HEBDEN BRIDGE

Back on the road again on my own after the girls visit.

I decided to explore a bit of West Yorkshire, so I headed off to what has been named by British Airways High Life magazine as "one of the world's funkiest towns" and the 'The greatest 'Town in Europe' , Hebden Bridge. It is a small market town in the Upper Calder Valley, which I had heard was a lovely place to visit. And as a point of interest Ed Sheehan was born in Hebden Bridge in 1991. (you never know it might help you in a pub quiz in the future! and you heard it here first!)

The Caravan and Motorhome club site was based in Mytholmroyd about three and a half miles from Hebden Bridge, it was very cheap to stay there as well because they do fifty percent off rates in the winter months, so it was less than a tenner a night. For that I got peace and quiet because there are not many people around at this time of year. A lot of sites begin to shut down for the end of the season. I also got fresh drinking water, and somewhere to fill the motorhome tank with fresh water for showers, washing up etc.  And a drain to empty what is described as"the Grey Water" , this is water from showers and washing up etc. And most importantly a place to empty my toilet cassette and wash it out.
One thing I did need doing badly was my roots. I just took it for granted booking my regular hair appointments with my hairdresser Richard(who I miss like mad) every six weeks to get my grey roots covered. But on the road, moving from one place to the next, it was not that easy. Luckily, literally over the road from the campsite, there was a salon in an industrial estate and they tested the colour and then did it for me the next day. Thankfully Richard had given me the colours they used in the salon in Tunbridge Wells, so I could let the hairdresser know and she matched their colours as close as she could. It was good to have it done, it gave me a new lease on life. I know some women embrace the grey hairs and find it liberating. But for me I love my coloured hair and will keep doing it probably until I die. I just don't envisage myself every going grey. But never say never!

The Rochdale canal runs for 33 miles between Sowerby Bridge in Calderdale all the way to Manchester. So I decided that I would take a walk along the canal to get to Hebden Bridge.

Hebden Bridge has a reputation for being quirky and very arty and as I walked along the tow path there was a very quirky feel about many of the longboats along the canal. There is a whole community of people who live on the longboats and some of them have their own little gardens.

In the 19th and 20th centuries Hebden Bridge was famous for its clothing manufacture and it was known as 'Trouser Town' because of it's water powered weaving mills.  I was so lucky that the sun shone on the day of my walk along the tow path because it had been raining so heavily. It meant that many of the disused factories along my route shone brightly in the sunshine and looked pretty spectacular. 

After walking the three miles there and three miles back and exploring the town I was pretty tired and hungry. So I made myself a delicious dinner of spicy chicken, carrots and new potatoes. And settled down to relax for the night.

But that did not last long as the heavens really opened and the rain was beating down on the motorhome for hours. At times it was so loud. (hear recording below)

It took me back to my childhood when all eight children and my mum and dad used to go camping in a caravan. When it was raining we would all sit around the table playing cards and we felt so secure.

It is so nice to have the time to stop and recall my childhood memories.