We flew into Manchester, then took the train (the Trans-Pennine Express) to Leeds, where Deb met our train, and we changed to the train for Keighley, disembarking at Bingley, as that was where Deb had parked the car. Deb and Kenny were still finishing the week's work, so Ruth and I hiked the towpath along the nearby Leeds-Liverpool Canal, took photographs, and recovered from jet lag.
The Bingley Five Rise Locks (five sets of locks raise and lower the boats between upper and lower levels). According to the informational sign, they are the steepest locks on the longest canal in the country, and are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways.
One day we walked through the neighborhood to East Riddelsden Hall, a National Trust property, and found a few things to photograph that were unusual (to American visitors, at least).
Once the work week was completed, the four of us set off for a week in Shropshire, staying at a wonderful cottage near Ludlow, and exploring that area.
While on our way back from Shropshire, we visited castles.
Back at Deb & Kenny's house, we had a lazy day, then, fully rested, did some sightseeing. We went to the nearby village of Saltaire. A mill town, Saltaire was built in the nineteenth century by Sir Titus Salt to house his workers. Today the mill provides shops, offices and flats for residents.
The next day we had a day out at York. York was built as a fortress in AD71, and its city walls still stand. Constantine was made Emperor of Rome in York in AD306.
Traveling up over Ilkley Moor, the heather was in bloom, coloring the moor purple near Cowper's Cross. We then went up into the Yorkshire Dales to Brimham Rocks, to see the huge rock formations.
The next day we decided to visit the Scarecrow Festival in Kettlewell, not too far away. Residents competed by creating innovative scarecrows and placing them outside the homes.
On the way back from the scarecrow festival, we stopped in Skipton, where we saw the parish church and Skipton Castle.
The next day we drove over Ilkley Moor to visit Ilkley. The church was one of the oldest we had seen, dating from AD627.
