We seem to have been back in England quite a lot recently, but when we found out that my nephew Rob was getting married, how could we not be there? Plus my sister would kill me if I wasn’t (only joking Kath). So I found myself flying back to England a few days earlier than Emma as she was waiting for the end of term and my Uganda visa was about to expire. However, this time we were determined to be tourists in our own country and see some of the green and pleasant land (so I am told) that is jolly old blighty!
Getting back a little before Emma meant I could catch up with family before heading off to be tourists. I did manage to see the lads in Manchester and took in a game at the Etihad, a 4-1 win against Southampton. As it was an early kick off I just made it back into town as Emma touched down at Manchester airport. Being the stalwart that she is, she came straight into town and had a few beers with the city gang.
The next day we drove (thanks for the car dad) over to scouse land to catch up with Emma’s side of the family. It is Emma’s mum’s 70th birthday in July but we took the opportunity for a family get together and to celebrate early. We all met up in Olive, a fancy restaurant in Liverpool and we tucked into some delicious Italian fodder. We rounded off the evening with a few drinks in the bar of Marco Pierre White’s hotel, it was ok but a bit like a glorified Travel Lodge to me, expected better of Marco really. Never mind, the beer, wine and conversation flowed and a great time was had by all. The scousers all seemed confident of not only beating City the following week but also in winning the league. As we stood in the middle of Liverpool looking up at sky blue skies at the famous Liver building, I remarked about how those birds would fly away if Liverpool won the league again!
Emma and I headed back to Formby with Emma’s mum and spent the next day watching the rain from the conservatory. It lashed it down. By mid-afternoon we had had enough and said we would venture out regardless. As if by magic the rain stopped and we got a walk through the squirrel reserve and along the beach.
Next morning we set off to be tourists and discover the beauty of England. Our destination was the North Yorkshire National Park but after leaving the M6 we thought we would stop for elevenses at Kirkby Longsdale. It turned out to be a lovely little town with a church and market place and plenty of tea shops. Refuelled we headed for our destination, The Buck Inn in Malham. We had booked this online and thought we had snagged a bargain at £50 b and b and we weren’t let down. We had hoped for a traditional country pub and that is what we got. A lovely old coaching inn in a tiny village with 2 pubs and a café set amongst stunning scenery. Well, all the brochures say it is stunning, it was grey and overcast as we arrived to check in. We thought we would go for a walk but after an hour or so the rains came and we had to retreat to the pub, a tough life hey?
We were up early the next morning determined to do a long walk whatever the weather. The breakfast included in the room was immense. The ‘Yorkshire’ breakfast promised a real pub fry up with local sausages and black pudding, the works, proper English food and it was fantastic, but strictly speaking black pudding is Lancashire fare! After such a hearty fill, it was a surprise we didn’t slump back to bed but we set off heavy-bellied for a walk under heavy leaden skies. We planned to do a loop of the main scenic attractions in the area around Malham and struck forth along a section of the Pennine way towards Janet’s Foss. We headed off the main track through woods and soon came upon a waterfall, Janet’s Foss. Ok, not quite Victoria Falls but still a lovely little falls and in a very scenic setting. After the falls we crossed the road and did a small detour to Gorsdale Scar which turned out to be tremendously impressive. An enormous gorge with water gushing through it was a sight to behold when stood at the bottom looking up. So, maybe England does have some impressive sights then.
We headed steadily uphill towards the star of the show, the famous Malham Cove. A large group of school kids were leaving as we arrived, good timing, so we had the wonder to ourselves. Said wonder is an ancient limestone pavement created in the ice-age on a ridge with stupendous views across the dales. From there we continued up the dale with the aim to reach Malham Tarn. The weather was worsening now and the wind had intensified somewhat as we ploughed on with our heads bowed against the gale. After crossing several boggy sections of moor we arrived at the tarn. On a nice day I’m sure it would be a lovely place to have a picnic but we decided the weather was not conducive to dining alfresco and headed back with our supplies still in the rucksack. We looped back via the cove and took in the view from the bottom up. Quite a few people were rock climbing and the RSPB had set up some scopes in order to view the nesting perriguin falcons. We had to have a gander and we got a good view of a couple, we were also shown a woodpecker. The UK has wildlife too! However, the RSPB volunteers were excited and a tad jealous as we told them of the species we regularly spot in our garden in kampala. Guess what, the rain forced us back to the pub, what can you do? One night we ate in the Lister Arms, another old country Inn and one night in our place. Both served up great food but the Buck Inn probably took the prize with ridiculous potions of local sustenance. Had to have the Yorkshire puddings of course! The ales were far superior in the Lister mind. Go to both is my advice.
Typical, as we were leaving the picturesque village of Malham the next morning it was cracking the flags. Beautiful blue skies and the sun beating down. Oh well, we enjoyed the drive through the dales and stopped off in Grassington for a wander around and a brew. I really liked the small town and it had plenty of places to stay and eat. This would also be a good place to base yourself if you what a few more eating alternatives to Malham. On the way back we popped into see Alyson, an old friend of Emma’s on her farm near Ripley. We had a lovely lunch as Emma caught up with Alyson and her family. They had been friends at university and they worked out that they hadn’t seen each other for about 10 years. Later we drove into Ripley for a scout around. Another small Yorkshire town with lots of charm and we took in the market square and the castle before saying goodbye, promising not to leave it another 10 years!
Back in Glossop it was wedding time. It was a lovely occasion and everything went swimmingly, the bride turned up eventually and Rob and Kim got wed! The rain held off for the photos and lots of food and drink were consumed before a band played some decent tunes, a guy spun some discs and people danced badly in suits. Usual wedding stuff.
Emma and I had to be up early the next morning to catch the train to Liverpool again. This time to go to Anfield to see City take on Liverpool in a game that could go a long way to deciding the destination of the league title. Emma played the football tourist taking in the Shankly Gates and the eternal flame before joining the blue-shirted hordes. Even though Emma is a Liverpool fan she had a ticket with me, Dave and Lee in the away section. It was poignant day as the 25th anniversary of Hillsborough disaster was being commemorated. The whole crowd was soundless except for the click of camera shutters for the minute’s silence before the Anfield crowd turned up the volume. Emma had to bite her tongue as Liverpool raced in to a two-goal lead. City fought back and she was bundled around as the city fans went wild as the scores were levelled. Liverpool were hanging on but managed a late winner to send their fans in to delirium. They may have won the battle but the war is not over yet!
Back in Glossop to say goodbye to my clan we had a trip out to Castleton and we tramped up to the castle for marvellous views while Glenne and Brian headed for the tea rooms!
It was a good trip back home and we felt we got to see a lot more of our country than usual. We set off back to Uganda but with an interesting stop over on the way.
