Yorkshire Holiday 2019 - Another River, Another Walk

Thursday, the 28th of March, was much friendlier weather-wise than the Wednesday had been.
We even had coffee/tea on the sunny bench in front of our cottage!

But before that, there was another highlight of our holiday: a lunchtime concert in the cathedral. The pianist was a sprightly elderly lady from York University (or York Music College or something like that - I'd have to look it up to be more precise, sorry), and her theme was Bach.
Not only did she play a selection of popular and less well-known pieces by the great composer, she also surrounded them with pieces by later composers who were influenced by Bach's work. She explained a bit about what she was going to play, and it wasn't dry facts - her explanations really enhanced the experience.
There were also sandwiches and drinks to be had in the church before the concert statrted, and the general atmosphere was very friendly.

We made use of the beautiful sunshine by going for another walk in the afternoon, along another river - this time, the Ure.
It was a path we had not yet walked before, and we enjoyed the variety of woodland and fields along the river banks, with the sights and sounds of spring all around.

Leper Chapel (left). Someone was cleaning there, so we did not go inside this time.

Alpacas!

Later, I popped in at Mary's for a chat, before it was time to head back to our cottage, where my sister was making a delicious risotto for our tea/dinner.

On my way, once again the cathedral front was bathed in the most beautiful evening light - I could not resist taking yet another picture of it.

Yorkshire Holiday 2019 - Markenfield

Wednesday, the 27th of March, held a big surprise for me in store. My sister had already been hinting at a mystery; she said there was something planned for that day but what it actually was would be a secret until we were there. I asked her how I should dress and she told me that I could dress nicely (without overdoing it) but comfortably. So I knew it was neither going to be a posh meal nor a hike. I did have an idea of what it was going to be, and my suspicion was confirmed when my sister-in-law and niece came to pick us up by car, driving along the road that leads out from Ripon towards Harrogate and then on to a narrow lane, turning into a farm track, to Markenfield.

Back in July 2017, we had come across it on a walk and found it completely enchanting - a place we definitely wanted to return to on one of its open days. Now I did not expect it to be open this time of year, or on a Wednesday, but...
...my sister had arranged a private tour for just the four of us as a birthday surprise for me!!!

Isn't that fantastic? But there was more to come!

First, we met with Dr. Keith Jones outside Markenfield Hall on the parking space. He was to be our guide, and explained a bit about the historical background of the Hall before we were to go inside. A black cat (well known to Dr. Jones) came up and stayed with us for a little before it lost interest and wandered off.

The black swans are a familiar feature of Markenfield Hall - there is always a pair living on the moat. Sadly, Mrs. Black-Swan died some time ago, but the bereaved widower has now a new wife, and they are breeding! She was on the nest (not in the picture) when we were there, with her husband making sure nobody would get too close.

Across the moat (you can see the sign clearly saying "CLOSED" - but not for us!) and through the gatehouse...

...we entered the courtyard. Here, once more Dr. Jones stopped to explain about the surrounding buildings, and then we went to the main door and entered the hall...

...to find a birthday cake and tea/coffee for the five of us (including Dr. Jones) waiting for us by the fire place!!
It was overwhelming, something I really had not expected, and I must admit I was welling up a little.
The cake was delicious, the hot drinks welcome, and all the time Dr. Jones kept us entertained and interested with more about Markenfield and its residents.

After everyone was full and warm, we continued our tour indoors. This vaulted room can be booked for weddings:

Up a beautiful wooden staircase and into what is the main reception / living area of Markenfield Hall:

Concerts and other events are occasionally held there, but it is also very much the living room of the family who live here. The books are not just decorative - they are the personal collection of the current owner, and have all been read.

The chapel was next. It is still in use, and Markenfield is one of the smallest parishes in England, consisting of six people at the moment.

There was another room for us to see, but it is a bedroom (in use when guests are staying with the owners) and therefore, photography was not allowed. Rest assured, though, that it was a beautiful room, with its own en-suite bath room.

