Wednesday 25 October 2023

Leeds to Beverley 

It was to be the 09:54 from Leeds that takes us into Hull today with  five making the direct journey. John, Mark, Glenn, Derek and Colin. 

Sourcing ourselves a table we all quickly settled down to discussed our future plans. 

We made good progress and we’re soon in Hull arriving just before 11:00. 

However, we had a twenty minute wait for our Beverley train that departed on time @ 11:21 arriving in Beverley a little after 11:34. 

Kevin met us at the station and 

took us to the Minster for a good look round. This munificent structure is a joy to behold with beautiful architecture and colourful stained glass windows and a huge font and the friendly Minster staff who made us all entirely welcome. 

Kevin then led us to a fantastic cafe a called “Vanessa’ Delicatessen & Cafe” where we had a fifteen minute wait due to its popularity before the super six were seated but it was well worth the wait all enjoying lovely food that left no room for a sweet that we had fully expected to eat which was sadly impossible after such a hearty meal. We all agreed that Kevin’s choice was 1st Class and our Catering Manager Derek Lee was also full of praise. 

We then made our way to a pub in town as we still had forty five minutes to wait for the 15:26 back to Beverley. This also arrived on time and we were soon back in Hull after a single stop at Cottingham. 

Catching the 16:03 Liverpool train from Hull we were soon back at Leeds and we all took our respective trains and buses to our homes. 

Another lovely day out and it was lovely to see Kevin once again who has been in Beverley now for ten years signifying a similar number of years as the walking group has been together!

 Wednesday 20 October 2023

Leeds to Scarborough 

It was to be the 10:34 that propels us into Scarborough today with just four making the direct journey. John, Mark, Glenn and Colin. Derek unfortunately had an overnight incident with Sandra that prevented his attendance. 

Sourcing ourselves a table we all quickly settled down and discussed our future plans. 

We made good progress and we’re soon in York. Malton and Seamer soon followed arriving in Scarborough @ 11:53. 

We made our way down the main drag turning right on the street where McDonald’s is and coming out just above The Grand and then over the Valley Bridge towards The Clock Cafe where we would relax and chat with a drink and scone looking out over the North Sea with waves rolling in in a soporific panorama. 

Moving on after forty minutes we made our way to the terminus on South Bay and caught the bus (Coachliner) to the South Bay before climbing up to the road that would take us to Scarborough castle. There were a multitude of fantastic views that John captured on the camera it was a hard choice which ones to use.

 

It was a comfortable climb up to the castle but well worth the energy. However, time was pressing on and hunger more than the cost of going in to the drove us on to The Lookout on the Pier for Fish&Chips. Small for three of the lads but John chose massive which he was unable to finish as expected. 

Moving off from The Lookout on the Pier we made our way towards the Funicular Tram that would take some of us up to the Grand area which would allow us to get back to the Railway Station without too much effort. 

Arriving at the station we noticed our 16:48 train would be departing from Platform 2 that was scheduled to get us back to Leeds around 18:04 but due to a ten minute delay at York it actually arrived at 18:15. 

We all departed to get our respective trains and buses to our dwellings after a lovely day in Scarborough with the sun shining most of the day with a modicum of wind but thankfully we were not effected by Bibet in anyway. 

Memorial Walk

 Monday 2nd October 2023.                    Memorial   Walk

Today would see the Lads take a trip to Golden Acre Park, a picturesque setting on the northern edge of Leeds. The occasion was to remember or dear friend Eddie Hampshire, it’s been 4 years since he sadly died, the park was one of his favourite locations to visit, so as a mark of respect it would be a group of 8 former friends and colleagues that would participate in a leisurely stroll along the various paths that take you through this park land area, all the while reminiscing the many moments we all spent in his company.

A time of 10:15 was suggested for some of the Lads to meet at Leeds railway station, then walk the few hundred yards to a convenient bus stop in order the catch the X84 bus heading for the park, on board this bus already would be Colin and Brian, it would be John , Derek and Dave that joined them, Mark journeying by bus from a different direction, whilst Keith and Donald came by car.

