Lolatastic in the Yorkshire Dales

Buckden, September 2021 (photos by Mr M, Lola II and Lola I)

Another successful camping trip undertaken, this time in the splendid company of Lola II and Mr M. The campsite was on a farm in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and when I say in the middle, it really was. We were there for four days, the weather was mostly kind, and Lola II made notes so that I can put extra detail into the blog. Whether I satisfy her or not is another matter...

Monday

The campsite was long and narrow, and we pitched our tents facing one another at the far end of the site, down a short slope. The first day is always spent getting there (I stopped for lunch at an unlikely vegan cafe north of Bradford), pitching the tent, getting all the gear sorted out, getting familiar with the campsite facilities and planning the next few days. 

Unusually there was a little kitchen with a kettle, fridge and microwave as well as the usual toilets and showers, so hot water bottles could be filled very easily rather than boiling water in pans. In the toilets there was free midge spray - not a good omen. We were tormented by midges in the evenings to the extent that we couldn't eat out in the open but had to retreat to the zipped-up porch of the tent.

Because the Leamington Food Festival had been taking place over the weekend, I brought a contribution for our dinner - two different felafel bakes, which confusingly turned out to be three different types, and tasted just OK. Lola II and Mr M contributed the most delicious French cheese and crackers, made even more delicious by the fact that I very rarely have cheese at home. And dessert wine. These guys know about high class camping.

The tiny village with the farm and campsite also contained a tiny village shop (which we visited the following day) and a rather nice pub. It's been ages since I was in a pub so I was quite excited when a visit was proposed, and it also meant that we could charge electrical items and get a decent mobile signal and escape the midges too. The beer was tasty as well, although of course Lola II ordered her traditional lime cordial with water, but also treated herself to a hot chocolate with Baileys in it.

Tuesday

The sky was grey and the forecast was for showers, but we decided to get out while it was still dry and planned a short walk to the next village where there was a pub, although the information provided said there was no food on Monday and Tuesday evenings. The walk took us up high on the way there before dropping down into Starbotton and the pub, which turned out to be closed altogether on Tuesdays. Big disappointment - we were hungry. The walk back was along the river, and then we drove to Hawes and a very late lunch. Mine was a 'half portion' of fish and chips with peas and salad which was so big that I was glad I hadn't ordered a whole portion, Mr M had chips with cheese and gravy, and Lola II went for egg, sausage, chips and beans. Not quite so high class today.

We didn't do much more in Hawes except top up our chocolate and cheese supplies before driving back in the rain. After a nap we went off to the pub again, and despite  arriving 10 minutes after the kitchen closed they were kind enough to let us order food anyway.

Wednesday

Sunshine! Today the walk took us to Malham Cove, which is a famous attraction formed by river and glacial erosion. A dry river valley ends in a spectacular limestone pavement and cliffs (which featured in one of the Harry Potter films). We did the circular walk starting from the top, so were able to descend the hundreds of steps rather than climbing up them. We met a school party coming up - we didn't envy the staff in charge, given the unprotected nature of the drop from the top. 

We made it to Malham village for a pub lunch before returning over the heathland, passing a few notable features including the ice cream van, more waterfalls and cliffs with climbers abseiling around them, and an abandoned bath tub miles from any habitation or road. I really enjoyed the walk; Lola II and Mr M found it a bit challenging, but the roles were reversed the following day.

Thursday

Lola II and Mr M had arrived at our four-day camping holiday at the end of a longer break where they had been in the Lake District and hired electric bicycles. They had enjoyed this so much that we hired bikes for a day with the aim of cycling the Swale Trail from Reeth to Keld.

The guys in the shop showed us how the bikes worked - there were normal gears operated by the right hand, and extra controls for the electric power operated by the left hand. The weight of the battery means that with no extra power it would be impossible for us softies to go anywhere much. Eco mode provided enough power to make the bike ride as though it were a normal weight, then there were three extra boost modes. A low gear and Turbo mode made it possible to ride joyfully up a one in five hill as though it were completely flat.

