Oh, the Places We've Seen: Part 1

As we firm up our plans for this year's trip to England, it made me reflect on the special places we visited on our three previous trips, and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

One of those special places was Rye, where author E. F. Benson lived and set four of his Mapp & Lucia novels. A ten episode "Mapp & Lucia" miniseries was filmed there in 1985. It starred Geraldine McEwan as Lucia (who also played Agatha Christie's spinster-sleuth Miss Marple), Prunella Scales as Mapp (who also played Mrs. Fawlty in "Fawlty Towers") and Nigel Hawthorne as Georgie (who also played Sir Humphrey Appleby in "Yes Minister" & "Yes, Prime Minister"). I bought the first five episodes in a five VHS set many years ago, which were adapted from the fourth novel titled Mapp & Lucia (from which, of course, the book and TV series took its name). A handful of years later, I realized that I really enjoyed them, as I periodically pulled them out and watched them again. More years later, I came across a second series of five episodes on DVD, which were based on the fifth and six novels. Then I discovered the novels, Mapp & Lucia first, then the first novel Queen Lucia, and gradually accumulated the entire saga. After that, as I enjoyed reading those novels so much, I began looking around for other Benson novels to read. 

Anyway: Rye. It's a beautiful seaside town, and the tourists certainty fill it up on the weekends. We enjoyed walking the narrow, winding streets, and seeing all the locations that inspired Benson to write his stories, as well as those the film crews used for the miniseries. One unexpected discovery was that E. F. Benson isn't the biggest literary figure who lived in Rye. That honor belongs to American novelist Henry James (but I haven't read him yet, so he doesn't count. Yet). Benson moved into the house after James died, and according to all reports, acknowledged him as a literary icon. Recently, I've learned that the British film "Yellowbeard," which featured some of the Monty Python gang in addition to Cheech and Chong, shot some scenes on the idyllic, cobbled streets of this medieval town. That was a wacky, funny movie. I'll have to watch it again.

Another great place I visited was Holmfirth, where "Last of the Summer Wine," the world's longest-running sitcom, was filmed. It was so neat to walk the streets and the surrounding countryside, take the bus tour, and visit Sid's Cafe, wherein Compo Simmonite, Norman Clegg, and Foggy Dewhurst often ventured for a cup of tea, and usually received far more than they bargained for from Ivy, the proprietor (and Sid's wife). The ability to sit down there, and drink a cup of tea...it was just indescribable. Amazing.

Even better, we never got an earful from the proprietor.

To follow up our love of James Herriot's books, and the TV series "All Creatures Great and Small," we spent several days in Thirsk, where he lived and worked. Later, we stopped in beautiful Askrigg, where much of the fictional Darrowby was set. It was such a pretty little town, set in the Yorkshire Dales, that we had to return there for another visit.

You no doubt recall our visit to Brighton, where we attended the World Fantasy Convention, and saw one of my favorite Fantasy authors Terry Pratchett. That week will always be special to me, as I got to see him before he passed away earlier this year. Meeting and talking with Peter F Hamilton, K. W. Jeter, and Mary Robinette Kowal was also lots of fun.

Another attraction of Brighton was that it served as the setting for E. F. Benson's novel The Blotting Book. We enjoyed walking the streets he mentions in the novel, and taking buses and trains to see places farther from the hotel where crucial acts in his story took place. A really, really special visit.

What amazes me most is how much we've been able to tailor these trips to our interests using the information so readily available over the internet. Planning trips like these would have been much more difficult, if not impossible, ten or fifteen years ago. One of the reasons we weren't visiting England back then was because we had little incentive to go. But now, my wife and I can look up places of interest, read about the authors who lived there, map out potential routes and travel times, and book hotels, all while sitting on the couch with our laptops, comparing notes and ideas. We can also find books online, often for free, from authors that are mentioned as living or writing in places we will visit. Reading those books may give us an enhanced appreciation for the places we will visit, and suggest additions to our itinerary. Back then, I was angry that the airlines were downsizing their telephone operators, and forcing us to book tickets online. I missed the personal service and interaction, and saw it as an unwelcome dehumanizing aspect of technological innovation. Now, although we may be spending far longer planning our vacations, we're following up ideas as we think of them, and those discoveries lead us to other points of interest, and so on, and so forth, without needing to visit the library, pay a travel agent, or book spaces on a tour. As a result, we can fine-tune our trips to our interests far more effectively than we ever could have back then. 

There were good old days in the past, but today and tomorrow hold the truly Great New Days.

