Reclaiming My Outbuilding

An old outbuilding near Askrigg.

As we explored the Yorkshire Dales, we constantly saw barns and outbuildings in decay and disrepair.  In the 1930s, James Herriot often worked out in the fields, exposed to freezing temperatures and biting wind.  Even when he attended an animal in an outbuilding, many times those structures still allowed the elements inside.  In his 1979 book James Herriot’s Yorkshire, he wrote,

“Nowadays the farmers usually bring their bad cases into a shed or barn where the vet can creep thankfully out of that ever present wind and take off his jacket behind a screen of straw bales.” 

Even with all the advances in technology, I imagine that today’s farmers are just as busy and stressed as they were in the 1930s or ‘70s.  The land and animals must be cared for throughout the year, and financial conditions may require the farmer to periodically gain outside employment while working his farm.  So while the number of outbuildings with leaning walls or deteriorating roofs surprised me, it’s certainly understandable that farmers might have to put off such repairs far longer than they would prefer. 

Another outbuilding near Askrigg.
(Note how the elements have attacked the structure
in a similar fashion).  

Just like those farmers, life got on top of me a few years ago.  Family, health, and other factors led to an accumulation of stuff, and it all had to go somewhere.  Much of it ended up in my office.  While I tried to manage and organize everything as best I could, I still grew inundated by everything that had to go somewhere.  Little of it was related to the writing I actually wanted to conduct in my office.  Getting a laptop computer helped, as did using lapboards, and I adapted to working in other spaces.

In the last few weeks, I’ve started fighting my way back into my office.  Perhaps this reprioritizing of my time led to blog entries that possessed less than my usual brilliance and insight.  (As to the last statement, you, dear reader, are a better judge of that than I).  But this week I’ve been able to use the closet I converted many years ago into a writing space.  Using my MacBook, instead of that bulky keyboard for my old desktop computer, has made the space even more useful.  I’ve even been able to listen to a few albums on my office CD player that got lost amid all the stuff: Bon Jovi’s “100,000,000 Fans Can’t Be Wrong” and The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Stadium Arcadium.” 

Reclaiming my former workspace.

In the coming weeks, I hope to go through more of the piles and boxes, find the lost manuscripts of earlier stories, and see if I can’t refurbish them and submit them to publishers.  My office may not be physically located an outbuilding, but like the farmer who has finally gathered the resources to repair and reclaim it, I feel excited by the possibilities ahead. Before me lies a vision of a functional space dedicated to the pursuit of a literary career.  

Whatever you need to reorganize and refurbish in pursuing your own life-goals, I wish you similar success.

Dragon Dave

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The Road above Askrigg

We climbed a narrow, winding road, passing homes and holiday cottages, and then walked between numerous farms.  Rock walls separated fields for cows and sheep.  Occasionally, we moved aside to let a car pass, but mostly we had the road to ourselves.

"Wait, let me show you my best side."

Rarely did we glimpse a farmer.  The animals seemed content to watch over themselves.  The young cows were friendly and inquisitive.  The sheep ignored us, or scampered away as we approached.  We made ample use of the benches we found, watching the animals and the village of Askrigg below.  At times, I wondered if the locals might look askance at us, despite the messages of welcome and invitation carved into the wooden benches, or inscribed on a plaque.  Still, that didn’t stop us from using one particular bench set against the side of an outbuilding, at face level with young cows only a few feet away.

"Uh, I don't suppose you brought us any food?"

I wondered if James Herriot visited these farms.  As mentioned in “The Road to Kilburn,“ it’s hard to know how far he ranged.  Certainly he spent time located away from Thirsk, such as when he worked with Ewan Ross in Leyburn, or when he carried out tuberculin testing (such as on his honeymoon).  But it was impossible to gaze at these animals, and not feel affection for them. 

A big "Thank You" to everyone who helped provide all
those benches.  They gave us wondrous views. 

James Herriot may have intended to live in Glasgow and treat household pets, but on his trip down to Yorkshire, he fell in love with the landscape and these larger animals.  His stories cured us of the desire to someday own a farm.  Nevertheless, it was pleasant to remember what had awakened that dream in the first place.  

Dragon Dave

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Askrigg Beyond James Herriot

Another view of Askrigg's Skeldale House

Our limited time in Askrigg left us hungry for more.  So after a few days based near Lancaster, a city along the northern coast of England, we returned, even though it meant sacrificing more time in other areas, such as the Lake District. 

