Lads outings

                                   Musical  Concert   16th. December.   Friday night was music night for the Lads and their Lasses . The venue for this concert was Ossett Town Hall , Derek had made the necessary ticket arrangements etc. We were all to meet there about 7pm . A speedy entrance was needed in order to get a table suitable for all our gang. This was achieved even though  we were right at the back of the hall , but it did not spoil our evening of entertainment. Once formally introduced to each other ,we settled down to a night of foot tapping, hand clapping and  a good old sing along to various hit songs that were being performed on stage. First up was a guy who sang memorable tunes  in the style of Billy Fury, he was very good. Then followed by the so called stars of the show, The Shakers. Who are the resident band from the Cavern club. Their first half performance was a little bit under par considering their reviews, their second half stint was much  much better,

       A Poem by Dave The years are marching on now It's time to go out and play I've said farewell to my regular job  And put my tools away I've taken  up the offer  To join a group of lads  Who like me are retired  And now are called grandads They meet upon a Thursday  With things they've planned to do They've said goodbye to the pinstriped suits And their patent leather shoe Now it's all aboard a bus or train  And off to pastures new As we take a look at the world outside  And marvel at the view The laughs the jokes the serious talks  The sunshine and the rain  All those miles we've travelled together  On buses roads and train  What sights we seen and places we've been  As we journeyed along the way Followed by a rest in our favourite pub  To eat special meals of the day A curry a steak or noodles Followed by apple pie Come on, are shouting some of the lads It's time to say goodbye

                    A walk for Fish & Chips This walk was planned a week ago when the weather forecast was very favourable, unfortunately the outlook changed somewhat. So with so called baited breath , we headed for the Lancashire town of Littleborough on board a train from Leeds. As we crossed the county line the weather turned against us, the rain clouds gathered and the mist came rolling in , but our spirit was not dampened. Onwards we trekked along the soaking pathways till we finally reached our destination, Grandma Pollards fish and chips restaurant in the village of Walsden, a distance of some 4 miles or so. Once at this establishment we were encouraged to enjoy their delights in the accommodation bus, that was parked out back overlooking the canal. Taking up this offer was a fun experience made all the more better by the service they provided. As the time approached 2.45pm. we now made our way back to the railway station and the start of our journeys home. Yet anot

                       Walk to a Waterfall  Yet again we started our outing by meeting up at Leeds railway station, in time to catch the twelve minutes past nine train heading east to Scarborough. The journey takes about 75 minutes. On arrival at the station we now cross the road , in order to take the Whitby bound bus to the village of  Cloughton. From here we take the lane that leads you to the coastal path, this time we are heading north. A bit of a downhill uphill start to this pathway but eventually it evens out and then lends itself to great views of the surrounding countryside. Although a fine sunny day was forecast this part of the journey was rather cool with the odd prospect of a lite shower, some 30 minutes on and the sun appeared, this brightened our spirit as we trekked towards Hayburn Wyke. On approaching the cliff tops near to this location ,we could just about make out the Waterfall as it cascaded down towards the sea. The pathway now took us through a woode

                      Heysham Port to Morecombe November 24th . Today's adventure would take us on a railway journey north to Heysham Port, this is a place of access  to and from the Isle of Man. The Leeds lads taking one route and Wakefield lads another but eventually meeting up with each other on the train at Lancaster Station. Then just a short journey on to Heysham. Once we had left the Port we soon found our way on to the coastal path that would lead us on a joyous walk, taking in the magnificent views across the bay and the snow capped hills of Cumbria. A mile along this path and we come across the ancient ruins of St. Patrics Chapel and the rock graves, from here just a short distance to the local church and its views over the bay. We now join the promenade that will lead us on to the resort of Morecombe a few miles further away. This stretch of the promenade we have to share with many others , as we all enjoy such a beautiful day of clear blue sky and sunsh

