We will always cherish spending time with our friends in the U.K. Special thanks to Heather and Andy in London, John and Bridget in Worksop, Steve and Julie and Mick and Margaret in Bradford. Their hospitality and kindness will always be remembered.
We loved the British food, from roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding, to the fish and chips with mushy peas, bangers and mash and bubble and squeak. The local beer and pear cider always quenched our thirsts. I gave up coffee for tea without much of a fight. And the English scones were delicious.
The history, architecture, culture and food is unforgettable.
We left Manchester on September 29, after spending ten weeks in Europe. It's time for a bit of a rest and recharge at home on the prairies of Canada.
Where to next? Delmer and Eileen head to Mesa, Arizona on November 12. Get out the suntan lotion and dust off the golf clubs.
The Bradford area is full of history and lots to do! Check out our adventures.
On Thursday, September 26, Margaret graciously adjusted her work schedule so that she could taxi us out to nearby Haworth. This quaint little town was home to the Bronte sisters, famous authors of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. We toured their home and learnt about their creative lives and untimely deaths. The church where they are buried in shown in the photo below. We then checked out the little shops along the main street, stopping for lunch in quaint little pub, followed by more shopping and afternoon cream tea and scones. Oh gosh, I don't think that I will ever tire of this life I am living. Margaret picked us up and we returned to Bradford where we scooped up Mick and headed out for tasty dinner at one of Mick Margaret's favourite restaurants, followed by a stop at a neighbourhood pub on our way home.
Ron has many friends in the Bradford area. His friend's, Steve and Julie arranged to take us sightseeing on Friday. Picking us up early, we headed out to the historic town of Skipton, to wander through the local street markets and to visit the medieval, 900 year old Skipton Castle. This castle is so well kept and a portion still houses its owners. Imagine the history as well as the day to day life that took place there. It was a very memorable place for me. We then made our way to Burnsall, a very picturesque riverside hamlet, for lunch. From there we travelled to Linton, a hamlet that dates back to between 10,000 to 2,000 BC. We checked out an old historic church and stone houses along its waterway. We then travelled a short distance to Bolton Abbey and it's 12th century Bolton Priory. We ended our day with a delicious meal at Steve and Julie's favourite East Indian restaurant in Bradford. We met Steve and Juie in Austria in the summer of 2010. It was so nice to visit with them again. The day couldn't have been better.
On Saturday, our last full day of our European adventure, was spent in York with Mick and Margaret. We had a wonderful day wandering through the historic streets and along the old city wall. The cathedral at York was beautiful as well. We munched on tasty fish and chips at one of the busy pubs. Mick, Ron and Delmer toured the railroad museum, while Margaret and I did some shopping. Our final stop was the designer outlet on the edge of town, but I must say, I was a little too pooped and too broke to spend any money... although I was tempted. Margaret served us up a tasty dinner and we finished our final packing for the long trip home the next day. Our special thanks to Mick and Margaret for their hospitality and friendship, we had such a marvelous time with them.
Haworth
Skipton
Burnsall
Linton
Bolton Abbey
York
We left London on Sunday, September 22, travelling by train through the English countryside to Worksop to visit with Ron's friend's, Bridget and John. Bridget's passion is archaeology, so we truly lucked out by having the best tour guide in Nottingham. Our train trip was memorable with its very comfortable cars with fine linen table cloths. We sipped English tea, and munched on shortbread and cake during our two hour journey.
Once settled and refreshed in John and Bridget's home we all set off to Clumber Park nearby, a working dukerey in the countryside. We walked in it's beautiful forest and lake areas and took a few moments to watch a cricket game. We made our way back into Worksop where we filled up on roast beef and Yorkshire pudding at a local carvery. It was a lovely day and good to be in the countryside.
On Monday, John and Bridget first took us to Gainsborough where we explored the historic Old Hall. This very old Todor mansion was once the resting place for King Henry VIII. School children were acting out everyday life in the main hall, and it was delight to watch them learning in a very engaging way. Our next stop was the picture town of Lincolnshire. This is a university town, and it was so wonderfull to see hundreds of young adults socializing in the town centre. We took Steephill Street, which is by no means an exageration, up to the old castle and cathedral peeking inside the many small shops along the way. We stopped for a late lunch in one of the pubs and couldn't resist buying 10 British pounds of the most delicious fudge ever at one of the candy shops. I must apologize though, my camera's battery went dead early in the day so photos aren't available. We feasted on fish and chips at the end of the day.
On Tuesday, with no time to waste, Bridget packed us up in the car, taxing us through another day of local history and landmarks. Our first stop was at the Worksop Priory, her nearby school house and the empty lot where she grew up as a child nearby . John's school was just across the street as well. Then we were off to the forest, a very special forest, Robin Hood's forest. Sherwood Forest brought our childhood imaginations to life, as we toured the children's museum. We ventured out into the forest area where we saw centuries old oak trees, some of which were eight wide. We couldn't resist buying our young grandson a Robin Hood costume and story book. A special note: This forest is dieing a tragic death though. This area of the U.K. was the heart of coal mining, and the hundreds of coal shafts have dropped the water table to a point that the old forest is not sustainable. Bridget then took us to one of the only remaining working Dukeries in the U.K., where we checked out their produce including a bakery and butcher shop and arts and crafts shop. Our last stop of the day was Creswell Crags, a valley gorge, with 50,000 years of history in its many caves. Bridget was involved in the archaeological digs and told us of the amazing discoveries along the way. And, to top it off, she cooked us a tasty roast chicken supper.
John joined us again on Wednesday, and the five of us sped off to Chesterfield to check out it's famous church with the crooked steeple. The steeple is out by seven feet! We then made our way through the countryside to Hartwick Hall. Hartwick Hall Tudor mansion was built and owned by the richest woman in England. Her motto was: Marry rich. Marry young. Marry often. We stopped for a tasty lunch on the patio of the Hall's restaurant. Such a beautiful place! We then made our way to Bradford, our next stop to visit with Ron's friend's, Mick and Margaret. We all had supper at a local carvery, filling-up on roast beef, ham and turkey, before expressing our thanks and goodbyes to John and Bridget.
Worksop Priory
Sherwood Forest
Creswell Crags
Chesterfield
Hartwick Hall
