As most of the world knows, Britain’s summer comes in dribs and drabs, and we enjoy sporadic hours of sunlight instead of any solid days or weeks of sun. Rather kindly though, mother nature recently blessed us with a nice warm day and so I took the chance to get out ambling in the countryside which surrounds where I live.
We wound up in Hurstwood, a tiny nearby village where one of the buildings dates back to the 1500s. From there we took a hidden path down behind some houses and down to a place where two streams meet, and headed back up towards the road to Yorkshire.
Wandering over a hill, we headed back down one of my favourite words to walk down but least favourite to drive down. The winding single-track road connects my village to the linking road between Yorkshire and Lancashire, and it’s pretty much a death trap if you even attempt to navigate it at anything above 15mph! Winding blind corners and a perilously narrow crossing point mean that it’s not one for the faint of heart – but it is pretty.
Just before we arrived back home we came across as a field of horses, and one in particular stood out as particularly enchanting as its white mane caught the setting sun.
And so concluded another day of rare sun here in Lancashire. It has since returned to the usual programme of grey rainy days, but here’s hoping I can get back out with the camera again sooner rather than later!
After weeks of asking me excitedly if I wanted to accompany him, my dad finally yesterday took me along to see the newly revamped Piece Hall in Halifax, just across the county border in Yorkshire. Before we landed in Halifax though, we first made a stop at the petite little town of Hebden Bridge, which I seem to be frequenting more and more regularly.
We descended into a Hebden Bridge which as rife with activity due to an ongoing vintage car show, but we skirted around the crowds to visit the canal and for me to have a mooch around some of my favourite shops.
We soon stopped for a coffee at a quaint little café along the canal, where we sat outside and took a moment to soak in the atmosphere below a suspiciously greying sky. Needless to say it soon began trying to rain, so we began to wind our way back to the car down the high street.
After a precarious start after having parked on a very steep hill, we were soon on our way to Halifax to find a space to park up and go an explore the Piece Hall. After a quick burger stop, we made a beeline for it (the last time I visited was a good few years ago) and its transformation was pretty amazing.
The previously uneven courtyard of paving and grass has been completely replaced by a multi-level granite, with the entirety of the surrounding hall having been completely refurbished. This work has injected a new sense of life into the building which actually dates back to 1779, and it was buzzing with people of all ages whilst we were there.
I had a good nosey around all the shops, but there’s still many preparing to open in the near future, so we soon headed out to have a little wander around Halifax city centre. Before heading home we headed to see my grandparents at their house near Bradford, but when we got there they weren’t in, so we made back for home and a relaxing cup of tea to end the day.
In the final installation of my trio of posts on my trip to Asturias, I herein recollect the Monday of my visit (the 17th of July), where Kevin put me on a bus to a place called Cangas de Onís. This seemed like quite a sleepy town, and we headed into the centre to have a pincho and relax in the sun a little – with a quick detour to get some suncream as I’d burned whilst in Gijón.
Cangas de Onís seemed like a very quaint and beautiful place, however Kevin was keen to show me a certain Roman bridge. Whilst heading for it I didn’t expect to stumble upon what presented itself to us – it was magnificent, with a fairytale background to boot.
After quite a while gazing in awe at the awesome views, we scooted round the back of a restaurant at the other side of the river and climbed up and over the bridge. Whilst up there we were met with yet more breathtaking sights…
After this we headed back to the bus station to board yet another bus up to see “the lakes”. I had no idea what this meant or what we were going to go and do, rather I just assumed it’d be a few pretty lakes with a gift shop. Once the bus began to climb what felt like the side of a mountain however, I soon realised we were headed somewhere special.
The bus journey was probably the most terrifying non-airborne trip I’ve ever taken! Looking out of the window we might as well have been on an airplane, as we’d ascended high towards the heavens such that we could look over the layers of clouds below. The bus had to traverse a menacingly narrow single-track road cut into the perilously steep and windy cliffs, with the most unsettling moments being as we turned sharp corners and the front corners of the bus were thrust out to hang over the edge of the cliff itself.
Terrifying.
