Knaresborough part two

We travelled by train to York twice as the first time we didn't get to see all of the York Minster (Minster is a Anglo-Saxon word for missionary church). On our first visit we took a guided tour which was enlightening and entertaining as the guide had a good sense of humour and a bit theatrical. The guide said that within 200 years of the death of Jesus his followers began to gather on the spot that is now the cathedral. Changes have been made over the years and fires have meant a rebuild in sections but the current version is awesome. We were so impressed we decided to stay on still 5.15 pm and attend the Evensong which is held in the Quire where the choir sings. We could sit anywhere so I moved into a box and when the  choir and the Ministers came into the Quire the Dean of York Rev Vivienne Faull sat right behind me. When she spoke I felt like I was part of the clergy. They sing the whole 40 minute service and it was beautiful. The choir had the lights on in front of them and it made a magical scene from where we sat. 

The second visit to York returned us to the Minster and on our way we walked past a building advertising an open day for the Lord Mayor House. We decided to take a look and were greeted by the Lord Mayor herself Julie Gunnell. She shook our hands and welcomed us into her house, well she lives on the top floor which is not open to the public but the reception rooms and public rooms where open so we walked around and up the stairs. The yellow lounge room was where the Queen sat to have a G&T before her meal when she visited in 2012. 

From here we stumbled across a recital by Helen Atkinson playing a lute and singing songs from England's royal courts. She had a lovely clear voice and as it was in a small church the sound was beautiful. 

We visited the Minster again and went through the underground chamber with its audiovisual galleries which is like a museum. It shows the journey of the last two thousand years of Yorks history with interactive sections for kids to enjoy. It explains how Constantine was made emperior of Rome in York and he stopped the persecution of the Christians and helped to spread the word.  

We walked on a section of the York City Wall which surrounds the city and on our way back to the station we came upon a court yard with a display of birds of prey and  behind that a small ancient church. The detour meant we had to catch a later train so we stopped for a beer and relax on a very interesting day. 

The Bank Holiday made for a long weekend and on the Monday we had heard that a guy was performing in the park in Ripon. We spent a nice day walking around the small town and being entertained by the local singer/songwriter. The cathedral (yes I know another one) in Ripon inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland as the choir stalls featured some medieval woodcarvings of a rabbit running to a hole and other woodland creatures. They were carved under the seat but visible when seat lifted. Carroll was attending the church around the time he was 20 and would have seen these carvings regularly. We had morning tea in the Mad Hatter cafe, very cool. 

The two weeks came to an end very quickly and we were sad to leave Knaresbrough and our friendly apartment owner who made our stay very comfortable. She allowed us to use her washing machine and invited us to her sons birthday party. We parted with a hug and a promise to visit if we get the chance in the future. 

Knaresborough

Well what a lovely little town and arrived by train into the Feva festival where we caught the last weekend of the music and art. The tourist information centre as usual was a great source of knowledge about what to see and do. We attended the Picnic in the Park free open air concert behind Knaresborough House and enjoyed the 3 bands playing including Barcode Zebra who had a female singer with a fantastic voice. The rain did come down at one point but as we were already sitting under a leafy tree we didn't have to move or even put on our rain jackets. With a lot of families bringing along their food and drinks it was a calm but enjoyable atmosphere with no one getting drunk and making a nuisance of themselves. It's finished at 5pm so went off to catch a group called Cartoon Food which I was not sure about but found this 4 piece acoustic band very enjoyable. One guy was using a wooden box as a drum and they had great harmonies. We headed off early from this to grab some dinner at a near by Chinese restaurant and then off again to the third concert of the day in St. John's church with Knaresborough  pro Musica playing Baroque music including Bach. The violins sounded incredible and the church acoustics the best I have heard. We slept well that night having enjoyed a wonderful diverse range of good music. The Sunday meant a visit to the Farmers Market and then later walking to a historical shrine called The Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag, which was built into the side of a hill by a stone mason called John the Mason in 1408. This became a wayside shrine for pilgrims but now is only open between 2 and 4 on a Sunday between April and September. Got talking to thevolunteer manning   the site and had a good conversation about the Reformation and the impact on the Catholic Church in England. We finished the night off at a pub called The Mitre listening to a local band Area 40. They sounded very good but it was crowded and very hot so we left before they ended to walk back under a full moon.....very romantic. 

