Have you ever been to Ilkley? No!? I have. I went today.
This was a company trip, organised by yours reasonably truthful. We met up at Leeds Station at 12.45 (actors on tour always start the day late - I had been up since 9.00 but I still had to rush in the end - and boarded the 12.02 to Ilkley, £4.90 return. Enough with the detail.
It was a great day, eight of us in all including two small children. Children are good on a trip. They stop people from being too serious and make it impossible for actors to become too obsessed with themselves, a tendency we all share, sadly. Our journey on the train was consequently full of cries of "Look, a cow!" and "Weee, were going through a tunnel".
Simon Williams (Sam from hereon) turns out to be even more of a clown with children present than I am, and that's saying something. He had bought them little presents and had pockets of balloons that magically appeared in children's pocket and their coat hoods throughout the day. Brilliant!
On arriving in Ilkley we popped in to the Tourist Centre and got a map that showed the direction to the moor and, most importantly, the whereabouts of the famous Cow and Calf Pub, our primary destination. It was a brisk one and a half mile walk up steep hills, mostly with a child on the shoulders, and excused the 2 pints of Timothy Taylors Gold Best and Lancashire Hotpot. I thought I would be driven out of a Yorkshire pub for ordering Lancashire Hotpot but, as with most things in Yorkshire, my choice created no animosity.
Lunch over we headed up the hill to the top of the moor and a traipse through bogs and across rocks. I stepped in to a stream at one point and when we got back to the station Sam disappeared for five minutes and returned with a fresh pair of rather classy socks for me. Sweet man.
Train back to Leeds and a couple of hours spare before we have to do the show.
The phrase, "We are lucky people to be doing this job" was uttered on several occasions. Damn right.
The only downside to days like this is the fact that you would really love to be doing it with your family. But it was fun to be with my new theatrical family and especially their children.
That is wonderful! Thank you for the smile on my face. Encore! Encore! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat to read at the end of a particularly grim day. Lovely stuff - thanks Mike!
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