Tuesday 2 October 2018

Random ramblings about Yorkshire and holidaying at home


Last week’s trip up to Yorkshire was the first holiday in the UK, of more than a few days, that the Bailey family have had in years. It was my dear lady wife who said this to me at the start of the long drive back from Bridlington last Friday, and looking back, she was right.

For the past few years we’ve holidayed as a family, in foreign parts, and probably would have done so this year, had it not been for Mrs PBT’s hospitalisation, earlier in the year. But having just done so, I have to admit it was much easier to just jump in the car and drive direct to our holiday destination without the hassle of airports and buses.

My wife certainly thought so, particularly as she didn’t fancy lugging suitcases around and dealing with the queues at security and passport control. Then there’s the bit when you re herded around like cattle, as you wait for the bus to take you from the car park to the terminal, and sometimes there’s another bus to take you to and from the plane.

Being relatively fit, these inconveniences don’t bother me that much; although my recent trip to the US involved five flights and no doubt seriously increased my carbon footprint for the year. It therefore made sense to take a holiday on home turf, and with Mrs PBT’s still recuperating after a nasty, and very nearly fatal  illness, these facts had to be weighed up and taken very seriously.

Of course, airports provide assistance with  both boarding and disembarkation, and this is an option we may well look at for next year, but as I said at the beginning, it was much easier to travel by car, as it was literally door to door.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons
Travelling by car isn’t totally stress free of course; the drive home proved that only too well. A combination of road works and heavy traffic (to be expected on a Friday), added a couple of hours to what was already a lengthy journey, but it was not without its compensations in the form of the changing scenery and the sense of discovery which comes from seeing new places and experiencing new things for the first time.

First and foremost was crossing the Humber Bridge, between Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, whilst marvelling at both the stunning views and the incredible engineering which went into the bridge’s construction.

This was followed, some time afterwards by glimpsing the huge bulk of Lincoln Cathedral, striking an imposing silhouette against the horizon. I’m no stranger to Lincoln, having been a frequent visitor to the city back in the early 1980’s, but views like that still inspire, and instill a sense of awe when one takes into account the primitive tools and equipment the builders of these structures had at their disposal.

Apart from a brief business trip eight years ago, last week’s jaunt to Yorkshire was my first visit to the county in 36 years. So had the place changed much? The simple answer is yes it has changed, but only as much as the rest of the country has, and to confuse the issue further, the parts of Yorkshire we visited were different from those I’d been to before.

The fact that Mrs PBT’s has relatives in the county added to our visit, as local knowledge is always welcome, and it was also good to see how the other half live. I should add that I mean that in a positive, rather than a disparaging way.

I’ve already written about our visit to Haworth, and how that was enhanced by having someone who’d lived there acting as our guide, but it was also good to go out and do a bit of exploring on our own. This we did in the form of our visit to Saltaire, but for reasons of expediency, our evening drinking tended to take place at the pub attached to the Premier Inn, where we were staying.

Fortunately the single choice of Doom Bar at the Dalesway Brewer’s Fayre outlet on our first night, was supplemented by some very drinkable Black Sheep Best Bitter on subsequent evenings;, although I would still have preferred my pint NOT to have been pulled through a sparkler!

As is so often the case, we found the best pub on the last evening of our stay. The Airedale Heifer, situated in the village of Sandbeds, between Crossflatts and Riddlesden, was only 15 minutes walk from our hotel, so it was doubly annoying to have been so close to good beer and a good pub without realising it. (Actually I did spot it on WhatPub, but that’s another story).

On Wednesday evening we’d arranged to meet up with Mrs PBT’s relatives for a meal at the pub, and being a good and supportive husband, I drove us there. This substantial roadside pub is named after the famous Airedale Heifer, which was recorded  as the heaviest cow in the UK during the early 1800s.

The  Airedale Heifer is run by the Bridgehouse Brewery, and with the brew-house situated in an outbuilding behind the pub, serves as the brewery tap. With a good food offering and a number of different Bridgehouse Ales on tap, the Heifer is understandably popular with locals and visitors alike.

We enjoyed an excellent and reasonably priced roast dinner at the pub, washed down with a very quaffable pint of Bridgehouse Blonde. NBSS 3.0, and I would definitely recommend calling in, if you ever find yourself in the Crossflats – Riddlesden area of West Yorkshire.

The following morning, we left for Bridlington via the moors, the Vale of York and the Wolds, and that is worthy of another post.

4 comments:

Russtovich said...

"and dealing with the queues at security and passport control."

Completely understand. My brother and I both remarked on this back in May whilst doing our yearly visit to see our Mum. The glamour has definitely gone out of airline travel for the most part.

"but it was not without its compensations in the form of the changing scenery and the sense of discovery which comes from seeing new places and experiencing new things for the first time."

This may sound a bit odd but, Canada is so large it makes sense to drive rather than fly at times. If you're going some place that is not easily accessible from the nearest airport then you have the hassle of renting a vehicle. Last year we drove to Banff for the wedding of our eldest; eleven hours of driving time plus a two hour ferry ride. We did the same almost two years ago when we went to see both of our lads for Christmas in Edmonton. Of course it takes longer than flying, but it's much cheaper, and having your own vehicle is a bit of plus.

"although I would still have preferred my pint NOT to have been pulled through a sparkler!"

I can't comment on that. ;)

"so it was doubly annoying to have been so close to good beer and a good pub without realising it."

Always the way. :)

"and that is worthy of another post."

Looking forward to it.


Cheers

PS - "I was my dear lady wife who said this to me"

Unless you were wearing one of her dresses that first word should be 'it'. ;)

Paul Bailey said...

Thanks for spotting that one, Russ. Error duly corrected; will reply to your other points tomorrow, as it's bedtime here in the UK.

Paul Bailey said...

It’s swings and roundabouts whether you fly or drive, Russ. I understand what you are saying, and I suppose in North America it makes sense to have access to your own car, given the paucity of public transport.

It’s rather different in Europe, and I include the UK here. With good public transport, there’s often no need to hire a car when you get to the airport, especially on our roads over-crowded roads.

Sam Anderson said...

Spending holidays in Yorkshire is great especially when tourists are flying on a long trip with friends and families. I appreciate this nice post.
meet and greet at manchester