Paul: So you get up to much last night?

Me: Yeah, I went surfing actually

P: *Blank face* What, like over on the Yorkshire Coast?

Me: Nope, in Castleford actually

P: * Blanker face* Eh?

Me: Over at Xscape Yorkshire…

P: But don’t they do skiing there?

M: Ah, yes…yes they do. Come, gather round whilst I regale the tale of the Flow House and how I had the most fun I’ve had in a wetsuit for a long time.

It was a dark night in December as we made our way from Leeds to Castleford for the opening of Flow House not really knowing what to expect apart from we were going to be surfing at some stage.

Registered, we donned a wet suit and walked the 12 steps of apprehension up to the lip. After a quick briefing from Jonny and Adey, our amazing instructors, we held our body boards and leapt in down a incline and into a lot of water being blown up it (we later discovered that over 40,000 gallons of water are pumped up the ramp per MINUTE!).

So we leapt…and it was good. We were even floating!

After the initial adrenalin rush and realising that we weren’t going to ‘stack it’ (I may or may not have used many a surfer term like radical, sick and cowabunga during our hour stint), it was time to step up and try and do some tricks. First up was doing a barrel roll, then we graduated on to flinging the board away from your body where you took on a sense of Biblical pride by floating on the water waiting for it to fling back.

Then you generally get too cocky and fall off.

Kneeling up is the next stage…and when you reach this stage, you then think you’re the Lionel Messi of body boarding so you show off…

And then, quelle surprise, you fall…schadenfreude was designed for watching people at Flow House!

On the section next to us, some chap with exceptional balance was surfing on 11(!) body boards, but alas, he too fell like the proverbial show-off at an indoor surfing attraction.

Next, we had a try on mini surf boards which were a bit like skateboard decks but without the wheels.  Having tried skateboarding in my youth, I wasn’t hugely optimistic about this, but nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.

ZOMG!! I could do it!!!!!!!!!!!1

For about 5 seconds…

Annoyingly, Emily mastered straight away and was surfing away like she’d popped over from Venice Beach to show everyone how to do it. BUT, (and I’ll probably get in trouble for this, but it’ll be worth it!) she did finally fall and I got it on camera.

So here she is looking all confident…

Bit of worry across her face here…

Uh-oh…

SPLASH!

So to summarise, it’s amazing!  The floor is more like a trampoline so it’s actually quite good fun when you fall as you just bounce and then get whisked up to the top by water.  The instructors talk you through every stage even literally holding your hand when you try the surf/skateboard.  Give it a try…bet you love it!

More indoor attractions in Yorkshire

Network Marketing are delighted to report that we’ve joined Welcome to Yorkshire as a Member for 2012.  We have worked with Welcome to Yorkshire for some time and as passionate, Yorkshire folk thought it was high time we put our money where our mouth was and made a commitment to the new era that is upon us!

Growing up and living in Yorkshire for most of your life brings with it an amazing sense of belonging. For those that move away there seems to be an insatiable urge to relocate back and certainly as a recruitment business within marketing we see this a lot.

When we ask people why they’re looking to relocate back to Yorkshire, whether it be for a marketing job or a role in a creative agency, most say “for the quality of life”.  There are few places in our wonderful country where you can be in the hustle and bustle of the UK’s 3rd largest city and yet within minutes be out in the countryside enjoying the Yorkshire Dales, real village pubs with Sunday lunches and pint of real ale.  Or venture in to one of our Michelin starred restaurants in the countryside and then stay over in places like the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey.

We’re really impressed with the way Welcome to Yorkshire has re-engineered themselves to accommodate the change in funding and look forward to seeing them continue to support local businesses and in a wider sense, the economy in Yorkshire.

And as a final thumbs-up – well done on winning the World Travel Awards – Worlds Leading Travel Campaign!

Jonathan Hirst,

Managing Director of Network Marketing

If you want to join forces with Welcome to Yorkshire, you can become a member online.

The Royal Armouries was chosen as the where we should grace with our presence. Not having visited the Armouries since I was about 13, I returned wiser and more excited about seeing some cool swords and Gatling guns.

The Armouries is huge…so much so in fact, that we only saw half of it before we had to ‘assemble in the arena’ (more on that later). So we have loads more to see including the self defence section which hopefully has a display focussing on Jean Claude van Damme’s majestic roundhouse kick.

At the end of the ground floor is what is known as the Tower of Steel (or the Column of Cool as we knew it that day) and with just the 2,500 items I think it’s more than earned its name. What makes this part deserving of its Column of Cool name is the mirrors at the bottom that allow to, well, look up by looking forwards if that makes sense. It also makes for some great photo opps.