Dragon Dave

James Herriot Trivia

Included in the DVD release for the third season of “All Creatures Great and Small” is a commentary track for the episode “Pig in the Middle.”  The title of the episode is drawn not from an actual pig, but from a situation James finds himself in, where Siegfried and Tristan Farnon ask him to arbitrate over the matter of which brother will get to take a particular night off.  Both have good reasons why they should not have to remain home that evening in case a veterinarian’s skills are needed, and both are James’ close friends.  As he doesn’t wish to favor one over the other, James decides that neither should benefit, and both should cancel their plans and remain at home that evening.  Needless to say, neither Siegfried or Tristan is satisfied with his ruling.

Providing commentary was Michael Hayes, the director of the episode, Carol Drinkwater, who played James’ wife Helen, and Robert Hardy, who portrayed James’ senior partner Siegfried Farnon.  I found their commentary informative and delightful, and thought I would share some snippets with you.

When producer Bill Sellars approached Robert Hardy about the part, he sent him the first two books Alf Wight had written under the name James Herriot.  These were American editions, as the Herriot books first gained popularity there.  Hardy read the first, All Creatures Great and Small, which was a compilation of two shorter books originally published in England.  While Hardy found the stories “enchanting,” he called Sellars and said, “I don’t know how you’ll make a TV show out of this. You’ll bore the cities and enrage the country.”

Farms in Darbyshire

Nor was Hardy particularly wowed by Sellars’ initial decision to film the series in Darbyshire, another portion of England from James Herriot’s beloved Yorkshire.  While Darbyshire was closer to London, would have simplified production, and saved costs, Hardy saw the landscape as completely different, and the idea disrespectful to the author and his stories.  He told Sellars that either the TV series would be shot in Yorkshire, or he would have nothing to do with it. 

Darbyshire Cow: "C'mon Hardy, be reasonable!"

Yorkshire cows outside Askrigg: "Stick by your convictions, Robert!"

The locals had mixed feelings about the production.  Many people enjoyed it, and one town even demanded that their rector change the time of the Sunday morning services so they could get home in time to watch the program.  Carol Drinkwater remembered that the couple who owned the house in Askrigg that doubled for Skeldale House later sold it for far above its market value.  And, as people began to visit remote locals such as Askrigg which the production used for James Herriot’s fictional Darrowby, many of the houses located at the center of such villages were converted into shops, restaurants, and vacation cottages.  During the fourth through seventh seasons, which were filmed several years after the third, Robert Hardy fainted on a particularly hot summer day.  The doctor who attended him said that, while he didn’t particularly mind being called out, he wasn’t happy about doing so for them, as they had made his beloved region into a tourist attraction.

Skeldale House in Askrigg: A tourist attraction?
Never!

The weather changed dramatically during our visit to Yorkshire, from cold, rainy days to hot and sunny weather.  Thankfully, I never fainted.

Dragon Dave

The Dalek Invasion of our World

I’ve always loved the Dalek stories, particularly the serials from the 1960s and ‘70s.  Those of you who’ve followed my blog know that I used the Doctor Who story “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” as a paradigm to understanding the importance of various places and landmarks during our visit to London in 2011.  I suppose it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when the Daleks invaded our home last year, but then, one can never fully anticipate the future. 

Through the entry portal of my wife’s knitting needles, Daleks of different color schemes (and hence holding different ranks and positions within Dalek society) began appearing in our living room.  A gray Dalek was swiftly followed by black, yellow, pink (Pink?), and even a red Dalek, featuring an arm with pincers instead of a sucker from the AARU movie “Dr. Who and the Daleks.”  Instead of bending us to their will through force and oppression, these Daleks conquered us with their cuteness.  My wife forged a particularly strong relationship with one, whom she brought along on last year’s trip to Yorkshire and Wales.  He forced his way into photographs at various stops along the way, and a slideshow of these now plays whenever her laptop sits idle for too long.

A "Last of the Summer Daleks" moment outside Holmfirth.

Prospecting for future mining operations at Aysgarth Falls,
in preparation for "The Dalek Invasion of Earth." 

While I rest at our hotel near Thirsk, I am guarded by
"All Daleks Great and Small."

Another "All Daleks Great and Small" moment,
this time up above Askrigg.

"The Dalek Who Went Up a Hill,
But Came Down a Mountain."

