A day at the Races

 Wednesday 30th April 2025.               A day at the Races

Today’s outing for the Lads was a much anticipated visit to a Horse Race Meeting , the venue they had chosen was that of Pontefract, a town in West Yorkshire, so not too far for them to travel. It would be a short train journey to the outskirts of the town and then about a 15 minute walk to the Race Course.

Our train arrived at Pontefract Tanshelf a few minutes after midday and we soon found ourselves in amongst a rather large crowd of young students heading towards us and then following us to the only off site eating establishment, that of McDonalds, not everyone’s cup of tea . However we joined the throng and duly awaited our ordered meal, finding a suitable shaded outdoor spot. At the moment there are 7 of us Lads here in Pontefract, those being John, Colin, Derek, Brian, Dave, Glenn and Mark, he is not accompanying us to the Race Course but has decided to visit the nearby Ancient Castle Ruins .

 

With the prospect of a rather warm and sunny day in store, suitable race going attire was the order of the day, in fact it turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures reaching almost 27 degrees, fortunately we were able to find a suitable shaded area to view the racing from and took good advantage of this.The first race was scheduled to start at Ten minutes to Two and then every 30 minutes after that a total of 7 races to encounter but we shall not be present for the final 2.

Now time for our betting arrangements, we have decided to put £10 each into a kitty and each make our own choice of either 2 £5 pound bets or an equivalent arrangement, the remaining amount will be placed on the first race, any winnings will be saved for a future adventure etc. So with our first bet placed it was settle down and enjoy the rest of our day.

What a joyful experience we had in store for us , the thrill of both winning and unfortunately losing, the anticipation of seeing our individual choice of runners competing over the various distances either 5 furlongs or a mile and a quarter. What Fun.

Eventually our day at the races here in Pontefract had to close, we slowly made our way back to the railway station in order to catch our returning train homewards bound. Just thinking what could have been if we had backed a few more winners.

Upon reflection I think most of us were Winners today apart from Mark, unfortunately his day was not so fulfilling as ours, but I am sure he has no regrets.

Cheers Everyone.

 

Wednesday 23 April 2025

Grassington - Burnsall

Today’s adventure would be six of us Brian, Derek, Glenn, John, Mark and me all meeting up in Ilkley.

Catching the 09:33 from Leeds Railway Station from Platform 4B Brian, Derek, Glenn and Colin arriving in Ilkley on platform 1 a little before 10:00  with John and Mark meeting us directly in Ilkley for the 10:35 bus (74A) to Hebden all six of us were assembled and ready to go.

We had a thirty five minute wait for our bus but at least we were first in the queue and a journey through the North Yorkshire countryside to look forward to alighting eventually in Grassington at around 11:25.

We set of walking at approximately 11:30 after toilet visits taken care of. The weather was bright and sunny and staying close to the river but not on it we meandered through the countryside with a feeling of we’re in the right place today. 

We could see the church in Linton and the stepping stones we had previously encountered in the past. The walk had now descended to the riverside and what a pleasant walk it turned out to be.

The sun shining brightly to accompany us. It wasn’t long before we could see the suspension bridge ahead that would take us over the river to our final destination about a mile or so to our rendezvous point at The Red Lion for the 13:26 back to Ilkley where lunch would be in The Flying Duck at Mark’s recommendation and it proved to be an exquisite choice all of us all greatly enjoying our delicious meals!

Leaving The Flying Duck we made our way back to Ilkley Station for our trains back to Leeds or Bradford or in Mark’s case a bus.

Unfortunately due to a signalling problem in the Kirkstall Forge area trains were seriously disrupted and all trains to Leeds were cancelled. However, our alternative route of getting to Forster Square proved extremely troublesome and after nearly an hours delay we were on the train to Bradford!

On arrival it was patently obvious that catching any Leeds train towards Shipley would be futile so we left this station for a ten minute hike over to Bradford Interchange where Derek, Brian, Colin and Glenn would catch the 17:00 train to Leeds which was once more running late leaving about 17:08!

On arrival at Leeds we all went our separate ways to determine our way home. 

Another lovely day out for the lads and even with train delays it didn’t dampen our spirits one iota and a pleasant day out was had by all!

Cheers everyone Colin!

Colin Hendrick Ward

 

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Wednesday 16th April 2025.

Beverley via Hull Paragon

Today’s adventure would take five of us Brian, Derek, John, Mark and Me to Beverley.

