Road from his mum’s Cranberry Cottage to trains that connect us to the hub of Leeds or the nearby town of Ilkley (as well as plenty of other destinations). From King’s Cross in London to the Cottage took us less than 3 hours and was a much more pleasant experience than navigating a final plane leg would have been. The bus system is also incredibly convenient and offers the added thrill of a double-decker. Thus, despite being car-free, we can happily get to most of our desired destinations easily.
Bolton Abbey
We visited Bolton Abbey in Christmas Eve for breakfast with Santa. Zara commented how much weight Santa had lost! Bolton Abbey is a place I’ve visited regularly since coming to England with Jonathan and it is a lovely place for walks. The abbey was constructed circa 1154 AD and the estate was formerly owned by the Duke of Devonshire. The River Wharfe meanders through the property, adding to the already picturesque scenery.
Playing a recorder at Bolton’s Abbey
River Wharfe at Bolton’s Abbey
Harrogate
A charming spa town where Jonathan’s mum used to live. We did our last minute Christmas shopping here (preceded, of course, by a pub lunch).
York
This old walled city was the birthplace of WH Auden, whose name we borrowed as one of Z’s middle ones. We took the train there via Leeds, and upon arriving learned from a station plaque that the station had been the world’s largest train station upon its opening in 1877. We had another tasty pub lunch which was slightly marred by Jonathan finding what looked like an old filling in his sausage, and then wandered around the charming central district, still adorned with Christmas lights. We walked by York Minster, a gorgeous cathedral where Jonathan and I have attended the Lesson of Nine Carols with his mum for many a Christmas Eve.
Jonathan also showed Zara and I the tree and very branch that he’d fallen off of at the age of 7 and broke his arm for the first (but unfortunately not the last) time.
We were hoping to take a walk on the city walls that protected York since the Roman era, but we missed our opportunity as they’d already closed for the day by 3:45pm. Like I mentioned, short days here, although the pubs were full and inviting. Instead, we took a ride on the York Wheel, where the buffeting winds triggered a spell of vertigo in me when we were stopped at the top.
The infamous tree
The York Wheel
View from river in York
York Wall
York Minster
Streets of York
Gorgeous sunset (even if it isn’t 4pm yet)
Purple Man in York
Sojourneyers - One family's adventure 