Durham

 Wednesday June 25th 2025

 

 

The latest destination in our Infinite Road (and Rail!) trip was the historic city of Durham, in the land of the Prince Bishops. Brian and Mark met up at Leeds rail station, and boarded the 8.16amtrain to York. An early start!. On arrival in York, Brian and Mark were greeted by Glenn and Derek, and we boarded the 9.05 train to Durham. A good journey on an almost empty train. On arrival in Durham we headed for Treat's cafe ( directly across the street from where it used to be). A superb brunch was enjoyed by the four of us, and very good value it was, served by excellent and friendly young staff.

From there it was on to Durham Cathedral, a jewel in the city's crown. An astonishing building which impressed us all, an inspiring and excellent visit, a couple of hours spent here. The treasures and jewels of St Cuthbert were on display in the museum section, fantastic. From here we decided to retire to the Victoria inn, a Grade II listed building and a legendary ale house, for more refreshments!. A quality pint was enjoyed by each of the thirsty four, much needed on a warm day.

From here it was back into the centre of Durham, and we attempted to enlist for a guided tour of Durham castle. Unfortunately, the tours were fully booked and as this was the only way to view the castle, we were out of luck here. On reflection we should really have booked ourselves on a tour prior to visiting the cathedral. Ah well, next time!. From here we decided to return to Treat's cafe for afternoon tea with superb scones!. It was by now time for us to return to the rail station for our trains home. Unfortunately, blue lights and sirens were seen and heard arriving at the station, and all trains were delayed as there were trespassers on the line just outside the station. We were all delayed by at least an hour until the problem was resolved. Finally Derek and Glenn managed to board a train back to Wakefield, and Brian and Mark soon after caught a train back to Leeds, bringing to an end a superb and eventful day in Durham.

Knaresborough Trip

 Wednesday 11th June 2025

 

We had scheduled for today a trip to the picturesque and historic market town of Knaresborough. John, Derek, Colin, Glenn, Malcolm and Mark caught the 10.29 train from Leeds, meeting up with Brian, who had caught an earlier train, at Knaresborough station. A beautiful warm sunny day. Our first port of call was to the fabulous and wonderfully nomenclatured cafe The Black Mulberry. A superb brunch was taken here, 10 out of 10 rated, and excellent value. Many thanks to the lovely staff there.

Our next aim was a walk out to some steps from where we could take a climb back into town. Unfortunately, on reaching said steps, we discovered the gate to access them was padlocked. Time for plan B!. After some discussion about which set of steps to take as an alternative we decided on some which took us through the Bebra gardens at a leisurely clip and then back towards the town centre. Then on to the Castle creamery for a cooling ice-cream. Delicious and great value again!. Some of our party then left us to catch a train back while the rest of us took in the market place, an antiques centre, followed by a quick look inside the superb Blind Jack's pub, an architectural marvel, before we in turn left to catch our return train, bringing to an end a superb day..

A Trip down Memory Lane plus a Birthday Celebration

 Wednesday 4th June.2025.              A Trip down Memory Lane 

Well what can I say, today’s outing for the majority of our group would be full of memories from their working past, firstly it would involved a trip to their former employer’s establishments, that of Johnson and Johnson, or as they knew it, Charles F Thackray. A prominent building Situated on St. Anthony’s Road Beeston, Leeds. Just a hop ,skip and a jump for some of the boys back in the days.

It would be almost a dozen of the Lads that would participate in this organised tour of their former factory etc. A suggested time of 10:00 am was set up for this visit to begin, after signing the visitors book we were on our way, familiarisation was their first obstacle, it had been many many years since they had set foot in these grounds. Luckily our tour guide Ray was able to help resolve this issue, so before not too long we found ourselves on the workshop floor and being introduced to members of the present workforce who were only too willing to talk us through present day procedures, processes and products, very informative, a far cry from the days of yore.  The whole factory as undergone massive restructuring with many of the old methods of manufacturing being replaced with modern state of the heart machinery to say the least.