Catching the 10:27 from Leeds Railway Station from Platform 15B arriving in Hull Paragon on platform 4 at 11:26. Some of us had to get onward tickets for Beverley when suddenly Brian realised he’d left his bag on the train! This ensued a rush back to the train where the cleaners assured us that the bag was not on the train then a member of the railway staff said it had been handed in and could be retrieved at the customer service office on the station forecourt. A sigh of relief as Brian was now once more in possession of his bag again.

Changing on the same platform for the Bridlington Train via Beverley we arrived in Beverley at 12:15  after leaving Paragon at 12:02. On arrival at Beverley we made our way to the Grapes to meet up with Kevin at approximately 12:25 with the short walk to Vanessa’s arriving at around 12:30. As usual because of its popularity we had a twenty minute wait on the stairs but it was well worth it and they even accommodated Kevin’s Cockapoo without a problem. They also said if you know what time you are going to arrive to can always book a table!

We then spent a couple of hours in Vanessa’s chatting about old times at Thackray’s and DePuy to bring Kevin up to date on all the  snippets of gossip!

From Vanessa's we now meandered down to the Minster for a look round this munificent building with all its splendour inside and out. However, before entering we said goodbye to Kevin who was now looking forward to a pint in his local but not before a sightseer was commandeered to take a final photograph of the Lads!

We didn’t have too long in the Minster before we had to make our way to Beverley Station for the 15:26 back to Hull which arrived in plenty of time for the 16:03 back to Leeds which arrived a little after 17:00  

Another lovely day out for the lads and a pleasant journey on Northern Trains running on time.

Cheers everyone Colin!

Colin Hendrick Ward

Reunion with Roger

 Wednesday 9th April 2025.               Reunion with Roger

For today’s outing most of the Lads have decided to pay a visit to see a former workmate, the man in question is Roger Wadman. At the present time Roger is a resident in a Nursing Home in the village of South Elmsall which is close to Doncaster, so not too far a distance for his former mates to travel etc. 

Only Glenn and Dave would be absent from this visit, according to various posts on our Walking Group App the occasion was very rewarding for all concerned giving great comfort especially to Roger’s Daughter Maddi.

Thanks Everyone.

Cliff top Walk

 Wednesday 2nd April 2025.               Cliff top Walk

For today’s adventure the Lads are travelling to Yorkshires East Coast, the area in their sights is that of a coastal pathway that runs from Burniston to Scarborough a distance of more than they anticipated. The group will consist of John, Derek, Dave, Brian, Colin, Glenn and Mark. Their rail tickets to Scarborough had been purchased well in advance, so the fine sunny weather at the moment was of great relief. 

As per usual they met up at Leeds railway station, Derek had joined the East bound train earlier at Dewsbury, it was 9:42 when the train left Leeds hopefully arriving in Scarborough at 10:59, but guess what, twenty minutes into their journey the train came to a halt and was stationary for at least twenty more minutes, the train eventually arrived at about 11:20. Once off the train the Lads made their way to the nearby Taxi Rank and commandeered 2 awaiting vehicles to ferry them to the village of Burniston, the starting point of their intended walk. The taxis dropped the lads off adjacent to the Three Jolly Sailors public house and from here they followed the country lane taking them in the direction of the coastal pathway that runs along the Cliff top ,this is actually a stretch of the Cleveland Way that covers a 110 mile of scenic Yorkshire coastline from Helmsley to Filey Brigg.

Half an hour into their journey and the Lads get a great view of the North Sea and the task that awaits them. Little did they know at this point how taxing this journey would become, the undulating nature of this pathway and the distance they had to negotiate sapping every ounce of strength in their bodies etc.This didn’t take away the extreme pleasure and enjoyment of just being out there and admiring the wonderful views etc. 

A picnic lunch was had at roughly halfway at a suitable setting giving the lads a little respite and chance to rest their weary legs before continuing their journey on towards the SeaLife Centre and time to exit the coastal pathway . Once back at sea level and chance to collect our thoughts of how to continue this adventure seeing that no public transport was available at this point, we continued along the shore line heading for the region of the North Bay, 15 minutes later and feeling rather jaded with yet no obvious means of public transport to take them back towards the town centre of Scarborough a couple of options were considered, some taking the high road so to speak whilst others took the low road hopefully meeting up at the railway station.

Eventually we all made it back to the station and the chance for a well deserved cuppa and snack before we boarded the 15:48 train heading back towards Leeds and rest our weary bodies.

Upon reflection today’s adventure was full of highs and lows to say the least, the helpful van driver who was only too pleased to take a few photos of our motley crew, the forward planning that we didn’t put in place in order to end of our walk with a satisfactory outcome .

Nevertheless I think considering what we accomplished was satisfying to all concerned.

Cheers Everyone.