Here’s a fact for you too – there are over 8,000 items on display at any one time. And the amount of items in storage? 80,000.

The Hall of Steel goes right up to the top of the building and on our walk up allowed for what I consider to be the greatest ‘plank’ of the Tour.

If this was a TV talent show for planking, I imagine one of the judges would announce something along the lines, “That wasn’t just the best plank of the show…that was the best plank of the entire series. Well done, you HAVE to be here next week.” I’d then get through to the 2nd to last week before being voted off…probably citing a lack of versatility.

So what did we see? A lot of body armour including horsey head wear…

Some body armour (legs craftily added by Emily)…

A rather intense battle scene…

As well as loads of other items from daggers to the equipment of a modern soldier and a range of Tommy guns (which made me think of 90s cult classic The Mask) through to an area on the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

As we were making our way to the Tower of Steel to continue to the next level we were stopped by two chaps asking if we wanted to go to a Horses in Action Stunt Show in 15 minutes so we grabbed a quick brew in the cafe and set off to see some Guns n Horses (pun author’s own).

On the way out to the Event Arena, we found time to create an illusion on a scale you wouldn’t imagine…this might look like we got dressed up in 16th century garb, but if you enter on your keyboard ‘up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A’, you’ll realise that we’ve actually just stuck our heads through a Royal Armouries photo board. Eat THAT David Blaine.

So, the event arena and the Horses in Action Stunt Show featuring Atkinson Action Horses…as we made ourselves outside, the heavens opened.
But using that traditional British grit that wins World Wars, we carried on (admittedly so did about 100 others so perhaps our tough guy ranking is ‘average’)…Emily was of course ecstatic to be getting soaked!

The Atkinson Action Horse actors were immense (it’s them in Robin Hood, The King’s Speech and Spielberg’s new one War Horse).
They rode upside down…

Rode on two horses…

All whilst doing the display in ‘non-ideal’ conditions…as proven by one of the riders slipping when he tried to stand on the saddle. The show lasted for about 30 minutes and was well worth the £5 for what was a jolly good giggle which was made more fun by the torrential rain…nothing was going to beat us today!

And just when we thought we’d seen it all, they made a horse sit like a dog.

And, following the latest episode of NCIS: Los Angeles — which was screened on December 13 across the USA - T&R Theakston’s, based in Masham in the Yorkshire Dales, has received a number of enquiries from eager fans asking where they can get hold of barrels of “Christmas Ale”.

At the end of the episode, Hire Power, which won’t be seen on UK screens until next year, Henrietta “Hetty” Lange (played by Linda Hunt) is seen knocking a tap into end of a wooden cask.

As she pours a glass of beer from it, she says: “This is Theakston’s Christmas Ale, flown all the way from Yorkshire in England, and brewed like it was in Charles Dickens time.”

One email to the brewery said: “Hi, NCIS Los Angeles, a TV series in the US, had a final scene with a Christmas party. The party people had a keg of a Theakston Christmas Ale. Does that seasonal beer of yours exists? Thanks. Aldo.

T&R Theakston Ltd Executive Director Simon Theakston said: “The first we knew about our appearance on NCIS: Los Angeles was the email we received from Aldo.

“The programme was correct in almost every detail expect one. Whilst we have been brewing beer the same way since Charles Dickins’ time, we don’t have one called Christmas Ale. However, we are prepared to excuse them that little slip.
“In additon to our five permanent ales, which includes our legendary Old Peculier, we brew 12 seasonal ales. The current one is The Famous Theakston’s Masham Ale, which is available until January.”

Simon added: “For the last eight years we have been sponsoring the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which brings the world’s leading crime writers to Harrogate each July.

“Appearing in a crime series is very fitting indeed. This really was wonderful advertising for both Theakston’s and Yorkshire alike and I’m sure it will lead to us gaining a new army of real ale admirers.”

NCIS: Los Angeles (Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Los Angeles) stars Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J. It is a spin off from NCIS.

Trailtrekker involves walking the equivalent of two and a half marathons in a loop around the Yorkshire Dales National Park in a toe blistering 30 hours – Team Yorkshire were definitely up for this physical and mental challenge!

After months of practice and preparation, and after a not so restful night’s sleep, our support crew waved us off from Skipton at 6am on a sunny day in June.  The hot sun accompanied us through the foothills of the Dales and on to the ever dramatic Malham Cove, what could be more perfect?

But the Dales being the Dales, a weather front was coming in and soon after saw Fountains Fell shrouded in mist and a particularly tough climb for us.  Although the sun was shining again as we skirted around Pen-y-ghent, as we descended into Horton-in-Ribblesdale for the 25 mile check point mid-afternoon, I did find my energy levels were sapping.

