A Grand Day Out

Hello Lovelies ,
Last week, when all five of us were off work/school, we had a little day trip to see the part of the world where I grew up . I don't have any relatives here anymore  ,so consequently, even though it only takes a couple of hours to get to this part of Yorkshire, I haven't been here for ...ooooh ....20 years !!!

Inspired both by Lucy and Heather's  lovely pictures , and by a desire to show my growing boys where I come from we finally made the trip . Up the motorway, then along increasingly twisty , hilly roads , still comfortingly familiar to me .
Finally we get close to my old home and I know exactly where to stop...a little lay-by on the moor....I hold my breath as we round the corner. Will it be the same  ? 20 years is a long time . Has my memory played tricks with me ? Is it as gorgeous as I remember ???..........

Ahhhhhh....stunning , just as it always was . Growing up looking at this view every day I didn't even register it really . Views were not high on my list of priorities as a child ...but, BOY.... they are now .
Back then I didn't know anything else . It was just there . Today I'm in heaven to see it again , still almost identical to how it was back then .We get out of the car and I drink it in .Sigh......

 It's really hilly around here and that makes for great views ............

I'm so happy when the boys play in the heather, just as I remember doing as a child, great for hide and seek or just laying in the springy Heather and cloud watching.....

The moor in these parts is a mixture of Heather and Bilberry plants. These are looking particularly pretty in the sunshine. I'm interested to see  the little fruits growing already. .....

I've spent many an hour picking these ,they are  purple when they are ripe , like a smaller version of a blackcurrant.Great for jam or with apple for a crumble.
It's lunch time by the time the boys have finished playing . Just simple cheese and crackers  made then and there and enjoyed with milky coffee from a thermos , looking at the view and enjoying the fresh air and the peace ...

Next we walk into the village, along the footpaths and past these cute " Hen Pieces "as they are known around here.....

On the Main street it looks pretty busy, but this is quiet for Haworth . It's a very touristy place which is a mixed blessing when you live there. My mum used to say that you could buy the same thing in every shop on the main street, not quite true but that's how it felt.

Being famous as the home of the Bronte Sisters means the pretty cobbled streets have been preserved so that has to be a good thing......

After a quick look around we head out of the village , ice creams in hand, back to car . It's such a lovely warm day and I know a favourite spot for just such a day.

We drive past the reservoir...it's looking pretty empty for this time of year....

Then along another valley before the road climbs . Now we are much higher than my little moor.  No trees grow up here and it's a pretty bleak spot in the winter, but today the view is stunning...even the boys are impressed....

We are over the border in Lancashire now, and heading down into the valley bottom ...to a spot that was just a deserted hamlet when I was a child , but now is a country park.........

Back down among the trees . I love the dry stone walls.....

Wycoller has seven bridges of different ages and a lovely cobbled ford across the beck.....

this is the pack horse bridge and it has a slightly wonky look ,one arch being a different shape to the other...

Walking across it you can see the wear of the stone from hundreds of years of use.....

The boys have a great time playing in the water , building a "bridge" with the stones ...

You can see their handy work towards the top of this picture , though I've mostly included it because of the cute Mother Duck and her duckings...

It's so peaceful here too, I think the local children are back at school . I sit and listen to the gentle running water . Near the water the walls are covered in moss.........

Wycoller Hall, which is now a pretty ruin also has  a Bronte connection .....

It really is idyllic on a day like this......

Looking at this image I can see why Mum, a keen painter, loved to bring us here as children. While by brother and I played it the water she would sit and sketch this scene.....

I think this steep path used to be the main access to the hall......

And at the top of it we found this strange object......

The boys ran ahead to investigate but I turned around to soak in the far reaching views towards Pendle Hill, it's distinctive outline is easy to spot....

The strange object turns out to be this. It's fun to climb in and out of if you are a small boy ,and the windows frame the view.........

But on such a glorious day I'm happiest sitting on the grass and enjoying the panorama.........

Can you see the interesting stone walls behind my knees ? They're peculiar to this area , medieval walling, I've since learned they are called Vaccary Walls.

I sit for a while and drink in the Sunshine .You can just see my youngest at the edge of this shot , he kept running down the hills and I had to warn him to slow down . He's not used to such steep slopes ,ones where if you are not careful your momentum will mean you can't stop .....

All too soon it's time to get back in the car and head back over the moor into Yorkshire,back to Haworth..........

The boys are hungry and so am I . Ahhh fish and chips . They were darn good :0)

It really was a grand day out and one I will remember for a long time.

Jacquie x

P.S. In Yorkshire "Grand " is used for lovely , enjoyable , beautiful. Not anything posh or regal.