We all met a few minutes after 11am at the entrance to the park, briefly say hello to each other before we all began our journey off in the direction of the bird hide located in a particularly forested area of the park.

Different conversations ensued with one another as we split into small groups , catch up time now for some members of the group, eventually we all gathered around a newly carved out statue of a rather over sized kingfisher bird which was spotted upon our journey to the bird hide. A photo opportunity was taken with this particular object before moving on to the bird hide , once inside this hide a few moments of quiet reflection where observed in remembrance of our dear departed friend Eddie.

Some several minutes later we began our return journey back in the direction of the park cafe and enjoy a nice cuppa and cake whilst sat outside discussing plans for the upcoming adventures etc. As the clock moved on to almost 1 o’clock it was time to say farewell to Golden Acre Park and begin our respective homeward journey.

A poignant day was had by all.

Thanks Everyone 

Canal side walk in Leeds

 Wednesday 27th September 2023.            Canal side walk in Leeds 

Today’s adventure for the Lads was a short notice arranged escapade to the city of Leeds ,brought about by the sudden cancellation of a planned visit to see Roger Wadman , this was because of his hospital admission, we wish him a speedy recovery.

The rearranged plans were for the Lads to meet outside the W.H. Smiths shop located in the railway station entrance in the city at 10:30 . From there Colin , John, Brian, Glenn, Mark and Dave would make their way to the Leeds to Liverpool Canal and take the footpath heading in a northwesterly direction taking them , hopefully to the commercial centre at Cardigan Fields. 

This should be about a distance of some 2 and a half to 3 miles , unfortunately not so on this occasion. However this adventure proved to be an interesting experience for all. As the lads steadily made progress away from the daily hustle and bustle of the city life they took in the views on offer in this canal side location. At various points along their way having to dodge the inconsiderate cyclists, pity. 

The lads ventured on with only a vague idea as to where they would exit the canal footpath, one particular location was suggested then abandoned with the hopes of finding another one, stretching their legs they soldiered on adding a little more distance to their intended walk. Eventually a conversation with some helpful dog walkers pointed out that the particular exit to the Cardigan Field commercial area had been closed off adding yet further yardage to our canal side walk.

We did eventually escape the grips of the canal and continued our journey around the large industrial area before catching a glimpse of the main road, Kirkstall Road, Yippee thought the lads, a few hundred yards along this road found us at our intended destination, Cardigan Fields and the Pizza Hut restaurant. Plenty of other eating establishments were situated here but we settled for an all you can eat pizza buffet.

Having been shown to a suitable table by a rather pleasant staff member we soon tucked in to our well deserved lunches and began discussing our future plans etc.

With time now being the essence especially for Dave ,who had a Doctors appointment to attend at 15:20 it was farewell to Cardigan Fields and take our respective bus and train journeys home, saying goodbye to Mark first has he was heading in the opposite direction, the rest of us piled on board the 34 bus back to the city centre. John, Dave and Glenn headed for the railway station Colin and Brian stayed aboard the bus has we all said goodbye to each other.

Upon reflection today’s adventure was something different with many pleasurable moments and enjoyment.

Cheers Everyone.

Whitley Bay Wondering

 

Wednesday 20 September 2023

Whitley Bay and Surroundings!

Todays trip would take the lads Derek, Colin and Glenn to Whitley Bay via Newcastle Central. 

Catching the 09:27 Dewsbury Train although only Derek would board at Dewsbury, Colin and Glenn boarding at Leeds and departing at 09:40. Passing through York, Northallerton and Darlington as we raced North. 

Arriving at Newcastle Central at 11:15 we made our way to The Metro where we purchased our Super Savers for our A+B+C tickets @ £6.50 that gave us access to the whole network just in case for our journey to Whitley Bay. 

We arrived in Whitley Bay with a storm crashing down and wind and rain blowing in all directions. 

Nevertheless, we then made our way to the Promenade to locate our Lunchtime eatery called FISHERMAN’S BAY and were shown to our table almost immediately. By this time the storm had almost disappeared and ordering the pensioner’s portion for £10.50 consisting of Fish & Chips, Mushy Peas and Tartar/ Tomato sauces, bread and butter and three teapots of tea we tucked in to our delightful dishes with a passion. 