The carnival atmosphere in Horton (it was their annual gala day), together with foot treatment and a good feed from our wonderful support crew, did much to revive the team.  We set off with renewed spirits, following the Pennine Way for a stretch before picking up the Dales Way, the top part of the loop.  This would be the longest stretch before we’d see our support crew again at the 40 mile check point.

Despite the breathtaking scenery, the exuberance of reaching the halfway point started to wear off as the weather changed once again.  Fighting a headwind as the tiredness really started to kick in and that one blister multiplied into four, this was hard!  Darkness was descending and after a long stretch on tarmac, I was in absolute agony as I limped someway behind the rest of the team into Buckden and that check point.  I knew heart of hearts that I couldn’t go on and with much reluctance broke the news to the rest of the team.  My Trailtrekker was over.

However the rest of the team were determined to push on into the night for what they tell me was the most mentally challenging part of the whole walk.  Cold and isolated, the number of other teams left had thinned out considerably, it was the camaraderie that kept them going (and maybe the hot pizza the support crew supplied at the last check point).  Team Yorkshire crossed the finishing line in an exceptional 27 hours.  Here’s their collective thoughts on the experience:

Relief, pain, exhaustion but overall an overwhelming sense of achievement, awe and a strange sense of incomprehension.

The sight of the finish line was the best feeling ever… as we approached and saw family and friends waiting, I just broke down!

I had never felt anything like it before – emotionally and physically exhausted, mixed with a massive sense of achievement and feeling slightly dazed!

And I would add, as they crossed the line, that I felt so incredibly proud of them.  The extremes of temperature and weather witnessed this year were unusual and made the event all the more demanding.  But don’t let this put you off!  It was a crazy yet wonderful experience, for a great cause, and one I won’t forget. Oh and in case you’re wondering, I will be there again in 2012, with a new pair of boots, determined to turn my silver medal into gold…

Our pearls of wisdom and tips for 2012

• Training, training, training…
• Good footwear and lots and lots of socks
• A great support crew – without them, none of us would have been able to do it
• A well-balanced walking team, not just physically but also personality.  Your biggest support is each other, so stick together!  And when times are tough, just keep walking!

Exclusive discount to e-newsletter readers

Now’s the time to get your dream team together.  Sign up before 16 December 2011 and Oxfam will reduce your fundraising pledge to only £1,200 – that’s a saving of £200.  That means just £300 per team member.  Choose your distance – 40km, 60km or the full 100km and sign your team up now!

Oxfam Trailtrekker… the trail-thumping, friendship-forming, mile-munching, life-changing team challenge across the Yorkshire Dales.

There was a traditional Maori kapa haka farewell in Tauranga Bridge Marina and a blast of the horn as a passenger liner at Tauranga’s cruise terminal saluted Welcome to Yorkshire and the other nine teams setting out into the lively waters of New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty for the start of the sixth stage of the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race. They were accompanied during the parade of sail and at the start of the race by a huge flotilla of local boating enthusiasts who were thrilled to be part of the send-off.

In fairly murky conditions and a stiff north easterly breeze, the yachts crossed the start line off the Mount Main Beach when the gun fired at 1430 local time (0130 UTC). With no distinct advantage at either end of the line, the fleet was divided equally on port and starboard tack and Welcome to Yorkshire was first across, followed in short order by De Lage Landen, Visit Finland, New York and Gold Coast Australia. Geraldton Western Australia, was mid-fleet at the start but seized the advantage and was first to round the windward turning mark before heading back towards Mount Maunganui. Qingdao, Derry-Londonderry, Singapore and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital completed the order over the start line.

At the first turning mark, Derry-Londonderry, who’d moved up to fifth place, just behind Welcome to Yorkshire, let their advantage slip away when they stalled, allowing five other boats to slide past them. As they race towards New Zealand’s North Cape with Geraldton Western Australia in the lead, the yachts’ positions are expected to change many times before they begin crossing the Tasman Sea. The 1,300-mile race to Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, is expected to take the ten internationally backed teams between seven and ten days to complete.

With five out of five wins under their belts already, Gold Coast Australia’s crew desperately want to win this next race. If they do they will be the first team in Clipper 11-12 to secure a coveted home port victory, and only the third in the history of the event to do so. Victory in this race would also equal the most consecutive wins in the Clipper Race, a record set by Alex Thomson in Clipper 98 and held for more than a decade.