Back into the Great Hall, where I had a closer look at this impressive trunk. Dr. Jones said it is Portuguese. I wonder what treasures it once held - or still holds!

This was, as I said, a great surprise and a wonderful day. My sister-in-law drove us all back to Ripon, where we spent another pleasant hour or two over more hot drinks and biscuits.

Have a look at Markenfield Hall in the summer on my 2017 post; you will also find links there to Markenfield's own blog and website.

Thank you, dear sister, for this wonderful birthday gift! My thanks also go to Sarah, the friendly administrator who arranged everything so kindly for us, Dr. Jones for sharing his great knowledge about the place with us, and of course my sister-in-law and niece for taking us there and coming with us.

Yorkshire Holiday 2019 - Along the River

Tuesday, the 26th of March, we met for lunch with our friends George and Lilian Pickles. As long-time readers of my blog, you'll probably remember that George Pickles used to be Ripon's Hornblower for 12 years before retiring from that position; there are several (sort of) guest posts by and an interview with him on my blog. He and his lovely wife are now both in their early 80s and great company - witty, interested and interesting, charming, open-minded, well travelled and just really very very nice people.

The Water Rat is a pub close to where my mother-in-law lives, and I've been there with the family and with friends several times. This year, it has undergone a massive make-over and is now more a restaurant than a pub. It had only reopened on the Saturday before our lunch, so everything was really still brand new.

The owner came to greet us at our table, and when George spotted former Mayor and Freeman of the City Mr John Richmond, he introduced us, too. We felt a little bit like celebrities! The food was very nice, and I was happy to discover the Water Rat stocks my favourite brand of ginger beer. Most of all, though, we enjoyed the company of our friends, and are determined to keep up the tradition on our next visit.

After the meal, we felt the need to go for a walk. The weather looked a bit uncertain about what it wanted to do, and so we decided not to go far. A quick stroll along the river was just right. Ripon sits on three rivers: the Ure, the Laver and the Skell. The one that goes right through the city centre and also past the Water Rat and my mother-in-law's house is the Skell.

On our way back, it was still early enough for the cathedral to be open for visitors, and so we finally went inside after having taken so many photos already from the outside.

Whether you see it as a place of worship or not, it is simply a wonderful building well worth your time. As we've been inside so many times already, we just wanted to have a quick look around - we were going to be back in two days for a concert and on Saturday for a fair anyway.

Back at the cottage, we were both still relatively full from lunch and so opted for a light tea/dinner of salad, two types of bread (toasted) and a selection of cheeses, accompanied by a glass of red, in front of the fireplace and watching TV.

Yorkshire Holiday 2019 - Ripon Canal

Monday, the 25th of March, was the kind of beautiful spring days with wall-to-wall sunshine we would have wished for our walk to Fountains Abbey. We even (very briefly) thought about repeating it, but then thought better of it - there would be other visits there in future years, and today was a new day with time for a different walk.

Ripon Canal was the plan for today. We visited some of our favourtie shops in the morning, and after a quick and light lunch at home went out for a few hours to walk along the canal.
If you want to compare this year's pictures with those of our last walk there in the Summer of 2017, click here. 
 

Ripon Canal starts and ends here, with the canal basin in town.

Nature Reserve (not open for walks)

A friendly robin was hoping for tidbits - we didn't have any.

Where the canal boats live

Back at the cottage, the evening light was once again marvellous. This was the view from the front room of our cottage at arount 5:30 pm:

Then it was my turn to make our tea/dinner. I chose to try my hand at Shakshouka, a dish O.K. and I had first tried last year in December. It is easy to make, and yet I messed up - the eggwhites did not behave the way I expected, and so my Shakshouka did not look as nice as the one O.K. made for us then (and has been making a few more times since).

Still, it tasted nice, and next time I hope I'll be more successful.