Monday 19 July 2021

Good Morning!

These bright, light, early mornings are not conducive to 'sleeping in' - it is light, it is sunny, it is barely 6am but no longer can I snuggle down and have another hour.   So here I am at the computer and reading others who have the same feelings.    The Bike Shed set me off with thinking about our National Parks - and The Yorkshire Dales in particular -  living only two miles outside it it is the one I know best.   So I shall now put on my dressing gown,(this weather means that sleep of any kind is only possible wearing nothing but what I was born in and that is no longer a pretty sight in which to greet my carer (I like to think it was once upon a time when I spent hours sitting for my first husband to paint)) draw back the blinds and listen for her cheery 'Good Morning!' - she is always on time.   I will be back later having thought about what The Bike Shed has to say.

Living in a National Park.   Well living a couple of miles outside does make life easier when it comes to things like Building Regulations but that really would not concern me at my age anyway.   So I will dispense with that.   But there are things which affect me and everyone else up here - things which have a plus and a minus side.   Most villages within National Parks are full of picturesque cottages lining the narrow roads.   Some are second homes so that in Summer they are occupied - either by the owners or by holiday makers.   But the word that matters is 'occupied'.   Because they are car owners the question arises where do they park their car/cars?   The answer of course is the same as it is for all the residents of the village - on the side of the road (both sides of course) outside their property or as near as  possible.  Because of course most 'picturesque' cottages were built long before cars came along.   Driving through these villages, especially once everyone is home in the evening, is a nightmare.   The gap for moving cars is very narrow.

In our little town we have a more than adequate Car Park and out of the holiday/rambling season we can all park easily, especially on Market Day - also Cattle Market Day.   We have a lovely Market - as have many of the small towns within the National Parks - ours has an especially good Fish vehicle with fish fresh that day from Whitby.  But in order to find anywhere to put the car you have to be there before the Ramblers have parked up for the day and gone off on their walk.   And tourist coaches drop off loads of visitors on holiday - we are a good stop for coffee before travelling on to Hawes and lunch and a tour at the Wensleydale Creamery - and this of course is very good for our local coffee shops and tourist shops.   But it is not all plain sailing.

 

I n many ways we are so very lucky.   We live in the most wonderful scenery, the spirit of community is second to none, many families have been here for generations, farming is the local 'industry' and dominates many aspects of life - everyone knows when it is 'shearing time' or 'silaging time' or 'milking time' - all these aspects of life up here are enviable and reasons why so many people move up here.    But I am sure if I drove a tractor and huge silage truck through any of the villages up here I would try hard at silage time to get as many journeys done before everyone came home and parked up for the night.

The scenery in all the National Parks is wonderful - that is why they have been designated as such.   And we have the benefit of that all day and every day.   Do drop in if you are anywhere near - but be aware you might find parking a bit of a problem.

 

20 comments:

CharlotteP said...

Your fresh fish van sounds worth braving the parking problem!.
Traffic and parking similar in Bewdley, my nearest (and 'picturesque Georgian') town. If you need to go at the weekend, or during school holidays, go before 10 o'clock!

Derek Faulkner said...

You don't just have to live in/visit a picturesque village or National Park to experience those parking problems.
It's pretty much a normal scenario in any town or city all year round. Most householders have a minimum of two cars these days and most road, street, pavement is rammed bumper to bumper with their cars and vans.

Librarian said...

Cars… what can I say! I have never owned one and do not possess a driving license, which is no trouble at all living where I do, in a town of about 90,000 residents and everything from shops to trains and buses within walking distance. But when I am at O.K.‘s for the weekend, I very much appreciate him picking me up at the train station after my two-hour journey, because bus connections to his village are few and far between.
When I am in Yorkshire, it is easy to get around using trains and buses as long as it comes to the immediate area around Harrogate and Ripon. But getting to beautiful remote places for a good hike or longer walk is nearly impossible without a car, so we usually depend on friends and relatives to take us if we do not want to spend more hours travelling there than what the actual walk would be.

Susan said...

Like you, I support and enjoy National Parks. Prior to Covid, Concord, Massachusetts welcomed many tourists. Thankfully, the historic district is very much protected. Parking is not a problem because "outlying lots" have been created and co-exist nicely with on-street parking. The three lots also have spaces for tour buses and have been located walking distance (or a trolley ride) to many historic sites (North Bridge, Louisa May Alcott House, Walden Pond, Concord Museum...). Sadly, due to Covid and no tourists, several businesses in historic downtown Concord have closed. Residents and the Town of Concord are encouraged to shop local but clearly without the tourists the impact has been devastating. Concord is also on the train line to Boston, Massachusetts, making access between the two convenient.

