It’s that time of year when I make my first sighting of the greater-spotted caravaner (tardus progressio) along the A65 near home. On Bank Holidays I tend to dip into my repertoire of back roads in order to find a quiet drive, a short walk and a nice pint. Good Friday was far from good on the main Dales roads so I ventured off the main route to the Lakes, down to Bentham and followed the narrow road over the moors to Slaidburn. I took in the scene over the Three Peaks and Gragareth from that enormous and weird Great Stone of Fourstones (pictured) before tackling the winding way over the tops. In places, roadside snowdrifts hung precariously over the car roof, while on the bleak moors the fierce wind had created crazy snow patterns amongst the tufts and the walls. A sharpish walk beside the river in Slaidburn helped ease the guilt of spending most of the day on my backside then it was off to Tosside for a welcome pint.
When you live here, Paul, the Bank Holiday is the time to dip into your To Do list (wrote the man who has just got home from Bolton Abbey).