Markets, Mills, Trains, Boats and Dales Friday 05 August 2011

I am up early to start loading the cases at 07:30. They come at me in dribs and drabs but have all loaded in about 45 minutes. Time for a quick change and some breakfast before our departure at 09:00.

The motorway is quiet and trouble free as we drive to the wonderful Trentham Gardens and shopping village.
It has turned out nice and sunny and all enjoy their two hours here with most wanting to stay longer. I can understand this as there is a lot to see and you could easily have four hours here and even that may not be long enough.
Back on the motorway I drive as far as Oxford services for a stop before the last leg of our journey. I call all of the taxi’s from here hoping there will not be too much traffic between here and Guildford, my first drop off.
I have allowed 15 minutes extra just in case.
As we approach the M25 there are signs informing motorists that there is congestion between junctions 17 to 15. We are joining at junction 16 so I hope the time I have allowed will make up for our delay to junction 15 where we join the A3.
As soon as I am on the motorway the traffic slows and then stops and the signs start flashing telling us that the motorway is shut at junction 8! Not good. It will be one long queue now and I have to call the taxi’s again from my stationary position on the motorway.
In the end it is so bad I turn off onto the M3 and head south to Lightwater and then cut across country via Knaphill to Guildford. The only problem is a lot of other people have the same idea!
By the time we reach Guildford I am an hour late.
What a pain but there is nothing to be done once embroiled in the traffic. It is just a relief to be clear of it.
It doesn’t take too long from here although we have a bit of a wait at Petersfield as there are not enough taxi’s to take everyone home in one go. Again not a problem and I’m soon back in the yard.


Brian’s wife Wendy and daughter Lisa have a joint birthday party in Aldershot tonight that we are all going to.

Markets, Mills, Trains, Boats and Dales Thursday 04 August 2011

After such a lovely day yesterday today promises to be a bit wetter, and it doesn’t disappoint! It is lashing it down when we leave the hotel. The rain does stop for a while and your hopes are raised but then it pours down to dash any thoughts of a good day.

It is supposed to be drier and sunnier this afternoon.
Our first port of call is to Foulridge (check name!) where a canal boat is waiting to take the group on a hour and a half cruise on the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
They all seem to enjoy this gentle start to the day while I stayed behind to do some work sat on the coach.
According to this morning’s weather forecast the rain should stop by mid morning to give us a drier rest of the day. Wrong again! It is raining persistently!
We leave the canal behind and drive to the market town of Clitheroe which is a busy little place with lots of hills and lots of rain.
We are leaving her at 15:00 and they are all back before with the rian putting a real dampener on the day.
It is only twenty minutes back to the hotel and we drive past my new local and new favourite Indian on the way back!
It is nice to have the rest of the afternoon to relax and I spend my time kipping and working.

Markets, Mills, Trains, Boats and Dales Wednesday 03 August 2011

A much easier day today driving wise. Yesterday was the Dales and today is the Market, Mill and Train.

We once again depart at 09:00 and drive the short distance to Bury. I keep off the motorway which lands me in a traffic jam in Accrington but still arrive in Bury forty minutes later.
I haven’t been to Bury before and the main reason for this morning’s visit is to see the market with its 370 stalls.
The sat nav takes me in to Bury but brings me to the market on the wrong side of the road. Not many roundabouts in Bury! I drive around the block and drop the group off in a bus stop explaining where I will pick them up from later.
From here I again follow the sat nav the short distance to the railway station and once again I am on the wrong side of the road! I am directed into a car park next to the station that is exactly that, a car park. No room for coaches. I have to turn around and manage to do this in about twenty shunts backwards and forwards to face the right way. It is a relief to have managed it. By the time I have turned a guard appears and explains where I should stop and drop the group. At least I didn’t look silly with a coach load of passengers on!
It takes a couple of minutes to go back to the market where I park up and go for a walk. It is extremely hot now on a lovely sunny day.
I am not a market person but I am impressed with this market. It is both indoor and outdoor and there is plenty of room to move about even though it is very busy. The food stands are lovely with lots of enticing local produce. There are plenty of places to eat and drink and it also backs onto the main shopping centre.