After dicing with death for about half an hour, we eventually made it unscathed to a car park which sat cradled amongst beautiful green mountains. It turned out that we’d been transported to an area of outstanding natural beauty, and we were about to do quite a lot of climbing and walking in the relentless heat – with my burned legs I was not best pleased…
I soon forgot about the burning in my calfs however, as the amazing scenery I found myself wandering around provided ample distraction. What felt like miles above all civilisation, there was nothing to distract us but the occasional hiker and the melodic sounding of cowbells from the herds below.
After a wander through a defunct mine and yet more upward slopes, we found ourselves surrounded by another herd of cows, and I wound up taking some photos which I think sit amongst the best I’ve ever taken.
Eventually one of the promised lakes came into view, at the side of which sat a restaurant which provided a welcome break and a sandwich to refuel. Me being me, I had to take a selfie which has probably the prettiest background of any selfie I’ve managed to take ever…
After lunch and a refill of my trusty water bottle, we once again headed upwards to a spot called mirador entrelagos – literally meaning “viewpoint between lakes”. The vantage point lived up to its name, offering a breathtaking 360° view over two of the stunning lakes.
From there we began to descend quite rapidly towards the second lake, where a few cows had gathered for a spot of paddling in the refreshingly cool water. I wrapped my camera strap around my wrist, nearly took a plunge down a precarious little slope, and joined them by the waterside. Here I took some more breathtaking photos, and I’ll leave you with my favourite few here.
We then turned and headed back to the car park to grab a bus back down the death path (I swear it was worse on the way back down), having completed our circular walk around the lakes and mountains of Asturias. It was a shame to leave the stunning views, but I was relieved to take the weight off my feet and get out of the sun – and then Kevin reveals that we’ve one last stop to make.
We hopped off the bus before it arrived back at Cangas de Onís, as Kevin wanted to show me another small town. Having noticed a mythical-looking church high in the trees on our way up to the lakes, I wondered if that was where we were headed, and sure enough I stepped off the bus to be greeted by this awesome sight:
Before we headed up to investigate the seemingly magical place further, Kevin led me first to a cave cut high into the rock of one of the cliffs. Standing precariously above a pool of water and shrouded by the mysterious scent of incense, Kevin explained how it was a religious site and place of pilgrimage for many christians in Spain.
I had to drink from each spout and then I would be bound to return to this place again.
Before we headed up, Kevin instructed that we were to walk around the pool to a natural spring towards its rear. With five spouts from which water flowed, I was told I had to drink once from each and then I would be bound to return to this place again. I did so, topped up my water bottle, and then we headed up the steps into the cave itself.
Visiting the cave was a surreal experience, as it held a tiny chapel and bench seating for daily masses. Photography isn’t allowed up in the cave, however I did manage to catch a photo of that mysterious chapel from the high angle of the steps to the cave.
After leaving the cave via another exit, we were soon headed towards the chapel. We had a wander round its exterior and I took way too many photos of the greenery to even begin sorting which ones to upload here, so I’ll just leave you with a couple of the church and its surroundings.
After this we headed back down to the bus after a rather long day of exploring rural Asturias. Exhausting as it may have been however, I had a phenomenal time having my breath taken away at seemingly every turn. Kevin had once again proven his mettle as a tour guide and host, and that evening we had a well deserved relaxing dinner near his flat back in Oviedo.
As this rounds off my time spent in the wonderful place that is Asturias, I have to once again thank Kevin and his family for their hospitality and making me feel right at home during my first visit to the north of Spain (well, except Barcelona, but as a huge easterly city it doesn’t really count). I shall definitely be back again…
One of the days in Asturias, after landing and meeting Kevin in his home city, was spent in Gijón after just a short train journey from Oviedo! We were soon winding our way from the train station down to what promised to be a gorgeous shoreline, but not before we stopped for a pincho (a small bite to eat) in a bar on the way.
After one of the most delicious sandwiches I’ve ever eaten in my life (seriously), we were soon down by the harbour in all it’s sunny glory!
This rabid pigeon wanted our food
We wandered first around the bay to the site of the old city, where a big green tree sculpture revealed itself to be made of hundreds of empty cider bottles – only in Asturias! From here, we went back on ourselves a little as Kevin wanted to show me another section of the shoreline, and so we wandered through the gorgeous little streets of the center of Gijón.
