July 2011 - A Great English Summer

We have arrived to the much-complained-about English summer. Why on earth would anyone complain about constant rainfall? Since we arrived at the beginning of July we have not had two fine days together. Still, everywhere is deliciously green, the flowers are in full bloom, and we are going back to Spain soon for a nice warm winter!

Our nearest town here is Settle, famous in the phrase "Settle to Carlisle railway". It is a very nice market town on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and since the bypass was built (A65) some years ago you can walk around without fear for your life. The railway was threatened with closure because of the cost of upkeep but after many a protest it remains open and is used by both normal commercial rail and for vacation steam-rail trips. It is described as the most scenic railway in England and one of its most famous features is the Ribbleshead Viaduct.


We are very close to the River Ribble which meanders through some of the nicest countryside in England. Lots of our chosen routes through the country lanes have us crossing the river on some quite old bridges. It is said that Queen Elizabeth would live in the Ribble Valley given the choice.




The area has lots of nice country pubs and even though we are not great drinkers we do enjoy pub lunches and have sampled a few. Some are expensive and some are reasonable but we have not yet found one which we would not return to.

The Brown Cow, Chatburn

The Boar's Head, Long Preston

The Moorcock, Blacko

Pendle Hill is another famous landmark close by and reminds me of Ayers Rock or Devils Tower as it can be seen from many different angles as we drive about and with its lack of vegetation it looks quite sinister. It has a quite unjustified reputation as the Witch centre of the the North. Nearly every shop or pub in the area has some kind of display of witches and bats and there are some shops selling nothing but occult materials for the tourist. Even the Express bus which runs through the area is called the "Witch Way" bus. The truth is that several people in the area were accused of being witches, one after a peddler had a stroke following a confrontation with one of the old women. Accusations and counter accusations resulted in 10 women being found guilty and hanged in Lancaster. This was in 1612 but the legend continues. As recently as 1998 a petition was made to the Home Secretary to have the witches pardoned but this was refused and it was decided that their convictions should stand.


About fifteen miles away lies Bolton Abbey, one of the abbeys dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539 who was anxious to remove their power (and gold and lead and other riches) so as to retain it all for himself. Unusually, part of the once large abbey remains intact and is kept as a very nice church. Like many English churches, there is a board on the wall naming the priors and priests all the way back to its original building in 1154 The whole of the area of the abbey estate is huge (30,000 acres) and stretches over several miles along the River Wharfe. Close by the church is a bridge and the famous stepping stones. The river is not very deep, maybe about 4 feet in the middle, but it is still quite nerve racking to cross by the stepping stones as they are a good pace apart, but alarmingly not an even pace. They are obviously over 4 feet high like pillars fixed to the bed of the river, and the brownish water rushes past beneath you. There is no truth in the report that I fell in the river whilst attempting to cross, but I did overbalance right at the end and stepped into about 6 inches of water.






We had a worrying time with Tim, one of our Yorkies, who became very ill but a local vet gave us an immediate appointment, examined him, kept him in on a drip for two days, kept us fully informed by telephone twice a day, and handed him back weak but very much on the mend. We can't thank them enough. The practice is Dale Head Veterinary Group and we found the staff and vets very friendly and helpful.



We have been so busy on this first trip to our new holiday home that we have not had many days out but will be better prepared next time and fully intend to do much more exploring.

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