Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

S&B meets country walk mark II

gaijingirl

Well-Known Member
Well I've had no luck with Colinette, despite copious emails/phone calls, they won't consider opening up on a Saturday... :(

So.. if peeps are still up for it, I was thinking Hebden Bridge!!


There's TONS of craft shops and it's an historic weaving/textile area.. we could even do a weaving related country walk at Heptonstall weavers' village

Just spoke to Attica and they're open on Saturdays.. and she told me that Hebden Bridge has just been voted best place in the country for small shops.

Unless anyone has some other ideas for good SnB/Country walk places?

I'm pretty sure I bought a pair of clogs there about 14 years ago when I was into New Model Army :oops:

I remember it being quite twee, but beautiful countryside and lots of stuff to do....

It would take 3.5 hours to get there on train.. but the cheapest train ticket is about £41... which seems a bit high to me... I wonder if they do block discounts? And it's only £41 if we get in there as soon as they sell the tickets for the next block of sales (from 7/10/05)

The other (long but cheap option) would be Megabus to Leeds (about £10 return) and a train from LEeds to HEbden Bridge.. (about £7 return)... but we'd have to leave Victoria at 16:30 and wouldn't arrive in Hebden Bridge to close to midnight... so a lot of travel... on the other hand - a lot of time to knit and drink!!

Anyway, again, just an idea I wanted to throw out there (since the Colinette one went to pot).. again I'd be thinking early October. If there's enough interest I'm happy to organise it.
 
I really like the idea of this but I think Hebden Bridge is a bit too far away for the weekend. 40 quid for a train ticket is a lot as well -- and there are no guarantees we'd even get the cheap fare. Don't mean to pour cold water on your idea, which is a good 'un, but I think we need somewhere which is a couple of hours away from London maximum.

Parts of Suffolk are really nice (Southwold, Aldeburgh). I really like Dorset as well.
 
Ms T said:
I really like the idea of this but I think Hebden Bridge is a bit too far away for the weekend. 40 quid for a train ticket is a lot as well -- and there are no guarantees we'd even get the cheap fare. Don't mean to pour cold water on your idea, which is a good 'un, but I think we need somewhere which is a couple of hours away from London maximum.

Parts of Suffolk are really nice (Southwold, Aldeburgh). I really like Dorset as well.

No don't worry.. I kind of think the same.. it is a long way for a weekend.... I guess if we ditch the visiting a yarn shop part of the trip it would make life much easier...

I'd like to go to Suffolk as I'm not sure I've ever been...
 
I like the idea and am not so worried about going up for 2 nights only - I go back up home for that quite often!

Cost is the main problem - £40 plus wool plus other stuff could easily end up being £100 weekend for me.

Still interested - just not really helping am I?
 
Well maybe if anyone knows of any really nice wool shops somewhere rural but nearer to London with good transport connections we could go there instead?

I'm worried about the price issue too tbh..
 
Ms T...

Do you know Suffolk well... there's this place that looks large with classes and sales and allegedly the best supply of Rowan in the UK

http://www.quilters-haven.co.uk/index.htm

They even have an accommodation list attached and it's only 1hr 50 mins direct from Liverpool St..

..but I don't really know the area... the fact there is so many B&Bs kinda suggests it's a pretty area...

if not, I'll get in touch with tourist info and the shop itself..
 
I've been to Woodbridge before, it is pretty (it's a harbour by the sea as far as I remember) and if you have a car there are lots of nice places to explore nearby. Orford and Aldeburgh are particularly nice. We would have a car, and maybe we could hire another?? Haven't been to Wickham Market though.

Would it be cheaper (and more fun) to hire a cottage for the weekend?
 
Ms T said:
I've been to Woodbridge before, it is pretty (it's a harbour by the sea as far as I remember) and if you have a car there are lots of nice places to explore nearby. Orford and Aldeburgh are particularly nice. We would have a car, and maybe we could hire another?? Haven't been to Wickham Market though.

Would it be cheaper (and more fun) to hire a cottage for the weekend?

I was hoping we might find either a cheap cottage type thing or a bunkhouse type arrangement....to make it affordable for all....
 
I can drive :)

I can do other things as well but my driving is a lot better than my knitting I promise you....
 
PieEye said:
I can drive :)

I can do other things as well but my driving is a lot better than my knitting I promise you....



that's like me saying my particle physics is better than my equestrian skills.
 
Hebden Bridge, lesbian capital of UK. Not that, that's a problem like.

