The Cow and the Calf

I can stop writing the date at the top of every day, now that I've updated and published the blog, finally! 

Yesterday, on the recommendation of the Barclay's bank representative who signed up most of the teachers for free bank accounts, my Eastbrook Hall mates (we live in the same renovated complex I posted a picture of in my first post) and another couple took a 20 minute train ride out to Ilkley, a countryside-ish town, to find the "Cow and the Calf".  We hiked to the top of the hill to find this bundle of rocks that had a vintage inn of the same name next to it.  Amazing view and fun rock-climb.

I would upload more pictures but I'm being careful not to use up my 1GB of mobile data :P Btw, the mobile Internet USBs are called "dongles" here, and I'm sure that in one of the countries I lived in before, that was slang for something else.)

Didn't go to church so I wouldn't be left behind on this trip...

Train stations remind me of Sydney!

Ilkley library and town hall? Outside the Ilkley train station.  

The main part of town is just down the road.

Walked about half an hour (didn't time it) uphill to find the Cow (the big rock) and the Calf (the little lump!)

See the rock climbers on the right? (Click on the image to make it bigger)

 That kid in the white was really part mountain-goat.  "You're really good at that, aren't you?" "Uh huh".  We tried one way up and decided it was not the right way, so we went up the one shown below.  And the kid had come down this way and was up and down the "wrong" way before we had even made it a quarter of the way up the "right" way. 

Climbers (I'm in the middle!).

I bet if we were in Canada, there would be signs everywhere saying "climb at your own risk" or even "do not climb" and possibly railing along the long way up.

At the top!  At first I thought the girl holding the camera had taken a lopsided photo but I think that is really the slope of the hill.

The town-side.  In front of me is a rock that has someone's name cut into it and "1842".

Coming back around, we saw SHEEP.  They moved their way into this little corner and stood there grazing.  Can you spot them?  Ryan, this rock-climbing picture is for you.

Decided to lunch at the Cow & Calf Inn

My haddock and chips...and mushy peas. 

Mom, I ate all the peas!!  Gross.

The six of us paid cash and tipped about £8 (because we all rounded up our contributions) and the server was so surprised when we insisted that we hadn't left our change behind.

Walked through the town while waiting for the train that leaves every 2 hours and saw... 

"Canadian Adventure... Highlights:  Boston, New England"  

What??

 

I seem to have uploaded pretty much everything I wanted to share except a snapshot of the view as we walked up the hill because it's almost the same as the view from the top!