We stay here until 12:30 when I take the passengers the correct way to the station! I walk them to the platform to wait for our steam train. It is due in at 12:48 and departs at 13:10. Once they are all sat down I disappear back to the coach and drive to the end of the line at Rawstenstall where I shall meet them.
I fill up with fuel here before waiting for the train to come in.
Once they are all back on the coach we then drive to the wonderfully named Oswaldtwistle Mill, a shopping centre located in an old mill. I have told them that the restaurant is excellent here (it is) with many fresh dishes on offer.
We arrive at 14:20 and are met by a coach parking man and a young lady handing out discount vouchers. Off they go until 16:30.
I drive to the coach park and then walk back to the mill for a look around and something to eat.
The restaurant is closed! Bum! There is a coffee shop that has a small selection of hot food but it is now very busy and there is obviously a bit of a wait for cooked or fresh food. I have a coffee and a scone as I can’t be arsed to wait!
I think the mill was a bit hit and miss with the group, some liking it and others not quite so keen.
From here it is about five minutes back to the hotel.
I am going to go out for dinner tonight and ask at reception where the best local Indian restaurant is. It is in Clayton le Moors and is about a ten minute walk (uphill) away. I know their ten minutes and expect it to take me closer to thirty.
It takes me thirteen and by the time I am at the top of the hill I am ready for a beer. It must be this northern air!
I locate the restaurant (Balti Stan) and then go to a rough looking pub called the Albion. It is as rough inside as outside but the beer is cheap - £2.30 for a pint of lager. It is £3.40 at home.
I then walk for one more beer at the Hare and Hounds and it is 10p dearer here but still very cheap.
When I go into the restaurant there is one other table occupied but they soon leave and I am on my own with half a dozen waiters. I receive good service!

The restaurant is very nice inside and the food excellent. I order a starter and main course but soon wish I hadn’t as the starter is a meal in itself.
My Madras appears in a dish twice the size we have at home and I struggle to eat it all. I make a decent attempt but have to give in eventually or I will go pop! And that would not be a pretty sight!
I enjoy the walk back to the hotel and am back in y room by 21:30 after a very enjoyable night out.

Markets, Mills, Trains, Boats and Dales Tuesday 02 August 2011

Up at 07:00 to enjoy my breakfast before we leave at 09:00. The breakfast is a buffet with a good selection of hot and cold food. My bacon and eggs are delicious and everything is all very relaxed with people sitting where they like.
As the people give their room number on the way in they are given a menu for this evening to complete. I can see a few not doing this as it is not very well explained. A problem I will leave the hotel staff to deal with.
Just before we depart the lady in charge of the restaurant appears with a handful of menu’s and a couple of pencils. Those that haven’t made their choices can now do so.
I am a bit embarrassed to admit I was one of the guilty few! As soon as I saw the lady with her menus I realised I had forgotten to complete mine! I thought I could slyly get away with it but no, I am seen filling one in outside of the coach!
If nothing else I seem to have gained a couple of pencils!
Today we are going to visit the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, a part of the country I love but have rarely visited in recent years.
It is a damp morning but the forecast is favourable for later in the day.
Our first stop is the pretty village of Grassington where we enjoy some time to explore this pretty village and indulge in a nice cup of Yorkshire tea.
As we arrive the rain has stopped and it has become very warm.
I park in the coach park and once they are all off I go into the National Park Centre to find out about a coach map for the area. I remember having one before telling me what roads I can and cannot drive on and would like a new one. Some of the roads are narrow and I want to make sure I only drive on roads I am allowed to!
From here we take the road north towards Hawes and it is narrow, very narrow in places, and even narrower at times! The scenery is gorgeous with lovely green meadows sectioned off with dry stone walls and old, sometimes decrepit, stone store houses scattered about the fields.
I am a little relieved to reach the main road without too many incidents with vehicles coming the other way. A bit of a dodgy drive but worth it for the scenery.
We arrive in Hawes on market day and see a few old busses running about on some local routes. It is lovely to see and makes me wish I had a vintage coach. One day!
We spend a couple of hours in Hawes hopefully allowing enough time to visit this small town with its market, museums and of course time for lunch. Hawes is the home of Wensleydale cheese and you can visit the Wensleydale Cheese Creamery and museum. I don’t visit the creamery but do buy some cheese as it is one of my favourites.

I have my lunch in a cafe close to the coach park and rope makers and enjoy a superb Wensleydale cheese baguette followed by the nicest homemade scone I have tasted. All not very important but just wanted you to know!
By the time we leave Hawes the sun has come out and it is now a beautiful afternoon. The scenery is stunning with clear blue skies the backdrop to gorgeous green hills (high but not quite mountains!) and shorn sheep everywhere. In some of the fields you will see a pile of wool from the recently sheared sheep and the sheep themselves running about naked!
During our picturesque ride we stop close to the Ribblehead Viaduct, a beautiful arched bridge that carries the Settle/Carlisle Railway and is a famous beauty spot.
I only just stop though as the first lay-by I pull into is full of puddles and I drive over one of these puddles and nearly sink! The bus bangs the ground and I quickly move back onto the road and end up stopping on the road so we can get out and take some pictures. It is a beautiful sight. And we see a train travel across, a freight train, but a train nonetheless! Our happy snappers are happy!
There seem to be a lot of lorries on the road and mostly tipper lorries who are not the most forgiving and courteous drivers on the road. If it’s a narrow bit of the road we meet one and it is always me who slows down. For a very long time I am being followed by one of these lorries and I can see him keep putting his nose out as if to overtake me but he is only trying to bully me into moving over. No chance pal!

