Well comrades, it looks like another lockdown is inevitable. A blind man on a galloping horse could have seen the current crisis coming. The need for economic recovery sent politicians across Europe into a frenzy of returning life to ‘normal’ with indecent haste. Travel was positively encouraged, bars and restaurants allowed to return to near normal providing social distancing was encouraged and live music was off the menu. In the U.K schools were given little choice but to re-open. Understandable, but surely the risk of a steep rise in infections was understood. At the same time, workers were pressed to give up working from home and get back to the office. Why? To rescue cafes and restaurants of course! Within two weeks workers were beseeched to go back to working from home again as infections soared. Our ‘world beating’ track and trace system was re-launched yet still seems to be a shining example of a shite app!! Boris ‘son of Trump’ Johnson staggers from one crisis to another looking increasingly clueless. I keep expecting Boris to shout ‘fake news’ at Kier Starmer as he takes yet another humiliating beating at P.M’s question time. Apparently Boris makes no decisions himself but relies on Dominic Cummings to give him the answers. Dominic Cummings is the man who, in order to check if his eyesight had been affected by Covid-19, took his 4 year old son on a forty mile drive!!! Dom apparently relies on ‘focus groups’ to provide Boris with the answers he is incapable of thinking of himself. More like ‘fuck us’ groups methinks! And then of course there is Brexit…………………….
Enough of politics, this blog is intended to be uplifting. A celebration, both of England, and of being English. Pat and I needed the break. Our trip to the States was cancelled in June and we now face our daughter heading off to University. With this in mind I booked a week in a cottage in Halifax, West Yorkshire for a week. The cottage was dog friendly and had four bedrooms and a garden. Caitlin and Callum came with us as did our dog Remus. For once, I had not exhaustively planned our trip. I had done a lot of research, printed a list of things to do, places to visit and of record shops in nearby towns but had not done the usual research into restaurants and pubs as we were ‘dogged up’.
Friday 18th September
Today is the 50th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s death. BBC radio 6 were reassuringly aware of this auspicious occasion and played some great Jimi tunes as we drove to Halifax. Check-in time was 3.0 pm and we arrived promptly as is our want. We were not disappointed with our cottage. It was well decorated, spacious and located in a good neighbourhood. The cottage was once owned by Judge James Pickle.
James Pickles was an English barrister and circuit judge and who later became a tabloid newspaper columnist. He became known for his controversial sentencing decisions and press statements. His obituaries variously described him as forthright, colourful, and outspoken. Wikipedia
Our cottage apparently featured on an episode of ‘Through the keyhole’ when owned by the good judge
After unpacking etc I read the local information provided by the owners. They advised a couple of pubs nearby of which we chose the Three Pigeons which was advised to be dog friendly.
The Ossett brewery website describes the Three Pigeons thus;
A carefully restored Grade II listed 1930s pub. From an aesthetic perspective the Three Pigeons offers pub-goers a rather unique environment in which to enjoy their beer in from Ossett Brewery or other guest breweries.
This award winning hostelry with its art deco styling and corridor bar is in a class of its own. The five rooms off the main passageway have distinct individuality and hark back to an era of more functional simplicity.
I loved this pub from the get go. Five different rooms to choose from, great beer and friendly regulars. I tried a couple of excellent beers of which White Rat was my favourite. The landlord brought a bowl of water for Remus and a handful of dog treats which was a nice touch. Locals told us of a nearby pub, The Shears Inn, that was also dog friendly. A perfect end to a great day.
Saturday 19th September
I doubt any of you have pondered the reason for the title of this blog. It was inspired by my ambition and burning desire to visit Hebden Bridge.
Google search Hebden Bridge and you will find numerous articles that rhapsodise about this small village. It has been named as ‘Best town in Europe’ and was named by British Airway’s High Life magazine as ‘one of the world’s funkiest towns’. It was reading an article about the Trades Club that made me want to visit the Bridge. Regularly voted one of the best small venues in the UK, the Trades club attracts world class artists such as Patti Smith, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Mark Lanegan, Laura Marling and Ali Farka Touré. I have tried to get tickets many times but shows sell out very quickly.
Hebden Bridge has attracted artists, and has developed a small New Age community. It became attractive in the 1980s and 1990s to lesbians as a place of mutual support to bring up children. As of 2004 Hebden Bridge had the highest number of lesbians per head in the UK.
