All Things Illingworth!

Janet and Phil did a small trip to the town of Illingworth, Yorkshire.  The GPS Sat Nav took them on roads that were so narrow, Janet thought she was going to collapse.  Illingworth was 5 miles away, or about 40 minutes of travel time.

Janet always thought the name Illingworth had an air of class - it's no Pengilly, granted but it has been Janet's name for almost 40 years.  The town of Illingworth, however,  is completely devoid of charm.  We doggies were going to brag about having a town named after us, but are going to rethink this.

The church is boarded up and now for sale.

This walkway is made of headstones.

The price is between $200K and $230K CAD dollars.  It includes the church and parking lot,  but burial grounds are excluded.  As you can see, final bids were to be in by 22 May, which has long come and gone.  One can only imagine how difficult obtaining "consents" would be.

Aside from the church, the only old remaining building was the Illingworth Jail Gaol.

There has been several campaigns to save the jail, but they appear to have failed.

They drove down Illingworth Road several times because as usual, they were lost.

They drove to the Illingworth Cricket Club.

They saw the bus to Illingworth on Illingworth Road.

They scoped out some potential real estate in Illingworth.

$278,000 CAD dollars.

More prime real estate:

They could have had lunch at Tony's Chippy in Illingworth

But instead, opted to go to Shibden Mill Inn!

Who wouldn't love to sit out here in the summer with a Pimms Cup?

Slow cooked Short Rib with Puy Lentils and the best cauliflower Janet says she has ever eaten.

After lunch, they picked up a brochure from the restaurant and went for a walk ramble, but of course got lost.

The rocks were covered with moss and super slippery.

They passed these buddies!

How cute is he?

What Do The Brits Have That We Don't Have?

First, and probably most obvious is the British Pound, at a jaw dropping rate of 2/1 against the Canadian dollar.  This is a new experience for Janet and Phil as for many years it was 1.5/1 at worst.  A guy needs to get a serious grip on himself as if you spent the whole vacation doing the conversion, you wouldn't have any fun and would be seriously depressed.

The people have told us that some things are super expensive, while other things are a bargain compared to home.  Restaurant dining is about the same, maybe a bit more expensive, but groceries are way less money here.

Planning rules that are posted for very small renovations.  Makes Oak Bay Municipal Hall look like a walk in the park!

They want to change the windows!  However, it is a Listed Building which means it has some historic significance.

Milk delivery in glass bottles to the house next to their cottage which is accessed by a road that is barely more than a glorified walkway!

Canals that cross the entirety of the country and Narrow boats you can rent for vacations.

Janet and Phil walked the 6 miles from Hebden Bridge to Sowerby Bridge.

Locks to adjust the water level whilst on the Narrow boat.

Hopefully, you don't rent this one!

Doggies that get to go to pubs.  We would be all over this.  Please, bring it on!  In archaic BC, they just allowed children to go into pubs.  Go figure - children could go into restaurants that serve food and alcohol but couldn't go into pubs that serve food and alcohol.  Doggies unite and bring our attendance on!

Dogs that go to work....no wait!  Some dogs get to do that; we just don't!

Janet says this doggie was me on steroids.  Super excited to see everyone and bouncing up and down all over the place.  And, like me, loved to bum slam everyone in the legs.

Really old gravesites.  This one is from 1601.

This woman died 1 day and 352 years before Janet was born.

 

All manner and sizes of kiddie's Hunters.

High quality butcher shops in nearly every village.

Paid public toilets.  Only 20p (40 cents) but can be life and death if you don't have the proper coinage when you so desperately need it.

Cute signs made of buttons:

That belong to this shop.

All tuckered out...thanks for dropping by.

The People Change Cottages!

Photos of the new cottage to come soon.  The roads in this town, Hebden Bridge are beyond scary!  Hebden Bridge is an incredibly beautiful old Mill town.  Even Phil doesn't want to drive around here, so what does that tell you!!  They had their GPS set to shortest length between destinations which took them down roads that would barely be called driveways at home.  Some roads were so tight, they had to collapes the side wing mirrors in order to pass by.  GPS was changed, STAT!

This very large and luxurious road is not ours!  Look, a car can fit right down the middle!

The real shit happens when there is a vehicle coming the other direction.

This is the road to our cottage, which is located at the very end.

