The Coldstones Cut is a piece of public art on a monumental scale. Created by the artist Andrew Sabin as a sculptural response to the Coldstones Quarry at Pateley Bridge, the sculpture functions as an array of platforms from which visitors can view both the spectacular quarry hole and limestone quarrying operation, and the landscape of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Beauty and beyond. The sculpture also functions as an interpretive medium for the surrounding landscape, its industrial heritage and its relationship with the quarry.
The Coldstones Cut combines the curious conventions of a contemporary streetscape with the brute impressiveness of ancient stone block constructions. Perched at a height of 1375 feet above sea level, it can be freely explored by visitors who can walk the street and the various winding paths within and experience the extraordinary vistas which the platforms expose.
6 Comments CherryPie on Oct 14th 2020
At the beginning of October I ventured into Apley Woods. Over the summer months I found the woods too busy so this was my first visit for some time. This visit was a stark contrast because, with the exception of the fishermen, I saw only a few other people, which meant that I was able to explore pathways I had not travelled before.
Along the way, I remembered that I am supposed to be plotting a walking route around the area to share with other walkers.
4 Comments CherryPie on Oct 12th 2020
There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country.
A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo.
Even a bicycle goes too fast.
Paul Scott Mowrer
8 Comments CherryPie on Oct 11th 2020
The service we received at breakfast was particularly attentive. As a change from previous days I chose scrambled egg on sour dough toast. I found it to be a delicious combination of flavours.
After breakfast we checked out and headed towards Brodsworth Hall and Gardens for which we had a pre-booked ticket. On our way there we realised that we would arrive an hour early for our pre-booked time slot. I researched what was nearby and found Conisbrough Castle. Luckily, we were able to book a ticket that would allow us to arrive in the next ten minutes. The castle was enjoyable but brief, allowing us to arrive at Brodsworth for our timeslot.
Currently Brodsworth Hall is not open and there is a one way system around the garden. This means that sometimes you have to make a choice in direction of travel but the good news is that you can go round again and choose a different direction to enjoy the things missed on the first circuit of the garden. The teashop is currently located outside the house with purchases packed as takeaway. The weather was glorious so we were able to sit on the picnic benches for an Alfresco lunch. Suitably refreshed we chose to do another circuit of the garden to view some more things we had missed.
I would love to go back and visit the garden at a different time of year and also the Hall when it is allowed to re-open.
After we left Brodsworth we stopped at a farm shop we had noticed as we arrived at Brodsworth in order to pick up something for fine dining back at home. Much later we enjoyed a delicious pork chop roast dinner. What a fine way to end a holiday adventure.
2 Comments CherryPie on Oct 11th 2020
After breakfast our first port of call was Ripley where we enjoyed a stroll round the village. Although Mr C wasn’t particularly taken with it, I enjoyed the church which had some interesting historical features including the base of a medieval cross known as ‘the weeping cross’ and which is thought to be a unique survival of a structure of this type.
The next village on our list was Pateley Bridge where we went for a brief walk along a pathway by the river Nidd to find the Pillars Past sculpture before exploring the town.
Before we left the area I suggested that we made a detour to view Coldstones Cut, a massive sculpture with viewing platforms looking over the nearby quarry and surrounding countryside. The effort of climbing the short steep walk to get to the monument rewarded us both with a WOW moment!
We had walked up an appetite so we headed to Ripon for lunch which we enjoyed sitting on a bench in the gardens by the war memorial. After lunch we toured Ripon Cathedral which I had not been to before. Over 10,000 origami angels were suspended from the ceiling. I learned that it was a project called ‘A Wing and A Prayer’ which had been designed in the early days of lockdown to recognise the work done by keyworkers and those on the front line. I found the installation breathtaking.
Whilst there I was able to get the first stamp in my 2020 Year of Cathedrals Pilgrim Passport. At the beginning of 2020 it had planned to visit many Cathedrals this year. Maybe next year…
We weren’t ready to go back to the hotel so we detoured via Knaresborough. We walked through the town spotting the window murals known as the ‘Knaresborough windows’ ending up by the castle and war memorial which due to their elevated position treated us to spectacular views of the Victorian aqueduct and the gorge below. We returned to the car via the Bebra Gardens where I spotted a beautiful memorial bench.
Back at the hotel we had our last evening chill out before dinner in the restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant we were told that our table wasn’t quite ready. I said that’s OK and suggested that a seat could be found for us and we would order a pre-dinner drink. There were no seats were available so with our agreement we were taken to an outside table to wait with our pre-dinner drink. Our drinks didn’t arrive a promptly as we expected and, after some time, we were seated in a back room away from the bar area and restaurant, not quite what we expected as hotel residents who had booked.
As time passed, we found ourselves alone in that area with two tables of loud non-residents. In normal circumstances we would have moved to a more ambient area but due to Covid-19 rules we stayed put rather than introducing more cleaning areas for the hotel staff. A lovely waitress that had been looking after us during our stay was a bit put out that we had been sidelined into a back room and made a point of coming to say goodbye to us before she clocked off for the evening. How special was that!
4 Comments CherryPie on Oct 8th 2020
After a good nights sleep it was time to sample the hotel breakfast. In all sorts of ways, it was a vast improvement on the offering during our recent stay in a Cotswold’s hotel. There were several choices of cooked items and a continental option. I chose the continental option and was served with granola, fruit compote, yoghurt, fresh fruit and mini pastries (freshly baked), perfectly presented on a plate.
We had booked an early time slot in the Pump Room so after breakfast we set off at pace through The Stray (no time for photos) to make sure we got there on time. It took us a little while to find which street the Pump Room was in but we managed to arrive before it opened. Once inside we found it to be a museum rather than anything else. It wasn’t possible to sample the water due to Covid-19. Perhaps that was a blessing because I am told that the water tastes quite foul.
We spent the rest of the morning walking around the nearby Valley Gardens, ending up near the War Memorial and Bettys Tea Rooms for lunch. I chose a salmon, prawn and lemon sandwich followed by three dainty cake delights.
We walked back to the hotel so that we could pick up the car to drive to the nearby RHS garden at Harlow Carr where we had an enjoyable afternoon exploring the gardens.
Back at the hotel I was sitting and relaxing before dinner when I heard voices at the door and a comment ’someone is already in here’. I got up to find two people entering our room. They were most apologetic and beat a hasty retreat. As they left I could hear them say to each other ‘it is the room number we were given’. Clearly it was because they were able to enter with the card key they had been given. I felt sorry for them but a bit disturbed about the security breach of the mix up.
When we went for dinner we queried the episode with the hotel receptionist, who was most apologetic and said she would be raising the incident with her manager the next day. We had another enjoyable meal, in my case fish and chips, which was even larger than my meal the previous day. We arrived back at our room to find that our card key didn’t work. It had obviously been cancelled along with the other peoples’ keys. By this time the hotel reception was closed, leaving Mr C to hunt down the restaurant manager to help us with the problem. Luckily he knew a man that could fix the problem!
6 Comments CherryPie on Oct 6th 2020
