I've been intending to put something on the website about Scargill House for quite a while. I did have something here but that was on a previous incarnation of my website and predated Scargill's own website.

My first contact with Scargill House was way back in 1968 or 1969 when our local Curate took a group from the Church Youth Club for a Youth Weekend. Five of us went in a very small Austin A35 (one was a baby!) and our curate pointed out a few of the local sights on the way. One of these was Kilnsey Crag, but we couldn't see much through the car windows as it was very dark outside (late evening in November) and the car headlights were a bit feeble.

Over the next few years, I went back to Scargill House for the Youth Weekends whenever they came up - usually in February or November.

After that, I started to visit Scargill House in the Summer for one or two weeks on their family houseparties.

Until 1976, I had to get there on Public transport which was never simple as it meant at least three buses. The last stage of the journey from Skipton; Grassington or Kettlewell was a bit of a challenge - in that there were times that Scargill House would collect several of us from Skipton bus station by Land Rover. You don't know the feeling of pain unless you've travelled 15 miles at speed (Landies can go fast!) in the back of a Land Rover pickup with your head banging against the metal roof and only a flimsy cushion to sit on - No seat belts as there weren't any seats! - now what would their risk assessment people make of that?. Other times I have managed to get a taxi from Skipton or Grassington, and do remember walking the last one and a half mile from Kettlewell with a large suitcase on my back.

Late in 1975 I bought my first car, which was a Volkswagen 1300 Beetle in Iberian Red, so the days of public transport came to an end - Whoopee!. This opened up even more trips to Scargill House, and since then I've been there every year at least once, sometimes twice or more. It has been said that I've spent more time at Scargill House than the majority of the Scargill Community..

I had "Herbert" for just over four years, and as you can see he attracted some friends in the Yorkshire Dales.

I doubt if I'd let anyone stand/sit on my later cars :-)

Quite a long time back I became a Scargill "Partner" but don't ask how long as I can't remember - it started off for 7 years and I just let it continue. I have been on at least one "Partners Weekend" over the years. I wanted to put something back for all the great times I've spent there.

Scargill has been like a second home to me, and although I usually went there on my own its not long before meeting up with someone that has been on the same week as me previously or I had made a whole lot of new friends. For a while a mate at work used to go to Scargill with me and we would take it in turns each year doing the driving etc, but that came to an end when he died after a short illness - he was only 31 years old.

About 15 years ago, I noticed that Scargill House had a mid-week break concentrating on a Photography theme usually held in May or early June so gave it a try and I've been to every one since. The earlier Photography break was lead by Mike Peak who worked part-time on the Scargill Community. Mike introduced me to the world of Medium Format photography and it was not long after that before I bought a Bronica and became a member of the RPS. When Mike left the community, the lead of the Photography break was taken over by Steve Rayner (right) who continued until 2005. The style of the Photography break then changed to be more of a Retreat with some(!) Photography and I feel that it has lost its way and could do with a return to the previous format with someone like Steve Rayner as its lead - hint hint!. (There was no mention of photography; film or cameras anywhere in the programme for the 2007 photography break !)

You'll find loads of my photographs taken in and around Scargill House on this website and on many others. Some of my Photographs of the Dales have cropped up on websites all over the world from a site about the Herriot country on a German Veterinary site to the Official Scargill House site.

My trips up to Scargill House in the Summer have dropped off partly due to the lack of suitable weeks on the Scargill calendar. There once was a time that Scargill had 8 or more contiguous weeks for the Summer season, and I do remember one person (Agnes) staying there all the summer weeks for several years .

The changes won't stop me from going to Scargill House as there's nowhere quite like it, but I wish that they would turn the clock back a wee bit.

(Since I added this to my website, I managed to get to Scargill once more in March 2008 - But that was the last as Scargill House is to be closed down on the 20th July 2008 and then sold off.  I'm not the only person to say that it will be missed, and an old lady that I knew (Agnes) will be spinning in her grave at the sad news.)