Heather said...

I think it must be the same problem for all of our beautiful holiday spots. The very narrow streets in Devon, Cornwall and other small coastal towns, which are so picturesque but a nightmare for motorists. Although these lovely places rely on tourism for their income, it must be so much nicer when we have all gone home.
Even in some cities, built long before cars were the norm, the town houses have no provision for parking. In some city roads cars are parked on either side with barely enough space between for emergency vehicles to pass.
Cars are very handy and necessary for some, but as I listen to the traffic passing outside my windows, I can't help thinking what a scourge they are, and wondering if my 'hay fever' might not be due to traffic fumes.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

As Derek says, the problem is all over the country, not just the National Parks. It's also made worse because cars get a little bigger every year - just go to a vintage car show and see how small the cars of the 60s and 70s were.

Rachel Phillips said...

During Covid measures the villages here have remained packed with cars all day all through the week. It makes one aware of just how many people once disappeared during the day to work in the city. I noticed today a few less cars were in the villages so some people must have returned to their offices. I don't blame the people for having cars, you can't live in the depths of the countryside without one if you have a job to go to 20 miles away. Even catching the train as I do for many journeys involves an 8 mile drive to the station first.

the veg artist said...

Yes Heather, it is 'different' when all the holiday makers have gone home! The main problem is with the coastal roads here in West Wales. Once the car parks are full, people park in the passing places on the cliff-top roads, which are often single track. We also find that visitors are very reluctant to reverse, if they've just passed a gateway or the like, whereas locals automatically work out who has least distance to reverse. Last year we had the situation where a coastal hamlet was completely blocked in until beach goers returned to their cars, meaning no emergency vehicles would have been able to get through.
Tourism is huge here, and it is a beautiful area, but not without its issues. Different but the same everywhere, I suppose.

Janie Junebug said...

The majority of the houses in my neighborhood were built in 1941. Although most homeowners had cars at that time, our roads are narrow and difficult to navigate in our multi-car society with many people having a car in the driveway and another car--or even 2 cars--parked in the street.

Love,
Janie

The Weaver of Grass said...

Charlotte P - I know Bewdley well because I lived and taught in Wolverhampton for almost twenty years- lovely little town.


Librarian - good bus services between Ripon and Leyburn so you could always come to tea.

Share my Garden said...

I've just returned from a week in the dales and it was 'thrang wi' folk.' I've never known it quite so busy, very many parked cars in the village and also passing cyclists and motorbikes. Happily no=one was on the moor tops but us!

CharlotteP said...

It's shame you are so far away, Pat. I would pick you up and take you to sit outside the Riverside Cafe for the best egg, chips and mushrooms in town! I would swap places with you tonight, though, having just spoken to a friend in Alston, who says it is almost 10 degrees cooler up there!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Charlotte - I like the sound of eggs, chips and mushroms.

jinxxxygirl said...

In Arkansas Pat hubby and i lived right outside a State Park... and i worked at the Visitor Center front desk... so nice not to have to travel the 20 miles into town to work.. We embraced the animals around us and so enjoyed watching them right outside our big bay window.. Our biggest concern with 'country living' was that everyone has their own idea of what that means for them... Hubby and i enjoy the scenery and the peace and quiet and it seemed everyone else lived there for just the opposite reasons... a big part of the reason we decided to move.. They want to have 10 dogs that bark all day and night.. target practice with their guns ... ride their 4 wheelers everywhere... i swear noone walks anywhere...even on property that is not theirs... Living in the country was not all we thought it would be... It made us really sad as we had hoped to retire there and live out our life there.. Hugs! Debs..

Joanne Noragon said...

National park problems are the same the world around.

Cro Magnon said...

I do find it odd that people require so many cars. Next door they have 3 plus a truck, my other neighbour has 2 plus a truck, and just up the road they have 3 cars, a quad, a tractor, and a ride-on mower. We have 1 car, a van, and 2 ride-on mowers. But at least we have no problem with parking.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Ineresting to read your take on living in the country Jinxy - I suspect it is the same here as villages get 'taken over' by incomers.

Thanks everyone as usual.

Minigranny said...

So much traffic coursing through our town -with the windows open at the moment it's terribly noisy as a lot of it is delivery trucks, milk tankers, massive tractors and farm machinery. Parking is difficult here too and people who work in the town come and park their huge 4 X 4's down our way. Roll on the cooler weather and having the double glazed windows to the front of the house closed again !

Ankit Ron said...
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