I wasn’t disappointed. Hebden Bridge is a truly magical place. We visited the small market held in a small square in the middle of town. As in most affluent towns with markets, this one was excellent with high quality stalls and little if any tat. I bought Pat a ring which had been crafted from an old Silver spoon. All the jewellery on the stall had been made from reclaimed Silver spoons. Definitely quirky, but very tasteful.
My research had revealed that there were two record shops in the town. I visited Heavy Crates first. The shop sold both new and used vinyl and had an excellent selection at reasonable prices. To focus my vinyl foraging on our trip I made acquiring a copy of Tres Hombres by ZZ Top my top priority. This was due to watching an excellent documentary on the band earlier in the week. I had no look finding Tres Hombres but left with Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy and Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. After a stop at an artisan bakery we headed for the second record shop, Muse Music and love. This place was a café and record shop. As with Heavy Crates, there was a mixture of new and used vinyl. I listened to the owners talking to a couple of customers in the café who were rhapsodising about Hebden Bridge. They asked the owners what it was like to live in the town. They said that they lived in nearby Todmorden which they described as less touristy but very friendly and endowed with a some excellent pubs many of which had live music (in Covid free times of course!). I chatted with owner as I paid for my choices, a really nice guy. I left with Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd and Suzanne Vega’s debut album.
We met up with Caitlin and Callum and adjourned to the White Swan for a pint of Black Sheep. The pub had a nice beer garden where we could take the dog and enjoy the excellent weather.
Pat and I decided to visit Todmorden which is only five miles from Hebden Bridge. Although not as picturesque as Hebden Bridge, it seemed a pleasant enough little town. There were indeed a good number of pubs with the Polished Knob amusing us both.
We returned to Halifax and visited the Piece Hall. From its own website;
The Grade I listed Piece Hall, Halifax is a rare and precious thing, an architectural and cultural phenomenon which is absolutely unique. It is the sole survivor of the great eighteenth century northern cloth halls, a class of buildings which embodied the vital and dominant importance of the trade in hand woven textiles to the pre-industrial economy of the West Riding of Yorkshire, from the Middle Ages through to the early nineteenth century.
Dating from 1779, when it was built as a Cloth Hall for the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth (a 30 yard length of woven woollen fabric produced on a handloom), The Piece Hall was the most ambitious and prestigious of its type and now stands in splendid isolation as the only remaining example. It is one of Britain’s most outstanding Georgian buildings.
It is impossible to overstate the scale and importance of this trade, not just to the history of Halifax and the West Riding, but to the nation as a whole over some 800 years between the twelfth and eighteenth centuries.
When it was built, The Piece Hall was a highly visible statement of the great wealth, pride and ambition of the cloth manufacturers. Although built for trade, it also embodied the most cultured sensitivities of the Enlightenment; these bluff northern manufacturers deliberately chose a design for their building which adapted the neo-classical orders of architecture derived originally from the Romans.
Piece Hall re-opened in 2017 transformed into a 21st Century town square, The Piece Hall is a place for everyone to enjoy. The immense, open air square is enclosed by a mix of independent bars, restaurants, shops and cafes. The stories of Georgian Halifax are told in specially created heritage spaces and there is an art gallery hosting visual art exhibitions.
Truly a wonderful place to visit. It shows what can be achieved when imagination and pride are allowed to triumph over rampant capitalism and the need for a quick buck. There are a number of cool, if a little pricey, shops. Pat bought me a framed photo of The Ramones from Al’s Emporium. It has replaced the Kylie calendar in my man cave…………praise indeed!
The photo below shows what a beautiful day it was
That evening the four of us and the dog walked to the Shears Inn. The pub was difficult to get to as it is located at the bottom of an extremely steep road. It was worth the nuisance though as it proved to be another friendly hostelry. I started with a pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord bitter, one of my favourites. I then tried a pint of D Day Dodger from the Martland Mill brewery. I really enjoyed this excellent beer and drank several more to check that the first pint was no fluke! Callum and Caitlin both had fish and chips in the pub which they both raved about.
A grand day out as they say in Yorkshire
Sunday 20th September
We took the train to Hebden Bridge on Sunday. This was my first trip on public transport since the pandemic began. The journey only takes 15 minutes which made it an easy commute. We had a stroll around the Sunday market before taking a walk along the canal. This was a very pleasant stroll as the sun was out making it a warm day. We walked for half an hour or so until we arrived at The Stubbing Wharf pub. It was very pleasant sat watching the canal boats go by whilst enjoying a pint or two of Black Sheep. As we got back into town we stumbled across the Trades Club. I know I will love seeing a gig at the venue so will re-double my efforts to get tickets for a show once ‘Rona recedes.
