Sunday, 12 August 2018
Gig
Le Vent du Nord
It's so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the best gigs take place in the cities. Settle's Victoria Hall convincingly disproved that theory tonight.
It was midweek when I noticed that the quintessential Québécois quintet that Emma and I saw three years ago in Glasgow were playing in this Yorkshire town tonight.
The gig was tremendous: fiddles, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, keyboards, accordion, tap and all. I suspect Le Vent du Nord aren't capable of pulling off anything less than a thrilling, joyful performance.
The real star for me though was the Victoria Hall itself. Claiming to be the oldest music hall in the world (though I'm aware of at least two others that lay claim to that crown), it's run by volunteers, has a lovingly curated artistic programme and equally diverse selection of drinks at the bar. The hall felt like the centre of a community of which I was proud to be a temporary member. I'll be back.
Pennine Bridleway
Barnoldswick → Settle
Distance: 18.87 miles
Ascent: 592 metres
Duration: 5 hours 45 minutes
The parallel path
« Not walked | Not walked »
Once again the weather has been kind to me. Sure, I didn't get the wall-to-wall sunshine of yesterday, but more importantly on a day that had a forecast of non-stop rain, I remained unexpectedly dry. After the prolonged heatwave, it appears as though normal service has been resumed when it comes to the weather.
It's proving increasingly difficult for me to describe the Pennine Bridleway without reference to the Pennine Way. When I realised that today's leg started and finished with hills, but was otherwise across farmland, I remembered the route from Ickornshaw to Malham across the Aire Gap. Today I've crossed the same geological gap, about five miles to the west.
The best of the walk was the end: the long climb after Long Preston, and the drop into Settle. Between these two the character of the landscape changed to moorland, and with dark clouds brooding in the east it felt dramatic and exciting, something that's generally been missing elsewhere on the bridleway. The fact that the Settle milestone is to be found at the top end of town on this track perhaps indicates its importance as the old traditional route across the moors.
Settle itself is a lovely town, full of nooks and crannies, and well worth an explore. It's right in the middle of its annual Flowerpot Festival, with constructions made from flowerpots decorating every building and corner of the town. I've been through Settle on the train so many times but never stopped.
The town is also home to the Victoria Hall, said to be the oldest music hall in the world. Fortuitously there's a show on tonight that interests me, so here's another first on a walk: a post-exercise gig. Should be good.
Notes for future walkers:
- The signpost was missing at the foot of Brook Lane west of Halton West, but the turning is easy to find if you're got an eye on the map — it's immediately before Town Farm.
- There isn't a signposted route in Long Preston. I stayed on the B6478 until just after it crossed the railway before picking up a path behind the houses on the left. After crossing the A65 at the village green, the route out of the village is Green Gate Lane, tucked away on the left.
- The route in Settle is similarly vague. The best option is probably to head downhill until you hit the main square although I think the formal route stays on the highest road, just skimming the easternmost edge of the town.