Time for a catch up.
Tuesday we arrived in Leeds to a very gray and rainy afternoon. We had decided to book a cheaper room for the night that was above a pub near the airport. Very basic but It was a lot of fun having this tiny room above the pub with people below enjoying their pints.
Colin‘s cousin Rob had graciously agreed to pick us up for dinner with Colin‘s aunt Nan at her favourite restaurant. It was probably a good thing because the roads were chaotic and we had yet to find our groove driving on the other side of the road. I hadn’t been to his aunt’s house in Leeds in 45 years and it looked exactly the same. She’s 92 and still tending to her beautiful garden. We had a lovely dinner and visit.
The next morning. We got up and drove south towards Buxton to do a hike in the Peak National Park. The highlight for sure was Led’s Church. This long canyon in the rock has various stories associated with it. We first heard about it from a February 2026 article in the Globe and Mail. All trails says:
We spent the night in Buxton, which is an old spa town with an opera house, gardens and a Victorian conservatory.
The next morning we headed back to Peak National Park to do another hike we’d read about called Hanging Stone. It was a very idyllic stroll through fields of lambs and green fields until you come upon this giant piece of rock jutting out of the hill. The fog had lifted so the views were spectacular.
The next task was to really test our driving and navigation skills by taking the M1 down to Northampton. Another Molyneux cousin, Angus and his wife Sara agreed to host us for two nights. Keen hikers and birders and local pub aficionados, we had a wonderful visit. We hadn’t seen Angus since 1995.
We spent Friday hiking around Northampton through villages and woodlands. Certainly no shortage of old pubs and churches.
This leg of our trip has been so special, being able to connect with family so far away is so important. We certainly hope they will come visit us in Canada soon.
Looks just beautiful and green. Quite a change from the Adriatic coast. I have a friend who is touring the Adriatic coast and is in Dubrovnik right now. Too bad y ou missed her. You would certainly like her. They are having the same warm weather you had.