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.