Once we’d made our way down the centre street in the above photo, a very unexpected and awesome sight greeted us – a huge golden beach! It was full of people enjoying the hot and sunny weather, and I was quite surprised as I hadn’t expected to see sandy beaches in the north.
Instead of heading out onto the sand however, we took a left turn, wandered past a coastal church, and wound up beginning our way up an incline. As we crested the views over the sea just kept getting better and better – I hadn’t realised we were heading onto a high natural jetty which gave nearly 360° views over the coastline!
As we hit the summit of this piece of land I suddenly became aware that I had managed to let my arms and face burn in the sun – the cool coastal breeze had tricked me into thinking that the sun wasn’t as hot as it actually was. I pushed on anyway and it was worth it, as a big sculpture loomed into view which is aptly named Elogio del Horizonte, or “Compliment to the Horizon”.
After this we descended back down to near where we’d began our exploration of the coast, and I picked up an ice cream on the way. We were soon back in the square by the harbour, where we’d arranged to meet our friend Sara who was also in England with Kevin during their Erasmus year! It was lovely to all be reunited again after all the evenings we’d spent in England drinking and talking about how we were going to meet up in Spain one day – seems like that day came quicker than we all expected!
To take it easy and chill out, we all headed back on to the harbour to grab some cider (no surprise there) and I had my first go at decanting it from the bottle into the glass from a height of a meter or more – it’s not as easy as it looks!
After this we headed to check out Semana Negra, a literary festival dedicated to dark crime mystery and noir stories. Accompanying the celebrations were a huge market, a fully-fledged amusement park on the coast, and plenty of stalls to grab a quick beer and soak up the atmosphere – something we sure as hell did!
All too soon it was getting late and the time came to bid Gijón and Sara goodbye, but I have a feeling it was more of a “see you soon” – I was enchanted by Gijón just as I was with Oviedo. Next time, however, I’ll bring suncream…
Just this Thursday gone, and after first moving to Leeds to start my adventure four years ago, the day of my graduation finally came – 20th July 2017. This meant an early morning for the Briggs family, as we all grumpily stirred from our beds at about 6am in order to pick up my tickets and get my gown on ready for the ceremony starting at 9:30am sharp.
After briefly catching up with everyone as they enrobed and ran about to take photos, I soon found myself out in the queue to enter the Great Hall with fellow graduands. My parents found a seat near the back, and after a few embarrassing photos which they tottered up to the front to take, our tutors entered and the ceremony began.
One by one we were called onto stage to receive our certificate and a congratulations from one of the key professors in the School of Design, before returning to our seats and eventually being applauded out of the main entrance to the Grand Hall. Degrees in hand, it was time for another few photos in between the spells of patchy rain which didn’t manage to dampen our day one bit – we were all in giddy high spirits and I noted how the folder with my degree certificate in it was the most expensive umbrella I’d ever used!
There were a tonne of photos taken but there’s only one real serious one which I am happy with – I opted not to bother with professional photography of the day but I think this one taken by my dad is probably much better than anything I’d have had taken in a studio.
As I said, the rain seemed to only heighten our jovial spirit, and hence I present to you a few photos of us all goofing around and using the hoods of our gowns as actual hoods. Hogwarts connotations aside (we all look like we’re in Slytherin, everyone kept noting), they actually worked pretty well to keep our hair dry…
Pretty soon we all had to go our own separate ways, with people having lunches and all sorts of things to attend to, and so me and my dad wandered off to the library to take one final portrait in the beautiful setting of the Brotherton Library – I figured I should have one where I look somewhat scholarly or something…
Is that Draco Malfoy in the Brotherton Library?
After disrobing and trundling back to our car through yet more rain, we eventually checked into our hotel for the night and headed out for some snacks, before making our way to Ox Club for a delicious dinner. After this we went out for cocktails as a family, but I managed to catch half an hour with the rest of the gang before heading back to the hotel to sleep after a long day.
It was a really lovely day, with an atmosphere of celebration and good fun not dampened at all by the sub-par weather which had been threatening to make us all miserable. It was pretty amazing to see such a huge formal event run like clockwork, and it felt like a lovely closing to these past four years which have taken me halfway around the globe and then some!
In the meantime I have updated my CV with my degree result, and am currently working my way through more photos from my trip to Asturias which began with my last blog post about my time in the wonderful city of Oviedo. Stay tuned!
