Halifax

We spent last weekend over in West Yorkshire - I'll tell you more of that later, but on Sunday we spent the day in Halifax.  Halifax was once a thriving wool town, but like most northern towns has had to reinvent itself as its industry dwindled.  It has however been left with some stunning Georgian and Victorian architecture. It was a beautiful morning and we wandered around taking it all in.

 The main reason we called was to have a look around the famous Piece Hall, but we found it closed and being renovated.

 So we decided to drive out to look at the impressive mill complex at Dean Clough.  You know I love a bit of Industrial Architecture and this is a stunning place - the site is absolutely enormous.

 It has been completely remodelled to make a work complex with offices, studios, galleries, cafes, a hotel, retail units, bars, a nursery and a theatre - to name a few of it's uses.

 I would have loved to have seen it in its hey day with 5000 workers bustling in their clogs and horses and carts clattering along.

 I was disappointed that they don't seem to have kept a small area as a museum and there aren't any references to it's heritage or past.  I think that is a huge shame.

I used to love a weighbridge when I was young!

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 It had a fairly decent gallery with some wonderful installations dedicated to World War I .  They had a great photography exhibitions on too.

 They are also building a replica Lego model of the whole mill, which is incredible.

I can't imagine the output these mills would have produced. It must have been immense!  It's easy to see why Halifax was such a wealthy town back in the 1800's.  The mills ceased production in the 1980's.  

Birds

One of the hardest things I find to photograph are birds.  They are so quick and seem to know as soon as I get my camera out.  On my lovely long evening stroll in the glorious warm sunshine last week, I managed to get pretty close to this pheasant. What stunning feathers.

 And this chappy (I think a Thrush) didn't seem too bothered by my presence.  These used to be very common when I was young, but they are rarer these days.

 I couldn't zoom in any further on the Buzzard who was flying so high.  These seem to be increasing in number in our area these days.

 And this chappy (a coot?) was making waves.

 But this Finch (any one any idea what kind?) made my night.  He seemed as curios about me as I was about him!  What a face!

Eyam Walk

Our walking group walk today was just simply stunning.

We assembled near the museum in the plague village of Eyam in Derbyshire - a very pretty little village with a lot of history.

 We only had time for a brief look around the village whilst waiting for other members to assemble.  Eyam Hall is now in the hands of the National Trust.  I haven't visited since they took over so I must pop back.  I did notice a sad decline in the number of independent tea rooms in the village though - I suppose that is the effect of the National Trust Cafe.

 The weather was perfect for the whole of our walk.  Blue skies, a nice breeze - perfect.

 I remember being told the story of the village and how they kept the plague contained here when I was at junior school and the story has always stuck with me.  All of the house affected still list the occupants on little plaques - so very moving.

 Our walk took us across fields and on green lanes.

 There are so many pretty villages around these parts.

 And stunning scenery.

 The Three Stags Heads pub is one to visit.  I think it has never changed since it first opened. It is 300 years old and a real amazing little place.  We called in for a swift half and a Pork Pie with Pickles.

 I took about a million photo's of lambs, but this was my favourite.  Don't they look cosy!

 Most of the walk was flat but we did have one very steep climb.

 This did however lead us to the most stunning views.

 I couldn't resist snapping this lonesome cloud.

 ....  and the patchwork fields...

I think we did about 8.5 miles today and I found it fairly easy going.  I may not be getting any thinner with all this walking (although Pork Pies don't help!!) but I feel as if I am getting much fitter.

It was about as perfect a walk as you could get and one I shall be repeating I am sure.