Happy Memories Abound
Yorkshire tour day 3 and Lulu goes to Hebden Bridge. We awaken in Chatsworth bright and early, have a quick breakfast and we make use of the excellent facilities as we know they will be the last ones for a couple of stops. Departing in high spirits, after an absolutely lovely day yesterday, we make our way to Hebden Bridge.
As mentioned in our last episode, http://www.duncombesroaming.co.uk|Yorkshire|Tour|Day|2-Lulu|goes|to|Chatsworth, Hebden Bridge is a special place for me in many ways.
When I was a teenager, we spent several years ferrying one of my older sisters back and forth to her boyfriend’s house in Halifax.
One of the highlights of every journey was our imminent arrival into Hebden Bridge.
As we came upon a road junction there was a clog factory. Turning the corner, the sign on the side of the building revealed itself in stages reading, to us at least ‘OGS…..LOGS…..CLOGS!’. We all waited for it, and we all recited it excitedly as it passed! Like many a holiday romance my sisters didn’t stand the test of time, but the memory of the final stages of the journey are etched into our collective memory. Etched so deeply that, when said sister saw a post from Kev saying where we were, she immediately responded with “Ask Mags about OGS….LOGS…. CLOGS!” Happy, happy days!
The site is lovely, small but beautifully kept. There is a river that runs alongside with a path leading from the site but we take the main road, through Mytholmroyd, and follow the Rochdale canal into town.
Hebden Bridge
The town is buzzing when we get there! We had wondered what would be open, it being Sunday. We need not have worried! The town was bustling with people from like minded canal side walkers to an open air Shakespeare theatre company performing in the park.
The town centre is pedestrianised (more or less) with a central area surrounded by quirky shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants. We choose a lunch spot, Mijo http://www.facebook/mijocafe.com , order some sandwiches, cake, and coffee, and get comfortable for a session of people watching. The heavens open!
We shuffle about, rearranging the seating so we are both under the awning, and settle in, again! The rain stops, and the afternoon opens up to be bright and sunny. We happily wile away a couple of hours, then return along the two mile canal walk to Lulu for dinner. Walking is thirsty work so we nip into The Shoulder of Mutton http://shoulderofmuttonmytholmroyd.co.uk hostelry in Mytholmroyd, for a couple of swift ones on the way.
There is a sign at the bottom of the hill, on the way back to the site declaring that Crag Vale, where it is situated, is the LONGEST CONTINUOUS INCLINE IN ENGLAND, measuring 5 1/2 miles with an elevation of 968 feet. I would love to be able to tell the Amman Valley Harriers www.ammanvalleyharriers@wordpress.com, of which we are both members, that we ran it, as one of their mottos is “hills make you stronger!”, but that would be a lie…sorry guys!
Kevs Turn to Cook!
On the way into town we bought some sausages, from the trusty old Co-op, (again with the expecting everything to be closed!), so it’s time to bring out THE CADAC! I will leave it to Kev to review the Cadac as it comes under the heading of barbecue, and therefore a manly pursuit, but the sausages tasted great, and I didn’t have to cook. Win-win!
After dinner we spend the evening writing up some notes for our first couple of posts, and catching up on some reading. We are looking forward to the next leg of our journey, which will take us to Helmsley, and new territory for both of us.
To be continued……
Mags & Kev x