Spring Staycation - Part One

As usual, Mick had some holiday entitlement left to take before the end of March so he's ended up carrying over nine days to tag onto the new year's entitlement, but that also gave him six days to take before the month was out, so we had a little staycation, having days out but not staying away from home overnight. It suits us, there's so many wonderful places to visit, all within easy reach in a car.

Mick's first day off was a Friday, we decided to visit a National Trust property we've never visited before, Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, home of Sir Isaac Newton, the mathematician and physicist. There was such a lot of information about his life and his work, and the National Trust guides were very knowledgeable too adding to information already provided. There's a Science Centre in the grounds which Daniel and Eleanor would have loved as children, in fact they would probably still enjoy it now, we did. Some of Newton's famous experiments are displayed and they're hands-on, so you can have a go, and learn, yourself.

Isaac Newton gained his BA degree at Cambridge University in 1665, shortly before the university temporarily closed owing to the Great Plague and he was sent home. It's during this period that an apple fell from this Flower of Kent apple tree in the orchard of Woolsthorpe Manor which caused Isaac to question why things fell straight to the ground, and so began his theory of gravity. 

On our way home from Woolsthorpe Manor we decided to call into Clumber Park for a walk. It was quite late in the day by this time but we were still surprised by how quiet it was, especially as it was a nice day, there weren't very many people about.

Saturday was shopping day so that took up the morning. Afterwards, we took some flowers to the Garden of Remembrance for my dad whose birthday it would have been the following day, and as we were then about half way to Ilkley, we decided to carry on with the journey and have a mooch around the lovely town. The Grove was at its most beautiful, the sunshine had brought out all the cherry blossom on the trees.

People were queuing, as usual, outside Betty's Tea Rooms. We didn't go inside on this occasion but we had a look around all the independent shops, and there's so many charity shops in Ilkley so we had a mooch in those too. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

We visited Hardcastle Crags in Calderdale on the Sunday. Managed by the National Trust, it's a great place for a walk. A wooded valley with Gibson Mill, a 19th century cotton mill at its heart, there are over fifteen miles of footpaths to explore.

It's about a mile and a quarter to the mill from the car park. We took the estate track to the mill which is above the river, a nice flat track suitable for pushchairs and surrounded by woodland. We took the riverside walk back to the car, the terrain here is more uneven, there are rocky sections and sets of steps, but it's a beautiful walk with stepping-stones to try out along the way.

It was a beautiful spring day so we decided to head into nearby Hebden Bridge after our walk. A market town known for it's arts scene, it's such a lovely place to spend a few hours. There are pavement cafes and bars which spill out onto outdoor tables, plenty of independent shops, galleries and a river which flows through the town. We decided to take another walk, this time along the tow path of the Rochdale Canal. We really enjoyed our day.

We couldn't have a staycation without visiting the Yorkshire coast so on the Monday we took ourselves off to Whitby. I've never known it as quiet as it was that day, it was nice to wander around without the crowds which are usually there.

Afterwards, we called to see Falling Foss waterfall and then took a short detour through Littlebeck Wood on the Coast to Coast Walk to see The Hermitage, a cave carved into a boulder which dates back to the 18th century. It's said that someone once lived here, I'm not sure that's true, it's a folly which stands in the former grounds of Newton House. I think a story always adds to the mystery surrounding something like this though.

On the Tuesday we visited somewhere new to us, Lincoln. I've been wanting to visit this city for a long time, I don't know why we haven't got there before now, it's less than an hour and a half by car. We had a lovely day visiting the beautiful cathedral, once the tallest building in the world, and looking around the city centre.

Lincoln's High Bridge is a medieval bridge which spans the River Witham. It's the oldest bridge in the UK to still have buildings on it. Shame about the Vodafone shop to the right, it spoils the whole aesthetic.

This is where I'll leave Part One of our staycation, we're exactly half way through so the second half is to follow.