Once a year H and I travel north to see our dear friends M, who lives one side of the Pennines, and N, who lives the other. This year we rented a cottage in Holmfirth on the Yorkshire side planning to meet N later in the week, sadly scuppered as he and his partner had covid
Feeling a bit disappointed and very sorry for them, we headed up the motorway breaking our journey at Lichfield whose impressive medieval cathedral stands out on the horizon. Inside, it’s even more striking, extraordinarily long with stained-glass windows shown off in the sun but it was the thirteen-metre table made from a single fenland black oak that grabbed my attention, on show at the cathedral for just one year. I felt lucky to see it
From Lichfield we drove through lovely, wooded Staffordshire countryside, gaining height towards Derbyshire whose
sweeping long views were quite breathtaking. We stopped briefly to take it all in and were treated to the sound of larks singing high above us. Pointless even trying to capture the 360° splendour on our phones. We’ll just have to remember it. We arrived at our Airbnb after a quick pitstop in Buxton, both agreeing that we’d never stayed in such a generously equipped cottage, nor one with such a delightful garden and view.
Tuesday’s outing with M was to the Elizabeth Fritsch retrospective at The Hepworth Wakefield. Fritsch is a ceramicist whose work is very distinctive, its matte finish giving it a rich depth of colour. Some of her work is plain, other pieces have arresting patterns, many play with dimension appearing almost flat. I love her work. In another life, I very nearly bought one of her pieces and have always regretted not doing so. We didn’t manage to find our way around the permanent collection, chatting over coffee, lunch and tea in the cafe before an amble around the garden.
We spent a lazy Wednesday strolling along the canal from Slaithwaite to Marsden, reading in our cottage garden and enjoying supper outside with M. After a goodbye coffee, we set off across the Pennines the next morning, slightly daunted by the heat and shocked
by the sight of almost dry reservoirs which already looked as if we were at the end of a long dry summer. We stopped for lunch in Chester, a beautiful town with its splendid clock and two-tiered black and white colonnades filled with ritzy shops, looking more prosperous than my hometown.
Rather than slog home on the motorway, we’d decided to stay a night at
Bishop’s Castle, a sweet little Shropshire town which seems to be doing much better than on our last visit back in 2008. Many of the houses have been painted bright or pastel colours, lots sporting pleasing street art, elephants being a recurring motif. Partly due to Clive of India‘s connection with the town and partly because of the evacuation of circus animals there in World War II, they seem to have become an integral part of the its identity. A life size elephant puppet is paraded through the streets by four
firefighters at the Michaelmas Fair which must be quite a spectacle.
The journey home took us through the lush green countryside of the Welsh Marches, refreshing to look at in the sweltering heat. Mischief, of course, tried to persuade me that no one had paid her any attention let alone fed her since Monday, but I knew better.
And the book? I’d started Benjamin Wood’s enjoyable The Young Accomplice before we left and came close to finishing it while we were away. Straddling two timelines spanning the thirties and the fifties, it follows a brother and sister who win a competition at their respective borstals for an apprenticeship with an architectural practice run by an idealistic couple, one of whom was also a young offender. A chance for a fresh start for Joyce and Charlie until Joyce’s past catches up with her. Highly recommended.
You DID pack a lot in, and focussed on two of my favourite counties – Yorkshire (of course!) and Shropshire, a county I’m only just beginning to discover. If you stayed in Bishop’s Castle, you were on the stamping ground of a blogging pal Tish (https://tishfarrell.com/) who often writes engagingly about features of the county she now calls home. Next time you’re up here, give North Yorkshire a go. We’ll give you plenty to write about!
We always do, and if we’d be able to meet N would have tried to squeeze in Stockport’s Hat Works Museum! Thank’s for the link to Trish’s blog. I’m a big fan of Shropshire. I’ll bear Nort Yorkshire in mind for next year’s visit.
It was brilliant. We were so lucky with the weather. I read his new one, Skyscraper, due out soon and loved it so will move on to The Bellwether Revivals.
We were in Yorkshire at the end of May, Dales mainly, and it was absolutely stunning in the sunshine, Shropshire too is one of my favourite counties, lush and green and somehow hidden away?!
I love your photo from Chester, it looks like a wonderful place to visit for its bewitching beauty and unique atmosphere. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
WOW, look at Lichfield Cathedral! That seems darker and busier on the outside than most of the medieval cathedrals that spring to mind (York, for example, or Canterbury)—I wonder if there’s an acknowledged difference in style or something. What a lovely trip, sounds idyllic (except for poor N and partner; that’s rubbish.)
They’re negative now but still feeling rotten. I know what you mean about the dark exterior. Local stone, perhaps. Wells Cathedral not far from my hometown is similarly decorated with statuary but much lighter.
Poor things. It’s so shit. I lost my sense of smell the first time round and it was the worst part. The first scent to come back was peanut butter and I remember standing there for long seconds with my nose right inside the jar, just enjoying it!
Makes sense. Carlisle Cathedral is made of local stone (red sandstone, I think) and also has a really distinctive look.