 As our tour progressed quite a few former colleagues got wind of our visit and took the opportunity to come and say hello, a pleasant surprise for everyone involved, faces from the past appearing from every angle, just great.We experienced a glimpse of the infamous Clean Room and the importance of its functions etc, then onto the plastic division and there involvements in the production line, fascinating to see young people following in our footsteps.

Our tour continued with a viewing of all the modern facilities that have been installed for today’s workforce, restrooms, showers, gymnasium and a up to date canteen, all providing a more relaxed environment to be working in. Finally we passed through the administrative offices and the expanse of their functioning towards the final products destinations etc. 

As we gathered in an appropriate restroom to reflect upon our visit , a few of the lads were given the chance to experience some product from the Med Tech innovation section here at Johnson and Johnson, how to mix a fresh smoothie drink whilst sat peddling a bike, a joyous moment for John and Mark.

After almost 2 hours our tour of the facilities here at Saint Anthony’s Road were over, so we said our farewells and thanked the members of Staff for this memorable opportunity and experience.

It was time to move on now to our next venue, that of The Railway Inn at Drighlington and enjoy a Birthday celebration meal courtesy of the staff here at this location. It would be the upcoming birthday of our dear friend Keith Bland , he had unfortunately missed the opportunity to visit his former work place.

We sat and briefly chatted about our visit along with many other topics as we awaited the arrival of our chosen meals , all of which were consumed with much delight. Nice to see Keith again and catch up with things etc. We spent a good 90 minutes here at the Railway Inn discussing this ,that and the other before finally saying goodbye to each other and heading homeward bound, reflecting upon today’s events, a bittersweet moment for some of the lads tinged with a little sadness about certain aspects of our day. Nevertheless most rewarding.

A special thanks to Russ and Sue for organising our visit of the former Thackray Building.

Cheers Everyone.

Riverboat Ride at York

 Wednesday 28th May 2025.              Riverboat Ride at York

For today’s adventure as the title suggests, it would be 8 of the Lads that would experience the pleasure of cruising along the river Ouse that flows through the city of York. Those boarding the riverboat would be Malcolm, John, Derek, Dave, Brian, Colin, Glenn and Mark, all travelling to the city by train from either Leeds or Wakefield. The group all gathering just a few minutes before 11:00 am in the station concourse here in York. 

After a brief moment of discussion etc, the lads set off in the direction of the river embankment and to the Kings Staith where the Riverboats are moored. A suitable craft was about to leave, so it was Ahoy Shipmates has we clambered on board, we took up our vantage point at the stern which gave us great views of the riverbank scenery and the city beyond etc. We cruised along at a steady rate of knots, first heading upstream as far as Clifton Bridge before returning downstream towards the distant Millennium Bridge. As you can well imagine various conversations were taking place between all of us along with the customary wave to fellow travellers on both shore and other water craft, all with good fun and cheers. Some 20 minutes later we had reached Millennium Bridge and our riverboat captain steered us in the opposite direction and headed back towards our mooring point at Kings Staith.

Our cruise lasted just over an hour, so it was about 12:40 when we set foot on dry land again having all enjoyed the experience etc. It was now time to head in search of or lunchtime venue, a couple of options were put to the test, the city was rather crowded with the many visitors to this historic city so accommodating 8 hungry lads proving difficult, we did eventually stumble upon a suitable establishment courtesy of Mark, it was a cafe on the upper floor of an antique emporium that was able to accommodate our gang. We took up our seats and viewed the lunchtime menu, only a small selection of meals to choose from, but nevertheless the young girl was able to satisfy our culinary preferences albeit a rather time consuming chore. 

While we awaited our meals the conversation turned to upcoming events etc and the prospects of being short handed so to speak throughout the month of June due to holiday commitments. Who would steer our adventuress group and lead them in the right direction, the choice is theirs, Ha,Ha.

