Time Travel

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In the passionate grip of my ancestral quest, Mister E and I visited Wensleydale today. I have no lineal connection with that particular dale but was keen to visit the Dales Countryside Museum telling the story as it does of life in neighbouring Swaledale as well. It's operated by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and is situated within the original station buildings at Hawes.

Whilst it felt a little surreal wandering around a museum in a face mask, you are soon intrigued enough by some of the exhibits that you do forget about it after all and with staggered entry times at 15 minute intervals, there was certainly no need to think about social distancing from anybody.

Full of farming and lead-mining implements from earlier periods, it was an immersive experience in the life of my forebearers. Although my direct family line were farmers, some of the women  inevitably married lead miners as Swaledale with its ore deposits went through a period of mass excavation. 

Sadly from the 1820's, when the lead mining industry began to decline, miners found themselves in a perilous situation and  moved to seek employment. It reminded me of the plight of those families that have recently made newspaper headlines for crossing the Channel in little more than dinghies in order to seek asylum in the UK. In the 19th Century many Dalesmen similarly made their way to America, frequently paying corrupt brokers to arrange their passages. The ships used were trade vessels and quite unsuitable for Atlantic crossings by human passengers. Two hundred years on and still it happens.

 

The Museum, as I hoped, had shelves of books associated  with the exhibits, so I selected a couple (one of which I have been unable to source online). My reading material for the weekend is now resolved.

Before returning we had a wander around Hawes but were amazed at just how busy the main street was and found ourselves walking along the road in order to keep our distance. Presumably  this is now the height of the holiday season for campers and caravanners but it was a little disconcerting. Goodness knows how I would feel in a real tourist hotspot either here or in the Mediterranean. For the moment, I have no plans to find out. 

Travel is not off the agenda for retirement but I am currently experimenting with my own personal form of time travel instead.


 


Comments

Treaders said…
One of my dreams for when I retired was to "rediscover" the UK. Having left England over 40 years ago, there's a lot to discover. One of the first places I wanted to travel to was the Yorkshire Dales with my Yorkshireman friend, Steve. Sadly Steve died last year unexpectedly and what with covid and everything else that's going on I'm not sure when I will ever fulfil my dream, but it's lovely travelling vicariously through you!
15 August 2020 at 14:36
Caree Risover said…
I’m so sorry for your loss and having avowed to avoid the main attractions, I now feel the pressure to deliver
19 August 2020 at 12:23
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