Leeds to Durham  Once again our journey starts at Leeds railway station ,where we board the train taking us north,bypassing York and Darlington heading for the city of Durham. On arriving here you are greeted with great views of the city and all that it holds , from the splendour of the Cathedral and nearby Castle down to its mehandering streets and river. Our first port of call was breakfast/lunch which we enjoyed courtesy of Treets, from here we made our way up to the Cathedral and took a rather brief tour of this impressive building. Leaving this location ,we now made our way back through the streets and to the waterside  to climb aboard  the  river cruise boat that would take us to see a different view of the City. Our guide or should I say Captain for this adventure was in great form, he had great knowledge of the riverside buildings and what stories they beheld, this voyage proved to be a great success.   From here we now made our way back to the Castle,

                  M.F.A.Bowl Leeds. This outing was aimed at our ability skills, some with more experience than others! Nevertheless this turned out to be a great entertaining achievement, of the 2 games played, Colin was the overall  winner, just pipping Keith and Derek by the odd point. Whilst the rest of us followed in their wake, Dave and Eddie being the runners up. Malcolm, John, Brian all having respectable scores. What great enjoyment we all had , something different to do on a rainy day . Afterwards we crossed the road to have a meal at J.D.Weatherspoon's and reflect upon this experience.

           Elvington  Air Musium  The journey to this location starts with a bus ride from Leeds to York. Once in York we walk a short distance to Merchant Gate. This is where we catch a local bus that will take us to the museum, this journey taking about 35 minutes.The driver dropping us off at the gates. From here it's just a short walk to the admission hut. After paying our entrance fee and given a brief description of what to expect, we are left to explore this nostalgic setting at our own pace. The general layout is much of what it would have been like in the WW2 era, but now with quite a number of modern additions to its airborne craft.  As we wondered about the old accommodation blocks, you get a feeling of what it would have been like for the personnel who were stationed here. Lots of photos and memorabilia on display along with the various aircraft of that time. The large hanger alone was worth the admission fee. A great adventure was had by all.  The local

                   Cloughton to Scarborough Our journey starts at Leeds Railway Station, meeting point for most of our outings,  we then board the train to Scarborough . Once at Scarborough we leave the station and cross the road to catch the Whitby bound bus, the journey to Cloughton taking about twenty minutes or so, getting off the bus here and taking a short walk up the village to the lane that takes you down towards the Coastal Path Way. At end of this lane you are faced with 2 choices north or south, we take the southern route heading back towards Scarborough. The walk along the cliff top lends itself to splendid views on all sides, after some 2 hours of this we find ourselves making our way down from the cliffs and on to the shore line near the Sea Life Sanctuary at Scalby. From here we caught the local bus back into Scarborough. Now it was off the bus and heading for the Harbour Bar before a long walk along Marine Drive. Our eventual destination the North Bay Fisheries an

2016 January 14th. Leeds to Carlisle train journey. Dave's first outing with the Lads . This was a chance for me to meet up with the Lads, first point of contact was Leeds railway station. Once formally introduced to each of them, we now boarded the train heading for Carlisle, this was exciting for me and probably for the rest of the Lads. Overnight snow had blessed us and was giving  stunning views of the countryside as we headed north. On arrival at Carlisle, we took a walk down by the riverside to see what damage the winter storms had done, not a welcoming site. From here we headed back towards the centre to explore some of the older buildings and then had a meal in the customery J.D.Weatherspoons establishment. Now back to the railway station and our journey home. What a joyous day I had, meeting a bunch of great Lads, little did I know what was to follow?  A catalog of events that tested our endurance,friendship, spirit and sense of humour. Participan

2016 January 14th. Leeds to Carlisle train journey. Dave's first outing with the Lads . This was a chance for me to meet up with the Lads, first point of contact was Leeds railway station. Once formally introduced to each of them, we now boarded the train heading for Carlisle, this was exciting for me and probably for the rest of the Lads. Overnight snow had blessed us and was giving  stunning views of the countryside as we headed north. On arrival at Carlisle, we took a walk down by the riverside to see what damage the winter storms had done, not a welcoming site. From here we headed back towards the centre to explore some of the older buildings and then had a meal in the customery J.D.Weatherspoons establishment. Now back to the railway station and our journey home. What a joyous day I had, meeting a bunch of great Lads, little did I know what was to follow?  A catalog of events that tested our endurance,friendship, spirit and sense of