Just one of Askrigg's numerous gardens.

It wasn’t Askrigg that solely drew us back.  We loved the rolling, verdant landscape of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.  This area was where the TV crew filmed “All Creatures Great and Small.”  It wasn’t important to visit particular film sites, such as farms or streamside locations.  We knew the TV version of James Herriot’s hometown Darrowby was stitched together with bits of different towns.  Yet Askrigg had seemed a serene little village.  So we heeded its siren song.

A cottage we could have rented,
had we known about it.

As we walked the town, we discovered more shops and businesses tucked into corners that someone driving along the main road through town might miss.  We also happened upon several stunning gardens.  What surprised us most were how many holiday cottages we found.  When we had planned this trip back in San Diego, we had failed to find anything for Askrigg using various online booking services.  We made a list of booking services and associations on signs taped to windows or hung outside.  When we return to the Yorkshire Dales, we'll have a few more search options.

Losing myself in the scenery.

Do you ever discover a special place and think that you’d love to live there for awhile, perhaps a few months or even a year, in order to understand what local life is like?  For us, Askrigg was one of those places.  Aside from its Herriot connection, it’s a beautiful village, in a heavenly part of England.  Life there might be inconvenient and impractical, unless you’re employed on a farm or a local business.  But it’d be fun to try.

Askrigg: you’re on our wish list.  For someday.

Dragon Dave

Lunching in James Herriot’s TV Town

The Tea House/Candy shop next door to James Herriot's
TV house in Askrigg is aptly named.  

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the places we stayed in England always fed us well for breakfast.  Often, we would just eat a light snack for lunch and dinner.  But today, we hadn’t really packed anything.  Besides, it seemed like lunching in Askrigg would make our visit there truly special. 

We stopped by one little place, and while the menu looked appetizing, it was stuffy and warm inside.  Nor did they offer much in the way of outside seating: just a little table shoved against the sidewalk.  So we told the staff we’d think about it, and wandered on.

"Sorry, dear.  Only rich mountain goats
can afford prices that steep!"

Our next stop took us to The King’s Arms, the public house used as the exterior for The Drovers Arms in “All Creatures Great and Small.”  Eating there would have been a special treat, but one look at their menu convinced us that we needed to explore Askrigg more.

The White Rose Hotel could use a few more signs.
After all, it pays to advertise, right?

We finally settled on The White Rose Hotel.  The interior looked cozy, but the air still seemed a little warm and humid, so we told the lady behind the bar that we’d grab a table outside.  She warned us that we’d have to wait awhile, as a group of bicyclists had come in just before us.  They clamored for her attention even then, banging money on the bar for their pints and bags of crisps.  We assured her that we were in no hurry, and took our sodas outside.

Seated at a picnic bench, under a red and green umbrella, we could look out at the Yorkshire Dales rising up in the distance, the rolling grasslands populated by houses and barns, as well as sheep and cattle.  This was what we had come to experience!  As the men in their nylon shirts and shorts laughed and joked, we wondered what it must be like to bicycle through such a verdant agricultural landscape, and stop in such picturesque villages for a refreshing pint, a snack or a meal.  Then again, their stomachs made us wonder if they hadn’t done too much stopping, and not enough riding!  They kept draining their glasses, hurrying off inside, and returning with refilled pints of ale and more bags of crisps.  Then, their sandwiches arrived, two heaping platters filled with what must have been several sandwiches for each rider.  (Plus more bags of crisps).  Well, I imagine riding must arouse the appetite.  Still, those tight-fitting bicycling outfits hide no secrets, guys!

My wife's sandwich looks nearly good enough to eat.
Lucky for her, I've got my own.

When our sandwiches arrived, they were grand affairs: BBQ Pork on Ciabatta Rolls, with salads and crisps on the side.  As we ate, we not only enjoyed the countryside, and the bicyclists’ jolly conversation, but we studied the backs of the stone buildings that lined this side of Askrigg’s main street.  For us, this was some of the romance of England: buildings centuries old, yet built to last. 

James Herriot didn’t live in Askrigg, but I can understand why the TV crew filmed “All Creatures Great and Small” here.  Aside from the satellite dishes on the houses, and the new cars parked along the street, I could easily tell myself I was lunching in the Darrowby of the 1930s or ‘40s.  The surrounding landscape certainly looked little changed from how it had appeared on the TV show.

Say, I wonder if one those bicyclists is named Tristan?

Dragon Dave

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