A quick test ride around the car park made it very clear to me that the optional cushioned saddle cover would be a good idea, but it didn't prevent the pain derived from being battered on the rear end for six hours by the gravel trail and uneven surfaces. Mr M finished the full length of the trail, but Lola II and I turned back when it stopped being fun, and continued to lunch at the tea room in Muker via the road. By the time we got back to the start Lola II was having a bit of trouble with her gears and I was not only suffering pain in the rear end but at the base of my spine as well, so when we got back to the town at the start of the trail I was happy to sit with the bikes while Lola II and Mr M had a quick look around the shops and brought back a restorative Freddo chocolate bar for me.

After returning the bikes we came back to the town centre. Lola II and Mr M have a habit of taking pencils and blank postcards on holiday with them and doing a bit of drawing, so we each took a section of the view and sat quietly for half an hour creating a triptych of the church, buildings and view. Then it was time to find something to eat, and we decided to try a different town that had a selection of eateries, all of which were fully booked except the Indian restaurant (which was perfectly fine).

Friday

Time to pack up and go, and minister to the many bites and bruises that we had accumulated. Before we left Lola II kindly provided me with a haircut, and while she did the same for Mr M I examined the outcome and returned for a few extra bits she had missed the first time round.

Lola II and Mr M were going to finish their holiday in Staffordshire while I went straight home, so we drove together to Skipton for lunch before splitting up. I must say, our choices of food had been exceptionally good throughout the holiday, and this was no exception - I had an egg sandwich which was perfect; Mr M had a great ploughman's lunch (the cheese in the Dales is really good) and Lola II had a salad without onions where they had clearly just tried to pick out the onions and missed quite a few, but the cheese scones were great. The vegan hot chocolate with oat milk was the best I've ever had.

So that's the end of the camping season for this year, and we were lucky with the weather and not so lucky with the midges.

What I've been reading

Ruth
by Elizabeth Gaskell

narrated by Eve Matheson

"The orphaned heroine Ruth, apprenticed to a dressmaker, is seduced by wealthy Henry Bellingham who is captivated by her simplicity and beauty before abandoning her to her fate. She is offered a chance of a new life, though shamed in the eyes of society by her illegitimate son."

The fate of fallen women and illegitimate children was mighty cruel in those days, but the story and writing are excellent. It doesn't exactly end well, but that's the 19th century for you.

The Card
by Arnold Bennett

"The book tells the story of the rise of Edward Henry ('Denry') Machin from washerwoman's son to Mayor of Bursley. His success is accomplished through luck, initiative and a fair bit of chutzpah."

An early twentieth century setting this time, but with a lot of the nineteenth in it. The writing is excellent but I couldn't warm to the hero, who was successful but never seemed warm-hearted, and only generous when it suited his ends. The book ends with him in mid-life, married, and in the position of the youngest mayor of the town - I would actually have been interested in the rest of his life, except that he would probably have continued to irritate me.

Whisky Galore
by Compton Mackenzie

narrated by David Rintoul

"It's 1943, and the war has brought rationing to the Hebridean Islands of Great and Little Todday. When food is in short supply, it is bad enough, but when the whisky runs out, it looks like the end of the world."

A lovely book that celebrates all that is Hebridean, improved further by the narration which delivers the correct pronunciation of the Gaelic words. Much gentler than the famous film version, the salvaging of the shipwrecked boat's cargo isn't the main story, but runs quietly alongside the tales of men and women sometimes getting along with one another and sometimes not.

Back Story
by David Mitchell

narrated by the Author

"David Mitchell, who you may know for his inappropriate anger on every TV panel show except 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks', his look of permanent discomfort on C4 sex comedy 'Peep Show', his online commenter-baiting in The Observer, or just for wearing a stick-on moustache in 'That Mitchell and Webb Look', has written a book about his life."

I like David Mitchell's work, and thought he seemed like a decent chap. This memoir doesn't change that view, and fills in some detail about his background, which isn't very posh but is nicely middle class, much like my own.