Almost an hour had now passed and the sun was shining although there was a fresh wind still lurking. 

We walked up the promenade the sand and sea looking beautiful whilst deciding what to do next,  first we saw The Spanish City that had been completely revamped and had been made into a number of retail outlets and a Wedding Venue that was luxurious with a dining  room and looking resplendent with a dome. We travelled up in the lift to the second floor and looked down to the public dining below. 

We then decided to have an ice cream and crossed over the road to find The Di Meo’s Ice Cream Parlour and Coffee Emporium full of Geordie Characters which we bantered with in good nature. 

Leaving the Parlour we headed towards Monkseaton which had a plethora of shops selling a wide variety of merchandise. The streets were spotless and extremely busy.

 

We travelled in a circular motion passing through Monkseaton, Blyth and Cullercoats, eventually returning to Whitley Bay Station for our Metro back to Newcastle Central.  

However, on the way back to Newcastle we alighted at an earlier station called “Monument” and walked down to the Railway Station for the 17:43 to Manchester Piccadilly and as we still had plenty of time we each got a coffee before boarding the train. 

We set off on time from Newcastle and the train journey was extremely comfortable and with a table we were made up! 

We arrived in Leeds @ 19:15 where Colin and Glenn would be alighting and Derek finally arriving at Dewsbury @ 19:26. 

Another lovely day out even with the weather being hostile at the outset but changing as we went through the day.

Conquering Conisborough

 Wednesday 13th September 2023.                Conquering Conisborough 

Todays adventure would take the Lads to the limits of the South Yorkshire border with North Nottinghamshire. To the village of Conisborough and explore its medieval castle that is situated there.

The group will consist of Derek, Dave, Colin, Brian, John, Glenn and Mark all travelling to Doncaster by train which left Leeds at 10:26 picking up the lads as it passed their nominated stations, it arrived at platform 6 a few minutes after 11 o’clock , from here it was just a short distance to the Interchange here in Doncaster in order to take the X78 bus that would transport the lads to Conisborough, stand B6 to be precise.

 The bus journey lasted about 20 minutes or so before dropping the lads off near the very old church of St. Peters in the heart of the village, once they had found their bearings it was off to the nearby cafe named Meet and Eat for a breakfast lunch for some of them, others just participating with a cuppa.

Meals somewhat enjoyed it was now off in search of the well documented historical castle and begin exploring its ramparts, this provided the lads with both interesting and fascinating experience to say the least, especially the visit to the top of the tower , taking in the various short animated stories of bygone times.

Spectacular views were the gift for climbing the numerous stone steps leading to the summit, great distances could be seen off on the far horizons has we encircled this observation tower , magnificent. 

Closer to the castle was another point of interest that the Lads intended to explore, that of the railway viaduct built to cross the river Don, but unfortunately they realised that enough time had not been allocated to carry out this exploration, maybe another time then for this adventure.

It was a steady retreat from the dizzy heights of the tower and back to a more familiar feeling of ground under our feet and the streets of the village before us, a steady walk up one of those streets took us back towards the bus stop and the vicinity of St. Peters church for a brief look around, unfortunately the doors were locked so no internal viewing was achieved, the ice cream shop opposite had also closed its doors at 2 pm, so off to the bus stop and back to the town of Doncaster with the intention of finding an ice cream parlour there, we did eventually come across a suitable establishment in the form of BurgerKings situated in the Frenchgate shopping centre built partly above the transport interchange. 

Once our ice creams had been devoured it was just a short walk back towards platform 6 and take a much earlier train than expected in the direction of Leeds , once aboard this particular train some confusion ensued as to who was able to travel on this earlier train, especially John and Derek, at one point Derek left the train only to return having cleared the mix up with the ticket inspector , John trying to discreetly hide from her by moving seats and pulling his cap over his face. Somehow this seemed to have worked, lucky for him.

Upon reflection today was a most memorable and joyful experience for the Lads with perfect company and weather to match.

Cheers Everyone.