Other teams have proven themselves just as fast as the Gold Coast Australia crew, with Welcome to Yorkshire, Visit Finland and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital all scoring bonus points in the Ocean Sprint time trials to date in the world’s longest ocean race.

Welcome to Yorkshire’s skipper, Rupert Dean, said, “I think that all the boats are similar in terms of boat speed. The difference with Gold Coast Australia over the rest of the fleet is how they route themselves but I think in this next leg there is less opportunity to have a routing strategy so I think it will be very close.”

Richard Hewson, skipper of Gold Coast Australia said, “If I want to win a race out of this whole series around the world, it’s this one. I don’t want to put myself or the crew under any more pressure than they’re already under. We’re just been sailing how we normally sail, sailing safe and obviously trying to keep it at the back of our minds but trying to sail hard.

“Normally we make our ground and get ahead through tactics and we don’t really have those options during this race. But there’s some interesting weather coming across the Tasman Sea and I’ve got some local knowledge as I’ve been across there a few times before, so hopefully that will help us out. It’s going to be interesting to see where people go with this big high pressure system that’s coming across in the next few days.”

While they have been relaxing in the Bay of Plenty the crews, who come from all walks of life and represent more than 40 nationalities, have been enjoying the multitude of activities on offer. White water rafting, fishing, sky diving, paddle boarding, hiking, land yachting, sampling the excellent local seafood and wines have all been on the agenda. Groups of crew have visited the stunning volcanic White Island and climbed Mount Maunganui in the company of a Maori guide, before soaking in the geothermal salt water hot pools at its base.

They were farewelled from port with a kapa haka from members of Ngaterangi Iwi, Tuwairua Performing Arts, led by Leilani Ohia.

Keith Pickering, a process technician from Hull, a crew member on board Welcome to Yorkshire, said, “I saw the Clipper 09-10 Race leaving Hull, turned round to my wife and said, ‘I’d like to do that’ and she said, ‘Why not?’ So here I am!

“It’s been absolutely wonderful; the people have been very friendly, the marina staff have been brilliant and we’ve had a fantastic time. I’ve been wine tasting – that was good. I went to see the White Island volcano, that was very interesting and it was a very good tour, well worth it.”

Glenn Ormsby, Tourism Bay of Plenty’s General Manager, said, “The Clipper Race has been a great opportunity to showcase Bay of Plenty to the world and show our water’s clean, the beaches are open and we’re ready for summer.  The race has been great for the local economy too – the hotels, bars and restaurants have been booming, there’s been plenty of work for the local marine industry doing maintenance and repairs on the boats, and we’ve had fantastic exposure to international media as well.”

This is the first time the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has visited New Zealand since its inception in 1996 and during the stopover organisers have met with local businesses and government representatives to strengthen links with the region and demonstrate how partners use the event as a global platform to promote trade, tourism, culture and social inclusion.

Each yacht is sponsored by an international city, region, country or company, with many, including Welcome to Yorkshire, represented by the British High Commissioner to New Zealand, hosting events and engaging with New Zealand businesses, trade contacts and media.

More presentations will be held in Australia, in Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and there will be a Clipper Race stand at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Fremantle, WA, from 3 to 18 December, as well as in the UK in the New Year.

Those who prefer to take part in ocean racing can pit their sailing skills against the crews racing to Gold Coast by taking part in the Virtual Clipper Race. Unlike the real thing, where the top prize is the glory, the Virtual Race offers a prize pot of €30,000, along with Rotary Aquaspeed watches and Henri Lloyd gear. Registration is free at www.clipperroundtheworld.com/virtualrace.

The fleet is expected to arrive in Southport Yacht Club on the Gold Coast between 11 and 13 December.

Standings after Race 5

1. Gold Coast Australia                   53 points
2. Visit Finland                                  42 points
3. New York                                       36 points
4. De Lage Landen                         34 points
5. Welcome to Yorkshire                31 points
6. Singapore                                     26 points
7. Derry-Londonderry                     26 points
8. Qingdao                                        21 points
9. Geraldton Western Australia     19 points
10. Edinburgh Inspiring Capital      10 points

Staff at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway are celebrating the victory as General Manager Philip Benham, comments, “We are most grateful to everyone that voted for us and to be chosen as the north leg of the Good Causes Tour. It is a great chance for us to showcase how the Heritage Lottery Fund grant has helped transform the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s education and learning offer to the local community and residents of Yorkshire.”

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s success is probably due, in part at least, to a very loyal following on Facebook and Twitter; followers of NYMR were quick to click and register their vote when the news of the Railways short listing was announced on Tuesday 7th November 2011.