We returned to the beer garden in the White Swan for more of the excellent Black Sheep bitter. Pat and Caitlin bought the dog a tub of doggie ice cream (I kid you not!) from a charity shop. Remus was unimpressed, he much prefers the Vanilla from Cumbrian Cow apparently……………..hmm.
We took the train back to Halifax and headed for the Shears Inn for a late lunch. I had a giant Yorkshire Pudding which lived up to its name and completely outfaced me. I washed it down with more pints of the excellent D Day Dodger.
Outside the Stubbing Wharf
Monday 21st September
Another beautiful morning so we drove to Ogden Water Country Park on the outskirts of Halifax. This nature reserve consists of a series of woodland trails that circumnavigate the Reservoir. There were lots of people about and everyone was cheerful and friendly. The views over the reservoir were stunning and you couldn’t help but to feel relaxed. After our walk we headed back into the town centre so Caitlin and Callum could check out the Piece Hall. Pat and I checked out Halifax market Hall which was OK. I then headed for Revo records. This was another good record shop with a decent selection of new and used vinyl. Once more, the search for a copy of Tres Hombres proved fruitless however I did manage to pick up a copy of Official Live Bootleg by the Blues Band, an album I’ve been trying to find for a while.
We all headed for Lunch at the Crossroads pub on the outskirts of town. Good food, good beer (Thwaites IPA) and Dog friendly.
In the evening Caitlin and Callum headed to the cinema (the new Bill & Ted film) while Pat, me and the dog headed to the Three Pigeons for a few pints of the excellent White Rat bitter. Pat took the dog for a quick toilet break outside the pub a little later in the evening. When she came back into the pub she said she had been watching fireworks light up the sky and asked the regulars if there was some sort of local celebration that evening. Her question was met with knowing smiles as apparently local drug dealers announce delivery of new supplies by letting off fireworks!! I could only shake my head in admiration at the ingenuity of the local entrepreneurs!!
Tuesday 22nd September
Pat and I headed for Huddersfield this morning. I read that there was a flea market on a Tuesday and I hoped to find some vintage black and white photographs of Yorkshire towns. Such photos tend to be vastly overpriced in galleries so I hoped a visit to a second hand market would help me find some for a reasonable sum. No look I’m afraid but I did find a stall selling vinyl records! I got rather carried away I’m afraid picking up;
The Faces – A Nod’s as good as a wink
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee – Livin’ with the Blues
Leonard Cohen – Greatest Hits
Cat Stevens – Greatest Hits
The Mamas and the Papas – 20 Greatest Hits –
Happy Mondays – Step on 12” single
I paid £25 for the lot which I thought was a bargain.
Before leaving Huddersfield I felt duty bound to visit Vinyl Tap, the town’s only record shop. Although it was a large, well-stocked shop there was no copy of Tres Hombres in the racks so I left without buying anything.
We headed to Bronte country and the small town of Haworth. Most people know that God created Heaven and Earth in six days and on the seventh day he did rest. At this point Satan sneaked in and created Haworth!! We parked up and set off to find main st. The signposts advised we needed to walk up the amusingly named Butt Lane. It was like ascending the north face of the Eiger!!! Just as I thought we had reached the summit I realised it was a brief respite as after crossing a road there was a further punishing ascent before reaching Main street. After greedily sucking from the thoughtfully provided Oxygen tanks I almost fainted when I realised that Main street was an even steeper ascent!! Wuthering Heights indeed. I sat on a bench to get my heart rate down below 200 and smiled to myself as I heard a young woman moan at her boyfriend that they had driven 3 hours to find that all the shops were closed!! Right on sister, I wish I hadn’t bothered as well 🙂
That evening Pat and I dined at Pajoree’s Thai restaurant in Halifax town centre. We were the only customers but the food was outstanding. We chatted with Pajoree the owner. She told us her life story, how she arrived in England with a small suitcase of clothes and worked in a number of low paid jobs until she saved enough to open a restaurant. She now also runs a Thai cookery class. A lovely person and a great cook. We adjourned to the nearby Victorian Craft beer café. This was a fantastic pub which served a fine range of real ales including an Imperial Stout at £15 a pint!!! I stuck to slightly less regal offerings enjoying pints of Titanic Anchor, Squawk Pavo, Elland Porter and Manchester cuts like a Buffalo! Pat drank still Mango Cider, a Wheat beer and a Cherry beer.
