Ilkley

This weekend, we had a 24 hour dash to take our eldest son to a hockey tournament in Ilkley, Yorkshire. His team had unexpectedly got through to the quarter finals of a big competition, so we were keen to see him play. While the team were warming up, we had an hour to spare, so we had a quick look around this lovely little town. First stop, a quick cup of coffee in Bettys famous tea rooms....then a brisk walk through the streets in wonderful sunshine, peeking into a Victorian Arcade and admiring the early spring bulbs, just showing through in the park. A brief interlude investigating a tiny antiques fair in a community centre, just 50p to get in, but no real time to rummage there....

The clock was ticking for the big match, in which the boys drew with Ben Rhydding, and then lost after a penalty shoot out....very tense for all concerned. It was a rather crestfallen crew who headed back down the A1 after a memorable day.