Leyburn

Where to start, all my memories or by saying Leyburn is a dump. Well more a carpark with some shops around it. In my memory Leyburn is a beautiful, quiet small market town in the Dales. The quietness was always something I noticed, but not now. It’s just a car park. We ate in a recommended pub, also an interesting experience, I think we stepped back 40 years. The menu, the clientele and the state of the place. The carpet certainly hadn’t been hoovered in those 40 years, I only knew there was a carpet because you could see the pattern at the edge of the room. Mind you the food was good, just like I remember food being.

West Burton so beautiful! I bored John to death with my memories of this place. When I was a teenager I spend every school holiday here. John and I did a loop from the campsite, to Asygarth falls, where he was regaled with talk of me and my cousin walking up the middle of the falls. Quick stop in the grave yard to check on Eileens and Steves grave and then onto Burton. The shop (my Aunts shop) is now run by some Indians, they have just taken it over, and have very little stock. I was disappointed as I was looking forward to lunch in the cafe. The new owner seemed to enjoy my hand waving description of the shop 40 years ago. On we cycled 5 miles to Walden head, a gorgeous dead end road, at the end is Kentucky house, where I helped birth pigs, lambs and calves, made hay, milked, well you get the idea. The house is no longer a farm house, the pig sties and milking parlour are all now part of the rather smart house. I guess the hams hanging in the ceiling are also long gone. Back in Burton the next stop was the waterfall, how many hours did I spend here in years passed. My Aunty always had wet wellies when I visited because I spent most of my time wading up and down the beck failing to judge how deep it was. If you ever want boring just ask me about my time in the dales.

We also did a lovely walk around Leyburn, areas I didn’t know and a cycle ride over to Hawes, Buttertub pass and down to Swaledale. The final day we caught the bus to Richmond and had a look around the castle. I was disappointed as the Richmond 16 were only really touched on and you couldn’t see the prison and graffiti were they were kept.

This blog has to be dedicated to Eileen and Steve, George and Annie, long gone. Also to my cousin Kathleen for all those lovely times we had together, and for putting up with my constant stream of photos on the day we did West Burton.