Other things to do in Hebden Bridge

Visit Sylvia Plath's grave
Visit the 'horror' museum
walk by the river
walk up the hill

go to pub to get drunk, as no doubt it will be raining

I spent my birthday day there once, thankfully I now have a life (of sorts)

Suffolk sounds much, much better
 
:D

An old flatmate of mine was from Hebden Bridge - he never commented on it being the Lesbos of the North though....

What he did do was work as a dry stone waller during the summer. They have a lot of dry stone walls in Yorkshire.
 
I did hear about the Lesbian capital thing... didn't know about the stonewalls though.... wonder if there are many lesbian stonewallers!!

Hang on.. that's almost a pun.... :eek:

*proud*
 
they even set a lesbian tv drama there tutther year

it is very cute & quaint, but its cuter where I come (just down round, ont reet side of country), less commercial, more pubs & its own cute little railway , a lovely hill complete with tower

no wool manufacturers (cotton in lancs innit), but a huge craft shop & several textile factory shops, where you can get some ace bargains

not many lesbians

& you'd still be bored senseless, sat in pub, avoiding the rain
 
Me and Wolfie lived in Hebden Bridge for about over 10 years.
It's a lovely place and does have a lot of lesbians living there.That makes it a safe place for women to be. :)
It's mid way between Leeds and Manchester on the train line and that may be why it's also full of media types, it's also known as the Hampstead of the north.

As for the horror museum, it closed down about 5 years ago.


Attica fabrics is such a small shop, you'd have to take turns at going in to buy.
(thought I'd mention that as this is supposed to be stitch and bitch related, I think) :D
 
gaijingirl said:
... wonder if there are many lesbian stonewallers!!

there actually are quite a few

also worth mentioning that the Sculpture Trail will be on there soon too - not as good as it used to be since I stopped helping to organise it ;) but still good
 
Blimey! Just had this email from Colinette!!

Hi GG,

I have been speaking to colinette about this matter and we were wondering what weekend you were planning on coming to visit.

You said early October


Please let me know as I am prepared to be here myself.

signed person from Colinette

So are we still up for this.. and if so which weekend?

1/2 Oct
8/9 Oct
 
On the last thread there was tentative interest shown by:

Dimples
Innit
me..
Zora
Ms T
Eme
PieEye
Lollybelle
Choc

(breakaway real ale drinking group?!?)

WOW
Stig
 
PieEye said:
Wicked!

Where's Colinette though?


:confused:

It's in Wales.. see the original thread here

Logistics-wise... there are trains going from Euston early on Friday evenings (17:18) which take just under 3 hours. It seems the cheapest tickets are £28 return.. but how easy it would be to get these I don't know.. I'd have to check.

And I found some bunkhouses on the River Severn which are a tenner a night ... we could cook for ourselves - maybe have a food kitty....

The problem would be getting around once we get there. Personally I would prefer to take a bike and cycle about... but there is also walking and buses (I'd have to make enquiries about the latter). The colinette shop is 11 miles from the bunkhouse. An alternative is to try and cobble together cars between us and split the petrol.

We could do a couple of nice walks (or whatever) and lots of stitching and bitching... and maybe a few ales? Ride the railway?
 
Cool - I'll take my bike too as long as it's not crazyhills. I only have 5 gears and they're on the crossbar - the bike's a touch on the old side.....
 
I could possibly do the first weekend in October, although it involves taking a day off work and I'm running short of leave. Definitely can't do the second weekend. :)
 
I am so very much there, any and/or every weekend suggested!

Well done - how did you manage it? I know of other groups who have also tried to get them to open, but with no luck. Do we get to see the mill?

Is there a limit on numbers? I know of a couple of other knitters who would jump at the chance to come along.
 
Right... Well let's make it 1st weekend in October...

I need to get back to them to let them know if we are definitely interested. I'm not sure whether we get to see "The Mill".. in fact I don't know what that's all about.. Ace Chick??? Maybe you could give me more info and I'll whittle away at them.. After several emails and phone calls trying to get them to open to no avail, I sent a long, gentle email expressing my disappointment at their decision... must have pulled a few heart strings?? ... or cash registers maybe??

I don't think there need be any limit on numbers. The bunkhouse has two buildings.. one which sleeps eleven and one which sleeps six. So I will get in touch with them and check to see what kind of availability they have.

So far I have

Ms T
Innit
Acechick
PieEye
Me

(I'm thinking that probably they'll let us just have the 11 bed bunkhouse but I will need to check).

"Awarded 3 Stars by the Welsh Tourist Board

Sleeps 11 in twin and triple rooms

3 shower rooms

Fully equipped kitchen

T.V lounge

Laundry room services

Games/Meeting room "

I will get in touch with both Colinette and the bunkhouse.
 
Back
Top Bottom