OK...this is really stupid, but I, Mishy Mashy have to throw this out there.  The reason Janet and Phil went to this area is because Janet was hooked on the TV show "Last Tango In Halifax" and both of them were hooked on the TV show "Happy Valley"!  Noodles and I enjoyed many hours at their feet while they crunched around their iPads watching the shows on Netflix.  Both shows were filmed in this immediate area, which is very beautiful.  The lady that owns the cottage said they are currently filming a new season of "Happy Valley in the immediate environs.  If you have seen either show...do so; they are great.

Janet was freezing her buttcrack off so really wanted to purchase a new fleece jacket.  She has long disliked the one Phil ordered for her online several years ago.  Hello,  Rohan!  High end British outdoor wear.  It didn't help that Janet felt like crap and the soft fleece was way too inviting, and that it cost a small Canadian dollar fortune!   She is generally speaking,  a cheapskate, but Phil encouraged her to go for it and she is super happy.

They drove to Sowerby Bridge (prominent in Janet's shows) and had lunch at the Old Bridge Inn.

It was Sunday, so there was a lunch "deal".  The British pound, at this point in time is brutal next to the Canadian dollar.

Grilled Goat Cheese with Greens and Onions.  Janet said it was super delicious.

Sorry, Phil...it's all gone.

Phil had Seafood Pie and Janet had Mushroom and Pea Risotto.

Today, as it was really nice out, they walked from Hebden Bridge to Heptonstall.  And just in case, the roads weren't narrow enough in their neck of the woods, check this out!

The village is quite small, and most streets are cobblestone.

Lastly, check this out!!

Oh, yeah!  We Illingworth doggies are known far and wide and rightfully so!

Janet and Phil Troop Around The UK

Every year, Janet and Phil purchase a National Trust Pass for 54GBP.  After that, it's look out National Trust as they are hell bent on wringing out every last pence, plus more to obtain the biggest bang for their pound.

They have been to some great properties that were somewhat "close" to their cottage.  Every single year, without fail, they forget that it takes way longer to drive here than at home.  Ten miles away is not ten minutes - more like twenty.  Janet can barely face the road somedays and she deems them to be quite scary - if not in speed on a Motorway, then in width and twisty corners on a small road.  Stirling Moss/Jensen Buttons AKA Phil likes to think he was born and bred on the British Hyways and Byways.

They drove to Chatsworth, which is not a National Trust property, but is supposed to be one of the most fabulous mansions in the UK.  The house belongs to the Duke of Devonshire, but is a registered charity.  Admission was 20GBP each, which is the better part of the National Trust 14 day pass for two people.

Janet didn't care for it.  While very grand, she felt it had a money grab feel to it.  Most rooms had temporary modern art installations, which Janet felt detracted from the stuff they really wanted to see.

The Cascade

They had lunch at the Druid Inn, which was close by and really excellent.  Janet swears by her AA Good Pub app and her Good Pub Guide app.

Next up was actually a NT property.  Calke Abbey.  This was very unusual manor home.  The last of the family to live here threw out nothing.  This fortifies Janet's stand that absolutely nothing will prevent her from renting a dumpster this winter to clean out the basement and unused rooms in our house.  Look out Phil!  We have a tiny fraction of their rooms, but sadly still need a dumpster.  The manor was structurally repaired,  but otherwise the house was left exactly as it was when the last resident died and turned it over to the NT.

Room after room was shut down over the years.  The drawing room had slipcovers over all the chairs that were only removed when fancy company came.  The room was so little used for at least a hundred years that the NT had never seen slipcovers in such great shape.

They also visited Eyam Hall, which the family has turned over to the National Trust, who have it in their care for 10 years.  The family still owns the house and all the contents and live in the nearby village.  This village was very interesting as it was the beginning of "The Plague" and the entire village did everything in their power to control the spread of the disease.

1786!  Amazing!

A Norman Church.

Many. many grand houses and manors in the UK were lost from their families over death duty taxes.  This one is Sudbury Hall.  While they may have lost the large ancestral home, they still own the village and apparently live in a mansion quite close by.  We aren't going to feel too sorry for them.

Fish and Chips, for a change!

These particular ones were really good with Housemade Tartar Sauce.

Check this out at the local grocery store!

And this warning in the window of the store!

 I'm doing my best to help Janet with the blogging and help with Noodles.  She hasn't been well and Mikey, DVM has done extensive research and believes she has vertigo.  She is having trouble walking, but Mikey told Janet she is a trooper in the eating department and despite her issues, still wants to go for walks.  Janet was relieved as she was super worried.

No worries, Janet....I'm on this one and will help Noodles to the best of my puppy dog ability!