Late last year, my wife mailed a Dalek to a friend of ours in New York, who is also a fan of Doctor Who.  He was surprised and delighted by her gift, but apparently not as much as his daughter, who discovered the Dalek when she returned home during the Christmas break.  He told us that she’s “kidnapping” their Dalek, and taking it back to rule her dorm room in Colorado.  He wrote, “I think she will be using the Dalek to intimidate the other residents.”  That’s the problem with Daleks.  Give them an invitation into your little world, and they’ll end up ruling it.

You never can tell where an act of kindness will end up taking a person.  Or, for that matter, a Dalek.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill, But Came Down a Mountain

Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales

Ribblehead Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge formed of several smaller strands.  My wife had seen something in a guidebook about Ribblehead Viaduct, and had caught a glimpse of it on our first drive through the Yorkshire Dales National Park.  But on our return visit to Askrigg, she saw the long bridge, and some sheep gathered around a small parking area along the road, and so she stopped the car for a few moments.

It had been warm the day before, short pants weather, out where we were staying near Lancaster, along the West coast of England.  But returning to the Dales, on this foggy morning, we were glad we had returned with our long pants, warm shirts, and jackets.  The sheep might have had their woolly coats, but we needed extra clothing to keep us warm, and block out the chill breeze. 

"Uh, could I borrow your woolly coat?"

I once knew a lady who claimed she didn’t need to travel.  If she drove anywhere, to visit anything or anyone, she returned home by that evening.  Home was where she felt comfortable: it was where she felt she belonged.  And she was right about the complexities and complications associated with travel: I’ll give her that.  She argued that she could see anything she wanted on the internet, or by reading a book or magazine, and to a certain extent, I’ll grant her that as well.  I certainly could have read up, done endless study on the places we visited, and emerged with a knowledge of Holmfirth, Thirsk, and Askrigg that would have rivaled many of the locals.

"Brrrrr!"

But there’s one aspect of travel that you can never substitute with research, and it’s those special places you discover along the way, that you’d never learn about or really appreciate unless you were there to notice them.  For me, Ribblehead Viaduct is one such place.  I still remember the amazement I felt standing there in the tall grass, gazing at that long stretch of stonework.  I can still feel the chill wind blowing so hard I had to remove my hat or I would lose it.  I remember how I smiled at those sheep wandering around in the grasses.  They might have looked unconcerned, but they kept their distance from me.  After we took our photographs, we headed back to the car, and approached a food truck in the hopes of warming up with a cup of tea.  But the people inside hadn’t opened up yet, so we got back in our car and continued onward.

Someday I’d like to return there, and take the walk featured in the “Walk of the Week” video below.  For Ribblehead Viaduct is an awesome example of human achievement, set amid some of the most pastoral landscape imaginable.  It has an interesting history, and reading about how it was built can give you a sense of its importance and history.  But such knowledge is empty and incomplete without traveling there and actually seeing it.  Nor can photographs convey what I experienced standing there on that cold, cloudy morning, gazing across the windswept field at Ribblehead Viaduct.  

"We've unfinished business, Ribblehead."

I’m glad we discovered it

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

Visit Cumbria

Walk of the Week (10 minute video)

Britain’s National Parks’ page

Wikipedia page

The Story of Herbert the Lamb

In Chapter Three of All Things Bright and Beautiful, James Herriot is delivering a lamb with an especially large head when a runt scampers past him and takes a drink from his patient’s udder.  “Oh, that’s Herbert,” the farmer, Rob Benson explained.  “Little youth’s mother won’t have ‘im at any price.  I was going to put him with the pet lambs but I saw he was fendin’ for himself.  He pops from one ewe to t’other and gets a quick drink whenever he gets a chance.  I’ve never seen owt like it.” 

Herriot keeps an eye on Herbert as he works on Rob Benson’s difficult cases.  Some mothers warn the runt off by shaking their heads.  When Herbert sneaks up on a particularly big ewe to steal a nip from her udder, she butts him with her head, sending the “little animal flying high in the air in a whirl of flailing legs.”  He landed on his back, and immediately sneaks under another mother at the feeding trough for a quick drink. 

 

“Lambing time is the most hectic period of the vets’ and farmers’ year,” James Herriot (Alf Wight) writes in James Herriot’s Yorkshire.  “Some of the farmers, like Rob Benson, do not go to bed for six weeks.”  Farmers have wrestled with all kinds of complications associated with pregnancy, and this culminates with the births, some so difficult that veterinarians like James Herriot must be called out.  Likewise, this time is draining for the vets, as “spring is the time when other livestock are at their lowest ebb, cows and beef cattle having been confined indoors through the long winter.”

