Hepdene Rose

Fighting tiredness the first Sunday in June, we left the house just as a shower descended. Doubting we’d get far, we dawdled up Fountain Street, garlanded with orange, gold and pink roses, and onto the aqueduct. Wagtails flitted in profusive growth on the makeshift island. A flock of swallows flew overhead, accompanied by the call of a mystery bird. Across Blackpit Lock, insects lazed on oxeye…

The penultimate Friday of May stunning, we made a trip to Strines Bridge. The woman next door, recovering from a nasty illness, sat beside us at the stop awaiting a bus to the garden centre. Three services due, a fellow passenger raged because the first one wasn’t hers. ‘Read the board!’ I hissed through gritted teeth. The 586 was next and full. Schoolboys with scrawled shirts inhabited the back.…

Sunday of the Spring Bank weekend 2025 was Phil’s only chance for an outing. We set off in uninviting wind to hunt wild irises in Nutclough. Up the street, rhododendron blossoms lay grounded by violent gusts. Garden clearance exposed archaic mounting steps. A woman pulled luggage up The Buttress. ‘To the top?’ I enquired. ‘Yes, no need for the gym.’ ‘Definitely not.’ On Hangingroyd Lane, we…

A mid-November Sunday walk began on Hangingroyd Close, where residents stood in the middle of the road tutting at recent tree surgery. The Buttress busy with weekenders, an unsuitably attired couple carrying shopping bags confoundedly climbed a dodgy incline the other side of Lee Wood Road. Down the winding lane, mushy fungi invaded felled trunks while scarlet holly berries and flourishing…

Sleeplessness leading to lethargy on a bright March Wednesday, we took an easy ride to Blackshaw Head. A sizeable queue for the bus signified the previous one hadn’t turned up. A man said it broke down and a group of women that they’d waited hours which I doubted. Inevitably late, the service alarmingly disappeared from the display but appeared soon after. Arriving at Blackshaw Head chapel, we…

The summerlike feeling lasting until the end of April, we foraged in the co-op for reduced wraps and leaky raspberries before a Sunday walk. On Neptune Bridge, we paused to observe tall dandelions and frondy ferns swaying above the canal and consider options. Despite feeling weird due to sleep issues, I complied with Phil’s desire to climb Horsehold Road. Slowly slogging up, a passing French…

An unseasonably warm day in early April, we caught the 596 to Edge Lane. Slightly early for once, the jovial driver smiled: ‘One way? Walking?’ ‘Yes, slowly,’ I confirmed. The bus emptied in Heptonstall and we rode quietly passed ripening fields and new lambs. On alighting, we paused to rectify a camera issue when a friend appeared. She was returning from her nearby allotment after planting Swiss…

Thursday began with a better viewing of St. Cuthbert’s. Amidst a mishmash of styles, the sunny morning highlighted a leaning tower, a war memorial in the form of an inscribed wooden cross and defaced gargoyles. Phil amusingly posed in front of a tiny door before we headed inside. A woman immediately jumped up from her seat to provide an overview and invite us to look round. The main part of the…

Despite a steely cloud-covered sky and a cold wind, Wednesday defied forecasts to stay bright and dry. The very select St Leonard’s hospice charity shop briefly waylaid us on the way to town. At Peaseholme Green, we went up Aldwark which proved quite a coincidence, and Bedern, to go in the Hall. Information folders, photos and a helpful woman, filled in historical details. After the Vicar’s…

Grey clouds augured wind and rain on the Tuesday. We left the flat earlier than usual and walked quickly to the station where roadworks blocked pavements. Checking times and obtaining tickets from a real person in the travel centre, we crossed to platform 8 and sat on the train until it departed. Extensive rail sidings and farmland slid by through streaky windows. In Knaresborough, we slogged up…

Monday, we walked the city wall from the Red Tower to Lendal, disembarking at every bar, we explored some of the distinct character of the environs of each. Starting at Foss Islands, we were sidetracked by a large charity shop in the extensive retail park. Both floors of the store highly curated, we came out empty-handed, glanced in the big Gregg’s, became trapped in the endless carpark, and…

On the Sunday, we were momentarily diverted by Native American buskers on Parliament Street on the way to All Saints Pavement. Inside the church, a combination of printed leaflets and verbal information from a feoffee (sort of trustee), educated us on its history and features. Possibly rebuilt in the 12th and 14th centuries, an Anglo-Danish grave cover harked back to 10th century origins.…

To learn more of its rich history, we booked a longer stay in York late March. After a hassle-free Friday afternoon train journey, we fumbled gaining access to the apartment but once settled, had a pleasant stay. We stocked up at the basic nearby Asda, ate dinner then walked down Layerthorpe, past lairy Bumblebee and stormtrooper figures outside the self-storage unit, to the Black Swan. Even…

June 2025, we set off for Mytholmroyd via Park Lane. A couple purposefully strode up Wood Top Road. We dallied, enjoying greenery, light and shade, and petrichor scents. Passing grazing ewes in the pasture, we continued to the corner of Wood Hey Lane for Phil to briefly fly the drone in the gusts, while I surveyed the old dyeworks and associated pond. Turning left, a plethora of pretty flowers…

Wanting to photograph The Shambles at night and explore lesser-known lanes and alleys, we stayed over in York towards the end of February. Signal faults caused delays. I spent the unexpected hour at our local station photographing the features and information displays. When the train eventually arrived, I chatted to a boy diagonally opposite playing ‘thimblerig’. He knew the game was ancient but…

Required to attend the NHS clinic in Halifax two consecutive days early March, I took the opportunity to explore Bull Green and Harrison Road. On the Monday, I got off the bus near The Playhouse. The former Hanover Street Methodist New Connexion Church, operating from 1836 to 1943 and taken over by Halifax Thespians in 1949, once included a basement Sunday school and a burial ground. The latter…

Despite a sub-zero start to a late November day, we were keen to get out. Before going to Eaves Wood, we bought meal deals from the co-op. “Are you having a walk?” The friendly cashier asked. “Aye, it’s sunny. But as it’s cold, it may not last long!” Struggling up the Cuckoo Steps, we were grateful for the excuse of letting others pass to rest. We crossed Heptonstall Road to the path along the…