Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Handyman

It is a huge relief that we now have a reliable handyman to come and fix things at Laykin.
Darren Chadwick from Keld is coming to visit on Saturday and we are hoping that he will have a creative idea for getting the football out of the road drain behind the cottage!  It rolled in by accident about a month ago and has been stuck ever since...

Monday, 13 June 2011

The annual Swaledale marathon

Congratulations to all those who completed the Swaledale marathon on Saturday 11th June.

The annual Swaledale Marathon passes through some of Swaledale's finest scenery. The 23 mile course is a fell run / challenge walk event - competitors must navigate themselves and complete the course within 10 hours. It has been organised by Swaledale Outdoor Club since 1979.

Steve Brown won the vets trophy and the men's team prize went to the Swaledale team of Steve Brown, Tony Lambert, Stuart Smith and Derek Parrington. Leading the ladies Emma Robinson had a great run to finish in 4.20 in her first attempt at the event.

Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Swaledale in June





It is gorgeous in Swaledale at the moment! If you are keen on flowers, the famous hay meadows at Muker are a sight to delight!

Birds seen in Swaledale last week







Lapwing, curlew, woodcock, grouse family, golden plover and oyster catcher.
It is always a good time to go bird watching.
Amazing that walking in the Lakes, you don't see any of these! It's all down to the wonderful heather moors and the careful keepering in the area.

Friday, 27 May 2011

Swaledale Festival

The Swaledale Festival - where summer begins - starts tomorrow 28th May!

The best music festival in Britain - with concerts in chapels, churches, village halls, pubs, castles and barns, and guided walks in the fantastic scenery of the northern Yorkshire Dales. A fortnight of musical delights and wonderful walking, with top-class musicians from around the world and of course from Yorkshire. From solo violinists to jazz guitarists, folk groups to brass bands, Arabic music to string quartets, there is music for every taste, as well as poetry, drama and art exhibitions.

[Among the] best opera and classical festivals of the season (Daily Telegraph, 13 May 2011)
The perfect marriage of local and international artists (Yorkshire Post, 20 May 2011)
Top-class musicians from around the world (The Guardian, 21 May 2011)

Friday, 6 May 2011

Breaking news!




I am reliably informed that the first grouse chicks have been seen today on the moor!
It has been lovely weather for the females sitting on the nest, but they are having to travel to find water, which is worrying. Rain is now needed to initiate the hatch of insects that the chicks will need to survive.

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Visit Britain inspection

Delighted that Visit Britain have awarded us 4 stars and Gold Award again this year!