Yorkshire Places :: part 1

Hello Lovelies, thank you for all your kind wishes for this past weekend.

Oh, I had a lovely time in Yorkshire with Mum.

As always I took too many photos and I think I will write three posts about it over the course of this week. 

It's wonderful to have this place to try and capture a special time and record it to look back on myself.  I hope you lovelies will enjoy seeing the places we visited and hearing why they are so significant to me.

Back in the depths of winter I was dreaming of going to visit some of the places of my childhood. I bought a sweet little guide book, and read happily about walks along  the footpaths of this landscape.

I often chat with mum about our shared past. And she tells me about the places, events and people from before I was born as well. I guess she has always done this, but until now I often didn't really listen to what she was saying.

One of the places she has mentioned over the years is the village of Thornton, where mum and dad began their married life.

So that was one of the pink dots I had drawn on the map....places I wanted to visit in the short time we were there.  A place from mum and dads past.........

We travelled up the motorway on Saturday morning, stupidly missing the correct exit and ending up crawling through Leeds and Bradford.

It was such a relief when we finally started climbing higher and away from the urban sprawl.

 One of the ( many) things I love about this part of the country are the (often amusing)  names for every little hamlet along the road. We travelled through  Bay of Biscay , and stopped the car to gaze down on Egypt............

which is very close to Moscow :0)

 This may or may not be Moscow, these names are not signed on the road as you travel along. Though they often appear on the ordinance survey map and in Thornton it's self there's an amusing Lamp post celebrating both this village's link to the Bronte family and  these quirky place names.

Mum and dad's first home together was a tiny little back to back house in a steep stone terrace here. It shared an outside toilet with a neighbour and baths were taken in a tin bath in front of the fire. It sounds like something from ancient history to me, but mum remembers those days fondly. Telling me how the street was all grass and the neighbours were so kind...........

It must have been pretty cramped though, and mum told me she did like to escape along the footpath , which started at the bottom of the street and crossed the fields............

On Saturday mum stayed in the car as she doesn't walk too well now, and I walked the path....enjoying the far reaching views and the sunshine..........

It only took about ten minutes to reach the spot mum liked to sit in the sunshine and rest...........

 I even have ancestors buried here somewhere... my paternal grandmothers relatives.

Walking back I loved the changing light as clouds swept across the sky. And I loved the glimpse of the stone viaduct in the valley............

Back in the village I had a quick wander around the pretty streets....some still with cobbles........

 This unusually shaped house is locally know as "Coffin End". I think you can see why!

 I was happy to find the simple building that has a little plaque to mark is as the birthplace of the famous Bronte sisters ................

The building is currently a cafe 

We didn't go inside as we had brought a picnic and knew exactly the prefect spot to sit in the car and eat it..........

How I love this view over Leeming reservoir. 

This is a land of reservoirs, as a child I never gave them much thought, they were just there. But now I LOVE to see them, especially  when they shine with reflected sunlight.

After lunch I had a plan for a proper walk....luckily mum doesn't mind as she is happy to sit in the car and sketch or paint......I'll save the walk for my next post . There's lots to share. I think it will be long!
Jacquie x