The Painter of Signs
by R. K. Narayan

"In this wry, funny, bittersweet story, love gets in the way of progress when Raman, a sign painter, meets the thrillingly independent Daisy, who wishes to bring birth control to the city of Malgudi."

Quite a light read: a small story about a man, his aunt, and the woman that he falls for. It is pleasant and serves to illuminate some aspects of India in the 1970s.

The Shell Seekers
by Rosamunde Pilcher

"A mother loves her children; of course she does. But sometimes she may not like them very much. In Penelope Keeling's case, two of her three grown-up children often give cause to dislike. And when they put her under pressure to sell her most treasured possession - one of her father's paintings- they provoke a family crisis."

I read this long book in a weekend - admittedly a weekend in which I was at a festival with nothing much else to do - and it was great. At last, a proper story with lots of interesting characters who are introduced in such a way as to allow me to remember who they are and how they fit into the story, and fleshed out into people that I recognise and can sympathise with (or not). There wasn't anything much to learn from it, which is often what I look for in a book (even fiction), but I really enjoyed reading it.

Solaris
by Stanislaw Lem

narrated by Alessandro Juliani

"When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the living physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others examining the planet, Kelvin learns, are plagued with their own repressed and newly corporeal memories."

I think this is a beautiful book without actually liking it all that much. It's ostensibly about a scientist arriving at a research station where they are studying the planet's sentient ocean. This is an attractive concept in itself, but the main evidence of sentience is that the scientist's dead wife is recreated in near-perfect detail, but over time comes to know that she is not 'real'. There's very little story, no suspense, and it's hard to say whether the ending was happy or not, but I found the experience pleasant without wanting to repeat it.

Mr Norris Changes Trains
by Christopher Isherwood

"After a chance encounter on a train the English teacher William Bradshaw starts a close friendship with the mildly sinister Arthur Norris. Norris is a man of contradictions; lavish but heavily in debt, excessively polite but sexually deviant."

Loosely autobiographical, this is set in Berlin in the years leading up to World War 2, and I'm sure it's really good - it's very readable - but I lack the knowledge of political history at that time. Of course I know what the eventual outcome was, but I get confused with the names and forget where the different parties stand: Fascist vs Communist vs Nazi, and this puts me at a disadvantage when the plot is revealed.

The Snow Goose
by Paul Gallico

"Set in the wild, desolate Essex marshes during the second World War. this is an intense and moving tale about the relationship between a hunchback and a young girl."

Just a short story, not really a book, but it's in my list of classics and it's utterly beautiful.

Odds and ends

Leamington Spa Food and Drink Festival, September 2021

The 'lawn' (perhaps more accurately described as 'scrubland' or 'prairie') has 'grass' that is now short enough for a dog to survive, but there is much more to be done in keeping the 'garden' ('nemesis') under control. If moss and wisteria prunings were a cash crop then I'd be pretty wealthy. It will take at least two trips to the tip with the car full of bags of green waste.

I went on a walk around Leamington with two gents from the Leamington History Group, another lady from Leamington and some tourists on a lovely hot day last week. I didn't learn a whole lot of new information, but we wandered down a street with beautiful old buildings which I had never seen before. There are a few other walks scheduled in the next couple of weeks which I'll probably sign up to. This flexible working arrangement is brilliant.

The actual work for Mr MXF, however, is rather frustrating at the moment. I have now established what the triggers are that cause the platform to seize up and refuse to work any more for about 12 hours, and I have an idea or two about how to get round it, but have to wait until it untwists its knickers before I can try.

Glf has come round to look at the wall and share the annoyance of unreliable plasterers that get full time jobs when you want them to work for you. We also shared a love of 70's and 80's music - he is a collector of vinyl and recommended a website where he goes to augment his collection. He was very impressed with my vinyl collection (which I am looking to diminish rather than augment), and suggested it might be worth something. I had a quick look at the website, but it's a bit like selling stuff on ebay - I could probably make a couple of hundred pounds, but the effort involved may not be worth it.

