Towton, The Yorkshire Dales and Malham Cove

From Canterbury we continued north and completed a three week house sit with two beautiful whippets, a cat and some ducks. We stopped off at F2 motorcycles in Wisbech for a few parts and a minor fix up to Sassy. More about those details in later posts about house sitting and selecting the Ural as our bike!

Lets talk about Yorkshire!

We are so fortunate to have family in Yorkshire. Sam and I love to live locally and try to as much as possible. Living locally is amazing, especially when you have the added bonus of local guides to take you around! Thanks Michael, Toni, Tally and Joe!

The Battle of Towton

In this serene setting you can walk along the rolling hills south west of Towton. Trails weave through the battlefield of Towton adorned with green pastures, blossoming trees and daffodils. On March 29, 1461 the House of Lancaster, for Henry VI, and the House of York, for Edward IV, slaughtered each other for control of the English throne.

On the day of the battle soldiers fought not only each other but a snowstorm as well. In the end, the Yorkist camp rose victorious but at a major cost to human life. Of the roughly 50,000 combatants, approximately 28,000 are recorded as having died in these fields.

The Battle of Towton was but one in the famed War of the Roses. For 32 years the white rose Yorkist’s fought the Lancaster’s red rose forces for control of the throne. In the end Henry Tudor won out and married Elizabeth of York uniting the houses and becoming Henry VII.

The Rockingham arms, Towton is a good whistle stop for a pint

Following our stroll we popped into the Rockingham Arms, Towton for a drink. It is a great place to drop in at the beginning or end of the Battle of Towton walking tour. A great selection of whiskey and excellent service awaits!

Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a huge area filled with natural beauty and history. We only spent one day here but could have easily spent a week. There is hiking, walking, cycling, ruins and much more. Check out the official website to find out more about activities and locations of interest.

Malham Cove

For a lovely day trip in the Yorkshire area you could head to Malham Cove and have a nice leisurely walk through the fields or an intense burn up to the top of this 12,000 year old Ice Age waterfall. We were told that some scenes from ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ were filmed here!

The walk is quite an easy one and only about 20 mins each way. Be sure to bring a lead for your dog as the trail winds through stone walled sheep and cattle pastures. We were lucky to have been there in birthing season and saw many little lambs running around. Apparently they are also called lambkins here in Britain!

While reading up for this post I found reference to limestone caverns below the cove which have been explored by expert cave divers. Apparently they have only mapped out approximately 1 mile of this underground system to date. These underground rivers are believed to have been formed 50,000 years ago unlike the Cove itself which was carved out at the end of the ice age by melting glacier water.

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These two locals watched Tally closely while she splashed around in the creek.

Malham Village

We briefly stopped in at the Malham Smithy which is still in use and the forge was glowing red. Annabelle Bradley is the resident blacksmith artisan. Using traditional methods she creates these beautiful works of practical art. How cool is that!

Back in the parking lot we met another motorcycle enthusiast who saw Sassy and came over to chat. He also had a border collie with him who was dragging a 12ft stick all around the parking lot. Basically it was a tree! It is always fun talking to people about motorcycles. It creates a common ground and allows folks to feel comfortable about sharing their riding experiences. Stories we always love to hear.

This way out

Riding in England on a left hand drive Ural sidecar rig was a bit frightening at first but I have become much more comfortable with it. We take it easy and go slow on the rural single cart tracks. There is no rush. Sam helps out as a spotter when we are in tight quarters and I installed LED’s on the front of the bike and sidecar making it more visible to oncoming motorists. We are loving the adventure!

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Take care and keep on travelling,

Dan&Sam

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