Despite the attempts of Southern Rail to undermine our journey, seventeen of us made our way on the four-train journey to Skipton, and thence to HF's Newfield Hall in Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales. We were introduced to our guide for the week, Anne, a redoubtable lady of similar advancing years to ourselves. The following day, we started at Settle vintage station, taking the train to Ribblehead. Here we were exposed to something rarely seen of late in Sussex - RAIN! And plenty of it, for most of the day. This somewhat marred our views of the Ribblehead viaduct and entailed some of us having to eat our picnic lunch in a smelly cowshed. Others waited till we got back to the pub in Ribblehead, where we dried out, before returning to the village of Settle. The rain had stopped and we could explore this charming place.

On the following day, we walked along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to Saltaire, where we admired the spectacular textile mill built by Titus Salt in 1876, now converted into a cultural hub cum eatery with a huge number of David Hockney paintings on display. The highlight was a Hockney frieze, going the whole length and back of the top floor, showing the changes in a year in Normandy. The mill, together with the model village that Salt built for his workers form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Tuesday, we visited the massive ruins of Fountains Abbey, where an enthusiastic local guide showed us round the different parts of the abbey and told of the deeds and misdeeds of the monks. From the Abbey, we walked to the adjacent Studley Royal water gardens, which with the Abbey comprise another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The following day, we visited the picturesque tiny village of Linton, its church with seats, each engraved with a mouse by Robert Mouseman Thompson, and the more touristy Grassington. We had our picnic lunch by the lovely River Wharfe, followed by a four-mile walk along the river to Bolton Abbey. Just before the abbey, there are some rather hazardous stepping-stones across the river, with several of them missing. Despite this, a foolhardy man attempted to cross them with a toddler in his arms. He succeeded, but only with great difficulty and assisted by his wife. After viewing this spectacle, we were able to enjoy the abbey church with its stained-glass windows.

Our final day's walk took us through magnificent scenery, starting from Malham Tarn, allegedly the highest lake in England. We followed the Pennine Way to the limestone pavement above Malham Cove, before descending to the Aire valley in Malham. En route we made a detour to view the spectacular vertical rock face of the cliffs (gawping at the exploits of the rock climbers) and waterfalls of Gordale Scar.

The scenery in the Yorkshire Dales is wonderful, quite different from the Sussex Downs, smaller and greener fields, dry stone walls, craggy hills and sheep, sheep, sheep (and cows). We were treated very well at Newfield Hall, with excellent food and service. We returned on our four trains with many happy memories of an enjoyable week.

Pictures by Alan

The Beautiful Ribble Valley

Hockney Frieze - A Year in Normandy

Old Mill at Airton on the River Aire

Limestone Pavement - Malham Cove

Gordale Scar

Group outside Newfield Hall