A trip to Yorkshire.

We had seen a weather forecast which promised sunny intervals so we set off for the sunny side of the hills.  No sun was seen and I at least found it perishing cold by the water at Ingbirchworth Reservoir South Yorkshire.

Little Grebe was the first bird heard as we set off for a walk but never sighted. In contrast there were a number of Great Crested Grebes on the water - no actual courting rituals but some very interesting calls.

This is the only photograph I took of a bird this afternoon so I am pleased it is good enough to share. A second later and it was underwater.

We don’t go far at the moment and we are very out of practice about visiting new areas but created some extra excitement when deciding that I should find some petrol !

Why did we not fill up at home?  For some reason our usual Esso was cordoned off with men looking down a hole near the shop. So with unusual devil may care optimism I said I was not going to go in the wrong direction to the next Petrol station and headed off over the Woodhead Pass.

Where to get petrol Holmfirth or Penistone. I opted for Texaco at Penistone a very busy garage which was 3p cheaper than our Esso for Premium Unleaded E10 petrol at £143.9. There seemed to very little Diesel on offer which meant there were some strange manoeuvres by other drivers trying to get to a pump with fuel.  I filled up and paid and only managed to get back in the car when a lady filling her car had to stop to let me get - she did laugh but still glad there was fuel !

Then trying to leave the petrol station it was almost a gridlock, why? 
Friday afternoon busyness at a four way junction and yes it was School’s Out for the weekend.   Penistone Grammar students pouring towards us like a marauding horde.  1500 at a glance !

A recent YouGov Survey question came to mind, Should the schools measure the length of girl’s school skirts?   I answered No ( mainly thinking that parents or siblings should advise ).  But on this larger scale survey than we have seen in a long time perhaps?.   My sister said “Look at her!”  when the shortest of the short skirts was spotted - I missed it as I was trying not to run anybody over. I said is the answer not just change to trousers? and she said she was once sent home from school for going in trousers on some freezing cold Winter day BUT that was because it was the wrong uniform at that time. Not sure.

We survived and got to Ingbirchworth just up the road.

There is still one way traffic over Salter’s Bridge which can only mean they really do think it may crumble and collapse one day.  Imagine the chaos if they have to shut the A628 completely for repairs?  With a weight limit already imposed on the A57 Snake Pass the freight traffic would all be doing many more miles North or South over the Pennines. 
The traffic lights system through the bridge seems to work very well on such a busy road. It obvious tries to clear the standing traffic completely before changing but it does time out eventually and it took us two changes on the way home.

By then I couldn’t wait, emergency toilet stop at Torside !