Bank Holiday

I've just returned home from a lovely holiday weekend staying at Higher Gills Farm http://www.highergills.co.uk/ in the beautiful countryside at the foot of Pendle Hill, Lancashire.   My eldest sister, daughter and I received a warm welcome from Darrell and Freda Pilkington and couldn't recommend them highly enough.  The accomodation was clean, comfortable and spacious and the location was ideal for walking.   The views took in the Ribble Valley and the Forest of Bowland.   We were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a badger from the hide on the farm and also saw a spotted woodpecker, swallows and numerous other birds. 

Peggy, Me and a Map!

When we weren't walking around the farm, we drove over to Clitheroe (a lovely town with two excellent local yarn shops) and to Hurst Green.  We explored the surroundings of Hurst Green looking for hobbits.  (Tolkein stayed at a house in the area and some people have suggested its rolling hills were the inspiration for the Shire).  Surprisingly, we only strayed from the guidebook a little at the end of our walk.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, we didn't see a hobbit!

 
Besides running the self-catering holiday lets at Higher Gills, Darrell and Freda Pilkingon keep a flock of pedigree Teeswater sheep.  These rare breed sheep are recognised to be an endangered species.  In fact, the sheep and Freda's fabulous hand dyeing of their wool featured in Knitting Magazine a couple of months ago and it was that article that prompted us to book the holiday.  

The Teeswater fleece is worsted-spun in the UK before it comes back to Higher Gills to be sold for hand and machine knitting.   I have some special green planet nursery plans for the 4-ply I purchased.  The soft wool has a beautiful pearly luste which is hardly captured in this photograph.  To find out more about Teeswater yarn visit http://www.teeswaterwools.co.uk/.