2nd Kilburn walk

Yorkshire, England - World of James Herriot and second walk to Kilburn

We went to the World of James Herriot in Thirsk in the morning. The exhibit at the original Veterinarian's office included a 20 minute movie about Alf Wight and the gradual success of his writings, narrated by Christopher Timothy, who played the part of Alf Wight, pseudonym James Herriot, in the BBC series (and PBS) All Creatures Great and Small. With it's classic British humor, full of irony and mirth, this show achieved a huge following. in the US

Alf Wight had to take a pseudonym because Vets were not allowed to publish anything but scientific treatises under their own name, to avoid the appearance of advertising.

The movie at the Herriot museum mentioned how difficult it was to be a Vet in the 1940s & 50s, before modern day antibiotics & better diagnostic tools were available. It was also a poor paying profession, due to a lower success rate and because poorer farmers tended to ignore Vet bills when there was an unhappy outcome concerning their cows, sheep, or horses.

On the second floor was a display of the changing technologies that Vets have used to treat animals since Herriot's time, and, a separate set of displays showing how women have gone from being a nearly non-existent percentage among Vets to being the majority of today's Vets in England.

note - you can enlarge any part of a picture by left-clicking in and then out again.

in the back yard

author James Herriot

Vet Alf Wight

Alf had clients in the Kilburn area

A few years before our Yorkshire visit, I read a biography of Alf Wight, written by his son Jim, who is also a Vet (as is his sister). It was The Real James Herriot, and I'd recommend it for anyone who was influenced by the All Creatures Great & Small books, or TV series.

Jim Wight states that his Dad Alf unexpectedly changed the economy of the formerly sleepy Yorkshire area, because once Americans saw the gorgeous Moors & Dales scenery on TV, they poured in, in big numbers, since the late 1980s, and still do.

Yorkshire is a popular place to visit even for UK residents. According to Wikipedia, up to 12 million visitors come to Yorkshire annually, generating as much as 6.3B British pounds of income, and, supporting about 240,000 jobs. (2016 ref. data)

Later in the day my wife wanted to rest, so I went to look for the third trail coming back from Kilburn, as shown on my OS map. I took the old muddy lane (that we'd been on before) to town.

The third way back worked great until it vanished.

heading to Kilburn on the bridle path				old muddy lane & hedgerows		Kilburn again, 2 weeks later
	old houses		B & B		Kilburn churchyard
leaving Kilburn w/White Horse view		on the 3rd path to Kilburn Park				the trail may be here
	if you find a gate, you're on the trail.		the trail was plowed under on the other side...
had to cut across a neighbor's lot		lost cows, see note

note - in the distance behind the small herd is the last view of the White Horse of Kilburn, a farewell to Yorkshire image.

The property I cut across was the one just north of our cottage, based on my first morning's walk (with coffee). Then I saw this small herd, clearly lost & they should not be wandering freely. As I approached, the cows seemed shy & confused, and I had the sense they wanted me to tell them what to do, as they milled about, trampling down fresh crops. Being a city guy, I had no guidance. and continued past, leaving them in a state of collective uncertainty.

At the far end of the gravel drive was a pensive woman, about my age, with a property-owner look, observing the escapees on her land. As I approached, I said "I'm sorry for cutting across your property, but the old footpath ran out and I got stuck in the hedgerows." (I added that my wife & I were staying next door at Jackie's cottages.)

She said "Its no problem. We can plow a trail under, if there are others around."

I asked - did she mind that someone's cows were trampling her crops? She shrugged it off, saying "it's not my problem" but still looked concerned. My take was that this is her leased farmland, someone else's crop, and, a nearby neighbor's cows got loose and really are doing minimal damage, but as responsible owner she tends to the situation until the (sometimes distant) owner shows up to lead their herd home.

She asked where I was from & when I said 'near San Francisco', she lit up, looked into the distance, and said "Yes, I went there once". Then she smiled & wished me "a good rest of my visit." You just can't beat the Brits for politeness & good manners !

On our last evening in Yorkshire, as dusk turned to night, we heard adults and kids outside making musical sounds to move the cows along, the escapees passing by our cottage, and they were after all from an adjacent farm.

On a moonless fall night, then, our Yorkshire visit ended with the cows coming home.

go to next page - week two, part seven - York National Railway Museum

return to Yorkshire trip index

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Postscript

Before we leave the rental cottage, I wish to mention an unanticipated & therapeutic influence during our stay, which worked wonders.

This had to do with the inherent quietness at Kilburn Park. There were absolutely no sounds of traffic or trains or planes overhead. Day and night, this may have been the quietest place we've ever stayed. Well, at 6:15 am each morning (and again at sunset) a flock of Jackdaws (Crows) flew about squawking madly for 15 minutes, near some huge trees maybe 300 ft. south of the cottage.

With windows & skylights open at night, we enjoyed great air quality, comfortable fall temperatures, and a wonderful silence, both sleeping well, every night there.

go to next page - week two, part seven - York National Railway Museum

return to Yorkshire trip index

return to mdimage site index