Ike and the Mr Men ventured out to Leyburn with Heather and Mark, and hoped to have a look round the little market town and complete another Adventure Lab on a sunny day. Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in the district of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire. The name was derived from ‘Ley’ or ‘Le’ (clearing), and ‘burn’ (stream), meaning clearing by the stream. Leyburn’s stature increased in the 17th century when a market charter was granted by Charles II in 1686. Leyburn Town Hall was built in 1856 by Lord Bolton, and now houses several shops.
After Leyburn, we drove up to Pinkers Pond, and had a walk round this peaceful, beautiful large pond, busy with wild fowl. Pinker’s Pond is a fairly large tarn situated right next to Coverham Lane as the road drops down from Middleham Low Moor, a mile to the west of Middleham. A large grassy parking area alongside Pinker’s Pond makes it one of the most accessible sheets of water in the Yorkshire Dales. It is a popular spot for picnickers, or at least popular for Coverdale which is one of the quieter dales. The tarn is actually situated just outside the boundary of the national park. The moor above the tarn is used for training race horses and the young Willie Carson was apprenticed to a nearby riding stables at Tupgill. He rode his first winner at Catterick Bridge Racecourse on 19 July 1962, the horse’s name was Pinker’s Pond. Ike and the Mr Men enjoyed sitting on a bench overlooking the pond, just admiring the view and the autumn colours, then they went home for some dinner, and more paws up time!
Traffic jam in the Dales