More from Yorkshire

We spent our 2nd week in Yorkshire enjoying the local area and continuing our regular visits to Trevor’s mum, who remains in great spirits.
We did, of course, spend some more time in Wentworth.....having such a picture perfect village close to “home” we find that it’s hard not to visit on a regular basis.....even when it rains! While in Wentworth this week we did have some rain - but sunshine too......anyone who has spent time in the UK knows how unpredictable and changeable the weather and temperatures can be.....maybe that’s why its so often discussed here!
During our walk through the village, we passed the sweet shop & post office, a small cottage serving tea and a stained-glass workshop where we watched some repairs and restoration being done. We took a detour along a narrow road and, while admiring some very nice houses, also enjoyed a lovely view of the village. On the Main Street of the village stands the iconic red phone box, nowadays housing a defibrillator - what a great idea - it’s centrally placed and very easy to spot if needed.
The peaceful setting of the village church and its grounds never fails to be provide a lovely setting for a country walk......it continues onto a public footpath - a popular place for dog walking and scenic strolls. On the edge of the village we entered the driveway down to Wentworth Woodhouse where the grounds of the estate open out onto a huge parkland. Later this month we intend to visit what is considered the largest private residence in Britain - but on this day we were content to walk just a very small area of its grounds before returning to the gardens of The Rockingham pub for a welcome beer - the rain had stopped and the sun was out!
Mid-week we had a great night out with Trevor’s favourite cousin Phil and his wife Marie. The cousins lived next door to each other all of their lives until we left for Canada over 49 years ago. The connections are still strong and we always have fun times and a lot of laughs together. After a pre-dinner drink in an attractive stone courtyard (nice evening - no rain :), we all enjoyed a long and chatty meal in one of the dining rooms at The Boat Inn. Situated on the banks of the river Don, next to a lock, it’s a lovely setting for this rural country pub that dates back to 1652. The Inn boasts that its most famous guest, Sir Walter Scott, was said to have done some of his writing of the novel Ivanhoe here. A late evening stroll by the water was a nice way to end the evening - taking full advantage of the fact that in this part of the world, its still light until after 11 pm.
It’s been a long time since either of us spent time in our towns park, so we decided to spend a couple of hours there this week. A short walk from the town centre, Clifton Park has always been a green oasis in this industrial town. A large Cenotaph, just inside the gates, leads into a manicured Memorial Peace Garden - the area being a place of mediation and remembrance for the fallen of both World Wars. While following a winding path we passed “The Coronation Beech Tree” - planted around 1838 - the time of Victoria’s coronation. First planted in what were the grounds of a large Georgian House, it was maturing by the time Clifton Park was opened in 1891. Twenty years later it provided shade for many local, uniformed men who were training to fight in the First World War. The Coronation Beech was again touched by war when a few bombs rocked its roots during World War 2.....but this huge leafy veteran still stands today.
Clifton House, built in 1783, is now an interesting museum with the top floor housing historic military memorabilia, focusing mainly on the York & Lancaster Regiment 1881-1919. In addition to gift shop and a small café, the ground floor has exhibits detailing the history of the Rotherham area from the first visitors, over 12,000 years ago, to present day. It follows a time-line which includes pre and post Roman occupation, the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings. The important Tudor period and Civil War are also covered. With an upstairs reception room that holds civil marriage ceremonies Clifton House is certainly worth a visit.....entrance to both park and museum are free.
Our second week in Yorkshire ended with a journey of just over 2 hours to Hexham, Northumberland where our new home-base will give us the opportunity to explore this lovely county......we’re looking forward to it!