Girls On Tour and sundry other adventures

Day 4 - April 5, 2022 We were SO tired from all of our walking, we skipped out on our Ann Walker Lightcliffe walking tour so we could do our own sightseeing ;o) Our first stop was the Bankfield Museum in Halifax to see the Shibden 600 exhibit and clothing from  Anne Lister's time (1791-1840).  Our friend Kathy had fun trying on an outfit from the era! Picking up our car rental was next on the agenda.  I was surprised to see a cemetery next to the agency in the town centre. We drove to Wakefield Gate to see Wainhouse Tower . Anne Lister can be seen walking down the road beside it in GJ series 1 & 2.  From there we ventured back to Lightcliffe to see where Ann Walker was from including Lydgate (Lidgate) where she lived when she became reacquainted with Anne Lister in July 1832. We were pleased to see the original Crow Nest gates & after a lengthy & windy drive, found the Crow Nest Golf Club where the Crow Nest mansion was originally located. We made anoth...

 Day 3 - April 4, 2022 Our first full day tour was to the walled city of York including the Assembly Rooms, Kings Manor school that Anne Lister attended as a youngster, the Shambles, York Minster.  It was emotional to see Holy Trinity, Goodramgate where Anne & Ann took the sacrament & swore oaths on the bible in what they viewed as a marriage at Easter 1834. I sat in the pew that was used for this scene in series 1. York is a 1 hour drive from Halifax and by carriage in the 1830's, likely took 7-8  hours with several stops to have horses changed and to eat. Our amazing tour guide, Sarah was funny & informative, often quoting from Anne Lister's diaries as we stopped at places she visited and where her friends lived.  Lunch was a scrumptious Yorkypud wrap, a large yorkshire pudding with meat, vegetables, gravy & sauce - yum! With the long drive back, we barely made it in time for Ann Walker Night at the Minster where local historians David Glover ...

 Day 2 - April 3, 2022 This was the 231st anniversary of Anne Lister's birth so Sally Wainwright invited everyone to join her in laying flowers at the statue since the location of Anne's remains in the Minster are not known.  It was amazing to see the enormous amount of flowers on & around the statue, Sally's speech was very heartfelt and it was such a powerful way to start the day. We had a lovely brunch of scones, cream & jam following the ceremony. Afterward, we accompanied Sally and her friend Laurie Shannon to Sally's black Mercedes "Miss Lister" to see her apply the "ver. fine day" sticker.  The first stop on our Anne Lister & Ann Walker Coach & Walking Tour was to Lightcliffe and St. Matthews Church where Ann Walker lived and is buried. We saw many headstones of people in the lives of both Ann(e)'s who feature in the series. Ann's plaque in the tower was recently restored and is beautiful. Next stop was a bit of an u...