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T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8<br />
THE TRouGH oF BoWLAND<br />
Chris Seabrook & John Ivey at the September Lunch<br />
Wednesday 6th Morning game drive. We were up close to lots<br />
of elephants, kudu, dung beetles, zebra, wart hogs, tortoise,<br />
eagle owl, yellow-billed kyte, and buzzard. Snacks were<br />
purchased for lunch and a restful afternoon at Aardvark.<br />
Returned to the Elephant Park for dinner and an evening<br />
Game drive viewing kudu, jackal, scrub hare, buffalo, hyena<br />
and returning to base for beer and bed.<br />
Thursday the return to Port Elizabeth for flight back to<br />
Johannesburg. Afternoon drinks round Chris's pool and off to<br />
a Portuguese restaurant for dinner. Wonderful times had by all<br />
and afterwards back at Melba Street.<br />
Friday 8th Lazy morning and afternoon. Lunch at Camaro<br />
Crossing. Tambo airport for 21.30 flight home. Again plenty<br />
of time was again allowed for Duty Free.<br />
Saturday 9th Arrive Heathrow 7.00am dull and dreary after<br />
almost perfect, not too hot, weather for tourists. A very hectic<br />
time but ten days to remember.<br />
John Ivey<br />
The New Year had just arrived and an excursion was made for<br />
a couple of nights, staying in Austwick, near Settle, an old<br />
haunt but staying in a different B&B Wood View not far from<br />
the Gamecock Inn. The staff of Stationers' came here one<br />
September many years ago with the challenge of completing<br />
the 'The Three Peaks Walk' many years ago. I remember<br />
Michael D.Lee completing the walk with a number of others.<br />
This is a lovely stone village and an excellent base for walking<br />
the valleys and hills nearby. There is the short walk up to<br />
Norber to see the erratics or the delightful stroll between the<br />
two dry stone walls from the isolated hamlet of Wharfe<br />
leading up to Moughton, passing the whetstones on the way.<br />
Settle was visited for coffee and then the road was taken<br />
north to Horton in Ribblesdale to see the Bayes family, Peter,<br />
Matthew and Marianne, who served the Stationers' students<br />
so well over the years especially when members of the sixth<br />
form took up the challenge of the 'Three Peaks'.<br />
However, on this winter wander, after lunch refreshment in<br />
the Black Horse in Giggleswick within sight of the well<br />
known public school, the drive was to take one away from the<br />
Craven District. The journey went south west to Wigglesworth<br />
first. You can either reach Wigglesworth through Rathmell<br />
from the Settle by pass or use the A65 south west to Long<br />
Preston and take the B6478 westwards. It may be worth<br />
taking a detour to Hellifield Station which has a well<br />
preserved cast iron supported covered platform built when the<br />
station was opened. There is also a good cafe on the platform<br />
to provide some nourishment. Back then to Wigglesworth<br />
where another good dining place is The Plough renovated in<br />
recent years and the food was sampled on this trip. Continuing<br />
west to Tosside one enters another world of The Forest of<br />
Bowland with the road going south west to Slaidburn, one of<br />
the largest settlements in this sparsely populated area of<br />
Lancashire. Crossing the River Hodder as you approach this<br />
very remote village there is the Riverside tea room on your<br />
Clitheroe's main street from the castle<br />
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