Ireland day 1089. Saturday 21 September 2024- Otley

Today’s summary	Caught an early flight from Dublin to Leeds-Bradford. Walked down from the airport to my old home town of Otley for lunch with an LDWA friend then a reunion with schoolfriends at the Yew Tree Pub. Some I have known since my first day at infant school, sixty one years ago. Had a look at my old family home along the way, then walked back to the airport for a late flight to Dublin in the evening. A long day, but worth it.
Today’s weather	Dry but mostly overcast with occasional sun. Light north easterly wind. Appx 20c

Today’s overview location (The red mark shows the location of my route)		Close-up location (The red line shows where I walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Otley loop from aiport

Commentary

(Summary blog only. Last full blog was Day 0368).

Today was a very long, and tiring day. I had been gathering my strength in readiness for it, all week. Quite a challenge, given the recent complication of shingles. Anyway – despite the early start, everything worked well in the end.

The objective of today was to travel to the UK and visit my home town of Otley, in Yorkshire, for a reunion with friends I was at school with in the 1960s and 1970s. It was incredible to think that I have known some of these people for sixty one years – and even more incredible that it’s probably the best part of half a century since I last saw many of them. So a rare gathering and well worth making the effort for.

I didn’t sleep well last night – I never do when I know I have an early start – so I was bright eyed and ready to go when the alarm went off at 5:15 this morning. Val, heroically, drove me to the airport (and even more heroically went to do a day’s work afterwards) and I caught an on-time 7:55 departure which got me to Leeds-Bradford in just 35 minutes.

Once at the airport, I had arranged to meet a friend from the Long Distance Walkers’ Association for an early lunch at a café in Otley. But not until 11am so I had plenty of time for a leisurely walk down the Chevin, admiring the views of Wharfedale along the way, and into Otley.

Once we had met and shared a detailed update on the LDWA news from the last four years since I left the Executive Committee, I took my leave and decided to have a bit of a look round Otley before meeting up at the school rendezvous point of the Yew Tree pub in Newall.

I was pleased to see the town looking busy and reasonably smart as I walked through. And I made a detour to look at the house in Harecroft Road where I spent the first eighteen years of my life. A real trip down memory lane.

There was a good turnout for the reunion and I was amazed that I could still recognise who almost everyone was. It was a friendly event, and as you can imagine with half a century of news to catch up on, there was no shortage of chat. But after the obligatory team photos were taken and news exchanged, after two and a half hours I felt I needed to make a move to get back to the airport. So farewells were said, and I made my way down into town.

One final look round the town, then I had intended to take a bus up to the airport. But as it was still light, the weather was decent, and I had plenty of time, I thought I might as well walk.

So I headed on up Old Chevin Road, which afforded more views of Wharfedale looking east, and although it’s a bit of a drag up the hill, I was at the airport with a good three and a half hours to spare (and as it happened the flight was delayed so I had even longer). But that gave me a bit longer to get something to eat, generally recharge my batteries, and reflect on a long but excellent day, one of those one-in-a-million events opportunities that you just have to take as you never know when they might come along again.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


I am endlessly impressed by anyone who can enjoy a pint of ice cold Guinness at half past six in the morning	Home of Yorkshire Airlines, if Hale and Pace are to be believed

My old house, where I spent the first 18 years of my life and still looking pretty much as it did when Mum and Dad left it in the early 2000s	Class of 1970. Not in bad shape, all things considered!

The Wharfe looking tranquil this evening. A new footbridge is being built to replace the one which has been attached to the roadbridge for the best part of a century	What the heck. It’s been a long day.

The Yew Tree. Notorious watering hole for sixth formers!