Out & About around Calderdale

COVID-19 UPDATE

• We hope that Government Guidelines will allow us to open for holiday guests from July 4 2020
• Dyer’s Cottage is available now for essential workers working locally and other specified people. Please ask us if you may be eligible.
• We have amended our payment system and now ask for final payment just 4 weeks before arrival.
• If you book to stay at Dyer’s Cottage and subsequently are unable to stay due to our closure by the government (Lockdown) or travel restrictions being imposed on our area, we will arrange for you to transfer payment made to a future date for the same number of days in the same price band or receive a refund minus administration/banking costs incurred.
• We have had many compliments on our cleaning standards but have commited to follow government guidance on cleaning and are applying for recognition of this. To allow for super cleaning, we intend to leave a 30 hour void between one guests’ departure and the arrival of the next.
• We ask guests to take responsibility during their stay in that they should remove outdoor shoes on arrival and (1) bring a pair of house shoes/slippers (2) Be able to bring their own bed linen, towels, pillows and duvets if preferred (3) If guests decide to use ours, we ask that we know a week in advance of arrival. We will continue to launder pillow, mattress and duvet protectors as standard but ask that guests remove the used bed linen, towels and bathmat and place them in a black bag from under the kitchen sink before departure.
• Do not travel to Dyer’s Cottage if you feel unwell. Our standard terms and conditions will apply and it is therefore VITAL that you take out travel insurance on booking.
• If you feel unwell during your stay, or receive a call from Test and Trace, we expect your group to immediately leave the property, return home and inform the owners.

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Happy Christmas to all guests, past, present and future at Dyer’s Cottage Halifax West Yorkshire

Now celebrating the start of our 5th year of welcoming guests to Dyer’s Cottage Halifax, we would like to send Christmas greetings to everyone who has stayed with us, with a special mention to those guests who have returned several times to spend time in our ‘home away from home’. We look forward to meeting all the new guests who have booked already for 2020 and thank everyone for their support.

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5 Great Day Trips from Halifax

As an interesting Yorkshire town, with a lot of mainly Victorian architecture and thriving culture to entrance visitors, Halifax is forever associated with Anne Lister, popularly known as ‘Gentleman Jack’ after the BBC/HBO TV series of the same name. However, it is also a town surrounded by many other interesting locations. If you have time for a day trip or two from Halifax, where should you turn your attention? We have got some suggestions that will certainly make your holiday in Halifax and Yorkshire special.

1 Discover Yokshire -York 

Nearly 2000 years old, with Roman roots, York was originally called  Eboracum which probably meant the place with yew trees. Take a walk around the ancient City Walls, explore the 13^th century York Minster, a Gothic cathedral, which is the second most important in the country after Canterbury. Admire the medieval stained glass windows and imposing bell towers. Stroll through The Shambles, with buildings dating back to the 14^th century, climb Clifford’s Tower, the last remaining part of York Castle. Find out about the Vikings at Jorvik and if you have time, take a trip to the National Railway Museum. The easiest way to travel is by train via Leeds, just 1 hour 15 minutes. Find out more here. 

2 A day trip to Chester – Chester Zoo

Just 2 hours from Halifax by a direct train is Chester, founded as a Roman fortress in the 1^st century with distinctive Roman walls made of red sandstone. Walk to the Roman amphitheatre with its ongoing excavations and then take in some retail therapy in the Rows, Tudor style half-timbered buildings with 2 level covered arcades. Follow this by a visit to Chester Zoo, which at 125 acres, is one of the largest zoos in England with over 27,000 animals. 

