Lotherton Hall, and Bird Garden

The African Crowned Crane has a bad hair day. Cool, don't you think?

A beautiful cloudless sky - in October!

Time for a bath!

Hard work this, posing all day for photographs.

Time for a quick snooze, for the Andean Goose.

A Mandarin Duck considers a triple somersault with a twist.

A backlit Lancashire rose - in Yorkshire.

Red deer grazing in the sunshine.

There's evidence of Ridge and Furrow cultivation in the park.

(We didn't see any of the evidence)

...and Lotherton Hall itself, bathed in sunshine.

Right. Which way to the Crooked Billet?

Three Bags Full

Three Bags Full, now officially open!!!



But what about an amble through the process of getting here?































From an empty shell....






....to a beautiful yarns & gifts shop.


Hand-crafted notelets, all featuring original sheepy photogaphs.




























Lucy the Lamb, the star of the show!

A room with a view.

The first knitters group work on their latest creations.

Some of the colourful yarns.

All deliveries are thoroughly checked,

to ensure quality is maintained.

Doesn't Kath look serious?

The brand new shop sign, featuring the sheep logo. Again, from an original photograph.

Wool returns to the Piece Hall.

Now, which is the way to the Ring o'Bells?

The elegant colonnades of the Piece Hall.

Opened in 1779, with over 300 individual rooms, from where manufacturers would display & sell their cloth.

Probably still Yorkshire's most important secular building.

Towers Walk, Leeds

What a gorgeous day.

Crossing the Leeds & Liverpool towards Holbeck.

Ah, The Midnight Bell - a good place to start!

OK we're on our way.

The famous Scarbrough Tap, from under the railway arches.

Sorry lads - no stopping!

Wetherspoons, at Leeds Station.

An unusual view of one of the newest of Leeds' office blocks.

This one situated right where the River Aire disappears under the railway station.










The towers can be seen from almost any point along the walk - hence "The Towers Walk".

The Millennium footbridge over the River Aire in the foreground.

The old and the new along the canal towpath.


The wonderful parapeted bridge has stood unused and forlorn for a number of years, since the closing of Leeds Central station.

Up onto the road now. Whitehall Road to be precise.

One of a series of depictions of the famous Leeds Owl. This one in stone on Monk Bridge.

The East Coast express, from Leeds to King's Cross, passes close by the walkway above the Armley Gyratory.

The walkway under the railway is pretty grim. Lights not working, dirty, smelly...come on Railtrack!

Obviously we're right under the flightpath for Leeds/Bradford Airport.

Low Hall Mills, Holbeck.

The footpath under the now disused railway track has seen better times as well.







Holbeck - or Alexandria?

The marvellous frontage of Temple Mill. Built to replicate the original Egyptian Temple of Edfu.

The "Dalek".


Bridgwater Place - now holds the title of tallest building in Leeds(at least for the time being).

We pass by the Cross Keys.

Later boys, later.











Holbeck - or Florence?

The Florentine bell-tower, known as the Giotto tower, and built in 1899. Modelled on one of the towers of Florence Cathedral.


...and yes, the bells were ringing!

The Leeds version of the twin towers.

The smaller tower was built in 1864, and is a copy of a Lamberti tower, in Verona.












Back at the Midnight Bell.


Maurice enjoyed the surroundings. Claimed he was injured, and couldn't do the walk.

Yeah, right!

Now we can get on with the serious business
- make mine a Leeds Pale!

The florentine tower seen from inside the Midnight Bell.

Late for the sky.


Late evening sunshine as we head back to the station.

.