The Retirement Thread

[ColinJ]

We're heading off to Sowerby Bridge for a couple of days

Not top of my list of holiday destinations...

The plan is to sneak in near Littleborough and walk to The Rain Stone near Blackstone Edge.

Is that an auto-corrected typo for Aiggin Stone? I was talking the other day about walking up the Roman road again some time.

Following day we have a walk round Hardcastle Crags.

One of my favourite local walks. The Gibson Mill centre cafe appears to be open again.

Speaking of walks round Hardcastle Crags, and Gibson Mill...

This is a real conversation which took place at the National Trust beauty spot of Hardcastle Crags, near Hebden Bridge:

Man in car, anxiously: "So, the only car park is here, and the visitor centre is a mile that way...?"

Me astride mountain bike, cheerfully: "Yes, there is a lovely walk to it through the woods, down by the river, just take that footpath."

Man in car, angrily: "Yeah, right, and just how am I bloody well supposed to get my kids there and back - he is 10 years old and she is only 8!"

I think that I did mutter under my breath something along the lines of "Sorry! I didn't realise that they were disabled..." !

(They didn't appear to be, and I'm sure that the driver would have said "How do I get my disabled children there?" if they had been.***)

I know that many people don't walk much these days, but why go to a place known for its beautiful walks and then expect to drive to the cafe?

If I'd gone to a place like that at the age of 8, my parents would have had to spend hours trying to find me because I'd have been running about all over the place exploring!

*** There is limited disabled-accessible parking at Gibson Mill (pre-book on 01422 846236).

 

[ColinJ]

BTW, @PaulSB... If you are still in the area on Saturday (sounds like you probably won't be though...) you'd be welcome to join us on my forum walk from Todmorden.

 

[12boy]

Postman, hoping you are ok and can figure out the cause of your blacking out.
Weather has been good enough to dry the garden for planting and the gravel path for digging. That first and then a ride.
Be safe and well.

 

[ColinJ]

Postman, hoping you are ok and can figure out the cause of your blacking out.

Hmm...

I am trying to work out if you are not getting postman's subtle English humour, or subtly pretending not to understand!

PS If the former, I can translate!

 

[ColinJ]

Here's a link to the National Trust info on Hardcastle Crags.

It's a very popular beauty spot. What a lot of people don't know is that it was very nearly submerged under a reservoir decades back. Yorkshire Water had planned to dam the valley and flood it. Fortunately, those plans were abandoned and the land was donated to the National Trust so it could be the kept the way it is.

Oh wow, I just found a fascinating and amazingly detailed document on Hardcastle Crags - pdf file available HERE.

 

[Exlaser2]

we've just had the heaviest hail storm I've seen for a long time, it lasted about ten minutes and from where I'm sitting I could see the hail bouncing off the shed roof, I popped out to check on my young sweet peas afterwards, I was expecting casualties but all are still intact.

.

No hail here in Binley 😀😀

 

[Lee_M]

Afternoon all.

Woke up this morning ready for the first ride of our clubs Tour de Velo (5 specific rides over 5 weeks), opened the curtains to torrential rain, so went back to bed while the other half went to run her first official indoor spin class for a year. Thought it might clear up this afternoon, which it did but it also got windy and blew a fence panel down, so that became the afternoon job.

Can't be bothered going out now, so sat in the garden bar instead.

Must try and get out sometime, not been out for 2 weeks.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Good afternoon folks,
We're having a thunderstorm at the moment, and torrential rain yet again ( having put up some guttering and a water butt a couple of weeks ago I thought to myself that should ensure the driest summer in years )
I need to take a package to the Post Office but I'm not going out in this, I'll wait for it to ease off, if it ever does ☔️⛈

 

[numbnuts]

I'm repeating myself, must be old age ...........but it's again

 

[classic33]

It has been lashing down here for 2 hours.
We now have thunder and lightning.

Been trying to snow over Bradford way.

 

[classic33]

Good Lunchtime to you all. Sunshine and showers here. It rained hard at 8.30 so we binned the ride plans which is just as well as I have a bucket load of stuff to do before going away tomorrow. We're heading off to Sowerby Bridge for a couple of days - just wanted to warn the Border Patrol. The plan is to sneak in near Littleborough and walk to The Rain Stone near Blackstone Edge. Following day we have a walk round Hardcastle Crags. No walk planned yet for Thursday.

Going away! First time since January 2019!!! YEAH!!

I'll have to have a word in a few ears.

You sure Hardcastle Craggs is open. If not parking won't be cheap. Will the walk be in the early hours?

 

[ColinJ]

You sure Hardcastle Craggs is open. If not parking won't be cheap. Will the walk be in the early hours?

I checked earlier - it is. They did say that the car parks can be busy at times, but with the schools back and mid-week, even in pandemic times, surely not? Free parking if Paul is a National Trust Member...

 

[Paulus]

Good afternoon peeps.
Several tons of rubble and paving slabs shifted into the skip at my sons place, quite a good workout. We got it done before the rain and thunder turned up.
I managed to cycle home from his place between the heavy showers and not get wet, he is only 4 miles away, but I took my chance and made a dash for it.
I have the leftovers from the weekends Chinese takeaway for tea tonight.

 

[classic33]

I checked earlier - it is. They did say that the car parks can be busy at times, but with the schools back and mid-week, even in pandemic times, surely not? Free parking if Paul is a National Trust Member...

Fair enough.
Map, compass, waterproofs and emergency supplies for the walk to Hardcastle Craggs.
They could cross on to the other bank and see Tom Bell's Cave on the return leg. Then they've only the Mad Axeman to bother about.

 

[Dave7]

Been trying to snow over Bradford way.

Crazy weather patterns at the moment.