Five Go Mad
 

Monday 9 May 2011

FiveGoMad in Yorkshire

The GoMadders took a break in North Yorkshire this Easter.

Arriving on Good Friday we wasted no time in driving up to Scar House reservoir, and walking across the Dam built to supply Bradford with water in 1936. The construction was actually begun in 1921. The place being so remote a small town was built to house the workers and their families, at it's height having a population of 1,250. Curiously once the dam was finished the whole town was demolished, leaving only the foundations remaining as a silent memory to the men and women who lived and laboured in this breathtaking landscape.
High on our list of favourite things was a day spent driving around the Dales on the Saturday, popping in first to Grassington, a delightful little town that serves as a gateway to the higher part of the national park. From there a drive uphill, through beautiful countryside to the village of Arncliffe. Stopping off for a pint in the eccentrically wonderful Falcon Inn. If you've never been go soon before it changes. It is a real throwback to a long gone age. No concessions to modernity here, the beer is still served straight from the keg to a jug and then to your glass. No pumps, just gravity.

Sitting out on the green, sipping our beer we gave in to a little daydreaming, fantasising about buying the lovely house which we noticed for sale opposite us. Curiosity got the better of us and we went to have a good snoop.  Could we relocate to somewhere so remote?Perhaps we could run our business from there? It's amazing how a little sunny weather makes everything seem possible! 
From there we popped in to Settle and Skipton, about which the least said, the better.

Finally we ended our splendid day with a visit to Ramsgill and the fantastic Yorke Arms for dinner. We had obviously seen the TRIP and just had to check out where Steve Coogan had sat.  Wow, what an idyllic place. Walking through the tiny village seeing the cherry trees in full blossom, the sun slowly setting over the breathtaking countryside, ducks ferrying their ducklings home for the night, and then in to the comfort of Francis Atkins's welcoming dining room to eat Michelin starred food; it really doesn't get much better.
Sunday we pootled over to Helperby.
Our hosts kept our thirsts at bay with copious quantities of Pimms and champagne, whilst giving us a leisurely guided tour of this picturesque N. Yorks village. We were really quite jealous as they bought asparagus fresh from a neighbours garden. We have to get ours from Waitrose!

We left with pretty long faces on Monday, to make our way back to The Smoke. We'll be back, soon we hope.

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