Such a lovely post Susan – thank you for sharing! Wishing your friend and his partner a speedy recovery, my sister-in-law has caught the latest strain and it’s been so debilitating.
You’re welcome! We had such a good time. N and E are both negative now but exhausted. I hope your sister-in-law has time to properly rest and recovers soon.
That sounds like a glorious roadtrip. I was in Chester years ago and thought it was lovely and the center area quaint. The heat can be hard when driving. We had some of that weather last week and now it’s completely changed and reverted to rain and cold. Book sounds interesting.
It was a treat, and although a tad warm for me, the sunshine showed everything off beautifully. Chester’s definitely worth a return visit. Please send some rain over here! H is desperate for some on his allotment.
Your friends must have been so disappointed by that unfortunate timing but, also, it was very fortunate that they had the results before they left home and could stay home and focus on mending. It must have felt strange without them, like an unbalanced teeter-totter in a playground. Do you have teeter-totters in England?
That seems like a great vacation read, but it’s also nice that you had a bit left to read when you returned…like it extended the holiday just that much longer!
You DID pack a lot in, and focussed on two of my favourite counties – Yorkshire (of course!) and Shropshire, a county I’m only just beginning to discover. If you stayed in Bishop’s Castle, you were on the stamping ground of a blogging pal Tish (https://tishfarrell.com/) who often writes engagingly about features of the county she now calls home. Next time you’re up here, give North Yorkshire a go. We’ll give you plenty to write about!
We always do, and if we’d be able to meet N would have tried to squeeze in Stockport’s Hat Works Museum! Thank’s for the link to Trish’s blog. I’m a big fan of Shropshire. I’ll bear Nort Yorkshire in mind for next year’s visit.
Good! I’m glad I’m not the only one though that suffers from Predictive Text Disorder.
Tish not Trish. Damned predictive text…
Sounds like a lovely trip! I read The Bellwether Revivals by Benjamin Wood last year and really enjoyed it so The Young Accomplice is now on my radar!
It was brilliant. We were so lucky with the weather. I read his new one, Skyscraper, due out soon and loved it so will move on to The Bellwether Revivals.
What a lovely trip!
So relaxing, too.
We were in Yorkshire at the end of May, Dales mainly, and it was absolutely stunning in the sunshine, Shropshire too is one of my favourite counties, lush and green and somehow hidden away?!
So beautiful, isn’t it. Shropshire does seem almost undiscovered which is great for those of us who’ve found it.
Love the ceramics and the elephants 🙂
Hard to choose from all the elephant photos but I couldn’t leave out the one with a pint cradled in its trunk,
I love your photo from Chester, it looks like a wonderful place to visit for its bewitching beauty and unique atmosphere. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
You’re welcome, Alva. That clock is even more splendid in real life.
Nice trip! Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure!
WOW, look at Lichfield Cathedral! That seems darker and busier on the outside than most of the medieval cathedrals that spring to mind (York, for example, or Canterbury)—I wonder if there’s an acknowledged difference in style or something. What a lovely trip, sounds idyllic (except for poor N and partner; that’s rubbish.)
They’re negative now but still feeling rotten. I know what you mean about the dark exterior. Local stone, perhaps. Wells Cathedral not far from my hometown is similarly decorated with statuary but much lighter.
Poor things. It’s so shit. I lost my sense of smell the first time round and it was the worst part. The first scent to come back was peanut butter and I remember standing there for long seconds with my nose right inside the jar, just enjoying it!
Makes sense. Carlisle Cathedral is made of local stone (red sandstone, I think) and also has a really distinctive look.
That conjures up quite a vision! I hope it’s fully restored now.
What a lovely trip – jealous! And that ceramic is gorgeous, I’ll have to check her out!
Stunning weather, too! Her work is so unusual. The depth of colour is glorious.
Such a lovely post Susan – thank you for sharing! Wishing your friend and his partner a speedy recovery, my sister-in-law has caught the latest strain and it’s been so debilitating.
You’re welcome! We had such a good time. N and E are both negative now but exhausted. I hope your sister-in-law has time to properly rest and recovers soon.
That sounds like a glorious roadtrip. I was in Chester years ago and thought it was lovely and the center area quaint. The heat can be hard when driving. We had some of that weather last week and now it’s completely changed and reverted to rain and cold. Book sounds interesting.
It was a treat, and although a tad warm for me, the sunshine showed everything off beautifully. Chester’s definitely worth a return visit. Please send some rain over here! H is desperate for some on his allotment.
Your friends must have been so disappointed by that unfortunate timing but, also, it was very fortunate that they had the results before they left home and could stay home and focus on mending. It must have felt strange without them, like an unbalanced teeter-totter in a playground. Do you have teeter-totters in England?
That seems like a great vacation read, but it’s also nice that you had a bit left to read when you returned…like it extended the holiday just that much longer!
I bet we do but perhaps by another name. Something like a seesaw? Yes, I was so sorry both for them and not to see them.
Interesting
Glad you think so.