Nidderdale Greenway

 Wednesday 29th July 2026              Nidderdale  Greenway

It would be off to pastures new for the Lads today, their intention is to locate an old disused railway line that as been turned into both a walking and cycling pathway that runs between Harrogate and Ripley. Getting there would involve taking a train journey from Leeds and heading for Harrogate, from the railway station they will travel the short distance to the bus station in order to take the No2 bus from stand 5. This bus would ferry the Lads , which consisted of Colin, Brian, Dave, Glenn and John through the streets of Harrogate and into the suburbs of a location known as Bilton. Once in this area a suitable bus stop was chosen  being in close proximity to Nidderdale Greenway.

They intend to take the 10:36 train leaving Leeds for Harrogate arriving there at about 11:10 the No2 is scheduled to leave at about 11:30. It was only a short bus journey so before not too long the group were making headway along the so-called Greenway.

It would be a distance of almost 4 miles that the lads would walk along ,it is now a well maintained track with a suitable tarmac surface giving both cyclists and walkers a pleasant experience etc. Plenty of shaded areas along with countryside vistas and forested regions, the weather conditions today were in the lads favour, not too much hot sunshine to contend with.

 

Part way along the trackway a not too suitable location was found to have our picnic, more reasonable seating is needed at some stages along this route. Great views were also appreciated from on top of the old stone constructed viaduct that spans the river Nidd  flowing a fair distance below us.

The lads ventured on and some 60 minutes later they found themselves alongside the rather busy A61 Harrogate to Ripon road at a rather dangerous bus stop location awaiting the arrival of a No36 bus. This would take them back to the town of Harrogate, giving the lads the opportunity to visit a suitable cafe on Market Street to treat themselves to coffee and cake etc. By now the time was just a few minutes after 2:30pm. So the lads left the cafe and headed for the railway station, it would be the 14:40 they caught taking them all back to the city of Leeds, from there they will take their respective journeys home.

Upon Reflection today’s adventure was a great experience, something new, even though we had to share it with fellow cyclists and walkers etc.

Cheers Everyone.

Skipton Canal Boat Trip

Wednesday 22nd July 2026          Skipton Canal Boat Trip 

 A long awaited desired experience was achieved today, that of hiring a canal boat for the day and navigating it for  a short stretch on the Leeds / Liverpool canal. Our starting point would be at the boatyard in the market town of Skipton. Do we travel in the direction of Liverpool or alternatively back towards Leeds. The latter was chosen, Dave took care of booking the whole experience and was accompanied by several other crew members , namely Derek, Brian, Keith, John Hey, John Howarth, Colin, Mark, Glenn and his guest Kevin. The lads had to be at the boatyard no later than 10:30, this was in order to receive a short guide in how to operate one of these crafts. At this point Mark and Dave were all ears trying to take in what the instructor was relaying to them, the rest of the group making themselves acquainted with their 

new surroundings,

It was a pleasant morning as their journey began , casting off and hopefully guiding their craft safely away from its moorings, within just a few yards it became apparent that this would be no easy task to say the least. Eventually a steady hand on the tiller and also on the throttle their craft moved slowly along, a couple of incidents were experienced on their way to the first swing bridge structure, there would be a few more of these structures to contend with on this journey towards their intended destination, that of the Canal Side Cafe about 4 miles downstream from Skipton.

The craft was moving along at a slower pace than anticipated giving the crew doubts that they would ever reach the Cafe before it was time to about turn etc. Two and a half hours had passed when a conscious decision was taken to abandon a visit to the cafe and manoeuvre our craft so that it was now heading back in the direction of Skipton. This task was completed much to our surprise.

We had instructions to return the boat by 4:30 or face some penalty charges etc.

Our journey back was fraught with a few incidents, but none to cause any serious problems so to speak. You just have to have your wits about you when these incidents happen.

Navigating the swing bridges was an eventful process,  requiring some of the crew to steady the boat while some of the others stepped off and took care of operating the bridge mechanism etc, eventually we seemed to accomplish this manoeuvre much to our surprise and relief.

Our canal boat experience finally came to an end when our craft was successfully returned to her moorings at the boat yard  with only few minutes to spare before the deadline came.

Once off the boat the lads now headed for a nearby fish and chip establishment to enjoy some of their delights before finally heading home courtesy of Northern Rail.

Upon reflection our desire to experience such an adventure was fulfilled in all its glory. One to be never forgotten but not necessarily repeated .

Cheers Everyone.

Mansion Roundhay

 Wednesday 15th July 2026               Mansion Roundhay 

Today will see the Lads take a trip up to Roundhay Park and frequent the Mansion establishment, in the company of their old work colleague Tim Kearney. A meeting time of 11:30 was suggested and that is what occurred etc.

It would be a No.12 bus ride from outside the Corn Exchange in the heart of Leeds up to Roundhay a journey of about 20 minutes or so. Once off the bus the Mansion is a few hundred yards away, Tim was already there and because it was a little cooler than of late he was sat inside at an appropriate table, soon we were all gathered around him with various conversations taking place. Those amongst us today are Derek, Dave, Glenn, John, Brian Keith , John Howarth and of course Tim. After a short while of chatting it was off to the counter and order a bite to eat and something to drink etc.

