Scarborough in the Sunshine

 Wednesday 29th April 2026.               Scarborough in the Sunshine 

Taking advantage of a sunny day in prospect and the booking of an advance ticket to the coast, a total of 7 of our group would be on the Scarborough bound train heading for an adventure. Dave and Derek joined the train at Dewsbury whilst John , Colin, Mark, Glenn and John Howarth boarded at Leeds. 

At a few minutes before 11am the train arrived in Scarborough, there to meet the gang was Brian , he had arrived with his daughter a few days earlier. True to the weather forecast it was a sunny morning with a gentle breeze to contend with, though not as chilly as expected.

From the vicinity of the station the lads slowly made their way down the high street heading towards the Catch 55 fish and chip restaurant. It took just a little over 15 minutes to reach this establishment, once inside our group found a suitable spot to sit admiring the splendid views of the beach front here at the resort. We were warmly welcomed by the very pleasant and accommodating staff who provided us with a sumptuous meal and service etc.

With time not an issue at the present moment it was a leisurely early lunchtime dinner for the lads before they ventured further down the high street on to the waterfront. At this point some of the lads decided to take a bus ride along to the North Bay while the rest of us took the choice of walking there. It turned out to be a good call etc, this walk along Marine Drive giving the lads a great opportunity to stretch their legs and take in the sea air along with the great views of the surrounding coastline.

After almost an hour of pleasant walking this group met up with the lads who had taken the bus, they had whiled away that hour sat in a local cafe enjoying a cuppa and soaking up the glorious sunshine etc.

It was now time to make a return journey, this was achieved by all of us boarding an open top bus and travelling back towards the harbour area of the resort. Leaving the bus adjacent to the next nominated establishment that of the Harbour Bar where some of the lads decided to indulge themselves to some degree, ie, Knickerbocker Glory’s or Peach Melba’s yum, yummy, the rest of the gang found themselves sitting on a bench enjoying chatting to other visitors to the resort.

With information about a bus that would take them up to a point near the railway station, they greeted this with approval, so at a few minutes after 3 pm they took this journey along the winding streets of Scarborough heading for their destination. From this point and within no time at all they were sat inside the station and waiting to board the train that would whisk them off in the direction of Leeds and beyond.

What a Great Choice for today’s Adventure, full of good humour, positivity and plenty of sunshine to boot.

Cheers Everyone.

Newmiller Dam

 Wednesday 22nd April 2026.                  Newmiller Dam

With a sunny day in prospect the Lads have decided to take a journey to this beauty spot on the outskirts of Wakefield, their objective is to view the Blue Bells that are currently on display here in the surrounding woodland of the Dam.

It will be six of the group that participate in this adventure, those being John, Colin, Mark and John Howarth travelling by train from Leeds, Derek joining up with them at Wakefield, Dave meeting up with them at Newmiller Dam at around 11am has they alighted from the 59 bus. 

Once all assembled and informal greetings exchanged the lads now made steady progress along the pathway that circumnavigates the lake. Various stops were made along their way to admire the different wood carvings of wildlife etc that are present in this particular location. On one occasion the lads were joined by some female photo - bombers keen to get in on the action, much to the amusement of all 

concerned etc.

As per usual many recollections of the day’s spent at Thackrays were abundantly recalled, giving the lads plenty of laughter from time to time about the various work colleagues and their antics. Non so much as those of Les Watson.

Good glimpses of the Blue Bells were also evident from time to time as the lads strolled along on this adventure, some 80 minutes later and they were sat in the Beuley Cafe enjoying a lunchtime meal and 

reflecting upon a most enjoyable walk here at Newmiller Dam.

With their meals consumed it was now time to head for the nearby bus stop in order to catch the 13:28 bus taking almost all of them back in the direction of Wakefield and their respective journeys home.

What a wonderful relaxing walk was had by All

Cheers Everyone.

East Riddlesden Hall

 Wednesday 15th  April 2026             East. Riddlesden  Hall

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Visit to Riddlesden Hall

Catching the 10:26 train to Skipton alighting at Bingley where John Hey would be waiting to meet Derek, Brian, Glenn, Colin and John Howarth. 

Arriving in Bingley we made our way from the Railway Station to the bus stop for the 662 to Keighley alighting at a stop a short distance from Ribbleden Hall. 

Mark would meet us directly at Ribblesden Hall. 

Today’s visit to Riddlesden Hall which is a Medieval country home used as a backdrop to the first silent film of Wuthering Heights in 1920 and used in a dual location for Thrushcross Grange another house also in Wuthering Heights. It was also used for later adaptions of Wuthering Heights and Sharpe starring Sean Bean. 

East Riddlesden Hall is a Grade I listed 17th-century manor house in Keighley, West Yorkshire, built in 1642 by wealthy Royalist clothier James Murgatroyd. 

Owned by the National Trust since 1934, this Yorkshire stone house features a medieval tithe barn and a ruined wing, surviving near-demolition in the early 20th century.

The visit around the house was amazing and well with the £7.50 charge by the National Trust where many varied artefacts were on display making it a historical visit of overwhelming interest. 

The beautiful village of Riddlesden lies in the Conurbation of Bradford a couple of miles from Bingley and a similar distance from  Keighley.   