Now with our lunchtime meal consumed we had decided to take an earlier return train heading homeward bound, so it was back to the station in order to accomplish this, one train leaving before 3:00 pm the other a few minutes after 3:00pm. Luckily for us it was just a light rain shower that was falling as we walked along, the rest of the day had been a little kinder with the odd glimpse of the sun to brighten up the day.

Upon reflection this visit to York was not what we originally intended but nevertheless proved both enjoyable and good fun for all.

Cheers Everyone.

Lovely day in Lancashire

 Wednesday 21st May 2025               Lovely Day in Lancashire 

Today sees our long awaited journey into the Red Rose County of Lancashire and to the particular town of Bury, where we shall participate in a fine dining experience aboard a rail train ride through the local countryside. Our means of getting there will involve a train journey to Rochdale and then a bus ride onto Bury. Once in the town we have to make our way to the venue of the East Lancs Railway Station in order to board our special train. This train is scheduled to leave at 1:00 pm, so it is important that we make this deadline etc.

With our group residing in different locations several options of getting to Rochdale have been discussed and plans formulated, but alas as we have recently experienced they do not often come into fruition, train cancellations, signalling and staffing problems all thrown into the mix causing us Lads a few headaches etc, but nothing we can’t overcome.

However we all eventually reached Rochdale Railway station, but at slightly different times, Derek, Glenn and Dave arriving first followed shortly by John, with Brian, Colin and Mark a fair distance behind. Some of us managed to purchase a drink and a bite to eat from the station cafe, courtesy of a so called younger woman we named Marjorie, who was up to the task of dealing with our usual banter to say the least, good on ya Lass.

Moving on now, it was almost 11:45 as we departed the station and headed just a few steps down to the nearby bus stop and waited for the No 471 bus to arrive, this would ferry us onto Bury which was a good 40 minutes ride away subject to traffic congestion and the like, the bus reached the town of Bury at approximately 12:30 giving us just enough time to walk the short distance to our awaiting train.

At this point we had been notified that due to the extreme hot weather conditions recently our expected Steam Train had been replaced with a Diesel one, a slight disappointment but understandable at this moment in time as there had been several line side fires.

With our tickets to hand we wondered along the platform in search of our designated carriage, which happened to be Coach B. There were quite a few carriages attached to this train but not all for the dining experience, they were just site seeing ones. As you can imagine our coach was suitably fitted out for this fitting occasion, plush wingback seating from a bygone era with adornments to match, all good stuff etc.

The sound of a train whistle and we were on our way , it was a steady progress, giving us all time to take in the wonderful countryside vistas in this particular location, so it was sit back and enjoy a pre dinner drink and soak up the atmosphere. Before not too long our meals began to arrive and were consumed with much delight as we chatted amongst ourselves causing amusement at moments to say the least.

Forty minutes had passed and we had reached our return point the station at Rawtenstall, this now gave us the opportunity to leave the train for a short while and stretch our legs before returning to our seats for the journey back to Bury, with the Engine now transferred to the appropriate end of the train off we set back through the Lancashire countryside.

Arriving back at Bury about 2:45 pm, a few moments were spent deciding what course of action to take next, do we visit the Fusiliers Museum located a few hundred yards away or take the chance and catch an earlier train homewards bound, it was the latter option we chose leaving the visit to the museum for another occasion.

So it was back to the interchange and await the arrival of the 471 bus heading for Rochdale, surprisingly 2 turned up at the same time which proved to be of much delight to those on board the one we chose, ie around of cheers or boos as each one passed each other vying for passengers , almost 50 minutes of bliss as we travelled along.

It was a few minutes after 4:00 pm as we entered Rochdale station and a chance to purchase a drink of some kind before we make the decision to catch whichever train that met our individual requirements, it would be Brian and Mark that left us first has they headed off to Leeds, John followed next heading for Bradford, whilst Colin, Derek, Glenn and Dave caught the train that should take them to Dewsbury.

Hopefully reaching their intended destinations and a successful journey home, but not so for a couple of the Lads, their final stages suffering from cancellations or very long delays etc, pity putting a slight dampener on such a memorable day for all of us concerned. 

Excellent Day Lads.