Snowdrops, squirrels and fishermen
Saturday was a bitterly cold morning. My expectations for the day were poor – the weather forecast was for bad weather, maybe even snow. I wasn’t really expecting to go on as a jaunt. But when I looked out of my kitchen window at breakfast-time the sky was blue and the sun was coming up. True, there were the odd clouds. It looked like a day of sunshine and showers. But a jaunt was definitely on.
I had decided to go over to Yarm, a few miles up the River Tees from Middlesbrough. Across the Yarm Bridge, on the opposite side of the Tees was Egglescliffe, a pretty village where I had gathered abundant supplies of conkers last September. I hoped to have lunch in “The Pot and Glass”, a traditional old pub in Egglescliffe. My parents had often talked about “The Pot and Glass” – there was a possibility I had been there with them – but in any case the pub had a good reputation for its meals and looked worth a visit.
I dressed up snugly for the cold weather. My striped gloves were exchanged for thick fleece ones – now I was toasty warm!
I got on the bus at the Coronation (local pub) and off we went through Thornaby and Stockton. In Stockton the market day was in full swing down the High Street. The wind was blowing quite strongly and the coverings of the stalls were being whipped about. The town was packed with Saturday shoppers. On the other side of town we passed by Preston Park. Although Butterfly Park here is closed till April, the museum in Preston Park is open all the year round, and the café too. In the park grounds I could see people out with their children, or walking their dog.
Before long we were in Yarm. I quickly headed for Strickland and Holt’s for a cup of tea. Strickland and Holt’s is the largest shop in Yarm. It is a long-established and expensive shop selling ladies’ fashions, childrens’ clothing, toys, toiletries, knick-knacks and gifts of all sorts, complete with a delicatessen and restaurant. I was soon tucking into a toasted teacake and a pot of tea. When I came out the pavements were wet – it looked like I had missed a rain-shower. Good!
Yarm is an old market town situated inside a loop of the River Tees. Back in 1881 the Tees burst its banks and flooded the town. There is a marker on the wall of the Town Hall to indicate how high it reached. The river runs down either side of the High Street. It is crossed by Yarm Bridge. The town itself is in the shadow of the viaduct that carries the railway to the town. From time to time the sound of a train whistle is heard. I went through the narrow Wynds (alleys) to the quay at the river side. Here the river cruiser stops to set down and take up passengers. And here the birds gather to be fed! Ducks, geese, and swans of every description know where there’s food to be found, and they gather round the side of the river whenever they see people on the quayside. Many people bring loaves of bread that they gaily cast into the river. I too had brought some bread with me – and it was soon being thrown down to the hungry mouths waiting down below. I then pottered round the shops for another hour or so, before heading to Yarm Bridge on the north side of Yarm.
Across the river I was in Egglescliffe, an old and pretty village. It has a fine walk beside the river, where I found conkers last autumn. Today though I suspected the path would be muddy so I stayed closer to the village itself, higher up the bank. I passed St John’s Church, founded in the 11th Century. It may well have been founded then but it appears to have had a number of modern updates! And opposite the church was “The Pot and Glass”, an attractive old pub with black timbers.
Inside the pub were several lounges, all with black beams. The walls were covered with plates and horse brasses. I had hoped to recognise the pub, to see if it might be one that I had been to with my parents. Sadly, it did not seem familiar. However, we had certainly talked of coming here. The pub has a monthly folk evening, and a reputation for traditional English cooking. I was soon tucking into lamb chops and mint sauce. I was in a room at the back of the pub looking out onto the beer garden. Suddenly I spied a grey squirrel running along the garden fence and looking in the window at me. “Oh look! There’s a squirrel!” I exclaimed to the other customers. There was soon an interested audience looking out towards the windows. “Oh there, he is! Now he’s on the pavings!” “No, he’s on the shrubs on the other side!” “Did you know you have squirrels?” I asked the publican. “There’s dozens of them, I can’t get rid off them, they’re a bleeding nuisance!” he complained. “They’ve eaten through the lid of my wheelie bin!!!!”
Lunch over I walked up the lane towards the green. The cottages were trim and their gardens tidy. Almost every garden was covered in snowdrops gleaming in the sunlight. The village green too had its share of snowdrops, in groups surrounding the war memorial. In front one of the cottages I could see a gentleman out tending his garden. A young woman came out walking her dog – a golden retriever. She had a ball with her and her dog was having great fun chasing after it and catching it. I took a couple of photographs of the snowdrops and headed back over the bridge to Yarm.
I stopped by some of the shops and picked up some groceries. I was mystified to find three florists but only one greengrocer. I peered into a couple of antique shops.
Eventually I cut through one of Wynds near the viaduct. A narrow path took took me down to the river again. The riverbank was looking particularly bedraggled. Grasses, twigs and old vegetation was scattered on the banks. However, two rows of young trees had been planted alongside the bank. On small quays along the river were small groups of fishermen. No transistors today, but all the boys and men were well wrapped up against the weather and absorbed in a day’s fishing. “Is there much fish here?” I asked one young man. “Not much. Chub, perch, pike. The pike are enormous.” He held out his arms to show how big the pike were. I was disappointed. “Isn’t there anything edible?” “Well, there’s trout.” His tone was doleful. It didn’t sound as if he’d had much luck in the trout department. I continued along the bank, cautiously stepping over several feet of mud, and headed for another cup of tea.
I had been lucky with the weather. I had missed most of the rain, and the sun had shone most of the day. Back on my bus heading home the rain started. By the time I reached home it was lashing down and the wind was howling outside. Time for a quiet evening in, in front of the television!!!!!
This message was edited Feb 11, 2004 7:30 AM
This message was edited Feb 11, 2004 7:32 AM
Snowdrops, squirrels and fishermen
Thanks for another great trip! You paint such a great word picture, why aren't you writing the travel brochures? Most of them are very dry reading. By the way, conkers?
Pati
Conkers = fruits of the horse chestnut tree. They are gathered by little boys and their Dads, who put a string through them and use them for games.
Thank you!
I just found this jaunt! I was instantly transporated along side you seeing all the sights you saw, in my minds eye. This was just delightful and I love the ending, you getting home in the downpour and the nice warm fire! I now have another jaunt to copy and keep in my folder. Thank you for the trip!
That's fine Doris! I'm glad you enjoyed it. There's a few typos again - I found 3 this morning, and have now corrected them.
The weather is turning quite springlike here now. Mrs Blackbird has been pottering around under the Viburnum bush where she normally nests. Looks like I'll have nesting blackbirds before too long. There's quite a racket with birdsong in my back garden now. I'm hoping to go on another jaunt this coming Saturday - the weather forecast is for fine weather.
This message was edited Feb 11, 2004 7:40 AM