caving

 In the Alps via the miracle of a 6th hand 1980's Minibus. This is a noisy, cramped but very cheap way of getting there. If you take enough Pro Plus the chronic lack of sleep needed to do it in 24 hours whilst either driving or being sat amongst 3 weeks of dehydrated chicken supreme, primula and rapid apple becomes much more bearable. A diesel engine at a constant 4000 rpm in 4th gear has a memorably fatiguing engine note, I can hear it now 30 years distant.We are in the Vercour caving, next to the region's premier show cave is the Grotte...

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Harrogate's Transport Revolution - Waiting for Godot

I don't know much about Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, but I do know, somebody gets a beating, someone else goes blind and then denies something ever happened, oh and Godot never comes.If you are interested like I am in seeing less congestion and more active and sustainable travel in Harrogate, waiting for Godot is a fair metaphor for the...

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The joy of exing Xmas

Spoiler Alert If Christmas is your thing and I know some people who wait a whole year for the next one, you probably shouldn't read this. This vitriolic diatribe is about persuading you to abandon much of the 21st Century UK Christmas and make your own fun. If you feel the very idea is mean-spirited and tantamount to murdering David Attenborough,...

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Even more thoughts on a Harrogate Relief Road

Cairn Hotel in town this morning, NYCC are presenting their addendum to a report on congestion in Harrogate. We are now offered: A modified package B - sustainable interventions of many kinds, but including bus lanes, bike lanes, town centre pedestrianisation and crucially road space taken off cars, (not sure why no park and ride in this package...

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A Barely Defrosted Steak Pie - Leeds Commuting

No one likes biting into a  barely defrosted steak pie, at least no-one I know. That's how I feel about travelling by Northern Rail at the moment. It will keep you alive but it is not satisfying and you end up with gravy and ice on your face. I have been taking the train more recently, my car died. I bought a folding bike. I end up on the...

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More thoughts on a Harrogate Relief Road

North Yorkshire County Council's chances of getting a relief road in the Nidd Gorge took a hit today. Don Mackenzie deferred putting his Relief Road out to consultation for 6 months or so. I imagine in no small measure as a result of the hue and cry the idea was attracting. He has toned down his rhetoric but I feel he is still struggling...

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Ode to the Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny ambled in to Starbeck Oddly for a vegetarian mammal it brought eggs, It left them somewhere safe and said. "Den access is not what it was, check it out small humans." Then enigmatically but helpfully, "Its all about the Last Straw." Then he took himself off for another year....

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A few specifics then Councillor Broadbent

It's election season, Starbeck is to have a new County Councillor after the frequently politically useless Liberal Councillor DeCourcey Bailey leaves the theatre of Harrogate politics. I only accuse her of being politically useless because she seemed to be totally reactive at her best, or mostly actively inert even when her residents were asking for her help, on issues her party supported. Phillip Broadbank is the new contender, I got their Party Leaflet through the letterbox yesterday and a wonderful mix of policy-lite soundbites and meaningless...

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In the world of Harrogate Borough Council this makes sense

Begin forwarded message: From: Harrogate Borough Council <noreply@harrogate.gov.uk> Subject: Response to your Bins and recycling enquiries submission Date: 24 March 2017 at 14:41:44 GMT To: xxxxxx@gmail.com Dear Rachael PrinceThank you for your enquiry, received on 23 March 2017.I appreciate that you returned the bin at the time it was offered, but once a bin has been refused, it is not possible to re-issue it. The garden waste service has been reviewed and restructured to make it more equitable for all residents,...

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How to make a Nidd Valley Beanie

This hat is crocheted using two different colours as a twin spiral. You will need two standard balls of Aran weight yarn. One dark grey,  one yellow, I used Drops Alaska Dark Grey Mix  and Rico Essentials Sun yellow  along with a 4mm crochet hook, I like the knit pro Symfonie hooks, other hooks are available. Most of...

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To do nothing would be stupid and dangerous

What if we had money to improve Leeds Transport along a gridlocked road corridor and had evidence that the current road layout was killing and injuring people disproportionately but we did nothing about it? That would be bonkers would it not? So here we are, the Otley Road corridor into Leeds resembles a carpark at rush hour which is bad for drivers. It  makes Leeds a clean air black spot. It holds the buses up and as this new map of cycling casualties in Leeds for the last five years shows. It appears to be injuring more than it fair share...

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The price of Sucess

Sam's Idea I acquiesce. Horton again, not long after dawn, sun is out, mist on the tops, a great day. Yorkshire's Three peaks is the target. I'm easily the least able member of the party which includes a dangerous Rickard, but nothing ventured, why not?We start well, Penyghent gives in easily. 40 minutes sees us on top in the mist and making good time back towards Ribblehead, now in full sun, the miles tick by on good undulating tracks but mainly down. Sam is stamping out a good tempo. 10 miles in at the tea shed, all is well and nearly half distance...

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