3 Blackpool 

Blackpool is a lively seaside resort on the Lancashire coast with a much more recent history dating from the mid-19^th century. Yorkshire and Lancashire textile workers would come here for their holidays and fun was had by all. It’s still a fun place with its world famous pleasure beach, a very lively theme park with many thrill seeking rides.  For a different experience, take a trip up the Blackpool Tower, which opened in 1894 and discover stunning views, a 4D Cinema, a Ballroom, and a Circus. More delights include the Opera House & Winter Gardens, Madame Tussauds and the famous Blackpool Illuminations which will be shining from 30 August to 3 November 2019. Six miles of the Promenade are lit up with what has become known as the greatest free lightshow on earth. See here for more information. 

4 How about a football match? 

Halifax does have its own team, Halifax Town, but if you are looking for premier league action, you don’t have far to go. Take a train to Manchester and watch the reds at Old Trafford or the blues at City . For a smaller more intimate experience, why not visit Turf Moor and watch Burnley FC, nicknamed The Clarets? Or for a high flying championship team, how about a trip to Elland Road and see Leeds in action? 

5 A trip to the Lake District 

Slightly more difficult to get to by train (although it is possible via Manchester to Kendal or Keswick), the beautiful Lake District National Park is only about 2 hours away by car. Carved by glaciers, this impressive granite landscape is dissected by many lakes such as Wastwater (below) Windermere, Coniston Water and Thirlmere. Separating them are the highest mountains in England, Scafell Pike 978m and Helvellyn 950m Explore honeypot sites such as Ambleside and Grasmere where William Wordsworth lived at Dove Cottage or take a visit to Beatrix Potter’s house near Hawkshead.

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A must visit event this weekend in Sowerby Bridge- Rushbearing.

So you haven’t heard of Rushbearing? Well, I don’t blame you as only a few places in the North West of England like Ambleside, Saddleworth and Sowerby Bridge still participate in this old ecclesiastical event. What about some history? It started in Medieval times when churches had earth floors. Covering them up with rushes, reeds and sweet smelling flowers helped to provide insulation as well as give a delicate perfume and stop dirt being trampled everywhere. Every year the rushes would be changed. The day varied but was often associated with the Saints day after which the church was named. Out would go the old and rush bearers would bring in the new, either in bundles or on a rushcart. To enhance the experience of laying them on the floor, the locals would be plied with ale and cake and Morris Dancers and musicians would entertain them as they worked. The church bells would ring out to announce the work in progress and no doubt it was great fun! This tradition lasted for centuries but died out when flagstones were laid. The church of  St Chad in Saddleworth, high on the Pennines, previously in Yorkshire but now in Lancashire, was very late in losing its rushes in 1826 but now holds a Rushcart Festival at the end of August each year.

Sowerby Bridge, a close neighbour of Halifax, just 3 miles further up the Calder Valley, staged a Rushbearing Festival in 1977 (black and white photo at the top) to celebrate our Queen’s Silver Jubilee and it was such a success, it has continued every year since, taking place on the first weekend of September. Here you see the Rushbearing procession crossing our beautiful countryside 

Following the Rushcart

 Rushbearing is now the largest and most prestigious event to take place in Sowerby Bridge and surrounding villages and takes place this year on Saturday September 7th and Sunday September 8th. The highlight is a procession of people accompanied by a 16ft high 2 wheeled rushcart which has been lovingly thatched and decorated over the previous 10 days or so. A team of young ladies take turns to ride on it as it is pulled by 60 strong local men dressed in white shirts and black trousers with a Panama hat on their head and wooden clogs on their feet. Accompanied by a multitude of supporters dressed in Edwardian costumes, musicians and teams of Morris Dancers, this is a sight to behold! For details of the full route to be taken and approximate timings, please see www.rushbearing.com but it starts at St John’s Church Warley at 10.15 , then into Warley Town (really a village!) processing past 3 churches in  Sowerby Bridge before ending Saturday at The Moorings next to the canal. Sunday starts at St Peter’s Church Sowerby, then visits the aptly named Rushcart Inn and St Mary’s Church down in Sowerby Bridge before heading West to Triangle, finishing at St Bartholomew’s Church in Ripponden. 

Come and join in the fun! 

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