…Yorkshire Dales
Someday I would love to go walking in Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom! I would love to explore the literary landscapes, visit the home of the Brontes, see for myself the moors described in The Secret Garden and in Wuthering Heights. But in the meantime, I have been doing some “virtual walking” around Yorkshire, and getting to know some of its famous landmarks.
This virtual walking is really a lot of fun! I have connected my Fitbit, which tracks my daily steps, to a non-profit website (and app) out of Scotland called “World Walking.” This organization was designed to help motivate people to walk more and focus on good health.
They have put together many different walks you can choose, and you can walk solo or create a team of walking friends to help you reach your chosen destination. It’s teamwork rather than competition. When you choose your walk, it is broken up into milestones, which are destinations you reach on your way to finishing the complete walk. For each milestone, there are photos and a written section that explains the historical and cultural significance of that location. There is also a link so you can see the street view on Google and look around you at almost any time!
I have loved getting to know more about Yorkshire! It has definitely encouraged and increased my walking — it takes 547,880 steps to complete my Yorkshire route!
Becoming more familiar with that part of England has also piqued my interest in the literature that comes from that area. There are many authors that are either from Yorkshire or who lived and died there, or who live there now. Susan Hill was born in Yorkshire. The Bronte sisters are perhaps the most famous writers who lived and died there. J.R.R. Tolkien, Alan Bennett, Winifred Holtby, Joanne Harris, Kate Atkinson, are all authors with connections to Yorkshire. I originally thought that as I did my virtual walking around Yorkshire (see the map of my route), that I would read books by these authors. I have been reading (and loving) some of Susan Hill’s books, and I am now listening to the audiobook of Charlotte Bronte’s, Jane Eyre, but I’m afraid I will finish my walking goal before I’m able to put much of a dent into my Reading_Yorkshire goal!
If you are a walker, or interested in doing more walking, you would find this site very motivating. Please do check out worldwalking.org!
A Fondness For Reading 
Robin, as you know, I’ve become a ‘walker’ and I love that you’ve shared this site. I’m going to check it out. Scotland appeals to me and also Canada. Hmmm….
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Kay, it’s too bad we don’t live closer and could walk together! When you check out the web site, you’ll find a number of walks in Canada. 🙂
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How fun! I’d love to go walking across Cornwall and Wales one day. And Scotland, too. 😀
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Lark, me too! All three! There are some walks in all three places through World Walking. Have fun checking them out!
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It is so beautiful there. Do you subscribe to Britbox? If so, there’s a program called All Aboard, and one of the episodes is a bus trip in Yorkshire! James Herriot is my favorite Yorkshire writer.
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Nan, I do subscribe to Britbox so I’m definitely going to check out All Aboard. I do love James Herriot, too, and recently downloaded his books to my Kindle thinking I’d reread them this winter. It’s been so many years since I read them that they’ll be like new!
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I meant to give you the link: https://www.britbox.com/us/episode/All_Aboard_The_Country_Bus_14271
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Thank! I’ll look it up. 😀
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Thank you, Nan!
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What a neat idea! I would love to go to that part of the UK too. Can you imagine all those hills and beautiful walks?
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Iliana, I loved this virtual walk and the photos that went along with it. I also followed closely on the map and looked up more photos of the different places I “walked” past. It was so much fun to see such a beautiful place!
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What a fun app. I will try this after my company leaves this weekend.
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Tabor, I hope you enjoy looking at all the different walks!
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This app sounds great, thank you! I agree, I always think of James Herriot when I think of the dales, beautiful
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Sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve blogged that I’ve been logged out and am now ‘anonymous’, hopefully it’s been corrected!
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🙂
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Jane, I really need to reread all my James Herriott!
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I’ve actually never read them, just watched the TV programme. I should probably read the first ones too!
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Jane, I remember loving the book series and then loving the TV series, too! May be time to revisit both!
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You will love walking here in Yorkshire. We are ready to welcome you when that time comes. We are truly so blessed to have this on our doorstep now…even though the temperature has dropped from 21c yesterday to 6c today!!!
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Thank you so much for your warm greetings, Tockwith! I can’t wait for that time-to-visit-Yorkshire to come. In the meantime, I’m enjoying my virtual walks, and all my reading about the area. You are indeed blessed to have that on your doorstep! Stay healthy and safe during this pandemic.
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