Interesting Clouds and damaged stone walls (after the flooding)

Happy Christmas!

This house is in Healaugh.

Swaledale hit the National news yesterday 8th December as flooding caused widespread disruption and damaged homes and bridges.  Several roads were shut but are now reopened.

Snowy Swaledale 7th December 2011

Autumn in the Dales has been particularly lovely this year.

The colours are still spectacular and the weather is stunning for the time of year!

Bonfire Night in Reeth

Photos of Reeth's amazing bonfire night last night, with the largest bonfire seen in recent years.

GOOD LUCK to all the riders in this year's SCOTT TRAIL- a marathon of endurance on trial bikes which takes place around the Reeth area on Saturday 22nd October.

This distinctive bridge can be found at Old Gang Gill, near Reeth.  

After heavy rain there was lot of froth in the rivers, including this unusual circle and square!

We thought the circle looked like a simnel cake with it's marzipan apostles on the outside.

The bridge was probably associated with the extensive lead mining works, and is now a popular place to walk to, perfect for families with young children as it isn't far from the main road.  

It is a great place to have a picnic once you have arrived.

Hardraw Force, near Hawes in Wensleydale is the venue for the Brass Band Competition.

Yorkshire and Humberside Brass Band Association present the
Hardraw Scar Brass Band Contest

*** 2011 Hardraw Scar Brass Band Contest Sunday 11th September ***
Starts 10.00 am

Now in its 130th year the world famous Hardraw Scar Brass Band Festival is Britain's second oldest outdoor contest and takes place annually the second Sunday of September. Starting time is 10 am although it is advisable to arrive earlier as seats are limited.

Mixed Exhibition at East Windy Hall, Reeth 27th August til 11th Sept

Paintings, Patchwork, Pottery, Sculpture, Printmaking are all being exhibited at East Windy Hall near Reeth.
Admission is free
Open daily 11.00-5.00
Sundays 2.00-5.00

for more information call 01748 884316

Artists include Joy Bently, Daphne Chandler, Tom Purvis, John Calver, Mary Farnell and Jenny Davies.

The exhibition runs until Sunday 11th September.

Harebells

It is simply gorgeous in the Dales at the moment.  The harebells are in full bloom in the verges and we even have some lining the road at Laykin.
The housemartins are swooping and chirruping around the cottage and one youngster accidentally got into our bedroom through an open window but was un-noticed til it made a scuffling noise around midnight and frightened us!

Yorkshire Day

I never knew til today that 1st August is Yorkshire Day!

Yorkshire Day

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yorkshire Day is celebrated on 1 August to promote the historic English county of Yorkshire. It was celebrated in 1975, by the Yorkshire Ridings Society, initially in Beverley, as "protest movement against the Local Government re-organisation of 1974", The date alludes to the Battle of Minden, and also the anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in theBritish Empire in 1834, for which a Yorkshire MP, William Wilberforce, had campaigned.^[1][2]

The day was already celebrated by The Light Infantry, successors to the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, as Minden Day. Together with five other infantry regiments of the British Army, a rose is permitted to be worn in the headdress. In the case of the Light Infantry, the rose is white.

Amongst the celebrations there is a Civic gathering of Lord Mayors, Mayors, and other Civic Heads from across the country, convened by the Yorkshire Society, which has been held in :

• 1998: Huddersfield^[3]
• 1999: Kingston upon Hull^[4]
• 2001: Wakefield^[5]
• 2003: Halifax^[6]
• 2004: Leeds
• 2005: Bradford^[7]
• 2006: Penistone^[8]
• 2007: Kingston upon Hull^[9]
• 2008: Redcar^[10]
• 2009: Malton^[11]
• 2010: Hedon^[12]
• 2011: Wakefield ^[13]

Saltburn and Saddleworth have also played host.

Similar events have been promoted by the Friends of Real Lancashire (27 November, since 1996) and the Huntingdonshire Society (25 April, since 2002) to promote their causes.

[edit]Critical reaction

The day has attracted some criticism:

Despite the serious underlying purpose and money-raising activities for charity, some Yorkshire people worry that it has become a media and marketing jamboree, perpetuating stereotypes of whippets, black puddings and flat caps. "We have to be careful not to overdo it, but regional distinctiveness adds colour. I'm against a grey uniformity spreading over everything, which is the way the world is going," says Arnold Kellett from the Yorkshire Dialect Society.^[3] Others have called it a 'Masonic Jamboree' because of its impressive list of council leaders and officials.^[who?]

In its early years, the day was not widely acknowledged. A 1991 Times editorial read: Today is Yorkshire Day. Not many people know that, as a very non-Yorkshire person likes to say, and probably not many Yorkshiremen either know or care. It is almost as artificial as Father's Day, which, as all thrifty northerners know, was created to sell more greetings cards.^[14].

[edit]

Durham

Durham is close to Laykin and makes a good day out if you want some culture!  Bill Bryson said it was one of the loveliest cities.  "GO THERE TAKE MY CAR"! We don't know if anyone has ever taken him up on his offer!

Handyman

It is a huge relief that we now have a reliable handyman to come and fix things at Laykin.
Darren Chadwick from Keld is coming to visit on Saturday and we are hoping that he will have a creative idea for getting the football out of the road drain behind the cottage!  It rolled in by accident about a month ago and has been stuck ever since...

The annual Swaledale marathon

Congratulations to all those who completed the Swaledale marathon on Saturday 11th June.

The annual Swaledale Marathon passes through some of Swaledale's finest scenery. The 23 mile course is a fell run / challenge walk event - competitors must navigate themselves and complete the course within 10 hours. It has been organised by Swaledale Outdoor Club since 1979.

Steve Brown won the vets trophy and the men's team prize went to the Swaledale team of Steve Brown, Tony Lambert, Stuart Smith and Derek Parrington. Leading the ladies Emma Robinson had a great run to finish in 4.20 in her first attempt at the event.

Swaledale in June

It is gorgeous in Swaledale at the moment! If you are keen on flowers, the famous hay meadows at Muker are a sight to delight!

Birds seen in Swaledale last week

Lapwing, curlew, woodcock, grouse family, golden plover and oyster catcher.

It is always a good time to go bird watching.

Amazing that walking in the Lakes, you don't see any of these! It's all down to the wonderful heather moors and the careful keepering in the area.