A Day Trip to Haworth

Hello Lovelies,

If you have been reading my blog for a while I'm sure you will know that I live in the East Midlands of England, but I was brought up in West Yorkshire, more specifically, close to the village of Haworth.

I don't have relatives that live there nowadays, but every year or so I like to visit for a trip down memory lane.

Seeing the Tour de France coming through it's centre on Sunday helped mum and I resolve to visit this week.

So on Tuesday we set off as soon as the boys were in school.

There were lots of road works on the M1 so it was almost midday by the time we arrived. On one of the little roads "over the tops", and just before we got to Haworth,  I couldn't resist stopping the car to revel in the wonderful view................

This is the landscape of my childhood, green valleys topped by windswept moors................

This view, across Leeming reservoir near Oxenhope, looked so pretty on this sunny summers day............

 I love that there is still a mill chimney here..... There's a great photo of it taken from the other side of the water HERE

 A little further along the road we first saw Haworth in the distance..............

I was hoping that some of the decorations we had seen on the T.V. coverage of  "le Tour" would still be there, and  they were :0)

 I loved the T.shirt shaped bunting and the ubiquitous yellow bike.

I was also happy to spot the "graffiti" on the fire station.............

It's the Bronte sisters on a bike...............

 This is just one of a series of 5 stencils, of famous Yorkshire people cycling. You can see the others HERE

Up on the main street the houses were looking pretty with yellow touches and more bunting..............

And the shops had really gone to town with the bicycle theme.........

the sweet shop had Bertie Bassett riding their's.........

And this pretty spot looked wonderfully jolly in the sunshine..............

This shop had a penny farthing and lots of cycle related merchandise............

I wandered down the cobbled street enjoying the atmosphere.............

and was interested to see this artwork in front of a couple of empty shops............

lots of Haworth related things gathered together in a colourful painting....and some slightly random bits too. I'm not sure where the mountains fit in.....unless that's where the Tour is heading? it's by local artist Vic Buta.


When I came to this wonderful decoupaged bicycle I was really impressed............

Look, everything is covered in a pretty patchwork of paper designs, even the brake cables and the bell.............

the window display looked interesting, so I stepped inside...........

 I chatted to the lady behind the counter about the practicalities of Decopatching bicycles....I would be very tempted if I didn't love the colour of my bike already . Apparently if you use varnish it can be quite tough and weatherproof.

 As we talked I realised I was stood in the shop that was owned by my friends dad, back in the 70's.

They lived in the same building, in fact this part was her living room back then as the shop was just a small gallery at the front. I could immediately see her chesterfield sofas strewn with crushed velvet throws and the art deco figurines on the mantle.

It was a slightly strange feeling, but a happy memory too.............

I came outside and pulled my mind back to the present day. There were plenty of folk around, enjoying this quaint old street............

True, it was not as exciting as it was on Sunday..............

But I loved it just the same. Back at the top of the hill I even saw a cyclist....having a rest and looking pretty worn out..............

No cheering crowds and flag waving for him ..............

By this time mum and I were pretty hungry so we headed  a little way out of the village, to a spot where we know the view so well..............

There is some artwork drawn onto the hillside here.......it's just temporary and also linked to the tour festivities.........I had rather hoped this depiction of a Shepherd and his  dog would stand out a little more......

it's one of a series of land art designs you can read about HERE

In fact there are three you can view from this spot. The ripples on the reservoir embankment and the circles in the field are also part of this project...........

I liked seeing them in this wonderful setting........this is the worth valley and it's a pretty special place to me.

There was just a little Heather already in flower...........

and pretty yellow flower I don't see near home.............

TORMENTIL

After our picnic lunch we headed into the valley bottom, past this row of stone cottages next to the river.........

Where mum spotted an old friend and we stopped to chat.

Then through the little village of Stanbury  and out towards the moors.........

looking back along the valley towards Haworth.

I left mum at the car and walked uphill. This is part of the PENNINE WAY . I was so tempted to walk to the Bronte Falls ( wich are fairly insignificant but there's a pretty stream and a stone bridge see HERE)

but the sky looked ominous and my footwear was unsuitable

So I just wandered around a bit, enjoying the fresh air and moorland scenery.......

Not sure what this bird is.............

the views are wonderful up here.........

and all I can hear is the bleating of the sheep and the call of the Lapwings..........

On the way back down hill I notice Ferns and Willow herb growing in the shelter of the dry stone wall.......

moors, stone houses, sheep and dry stone walls ....a scene so typical of this area...........

I get back to the car just as big raindrops begin to fall................

Mum's been sketching :0 .................

We head off , back through Stanbury, and stop to take a closer look at the land art on the reservoir embankment.........there's a much better photo of it HERE..........

I think it looks great, despite the rain.

The road goes across the end of the reservoir and up a VERY steep hill. I was in first gear all the way up. The sign says 16% .....I think it used to say 1 in 6 when I was a child.....anyway.....it's steep! This is looking down from the top of the hill, with the reservoir hidden in the dip............

And this is the same spot on Sunday.........those super fit cyclists hardly look out of breath.........

All that was left on Tuesday was some trampled grass and writing on the road.........

I wonder what Tom Stell would have made of it all. This bench, hewn from a solid block of stone quarried close by, has stood in this exposed spot for over eighty years............

 I can't find any information on-line about who he was, but I can see why he loved these moors and I'm happy that this landscape has not changed much since his day............

Thankfully it's stopped raining. The damp air is so fresh and smells of peat.......I fill my lungs and smile when I see beautiful wild Orchids flowering amongst the grasses..........

This it the view looking down into the next valley. Can you see something white on the hillside above the road?

It's a huge sign also part of the tour celebrations..........

The lady I chatted to in that shop told me what a brilliant weekend it had been and it was great to visit while the art and decorations were still in place...........

By now it was mid afternoon, time for us to head home. Unable to resist the high places we head back over the tops and come across transport on four legs rather than two wheels :0)

It's just a narrow track and I was rather surprised to see this shelter.....I didn't expect this to be a bus route.........it looks like the bus stop on top of the world...........  

I'm sure it's protection from the elements is a blessing when the weather is bad. 

and what a view you can enjoy as you wait..............

It was a long way to go for one day, and heavy rain on the motorway made the journey home quite stressful. But I'm so glad we went, for the nostalgia, the scenery and the cycles :0)

Jacquie x