Sew What: Out and about again

The sun was shining ever so brightly this morning but it was icy outside when the wind was blowing. Today we decided to tackle the drive to Haworth to visit the Bronté Parsonage and Museum. The lane at our back gate was still icy in parts but we were able to negotiate it successfully, so rugged up against the cold with sunglasses and road map, duly post-it-noted by Michael to help me follow the route on the damn English road map, we set off.

The back lane was still icy

and quite slippery

The first turn through Saltaire was a wrong ‘un and it was quite a distance before we could stop and turn around, never mind I got some nice photos! Finding our way back on track, I actually was able to reconcile some street names with their namesakes on the map, hey look at me I’m reading the map! We found our way from then on though we were unsure at times if we were actually on the right road. Scale is so different here and some streets aren’t marked on the map, then there’s the habit of naming streets by the same first name, as in Low Ash Grove, Low Ash Avenue, Low Ash Terrace, Low Ash Place, you get the picture. I’m not sure whether it is a Yorkshire thing or maybe it’s just there to confuse outsiders and tourists, who knows?

The first chance we had to turn the car

I'm glad we weren't on that road!

The moss looked brilliant in the sunshine, but the wind was icy cold

We made it to Haworth through some picturesque little villages and rolling green hills, there were some quite steep climbs especially through Haworth and up beyond to Bronté Village where the Parsonage is.

Blue skies and green pastures

we travelled through some picturesque villages

we were climbing into the hills

interesting buildings by the roadside

Haworth railway station, where you can take a trip on a steam train

There is a visitor car park with pay and show parking and lots of ice so I practically had to skate to the ticket machine, the first of which wasn’t working so I skated down to the next one which was! We followed the signs that guided us higher up to the next car park, it really looked too dangerous to park at as the whole thing was covered in ice, so we headed back down and found a park opposite the one that had the ticket machines and only half as icy.

This is the least icy of the carparks, this is where we parked after driving a rather steep road!

The veiw over Haworth village from the Bronté Village carpark

There were two paths that led to the Bronté Village the first was white and glistening, we chose the other, higher path which was wet but safe, at least for the first 20 metres, then as it headed downhill the flagstone path that was initially just wet became icy as well, we decided to walk on the grass edging to the left of the path. Although it also had ice patches we could at least get a foothold, this worked well for 5 or 6 metres until we discovered that this was a popular dog walking track, we knew this by the ‘land mines’ deposited every foot or so along the grass! We ‘skated’ across the icy path to the right hand side of the path where there was only a very narrow strip of grass beside the stone wall and walked precariously along there until we reached the part in the path that was not icy and we could walk more safely.

We took the high path, it looked safer

The path was icy, so we walked on the grass, until this point where we found the grass booby trapped with doggie doo land mines! we had to slide across the path and walk as well as we could manage on the 6 inches or so of 'grass'on the right beside the stone wall.

Looking back up the icy path from the gate into the church yard

There were gravestones marching from the path up the hill towards the parsonage

very picturesque in the sun

The church at the end of the path

The plaque that tells us that the members of the Bronté family are buried here

This is where the rather large graveyard started and we could see the Church ahead and the Parsonage up to the left beyond the graveyard. We walked past the little school and up to the Parsonage/Bronté Museum only to discover it is closed for refurbishment until February! I think they must see us coming and shut up shop, because we’ve hit a few places like the Louvre in Paris and the White Horse pub in Bingly that were closed on the days that we visited!

One of the cottages behind the church

To the right is the school where Charlotte taught, up the hill to the left is the Parsonage where the Brontés lived

the sign on the school building

Looking back past the school to the church

The Parsonage, with the signs on the wall telling us that it is closed for refurbishment

The sign on the Parsonage makes a pretty silouette

Along the cobbled street past the Parsonage was a paddock with some sheep and ponies so I snapped a picture or two. We headed back the way we had come dodging ice and dog poo and met a bloke walking his two dogs. He made a comment about not being a very good path for us to follow and I told him we had to walk this way as we’d parked our car in the car park further along.

The paddock at the end of the cobbled street, the mud is actually slippery ice!

Ponies and sheep grazing side by side

I think the ponies were camera shy!

veiw past the Parsonage at right, the school at left to the church

a street light on the Parsonage wall

We met this bloke on the path and chatted until we reached the turn off to the car park

We chatted about the meaning of life until we parted ways at the end of the track and Michael and I drove off back through Haworth and to our next wrong turn which took us towards Keighley (pronounced, Michael assures me Keithley!!!) Again we had to go quite a distance before we could turn back and there were some really steep roads, we went down and up one of the deepest valleys we had driven into, Michael stayed in 2^nd gear the whole way, the views were pretty good and it was then that I realised we were in the Pennines. This wrong turn turned out to be fortuitist as on the way back heading down the deep valley I was taken by surprise at the sight before us, we had not seen it on the way through before. It was a long spectacular railway viaduct just to our left, obviously we were just meant to come this way!!! It partly made up for the Parsonage being closed and we agreed it had been a lovely drive despite the disappointment at the Bronté Village.

a veiw between two homes looking down to the valley

This is where we took a wrong turn

there was nowhere to stop or turn on this road that took us higher up the hills, there is a cyclist barely visible just up ahead.

still nowhere to turn

the steep hill, we were already part way down before the equally steep climb up the other side

we had just turned near the village of Harecroft, high in the Pennines

Just through the village the road is really steep dropping down to a valley where a spectacular sight awaited us

Neither of us had spotted this viaduct as we drove down the steep hill before we could find a place to turn, this was a real surprise

We couldn't beleive our luck

I just snapped wildly hoping for some worthwhile shots

One of my favourite photos, the naked trees look so beautiful against the sky

We decided on a pub lunch and back in Saltaire we stopped at Fanny’s a ale house recommended to us by a couple we met at the Thornbill Arms. Unfortunately, it was a liquid only pub and we were after a meal! Just a street or two away in Victoria Road we found a car park and revisited the Saltaire Bakery for one of their delicious pies with salad and a cup of tea, just the thing on a cold day. We had another walk around Victoria Road and I took photos of Michael’s old school and the Victoria Hall that faces the school across the road, I also took photos of the 4 lions that sit one on each front corner of the two buildings, the lions are all different and represent War, Peace, Vigilance and Determination, they are really beautiful. We walked on down past the mill, across the canal, past the New Mill which has been converted to office space and apartments and over the Aire River to Roberts Park, a lovely space with playground and pavilions, it was well patronised despite the icy wind. We only lingered here a little while before heading home happy with the days outing.

Unfortunately, Fannys is just a wet pub, they don't sell food!