It was good to see Tim again , he was in good spirits and enjoying our company, at one stage he gave us a few renditions of memorable songs that had most of us joining in, Great Stuff. We spent well over an hour and a half talking amongst ourselves before it was time to bid farewell to the Mansion and our visit with Tim. Keith obligingly gave Tim a lift home, John Howarth went to the nearest bus stop, whilst the rest of us took a leisurely walk down through the park to catch a returning bus at a different location some 20 minutes away.

Upon reflection today proved a great success for all concerned 

Cheers Everyone.

Enjoying Elvington

 Wednesday 8th July.                 Enjoying Elvington 

 

With a flight crew of just 6 it was off to the Air Museum at Elvington, this old airfield is in a lovely location on the outskirts of the city of York. The crew members today will consist of Derek, Dave and Glenn travelling from Wakefield, whilst Brian, Mark and John Howarth will be making their way from Leeds. A rendezvous time of about 11 am at York railway station was agreed upon, from there they intend to take a No. 36 bus heading for Elvington and beyond.

With a slight delay in the train leaving Wakefield due to signaling problems, all hope for these lads is will their train arrive in York on time to catch the bus, as it is only a limited service to Elvington etc, plans could be somewhat effected.

Luckily this train eventually arrived with only minutes to spare, the lads from Leeds had no such problems, soon the group of 6 where on the 36 and heading through the streets of York and out into the countryside that surrounds this city.

Another very hot day was forecast with a temperature of 28-29 degrees expected, so certain sun protection was necessary. 

The bus journey would take about 30 minutes to reach the airfield establishment and dropped them off in close proximity to the entrance gates. A few minutes later and their experience of this nostalgic place began, entrance fees paid and it was off to the Restoration hangar first, with a glimpse of some early flying machines etc and various materials used in their construction. From here it was onto the Hangar that housed the infamous Halifax bomber and all its accoutrements etc, loads of memorabilia on display with a helpful staff member giving us some insight into this planes activity during the war years. Great stuff. Now it was outside for a short period to view the various aircraft on display, a return visit to a stationary Dakota was experienced has we all sat inside for a few moments reflecting upon our previous visit to this memorable airfield. A few more planes to view parked on the old runway then it was off to the Naffi for a spot of lunch and some respite from the very hot weather. A leisurely time was spent here in this canteen before we visited a few other smaller buildings with various displays of things associated with military aircraft etc.

Now the time approaching 2pm. It was time to leave this nostalgic establishment and make our return bus journey back to York. Once back in the city we took another short bus ride back to the railway station and with a little time on our hands it was a refreshing drink for us all before boarding our respective trains taking us homeward bound.

A great experience today well worth the visit.

Cheers Everyone 

Double Celebration at Ilkley

 Wednesday 1st July 2026.           Double Celebration at Ilkley.

Today will be a joint celebration in the West Yorkshire town of Ilkey , firstly to celebrate the birthday of our good friend Brian and secondly to assist our other good friend John’s so-called Stag do!

Those attending and taking part in the riverside walk will be Glenn, Keith, Dave, Brian, John and his son Mathew, the rest of the team will be joining us later at the Flying Duck pub, this will be Derek, Mark and John Howarth along with 2 of Mathews friends, Martin and Russel also joining in the celebration will be Kevin, John’s neighbour.

The riverside walk is due to commence at a few minutes after 11am, hopefully meeting the rest of the guys at about 12:15 pm in the vicinity of the Pub.

The walk will take the group of 6 heading down stream as far as the suspension bridge,once they have crossed the river they will return upstream to the point where the old packhorse bridge is situated, then recross the river and head for the pub, a total distance of about 3 miles or so.

It was a pleasant morning here in Ilkley, not too hot like last weeks outing to Stanley Ferry ! just great for walking with no apparent signs of rain. It was a leisurely stroll along the riverbank taking in all aspects of the surrounding scenery etc, at one point a group of schoolchildren were encountered making various observations also.

Waiting on the wall outside the Flying Duck was Derek he had arrived a few minutes before the rest of the joining bunch, upon entering the pub we were greeted by the landlord that he would be unable to cater for 12 guys for lunch, somewhat disappointing reaction from him to say the least!!

Anyway drinks were ordered and various conversations ensued, once all gathered in the pubs quaint setting the frivolities began, Brian received a resounding rendition of Happy Birthday to his great delight, while John was adorned with a Groom to be sash to great amusement by all. With no prospect of a lunchtime meal here in the Flying Duck an alternative venue was sorted out by Mark, so it was drink up lads and venture off to pastures new courtesy of the Bar’t  Tat pub a few hundred yards away up the road. This was a more accommodating place, we eventually got seat at numerous tables with various groups of us engaged in various conversations etc. Our food orders were taken and soon delivered, meanwhile Russell was engaged in taking individual Polaroid photos of us all much to our delight.

Eventually it was time for some of the group to disperse and take their respective journeys home , the rest continued to enjoy themselves frequenting a few others pubs and activities etc.

Upon Reflection today was a great time for all concerned 

Cheers Everyone.