On leaving Riddlesden Hall we all left making the reverse journey on the 662 bus journey back to Bingley and The Loft Café. 

After a lovely meal and chatting over our next adventures we made our way to Bingley Railway Station and subsequent travel back to our homes. 

Another wonderful day out with the weather on our side once again. 

Next week Wednesday 22 April Newmillerdam. Details to follow. 

Best regards Colin

Colin Hendrick Ward

A Walk to Nostel Prior

 Wednesday 8th April 2026.               A Walk to Nostel Prior 

For today’s adventure the Lads have decided to follow a countryside pathway that will hopefully lead them on to the grounds of Nostel Prior , a picturesque setting on the outskirts of Wakefield. This pathway was spotted in previous adventures to Wintersett and Anglers Lakes.

So taking advantage of a glorious sunny and rather warm spring day it would be 7 of the gang taking part in the walk, with 1 other member joining them at Nostel, that person being John Howarth. 

So for John, Colin, Brian and Mark they would meet up with Glenn, Derek and Dave at Sandal/ Agbrigg Station at around 10:40. From the station they would make their way to a nearby bus stop in order to catch a 195 bus travelling towards their intended starting point, that of the countryside pathway. This journey taking about 15 minutes or so as it passes both Walton and Crofton villages on its way.

Soon the group were off the bus and trudging on the aforementioned pathway off into the unknown etc with only a rather vague map to hand. A few hundred yards into their journey and some confusion as to which new pathway to follow, a quick consultation with some oncoming walkers solved this first encounter, the next encounter came about a mile further on, this time a workmen from the nearby brickworks pointing us eventually in the right direction, so many different ways to choose from at this point in our journey.

Up to now our adventure had provided us with the great enjoyment of just being out in the countryside taking in all the aspects of this particular journey, open fields and meadows adorned with growing crops etc, birds of prey soaring high above us, then deep dense forests full of wildflowers and bird song, wonderful, even the noise of trains coming from a trackway that we encountered on our way.

Some 30 minutes later and we could hear the sound of traffic coming from the main road off in the distance, this would be the A 638 that runs between Wakefield and Doncaster, Nostel Prior is situated alongside this rather busy roadway. We eventually exited the woodland path and now found a suitably safe place to cross this road. 

Another Ten minutes and  we met up with John Howarth who was waiting outside the main entrance gates, all we had to do now was located one of the cafes situated in the grounds here at Nostel Prior. A large notice board soon gave us a clue, it was the Meridian Cafe just a few more steps away. This cafe was placed in a rather nice setting with a pleasant outdoor seating arrangement giving us lads time to relax, chat and enjoy our lunchtime meals sat in the glorious sunshine.

One of our main thoughts after lunch was how do we negotiate the problem of the suspended bus stop which we had encountered on our way into Nostel Prior due to extensive road works taking place. We later learned it had been moved to an appropriate location a good mile away. We solved this matter by taking up a position about 50 yards from the original bus stop and hopefully our returning bus would reluctantly stop and collect all eight of us, this did eventually happen although the driver wasn’t too keen. This particular bus was heading back to Wakefield bus station but not going via Sandal/ Agbrigg, so a slight change in our original plan. Dave and Glenn choose their appropriate stop for their journey home,the rest of the gang going as far as Wakefield bus station then taking the short walk on to the Railway Station in order to take a train heading back to Leeds.

Upon reflection this new adventure to Nostel was very rewarding even though there had been some inevitable consequences at times.

Cheers To all concerned.

A Visit to Temple Newsam

 Wednesday 1st April 2026                A Visit to Temple Newsam

Today the Lads are taking a bus ride from Leeds city centre out towards the village of Whitkirk, from there they will take a walk into the grounds of historical Temple Newsam. It will be a No 19A bus that will transport John, Derek, Brian, Dave, Colin, Glenn, Mark and John Howarth on this journey to Whitkirk.

From a vantage point on the top deck of this bus, almost all of the gang experienced a somewhat nostalgic experience of the many pubs they use to frequent in their youthful days along this particular stretch of road. Great memories for all concerned etc.

As the bus reached Whitkirk Church the lads stepped off, then crossed over the road heading down Colton Lane on to Elm Tree Walk, at this point the pathway verges were adorned with a glorious array of Daffodils in a variety of shades of Yellow and White, magnificent sight to see.

Not before too long the lads now found themselves in the vicinity of the Old House and its surrounding buildings etc, one of them being the Courtyard Cafe an ideal place to have lunch, seeing that the time was just after 12:30. There was quite a busy atmosphere as we entered the courtyard area but soon found suitable tables to sit around.  One by one we now ordered our choice of lunchtime meals and soon began to consume them. As per usual various conversations now ensued and yet again the main theme was where does the next outing take this group. A few suggestions were considered but no definite plan put in place at this particular moment.

The Lads spent almost an hour in this establishment before beginning their return journey back towards Whitkirk Church and the nearby bus stop in order to board a No 19 bus that would ferry them back to the city centre, yet again a few more pubs were added to that nostalgic list before we left the bus at our appropriate stops.

Upon reflection today’s visit to Temple Newsam was great, just being out there experiencing each other’s company along with the nostalgia.

Cheers Everyone.