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hrjI left Glasgow on my newly-activated Britrail pass and had only minor adventures figuring out how to read the schedule app and manage to find my platforms and whatnot. The Imperial Crown Hotel in Halifax could not possibly be more convenient to the train station. It's a bit of a rabbit warren (and feels like it's cobbled together from several different original buildings) but the room was perfectly adequate and the service was excellent. (And since I made a last-minute reservation through hotels.com, I got a very good price -- though I get the impression this is "off season" for tourists here.)
Did a little walk-about in the town center (which is largely a pedestrian-only zone, yay), spotted my planned breakfast place: a coffee shop in a half-timbered 17th century building in the center of town. Had dinner at the Duke of Wellington pub, then relaxed in my room and got caught up on various online things.
After my 17th century coffee and crumpets, I hiked up to Shibden Hall. The map instructions on my phone suggested two possible routes: one along the roadway and one involving a path and steps through the woods. Of course I took the latter. The path was steep and cobbled and evidently was at one time the only eastern way out of Halifax which caused much grumbling. There was an intermittent drizzle which made the cobbles rather slippery, but the scenery was nice.
Shibden Hall is over the ridge and not visible from Halifax proper -- something I was trying to figure out in advance. The site is absolutely lovely and fascinating. The manor is a great example of a medieval building that has been rather gently revised, adjusted, and redecorated in ways that let you see both what it was and what it became. The docents were plentiful (visitors were a bit light), knowledgeable, and willing to adapt their spiel to the visitor's pre-existing knowledge. I enjoyed several conversations that were probably a bit more in-depth than they usually get to do. They've enthusiastically embraced the "Gentleman Jack" tourism, while still making clear the differences between the historic Anne Lister and the TV show. I took lots of pictures and panoramic videos.
They've also used the outbuildings to create a more general folk museum, with a collection of carriages and reconstructed workshops for various crafts. There's an entire outdoor demonstration space for drystone wall construction. The site includes a large park space with a small lake down the hill, which is where the cafe is. So after the climb up to the ridge to the hall, I then descended to the cafe for a late lunch, climbed back up to the hall, and then back down the hill to Halifax. At that point it was drizzling steadily and I decided that going *down* a steep, slick, cobblestoned path was not a wise thing to do, and took the more boring walk back along the roadway.
I was in that physical state where I felt like I could keep hiking forever...and knew that the moment I sat down I wouldn't be able to get up again. Although after crashing for an hour or so and hanging things up to dry, I did go down to the hotel restaurant for a light snack (where I was the only person eating -- did I mention it seems to be the off season?).
Tomorrow's plan is a relatively meandering scenic route that ends up in London where I'll be based for most of a week.
Did a little walk-about in the town center (which is largely a pedestrian-only zone, yay), spotted my planned breakfast place: a coffee shop in a half-timbered 17th century building in the center of town. Had dinner at the Duke of Wellington pub, then relaxed in my room and got caught up on various online things.
After my 17th century coffee and crumpets, I hiked up to Shibden Hall. The map instructions on my phone suggested two possible routes: one along the roadway and one involving a path and steps through the woods. Of course I took the latter. The path was steep and cobbled and evidently was at one time the only eastern way out of Halifax which caused much grumbling. There was an intermittent drizzle which made the cobbles rather slippery, but the scenery was nice.
Shibden Hall is over the ridge and not visible from Halifax proper -- something I was trying to figure out in advance. The site is absolutely lovely and fascinating. The manor is a great example of a medieval building that has been rather gently revised, adjusted, and redecorated in ways that let you see both what it was and what it became. The docents were plentiful (visitors were a bit light), knowledgeable, and willing to adapt their spiel to the visitor's pre-existing knowledge. I enjoyed several conversations that were probably a bit more in-depth than they usually get to do. They've enthusiastically embraced the "Gentleman Jack" tourism, while still making clear the differences between the historic Anne Lister and the TV show. I took lots of pictures and panoramic videos.
They've also used the outbuildings to create a more general folk museum, with a collection of carriages and reconstructed workshops for various crafts. There's an entire outdoor demonstration space for drystone wall construction. The site includes a large park space with a small lake down the hill, which is where the cafe is. So after the climb up to the ridge to the hall, I then descended to the cafe for a late lunch, climbed back up to the hall, and then back down the hill to Halifax. At that point it was drizzling steadily and I decided that going *down* a steep, slick, cobblestoned path was not a wise thing to do, and took the more boring walk back along the roadway.
I was in that physical state where I felt like I could keep hiking forever...and knew that the moment I sat down I wouldn't be able to get up again. Although after crashing for an hour or so and hanging things up to dry, I did go down to the hotel restaurant for a light snack (where I was the only person eating -- did I mention it seems to be the off season?).
Tomorrow's plan is a relatively meandering scenic route that ends up in London where I'll be based for most of a week.
