Allez Yorkshire!

We have been in the Yorkshire Dales for a catch-up with friends and to close down the bolthole for the winter. Next summer the Tour de France is coming to Yorkshire and we are already getting excited about it! The route is planned.

It takes a loop around our bolt hole and we are hoping to see plenty of the action. The only dilemma is where to place ourselves on the route. We are in Coverdale, conveniently placed for either the upward or downward run. In theory we could swoop from one site to the other but roads are going to be closed to traffic so it may be a case of a long wait in the car with a flask and sarnies at one of the tough uphill sections.

There are certainly some punishing hills in the Dales and I cycled a few of them in my youth on an old-fashioned three gear bike. I got off and pushed up the hills and flew down the other side in moments, rather terrified by the speed. There was much less traffic  to contend with fifty or so years ago.
The hills are a joy to walk, especially so in kind autumn weather.
A favourite circular walk from our village is up through the fields to the moorland

and then back along one of the old droving roads, known as 'green roads'

to the village below.

But at the start of the week the weather was cold so we went to Hawes and looked around the Dales Museum. They had recreated a kitchen that reminded me of my grandmother's. She had a range just like this one and cooked the most wonderful Yorkshire puddings in the coal heated oven! So many items in the room brought back memories.

 My jam pan is just the same.

It was interesting to read about the customs of the area, many of them still continuing to this day. Redmire feast day was being held during our stay and I intended going to see if they still played the game of  'wallops'. But when their Saint's day came it was such lovely weather that we chose to go walking in the hills instead.

After the museum we looked about the town and were given a very warm welcome from this fire in an antique shop.

But nothing was cooking!