Took a bus to Harrogate which we could catch just around the corner from her apartment. We are 20 minute walk into town so good to do short walk to bus station straight to Harrogate. We collected our batch of leaflets and brochures on what to do in Harrogate after first having a coffee in the famous Bettys tea room which have been operating since 1919. The town is busy with shoppers with rows of designer shops and the usual chains. We went looking for a hairdresser for me as the length is driving me crazy and discovered some interesting second hand and vintage clothing shops just out of the main area. Harrogate is a spa town and will be the finish of the first day of the 2014 Tour de France. 

The Knaresborough people are very friendly and we spent over an hour talking to the owner and her mum in a local cafe after having lunch. They were very funny telling us all the goss about town and we learnt what markets and shops to avoid. Wednesday is the big market day and the square was filled with stalls and people buying local produce. We picked up a magazine on keeping chickens for when we get back home so that should be informative. 

We visited the castle and you will see me below sitting on a medieval dunny. It also has a great museum showing what life was like in medieval times and some history of some of the towns characters. From the castle gardens you can see the viaduct and I managed to get a photo with a train passing over the bridge. 

Settle

Settle is on the boundary if the Yorkshire Dales and we arrived by train from Carlisle where we dropped the car off. The train from Carlisle to Settle is one of the most scenic railway journeys in England. It was completed in 1876 and was an engineers challenge with 72 miles of track, 20 major viaducts and 14 tunnels. The landscape is majestic and they have a volunteer guide who comes around to talk to passengers and answer any questions. Our cottage is in the town with a bedroom and bathroom downstairs and the living space upstairs. 

Settle is an unspoilt market town and is visited mainly by those who want to explore the Yorkshire Dales. The markets have been held here on a Tuesday since 1249 with many of the buildings dating back from 1670. Overlooking the market square is The Shambles which was once a butchers shop and slaughter house. The building still has the loading hoists in the upper floor. Steam trains occasionally pass through Settle and while Cliff went on a walk over the hills, I was able to see one of them on the Sunday morning. Didn't think I would ever be standing with train spotters waiting in the rain for a glimpse of a train. Well you know the saying, 'When In Rome'. One of the cafes we had coffee in was called 'Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe'. Not sure why! The library was a great resource as we could use their wifi and computer for printing. The staff there got to know me well as I was there every day at some time. Also the laundrette was just at the end of the street so handy for doing our washing.

We took a bus to Skipton which boasts a medieval castle and ancient church called the Holy Trinity.  We had seen a lot of castles so we just looked at the grounds and went inside the church. It was build 700 years ago and had many changes over that time due to finds from the Castle occupants Lady Anne Clifford and damage in wars and lightning strikes. The town was holding a market and after we looked at the many stalls we walked along the canal into the Skipton Woods which were filled to the brim with trees.

We saw a bit more rain here with showers mostly overnight but also some during the day. This meant we had to be ready for all types of weather as it was still humid and then sunny. The town is quiet but it is easy to feel at home here. We walked one day to the Victoria Caves which was a circular route from the end of our street coming back into the centre of the town. This was about 8 kilometres and took us up hills and through properties. It was very beautiful and we met up with two guys walking the same route so we stopped to chat along the way. They had come from Manchester to do the walk so that made our location near it very special indeed. 

We travelled by train to Lancaster for the day to look around and see the sights. We had to walk 30 min to get to the station as it was on another line. The station is called Giggleswick which made me giggle every time I said it, seems like my sense of humour is still just as lame. We did the town walk in Lancaster which took us past a cathedral, castle and many old buildings. Stopped for a beer at a pub built in 1688 and it was like being in a sophisticated cave. It was probably the nicest pub we had every been in and we had been in quite a lot over this trip.

The week went by too quick and leaving was hard as we had just settled in. We packed our bags, walked to the station and caught our train to Knaresborough via a stop over 3 hrs in Leeds.