Maximillian Degenerez

Gene Amole

We packed and were ready to set off on our travels before we went down for breakfast. We sat at the same table as for the previous day’s breakfast and dinner; it must have had our name on it. Comfortably replete we checked out of the Inn and went to Halifax to see Halifax Minster. We were greeted warmly on arrival  by a church warden and volunteer. The church was wonderful, especially with the sunshine streaming through the stained glass windows. The rays of light produced a spiritual feeling.

We decided not to visit the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Museum and leave that for another occasion. Because of the time of year not many places were open but we found that Bramall Hall in Stockport was and that we could use our Historic Houses cards there. Our journey to Bramall Hall was scenic, providing us with stunning views.

We had lunch in the cafe which was quite chaotic so afterwards it was nice to go on the suggested short walk where we were able to view the interesting building from all aspects. The Hall was an unexpected gem with an fascinating history. When I entered one of the rooms I found it to be unexpectedly cold compared to the rest of the house. I lingered a while… When I read the guidebook later I found that this room is reputed to be haunted.

As we left the building a dog ran over to me in great excitement, jumping up and leaving muddy paw prints on my trousers. The owner turned round and smiled as I asked the dog not to jump up. It is a good job I like dogs, the owner didn’t even call the dog back!

We stopped off briefly in Handforth Dean for a cup of tea and to pick up a few essentials for our evening meal. Our journey home took us past the Twemlow Viaduct and Jodrell Bank where we witnessed a glorious sunset.

We had a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed, after which we were treated to an excellent breakfast; fruit juices, cereals, fruit and jams from the buffet and a choice of items from the full cooked breakfast menu that were all cooked to order.

The morning was crisp and misty. Our car needed demisting before we could set off on our journey for the day. The demisting caused a spectacular display of steam to rise from the car, an unusual sight. Whilst the car was being sorted out, I took the opportunity to take a few photos in the early morning sunshine.

We set off towards Leeds and the Royal Armouries. As we approached Leeds we could see a layer of mist above which was a brown foggy mug of pollution. I am so glad that I don’t live in a city!

The Royal Armouries has many interesting exhibits. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Mughal elephant armour dating around 1600. I found the armour fascinating. Another display, showing how guns and knives are used in street crime in the UK along with personal stories, left me feeling disturbed.

When we had finished our tour of the Royal Armouries we set of toward Halifax, intending to visit the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Museum. The traffic was so bad we realised that once again we would be too late to visit the museum so we flexed the plan. We headed into Halifax to see the architecture of the Peace Hall. We walked around the Peace Hall and the nearby streets, stopping for an afternoon refreshment along the way and headed back to Shibden Mill Inn.

Whilst I was considering an indulgent soak in the bath, the fire alarm went off. Mr C and I exited through the nearest door (leading onto the room’s patio area). Mr C quipped, it is fortunate that you were not in the bath. Everywhere else seemed calm and the fire alarm stopped sounding so we returned to our room. Mr C went to collect some milk for a cup of tea and found out that the fire alarm had gone off when to a fire being lit in the grate caused more smoke than expected!

After the false alarm I had a nice relaxing bath before it was time for us to enjoy an aperitif in the bar. We enjoyed the Valentine’s Day special menu in the room above the bar. It goes without saying that we sampled an after dinner drink before retiring for the night.

Unusually for us we set off more or less on time, taking a leisurely drive and, despite the motorway being tedious with its 50 mile per hour speed limit, arrived near Halifax just in time for lunch. We enjoyed lunch in a cafe by Sowerby Bridge railway station. Many of the savoury options were listed as teacakes. These turned out to be toasties rather than what I would normally associate with a teacake (a currant bun). It was a lovely cafe with several locals lunching and engaging in conversation with each other.

After lunch we set of to find the Royal Observer Corps Secret Bunker. It was so secret we were unable to find it. Instead we travelled along the country lanes enjoying the fabulous views. We eventually stopped for a photo opportunity and bracing walk at Baitings Reservoir (Wakefield). It was at this point I decided that perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea to wash my hair before we set out on our journey. I came away from the brief walk with a rather disheveled look!

We then drove to locate the Mill Inn at Shibden where we were staying for a couple of nights before heading into Halifax for a recce. We decided we would visit the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment Museum but realized that it was almost closing time so we headed back to The Mill at Shibden and checked in. We were shown to a lovey room with a private patio garden. As we opened the door to the room we were greeted with Classic FM playing on the radio.

The weather being bracing we didn’t try out the patio, choosing to relax in our lovely room before relocating to the bar to enjoy a drink from their extensive selection of wine, beer, gin and whiskey before returning to the room to freshen up before dinner.

When it was time to dine we made our way to the table in the bar area that had been pointed out to us earlier. We had been told that if we preferred we could be relocated to another table in the restaurant but the bar area was warm and friendly; we had been given the perfect seat!

The food was delicious; I had seabass followed by raspberry and elderflower sorbet. After dining we relocated to another area with comfortable sofas, where I finished off my wine before returning to the room for a good night’s sleep.