Wednesday, January 28, 2015

The Yorkshire Dales

After leaving Nottingham we headed up to West Yorkshire towards the Dales.  Our first stop was to visit East Riddlesden Hall at Keighley (pronounced Keeth-lee, apparently).  While the existing building was built in 1642, it is built on the site of an earlier medieval hall.  Even earlier than that building, the property had been owned by Gospatric and his descendants the Maude family (also known as the de Montalts and Monte Altos) before that branch of the family died off in the male line and the property passed to the Paslews by marriage.  I have been studying the Maude family and Gospatric, so that was what drew me to the site.




Then we drove over high ground and down to Wharfdale. From there were drove as far as we could into Ilkley Moor and naturally had a little sing to ourselves.




View from Ilkley Moor
Next stop was Skipton, where we were spending the night with someone I had been corresponding with for years about the Monte Altos.

Next morning we visited the medieval Skipton Castle. It was remarkably well preserved (or rebuilt?), but it was completely unfurnished, which felt strange, though I suppose is better than furnishing it with something completely anachronistic.





We then set off for a drive over the Dales, crossing the River Wharfe via Buckden Bridge. A little later we stopped alongside the same river to stretch our legs.

Buckden Bridge

The River Wharfe



Our lunch stop was a return to the Wensleydale Creamery ("Cheese Gromit!!!!!") which we had visited back in 1999. It is the only factory to make real Wensleydale cheese.  When we visited before Andy had a five cheese plowman's. This time he was more restrained, choosing Yorkshire Rarebit (i.e. cheese on toast) and then we had a look around the cheesy comestibles. 


After lunch it was more driving around, and then we spent the night in Ripon.

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