After a pleasant breakfast, and rear garden visit with Cloud and Cobweb (two golden retrievers) and the doves and Magdelena, Gordon’s wife), while Gordon gave Neal directions out of town and to Haworth, we visited the Roman Baths - an extremely interesting archeological visit. There is a natural hot spring (about 85 degrees F) that the Romans built the baths around 65-70 AD. There’s far too much to say here so I bought a small book about Bath. I may try to come back next week if London becomes too oppressive. After the tour, we went into Bath Abbey, across Pulteney Bridge (with shops like the Pontevechio in Florence) and left for the M5 to M6 to Yorkshire. I forgot to mention about the water in the Pump Room, a restaurant. One can purchase a glass of purified water from the spring. It is an acquired taste, which means it’s ickey (and was still warm) with 45 minerals. Also, on the way out of town we drove by the Royal Crescent and the Circus. I liked the Circus better because it had three huge trees in the center. There were lots of cute little shops in the historic center of town that I would like to take more time to browse. It depends on how long the train ride is from London for me to decide whether I will come back here or go to Canterbury.
On the M6, Neal made me drive because he was tired. It wasn’t the left-hand gear shift that gave me trouble, it was having to sit on the right side of the car and concentrate on staying in the lane properly. After 20 minutes, I had to stop, then go for another half hour before I got so tired from being tense so long. I don’t know how other people adjust. I guess I would get used to it. After we got off the Ms, we were on many scenic roads, some scary, some narrow, but all beautiful. There was a "diverted road" (detour) after Oxenhope. Instead of taking the recommended route to Halifax, we took our own detour via very small narrow roads. It worked out well and we found Dimples Lane in Haworth easily.
Upon arriving at our scheduled B&B, Hole Farm, we learned that our innkeeper had to be in France so, unfortunately, we could not stay there. However, they reserved a room for us next door at Hoyle Farm Cottage. It’s actually much nicer so that worked out well too. Our room is large, very nice and has an unspoiled view of the moors. Unspoiled except for the single wind turbine. Apparently, there were supposed to be more of them installed on the tops of the hills but the villagers wouldn’t allow it because it would hurt their tourism industry. So they left one as a novelty.
We walked into the village on the footpath through sheep fields and farms then walked through the graveyard between the Brontë Parsonage and church before going to the Old White Lion Pub for supper. Neal had steak pie and I had half a spring chicken and jacket potato. His steak pie was so good that I’ve decided to come back tomorrow and have some for lunch or dinner.
I’m very excited to be here, taking the same steps that the Brontë’s must have taken. I just can’t put into words how happy I am to see where Charlotte Brontë lived. I try not to feel uneasy about drinking the tap water but do anyway, although I’d rather have bottled water. The tap water was tainted in Charlotte’s day and many of the people in the village died from it. I think the average life span was about 25 years of age.
Neal is reading a very funny book that’s here in our room named "The Perfect Holiday," which gives the 1935 socially acceptable way to travel on vacations. It’s hilarious and includes tips on what to do and see and where to go and what not to do and see and where not to go. There’s one chapter about visiting other people’s houses - Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace, etc. It was charmingly written. Tomorrow is going to be a big day so I had better get to sleep.
