Sunday 30 January 2011

A Visit to a Beacon

We enjoyed a very long walk yesterday from Shibden Park which took us past the beacon where we were treated to some breathtaking views of the whole of Halifax laid out before our eyes. One of the major reasons why I love living in Yorkshire is how far away you can see on a clear day, our hills and valleys afford such views. Views that you can’t possibly enjoy if you were to live anywhere where the Vista is flat. We thought we were too late to join the longer walk as it was supposed to begin at 09.45am, and we didn’t catch the bus until 10.00am but just as we entered the gates of the park, the others were coming towards us as they headed to the first climbing path up to the beacon, so we joined them.

View from a Beacon

It’s a winding climb up to the top but well worth it once you arrive there. You can see the whole of Halifax laid out beneath you, and you could spend a few wasted hours spotting and naming all that you can see below you. We were also all intrigued to see that there were quite a few memorials around the beacon where one Granny had obviously asked that her ashes be left up there, so we spent the next part of the walk discussing the merits of whether or not you should stipulate where your last remnants should be placed.

Bully Boy at the fence

K had made the mistake of putting her boots on for the walk, and she was beginning to struggle. My fault entirely because I hadn’t taken any notice of her foot attire as we left the flat, or I would have encouraged her to change into her walking boots or even her trainers. She was buoyed up somewhat by the sight of some horses in a field that we passed. We didn’t have any polo mints for them, but one of the other walkers did have some boiled mints, so we handed those out to each horse. One of the horses was obviously a bit of a bully and pushed the small pony out of the way.  By the time we had finished handing out the sweets to the horses, the others were quite some distance away and we had to hurry to catch up.

By now it was beginning to warm up somewhat although the ground was still frozen and rock hard. At least it made it easier to walk most of the paths which would have been very muddy otherwise. K was obviously still having problems as she kept asking the walk leader to stop for a rest. I encouraged  her on with the promise of more horses to come at the bottom of the path. She has never enjoyed walking on any surface that isn’t flat, always finding them difficult to manage. It’s the main reason why my ex husband and I used to take both her and her brother on some of the Calderdale walks when they were younger, to give her experience of walking on uneven surfaces.

We passed some more horses just before the tunnel, and I encouraged one to come over to the wall for a pet and a stroke. He was lovely and was obviously well looked after judging by his gorgeous mane and shining coat. He seemed to be waiting for K to arrive,  and she eagerly gave his muzzle a stroke.

A new friend for K

Onwards through the tunnel underneath the railway line, and back into the park. The lake was mainly frozen over affording us all a laugh at the sight of some ducks slipping and sliding about on the surface. Most of them were congregating at the far end where the ice had broken and there was some clear water in which to have a swim. Into the Café for some very welcome lunch. As this walk may be the last I can partake of for some time, I enjoyed it all the more in that knowledge.

TG  More photos of our walk on my flickr HERE

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7 comments:

  1. A grand day out was had by all:>)

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  2. Lovely refreshing walk and wonderful sights, love the horses TG. He sure does look like he's well cared for. Wondering if you stopped by a nice warm pub for a snack and warm drink. :)

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  3. That sounds like a delightful time and the pictures are very enjoyable indeed! Thank you for sharing!

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  4. No Catches the Eye, not this time! Our lunch was at the Cafe in the park, but I did have a lukewarm cup of tea.

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  5. Yes Penny, it was a grand day out!

    Thanks Joe for your welcome comment

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  6. Since you always make me feel like I'm right there, I have to say I had the BEST time today on the walk! I could even smell the air, but lucky for me I didn't need any shoes. I think I was the only one with a flask of brandied hot chocolate ;)
    TG, this was a wonder tour. Thank you so much ~~

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  7. Thanks Jenny, glad you enjoyed the walk with us! And the brandy and hot chocolate would have gone down a treat!

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