Some folk are wise... Some are otherwise.
Austwick is a beautiful hamlet near Settle, surrounded by superb countryside and patchworks of dry stone walls.
Winters can be harsh so of course everyone looks forward to spotting the first signs of spring. The cuckoo is seen by many as the harbinger of spring and better weather.
Many years ago, when maybe the Winter had been a little harder than usual, the good people of Austwick were so pleased to spot the first cuckoo nesting in a tree (or maybe it had stolen another nest), they quickly built a wall around it in the hope of keeping it there. Unfortunately the wall wasn’t high enough so the cuckoo simply flew away…
I'm not sure why you'd want to commemorate such folly but this story is remembered on the second May bank holiday each year with a festival, fell race and other family entertainments in Austwick.
If you don't fancy going to Austwick to spot cuckoos, you might be more interested in enjoying a drink at the Game Cock Inn or relaxing in the charming garden at the Traddock with an excellent lunch or dinner. You could work up an appetite with a good walk first - there are some excellent routes to nearby Feizor, Clapham and Oxenber Woods.
Austwick is a beautiful hamlet near Settle, surrounded by superb countryside and patchworks of dry stone walls.
Winters can be harsh so of course everyone looks forward to spotting the first signs of spring. The cuckoo is seen by many as the harbinger of spring and better weather.
Many years ago, when maybe the Winter had been a little harder than usual, the good people of Austwick were so pleased to spot the first cuckoo nesting in a tree (or maybe it had stolen another nest), they quickly built a wall around it in the hope of keeping it there. Unfortunately the wall wasn’t high enough so the cuckoo simply flew away…
I'm not sure why you'd want to commemorate such folly but this story is remembered on the second May bank holiday each year with a festival, fell race and other family entertainments in Austwick.
If you don't fancy going to Austwick to spot cuckoos, you might be more interested in enjoying a drink at the Game Cock Inn or relaxing in the charming garden at the Traddock with an excellent lunch or dinner. You could work up an appetite with a good walk first - there are some excellent routes to nearby Feizor, Clapham and Oxenber Woods.
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