And Leamington has hosted its annual Food and Drink Festival, after having to cancel last year's, and apart from less free food to taste (no more dipping crackers into vats of different curry sauces) and a few more face masks in evidence, it is as good as ever. Except that since two years ago I no longer eat meat, so it takes much less time going round all the stalls. The weather was kind, and I stocked up on some treats for our camping next week - yes, the last camping trip of the year is about to happen in a northerly location that could bring pretty cold weather. I'm taking a hot water bottle with me...

Summer ends

June 2021

August has come and gone; that's the end of the summer and there has been even less 'summer' weather than in most years. September sometimes brings pleasant sunshine, so that's what I'm hoping for. I don't mind clouds as long as it's not raining, and it hasn't rained much, but it would be nice to wake up to blue skies once in a while.

Enough of my complaining, there's a small amount of interesting material to present. Firstly, dog news. As requested, I sent off photos of my house, garden and car. Ten days later I received a message informing me that they hadn't received any photos, and could I send some if I was still interested in fostering a dog, so I sent all the photos off again. The next message said that unfortunately the grass in my garden is too long, making it difficult to pick up poo and potentially leading to risk of disease for the dog.

Cutting the grass is actually quite an enterprise. It's much too long for the lawn mower so I had a go with a strimmer, but made little impact and eventually the strimmer packed up (probably overheated, but it is very old). I carried on using ordinary hand shears in sessions of two hours so as not to cripple myself, and it's nearly ready for an attempt with the lawn mower. I'll be sending off new photos when it's respectable.

I spent August Bank Holiday weekend camping at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, with my phone turned off and no camera. Covid precautions meant that instead of being in marquees all the stages were in the open air, and we were incredibly lucky that it didn't rain at all. It would have been pretty miserable if it had rained, as well as being cold - it was very cold in the open air at midnight anyway. By the last evening I was wearing all the clothes I'd brought - two T shirts, fleece and jacket and two pairs of trousers as well as my woolly hat and scarf. The music was great as usual, but not as much of it as in previous years because of extended changeover times, during which I understand they have to sanitise a load of equipment (e.g. microphones).

The English National Lawn Bowls Championship is back in Leamington, and this year for the first time they offered local residents two free tickets to one day of the event. I invited a friend who also used to be a Dietitian, and we installed ourselves on one of the greens for an afternoon. We happened to watch the Senior Singles semi-finals (men and women), and then came back for the finals. There are a myriad of competitions divided by age, sex and number of players, and the whole event lasts more than two weeks. It was nowhere near as interesting as watching badminton, but I can see the attraction of playing. Spectating is a fairly dull affair, though, and all the other spectators appeared to be players and their spouses.

Quick LTRP update - the pub wall has been drying out, and as planned I got in touch with Glf's plastering mate who was going to put on more permeable lime render. After a prolonged delay he came to look at the job, and gave me the news that the price of lime render had gone up a great deal, but he would let me know what would be involved. After another prolonged delay I called him, and discovered that he's taken a full time job, but wouldn't mind doing my job at weekends except that I would have to buy and store two tons of lime render. I expressed some dissatisfaction about this situation to Glf, who has arranged to call round so we can work out what to do next.

I continue to provide my services to the vaccination clinic, where we are mostly vaccinating 16 to 20 year olds along with a handful of older people who weren't able to get vaccinated earlier because of pregnancy or allergies but have now been given the all clear. The clinic is still only operating three days a week, but after a break is due to come back full time at the end of September when it will be giving booster shots to front line workers - or at least, that is what is suggested. What actually happens is anyone's guess.

And lastly, my work for Mr MXF is getting on quite well, as long as I don't imagine that I can do more than four hours (and sometimes less) before hitting the buffers. Either there's a problem I can't get around, or something fails, or most recently the website slowed to an impossible crawl for no apparent reason. But I'm really tantalisingly close to actually achieving some useful results.