We drive through Settle on the way back and I am going to stop for half an hour but there is a market on here too and it is close tov the coach parking area and the road I want is shut so we carry on back to the hotel. Probably just as well because it is now raining very heavily.
I am a little tired today and don’t enjoy the drive back from the viaduct. It seems to be me against all these aggressive lorries and I don’t like it. That’s why I didn’t let the doughnut behind me pass!
We are back at the hotel just before five and the passengers have enjoyed a good day. I hope they have anyway!
Once I have dropped them all back at the hotel I go for a short drive left from the hotel to see what is there and if it is possible to walk one evening. The next village is Rishton and it is a bit of a walk away up and down hills. They must be fit in this neck of the woods because you can walk in any direction and you will be either going downhill or uphill.


Hollie has been to Sorrento with the school for the last five days and is home today after having a great time.

Markets, Mills, Trains, Boats and Dales! Monday 01 August 2011

Off to the North today on our Markets, Mills, Boats, Trains and Dales holiday with 45 passengers. I wish all holidays had this many on! One day?!
I have had to take Brian’s coach as the one I normally drive needs a couple of jobs doing to it.
I always enjoy the north of England and am looking forward to this five day break that has a lot of content.
My first pick-up is in Petersfield and have told the taxi company that the coach will be there at 09:00 to leave at 09:30.
I get the coach early and am in Petersfield just after 08:00, giving me time for a bacon sandwich and coffee before the journey.
Dave Goodall has dropped his wife Pat’s mobility scooter in the office and I wheel it down to the coach.
It is only just 08:15 and there are two passengers there already! The taxi has picked them up very early. I load there cases and then disappear for my breakfast. I can’t miss my bacon sarnie now can I?!
From Petersfield we pick up in Liphook and then on to Guildford for our last passengers.
It is great this morning as we get to drive through the long awaited Hindhead Tunnel which finally opened last week. It will make a huge difference to some of our trips.
It is also exciting going through it!
It is all motorway today with our first stop at Toddington services before continuing on the M1 to the M6.
As we approach the M6 there are signs warning of long delays between junctions 10 to 11. These signs continue as we join the M6 so I decide to take the toll road and miss the traffic. By the time we turn off the delay is back to junction 8.
I stop at Norton Canes service area, which is on the toll road, and I am not alone! It is heaving with at least twenty other coaches parked up. This will be fun!
Surprisingly for the amount of coaches the actual self service restaurant is very quiet with no queues. It is a different story by the toilets where everybody seems to be milling about and the noise is like a busy school canteen.
The one thing I didn’t like was outside where most of the rubbish bins were full and overflowing.
These motorway stops are okay when quiet but when they are this busy they are not a lot of fun.
The one bonus of stopping here is that they give you a voucher for the toll road saving me about a tenner. Result!
From here it is a couple of hours to our hotel, the Mercure Dunkenhalgh Hotel, in Clayton les Moor.
As I pull off the M65 I come to a set of lights with a choice of turning right or left. I am sure I have to go left but the trusty sat nav is sending me right. I turn right. Wrong! It is a bit of a pain turning round as there are a shortage of roundabouts but I manage it in the end and soon arrive at the hotel.
It is an impressive drive up to it and looks like a cross between a country house and a castle. I pull up outside the main entrance and immediately the staff are out with room keys/cards and menu’s for tonight’s dinner. The luggage is also taken away quickly and efficiently and I am soon parked in the large car park behind the hotel.
My room, and many of the passengers, is in a courtyard with all the rooms looking like little houses. I hope the inside is as nice as the outside.
The courtyard is situated between the main hotel and the impressive looking leisure centre.
My room is big and roomy but does have a musty smell which I deduce is coming from the curtains. It does have Sky Sports on the television and I manage to watch the end of the test match with England thrashing India.

I have a drink in the bar before dinner and am sitting at a table close to the bar. It is warm today and a touch muggy. One of my ladies is at the bar ordering her drink when she mentions the heat to the barmaid who replies that it is unusually warm.
The lady then says she is feeling the heat and it is probably due to being up north where the air is thinner!! I nearly drop my beer laughing. Only nearly mind.
Dinner was nice but extremely hot, my shepherd’s pie couldn’t be eaten straight away as it would burn my mouth.
We are obviously on a cheaper menu which is understandable but the one thing that has annoyed me is the people have to walk to the bar to order a drink. The waiting staff, all lovely and attentive, are not taking orders for drinks at the table. I think it is a bit off to have to leave the table and queue at the bar during your meal. I am sitting away from the group at a table on my own and I’m being served drinks! Or rather have been offered.