I always love watching the Tour de France not because I am particularly passionate about cycling (though you do build up quite a bit of technical knowledge watching it over the years!) but because I adore looking at the scenery. This year for the first time ever, the first 2 stages of the Tour have taken place in Yorkshire England and it has been a somewhat surreal experience watching on TV each night as the Peloton whizzes through towns and villages I know so well, labours up the hills of the Yorkshire Dales and across the Pennine Passes. Sheffield (my birth place), Silsden and Leeds where I grew up, Harrogate and Burley in Wharfedale, where my parents and aunt respectively now live, have all been “en route” not to mention the wonderful old city of York perhaps my favourite of all.
It is so quaint to hear the “frenchification” of all the local place names and landmarks too. Suddenly good old Buttertubs Pass (I love that name!) has become “Le Cote de Buttertubs”, Grinton Moor Pass “Le Cote de Grinton Moor” and Aysgarth Falls “Les Chutes d”Aysgarth”. Banners and signs for French supermarkets such as “Carrefour” abound and all the churches are par exemple “L’Eglise de St Andre or St Michel” and cathedrals “L’Abbaye de St Pierre et St Wilfrid” (more usually referred to as Ripon Cathedral).
Since I was only just over there in April, when there seemed to be major roadworks going on everywhere in preparation, I have decided to present a little gallery in honour of this year’s “Tour de Yorkshire”. The photos were taken by me on my recent travels in Yorkshire. My brother tells me that Princes William and Harry and Kate the Duchess Of Cambridge stayed at the Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey Wharfedale one of my favourite country pub/restaurants so we were obviously setting a good precedent when we had a very welcome lunch there on a chilly Spring Day! Allez Allez!
Copyright © 2014 Rosemary Thomas Le Chic En Rose. All rights reserved
Le Chic En Rose 
Oh, you are lucky to be born in Sheffield… it does look like a beautiful place. But still curious to know about this gradual transition of the place from British to French influence. Thanks to your write up or all i knew about Yorkshire till now was the “Yorkshire pudding” 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Rucha yes Yorkshire is a beautiful place. It was only “French” for a couple of days as the “Tour De France” cycling race did a couple of stages through the county and since it is a French competition they advertised French companies and translated some of the place names into French for the French TV audience. It will be well and truly back to being “Yorkshire” and “English” now 🙂
LikeLike