On a later visit to Rob Benson’s farm, Herriot finds a ewe with a belly full of dead lambs.  “The lambs were putrid and distended with gas, and I had to use a scalpel to deliver the little bodies with the least discomfort to the mother.”  By the time he was through, the ewe was clearly ailing.  Without a lamb to revive her interest in life, he and Rob Benson feared that she would die.  “Just at that moment a familiar figure wandered into view.  It was Herbert, the unwanted lamb, easily recognizable as he prowled from sheep to sheep in search of nourishment.”  Herriot suggests a disguise for Herbert, and Benson skins one of the dead lambs and ties its skin over the persistent runt. 

A week later, Herriot again returned to Rob Benson’s farm, where the farmer pointed out, “There’s that awd ewe with Herbert.”  The mother has taken to Herbert, who now, far from being a runt, looks rather obese, as he’s getting all the ewe’s milk.  “I reckon he saved the ewe’s life,” Rob Benson says.  “She’d have pegged out all right, but she never looked back once he came along.”

It’s amazing to look at these seemingly helpless creatures, and think of them as possessing such determination.  But often those among us who seem most frail, broken, and helpless are the ones who push past their fear and insecurities to accomplish great things.  Many times, those of us who seemingly possess greater strength and abilities give up instead of persevering toward our goals.  The story of Herbert underlines that when we give up, not only do we lose, but so do those whom our efforts would benefit most.

In summing up Herbert, James Herriot wrote, “There was no doubt about it—that lamb had guts.”  So I press on, fixing my eyes on my desired destination, in the hope that as much can be said of me.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links

Read “Lambing Scenes” in James Herriot’s Yorkshire

Read Herriot’s story of Herbert in All Things Bright and Beautiful

A short reflection on James Herriot by a Missouri farmer during lambing season

St. Oswald’s in Askrigg

The present structure dates back to 1446,
forty-six years before Columbus discovered America.

On this year’s vacation in England, we hadn’t planned a return visit to Askrigg.  We simply realized, during our week based outside Lancaster, that we had to return.  It wasn’t just the village of Askrigg that called us back, but the Yorkshire Dales as well.  So on the return visit, we enjoyed a relaxing drive through the gently rolling farmland, taking in a few stops along the way.  We arrived in Askrigg around noon, and after a picnic lunch, began our afternoon exploration by visiting its church.

We drove our chair into the church,
and secured it to a heater.
Then we left to explore Askrigg further.

What surprised me most, given the size of the village, was the church’s sheer size.  Size- and age-wise, St. Oswald’s in Askrigg compares favorably with St. Mary’s in Thirsk.  While St. Mary’s boasts a more elegant interior, Thirsk grew in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The money that accompanied growth and expansion funded St. Mary’s lavish interior.  That same money funded the additions to the smaller St. Oswald’s in adjacent Sowerby, as well as the building of its parochial hall.   By comparison, the farms around Askrigg, and the village itself, still harken back to an earlier era, which was one reason the production crew for “All Creatures Great and Small” decided to film there.  Lacking similar community growth and modernization, additions to the village church have been more modest.

According to the church website,
Nikolaus Pevsner,
an architectural historian,
proclaimed the nave ceiling
the finest in North Riding.

I enjoyed walking though the sanctuary.  With every step, I sensed a comfortable, down-home feeling. The worshippers clearly loved their church, just the way it was.  Posters displayed pencil sketches of how the church looked, inside and out, a hundred years ago.  Plaques on the wall weren’t the expensive affairs of more prosperous towns and cities, but they held their own allure.  I especially liked the tiles behind the altar that displayed The Lord’s Prayer, The Ten Commandments, and the Nicene Creed.  Of course, I also perused their collection of used paperback, and donated money for the two science fiction novels I left with.

Words to live by.

The affection and passion Askrigg holds for its church are evident on its website.  Despite all the changes time has wrought on England, St. Oswald’s seems to remain at the heart of the community.  Their pages celebrate numerous aspects of village life, including trumpeting new businesses, advertising opportunities to learn a different language, informing residents of other religious options, and celebrating notable locals, from an artist whose work has been exhibited in the National Gallery, to their beloved postman.  Thus, St. Oswald’s in Askrigg exemplifies a nation in which Church and State are one.  I cannot help but think that, if we someday return to Askrigg for an extended stay, we would attend St. Oswald’s regularly, and contribute to the vibrant life of this Yorkshire village.  

A pencil sketch of the interior circa 1890.  

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

St. Oswald’s in Sowerby

James Herriot’s Controversial Church

Where Church and State are One: Part 1

Related Internet Links

St. Oswald’s in Askrigg