Ann and me in front of Springfield House
Springfield House is the second door from the left in the long terrace.
We first came to Holmfirth because of Last of the Summer Wine, a BBC series about three senile delinquents having adventures, inventing preposterous things, and causing trouble in a fictional version of Holmfirth. But we fell in love with Holmfirth for itself, it's surroundings, and it's people. So, this spring, we spent our whole fortnight's holiday (see I can speak English, not just American) in Holmfirth. We left Durham, NC, in the evening on April 24 and pretended to sleep our way across the Atlantic. We arrived in Holmfirth in early afternoon on April 25.
Naturally, we stayed at Springfield House again. The location is perfect: across from the Co-Op, at a bus stop, right in town for pubs and shops, and convenient for all the wonderful hiking in the Holme Valley and beyond. But the real draw is Ann and Bernard Brook. It's not just Bernard's fantastic breakfasts. They are both such nice people; they are now friends, not just hosts. They not only provide maps for hikes and drives; they seem to know every nook and cranny. And the good pubs - for both food and ale.
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Ann and me in front of Springfield House |
Springfield House is the second door from the left in the long terrace. |
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Bernard and Ann in the dining room at Springfield House |
It's neat to just wander around the village.
Another urban vehicle? Right in front of our B&B, by the bus stop. |
They knew we were coming! |
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Peeking into a garden on Greenfield Road. |
Ducklings on the River Holme. |
And there are lanes and footpaths that go up the narrow valley on either side of the village. Before breakfast, after dinner, or whenever, we can take a ~2-mile stroll. We might go up behind the B&B, across the lanes, and through Upperthong. Or we cross the River Holme and go through the lanes to Cliff Bank.
Or we can just wander around the village. Bakeries with wonderful smells, the news agent for local papers and postcards, cafes (including, of course, Sid's), the ice cream shop, book shops, back lanes, cemetaries, churches, the library, the park, the ATMs, the pubs, the people, the River Holme....
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Chuck in Victoria Park. And going down Coopers Lane from Binns Lane. Yes, it's really steep. This place puts the V in Valley. We'd love to have the clutch-replacement business here. |  |
| Walking up Daisy Lane, thinking it's pedestrian. Nope. And you can see the tower of Holy Trinity at the top, with The Owd Towser to its left. |  |
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Hey, some folks go to stately homes. I check out polling places. And learned that they have way less chance of voter fraud. And have to hand-count all the paper ballots. Man, I'm glad we have optical scanners! |
There are wonderful walks and drives from Holmfirth.
We walked over the river and through the woods, and over the hills to Jackson Bridge twice. And drove through on our way back from the National Coal Mining Museum.
The upper Holme Valley, where there all the reservoirs that fed the mills - and flooded the valley several times - now offer long but comfortable hikes, really drew us. We drove up to Holme and hiked from there several times. And we did a day-long circular hike from Holmfirth.
We drove to the Colne Valley several times, for hiking, pubs, and just meandering.
The Peak District starts just above Holme and below Holmfirth. How could we pass that up? One time we just stopped at a pull-over and hiked across the moor. The other time we drove south to Castleton and made a big loop.
The chance to walk around Dovestone Reservoir took us west. Whether it's in Lancastershire or West Yorkshire is definitely debatable. And from there, we drove to Uppermill and Marsden to make a big loop.
But the best part of every day was returning to Holmfirth and taking a stroll around the village. And meeting people.
My favorite view of Holmfirth, looking from Goose Green towards Springfield House. |
Of course, we got to meet a lot of dogs and a few cats. And enjoyed the pubs. And I visitied lots of churches. Some for services; some for exploration. And we met so many friendly, interesting, helpful people.
Please, chat with people. If you're embarrassed, don't worry. You may never see them again. But, if you return, they will remember you as a friend. And you'll get to see and do things you never thought of and that aren't in any guide books.
Sadly, we had to pack up our lovely little Nissan Micra Sport on May 8 to head to Horley for the flight back home to Durham, and spring Fergie and Maggie from Puppy & Kitty Camp.
But Holmfirth had a message for us. As we walked behind Springfield House, across to Upperthong, through Holmfirth, and along Cliff Bank, a magical rainbow arched over the Holme valley. Sure seemed like an omen to us!
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We flew home on May 9. But we know we'll be back. To England, and to Yorkshire, and to Holmfirth.
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