Mark’s Birthday Bash

 Wednesday 18th March 2026.             Mark’s Birthday Bash

Today’s outing for the Lads is a two fold event, on the first hand it will be a celebration birthday meal held  at the Whitelocks public house in the city of Leeds, secondly it be the momentous occasion of the Lads 400th adventure since they began way back in 2013, what a great achievement to the endeavour of this so-called walking group.

It would be a pre-meal canal side walk for some of the group this morning, John, Malcolm, Dave, Colin and Glenn participating in a relatively short distance alongside the Leeds to Liverpool Canal, travelling from the railway station heading west. Their exit point would be in the vicinity of Viaduct Road, a synonymous place associated with their previous employer ie. Chas F Thackrays. From this point they would walk towards Kirkstall Road in order to take a bus ride back towards the city centre.Their intention now was to meet up with the rest of the gang at the Whitelocks establishment at around midday.

Eventually the group would consist of 4 other members, Keith, Derek, John Howarth and last but not least Mark whose birthday celebration it was.

Upon entering Whitelocks we were soon seated at our reserved table and considering what meals to have, once these had been ordered various conversations now ensued involving all concerned. 

We spent just short of two hours here in this quaint establishment before it was time to say goodbye to each other and begin to make our respective journeys home.

A great time was had by All.

Cheers Everyone.

A Walk along the Rochdale Canal

 Wednesday 11th March 2026               Rochdale Canal Walk

For today’s adventure the Lads have planned to take a Train Ride to the far reaches of West Yorkshire and take a short walk alongside a stretch of the Rochdale Canal that runs between Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge. Those taking part will include  Malcolm, John, Derek, Dave, Brian, Colin, Glenn, Mark, with John Howarth joining the lads once they have completed the walk.

A meeting up time of around 11am at Mytholmroyd Railway station was put in place, the canal was just a short distance away, Hebden  Bridge a further 2 miles along.

It was a sunny start to the morning but with a rather chilly wind blowing in our faces as we walked steadily along the tow path heading towards our objective, a canal side cafe close to the heart of Hebden Bridge. It would be here that the lads would meet up with John Howarth at around 12:30.

Our walk was interspersed with the odd rest stop and the occasional chat with fellow walkers enjoying this particular stretch of waterway. A few wildlife species were also spotted as we ambled along. We eventually caught up with John Howarth at our intended location that of the Hebble End coffee lounge. Once inside we made ourselves comfortable sat around a couple of tables, a short time was spent browsing through the limited menu before our individual orders were taken, little did we expect to wait a considerable time before they arrived in dribs and drabs, not very efficient to say the least.

We began to leave this establishment at about 1:45 with a couple of the lads deciding to take the bus back to the railway station here in Hebden Bridge, the rest of us walking there. We bid farewell to John Hey at this point, he was taking a different train journey home, we boarded a train heading in the Leeds direction and our respective journeys home.

Reflecting upon today’s events I think we all enjoyed being in each other’s presence and embracing the outdoors adventure etc.

Cheers Everyone.

 Wednesday 4 March 2026

Visit to Ilkley

Catching the 10:33 from Leeds to Ilkley with Malcolm, Brian, Colin and Glenn. Meeting us at the station was John coming over from Forster Square. Derek And Keith would meeting us at The Flying Duck. 

The day was sunny and bright as we left the Station in Ilkley and walked down to the river where we exercised our legs as we travelled towards the bridge for a crossover to the other side and a return towards Ilkley Park where we crossed over The ancient bridge in the Park and up to Leeds Road where we would soon encounter The Flying Duck for our dinner with most of us enticed by Pork Pie, gravy and mint sauce and a drink of our choice. We spent a good hour in the pub before we returned for the 14:10 at Glenn’s suggestion back to Leeds and what a good call it was. 

Another simply Devine day out with the weather on our side for once. 

Best regards Colin

Colin Hendrick Ward