Wednesday 23rd September
Our niece Jade came to visit today. We all headed out to Withens Clough reservoir, Cragg Vale. This place was a few miles outside Halifax on the moors. It was a damp, dull, day. Exactly the weather you feel appropriate as it helps to emphasise the bleak, forbidding atmosphere of the Yorkshire Moors. The views were beautiful and the walk around the perimeter of the reservoir was really enjoyable.
After our walk we took Jade to Hebdens Bridge. She loved the place as I thought she would. We walked around the small town centre and I showed her the Trades Club. Jade is determined to see a gig there as well. We looked in an Estate agent’s window and were taken with a Houseboat on the canal for sale for£99,000. Believe me, if I had that kind of money I would have bought it on the spot!
We headed back to Halifax via Sowerby Bridge where we dropped Caitlin and Callum off as they were embarking on a train pub crawl betweem Todmorden and Halifax!
We took Jade to see the Piece Hall and we chatted to a young guy working there. He proudly told us about gigs held there and of how magical the place looks when lit up at night. His enthusiasm was infectious and I would love to comeback one day in ‘Rona free times.
Thursday 24th September
The last day of our holiday. Pat and I had always intended to go to Leeds or York but decided instead to stick with small market towns and so headed for Wetherby. Located North East of Leeds, Wetherby is best known for it’s racecourse. We visited the market which was very small but none the worse for it. We wandered around this small town which had a good number of independent shops and a number of interseting looking pubs. We shopped in a couple of Butchers shop and bought stuff to take home. The shop keepers were frienly and helpful, a coomon theme in Yorkshire. I would like to comeback and spend a night in Wetherby, it really did seem a friendly pace. The main car park in the town was free, how often do you see that?
I asked Pat if it was OK to make a final visit to Todmorden. There was one record shop on my list that I hadn’t visited. Frustratingly, it was no longer a record shop!! The new shop did sell some excellent art but it was not what I was looking for. I strolled around Todmorden flea market hoping to salvage the visit by finding some old prints of Yorkshire towns. Sadly there were no prints on offer but I did chance upon a nice chap selling vinyl records. I could have spent a fortune with him but restrained myself admirably. There was to be no gold at the end of the rainbow, Tres Hombres wasn’t to be found. I did leave with The Tain by Horslips and Son of Morris on which had Pat recoilling in horror when I told her I had bought an album of Morris dancing tunes……………Hey, each to their own comrades. Live and let live.
As we walked back to the car park we came across surely the best named pub in the world
The four of us and the dog went out for dinner to the Causeway foot inn near Ogden Water. The meal was superb as were the pints of Landlord it was washed down with. We stopped off at the Three Pigeons for a farewell visit and I drank a pint of Rudgate Ruby Mild, one of the best beers I sampled over the whole week.
Halifax doesn’t sound like a go to place to visit however we really enjoyed it. There are some excellent parks, good pubs and the Piece Hall really is magnificent. We never had to drive more than forty five minutes with most journeys considerably shorter. There are a multitude of small market towns and villages close by and some great local walks. Hebden Bridge was truly the Jewel in the crown and I know we will return, hopefully to stay in the town for a couple of nights and see a gig at the Trades Club. Who knows, maybe we I will buy a canal boat and Pat and I will retire to a Bohemian lifestyle in the Bridge!!!
Thank you for your kind indulgence if you made it to the end of this blog. I genuinely hope some of you are inspired to visit this part of Yorkshire as I feel sure you won’t be disappointed.
I managed to get some reading done while away. I started with The only girl – the autobiography of former Rolling Stone writer Robin Green. It wasn’t bad but I was expecting more about the music scene of the early seventies and of life in San Francisco in those heady times. Next up was Low action, the fifth book in the Vinyl Detective series by Andrew Cartmel. I love the Vinyl detective books and the latest volume didn’t disappoint. I finished the week re-reading High Fidelity by Nich Hornby. If you have never read this book, do so, you won’t be disappointed. If you have seen the film but not read the book then hang your head in shame. I know it’s a great film but the book is set in London and is all the better for it!
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