Sara Cox and Rufus Hound will be stoking the fires on the footplate and serving tea from the trolley as they make the journey along the line from Grosmont into Pickering Station along with other fun and games throughout the journey as we put them through their paces. The footage will then be viewable online by visiting http://tiny.cc/qlf5d then login to Facebook, Click Discover the tour and your will find us in the North section, and highlighted during the National Lottery live draw shows on Wednesday 16th and Saturday 19th November 2011.

Trains run every weekend in November and passengers can take advantage of our new winter day rover prices of £15 for adults, £13 for Over 60, £7.50 for children and just £31 for a family ticket (2 adults and up to 4 children).

Visit yorkshire.com for more information of the North York Moors .

Over 11 million theatregoers in 17 countries have seen the Olivier Award Winning show.  Now it’s time for Yorkshire!

The show went down a storm on the opening night with Leeds actress Gaynor Faye (former Coronation Street star and soon to be in Emmerdale). “It’s a fantastic show,” said Gaynor. “It makes you want to get all your old vinyls out!  It’s always good to see something like this in your home city.”

The audience took to their feet as the award-winning show belted out classic Queen tracks including Another One Bites The Dust and We Are The Champions.

We Will Rock You storms in to Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday 1 to Saturday 26 November.

Tickets are on sale now from The Grand Theatre Box Office priced from £16 to £42.50. Book by calling 0844 848 2705 or online at www.leedsgrandtheatre.com. Advanced booking is advised.

The Michelin-starred pub in South Dalton, near Beverley, has been given the prestigious accolade in the 2012 edition of the Eating Out in Pubs Guide 2012 (Michelin Pub Guides) which hit the shelves on 4th November.

The award comes hot off the heels of the pub being named as one of six Michelin-starred eateries in Yorkshire – more than anywhere outside London.

The Pipe and Glass Inn was visited several times by inspectors from the guide and a unanimous decision was taken that it was the best.

Rebecca Burr, Editor of the guide, said: “This award is given to a pub which we feel offers something extra special. Here it is a combination of factors which include the warmth of the welcome, the friendliness of the staff, the character of the place and, of course, the food. The Pipe and Glass Inn is a wonderfully warm pub and nothing is ever too much trouble for the owners.”

The Pipe and Glass Inn stands on the site of the original gatehouse to Dalton Park and was taken over by James and Kate Mackenzie in 2006.

Chef and owner James said: “Both Kate and I are over the moon to be awarded Michelin’s Pub of the Year. We’ve worked so hard to stick to our values of great food served with good old fashioned Yorkshire hospitality; we want to be true ambassadors for the region.

“British pubs have suffered over the last few years and it’s important to us that we keep The Pipe & Glass the hub of the local community but also to attract visitors from outside the area.

“We can’t thank Michelin hard enough for recognising our efforts, it’s really topped off a great year for us and our young family.”

Only last month the Pipe and Glass was named as one of six Michelin Starred hotspots in Yorkshire, including The Black Swan at Oldstead, The Yorke Arms in Ramsgill; The Burlington at The Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey; The Box Tree in Ilkley and The Old Vicarage in Sheffield.

You can buy the guide through Amazon Eating Out in Pubs Guide 2012 (Michelin Pub Guides) here

The evening before, Em had mentioned on Facebook that we were going to Mother Shipton’s in the morning and good lord, the response! People reminiscing about whether it would be the same as when they visited with school (it’s changed very little according to Em), whether we had anywhere else planned in Yorkshire to visit through the week (yes, lots and lots and lots and lots and lots) and   whether they could come with us (an abrupt no).

As you dock up at Mother Shipton’s you can almost feel Knaresborough whisper to you ‘Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal.’

And it’s so beautiful you can’t help but say to yourself, “Yes, Knaresborough. Yes you are.”

The Petrifying Well is actually a little spooky, even for a tough guy like me.  The way the items are just dangling waiting to reach full petrification made it feel like I was in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and I could be captured at any moment and be put into the Black Sleep. Fear ye not though, I made it out alive.

We visited the wishing well…

What did I wish for you ask? Well I obviously can’t tell you BUT an interesting tale has materialised from visiting the well…I am in no way superstitious but when I started writing this, I originally made a fairly obvious reference to what I had wished for (something to do with the football team I support).  That weekend, they took the most almighty panning off their rivals. Now, I’m not saying it was Old Mother Shipton giving me a gentle warning to not reveal what I was wishing for but, well, I’ve toned down just how overt I was about what I wished for. Just in case.

Here’s Old Mother Shipton herself…I think there’s a somewhat rustic charm about her.

In the visitor centre, aside from learning more about the area and the history behind the cave, were these exceptionally witty ‘Rules of the Inn’…

But even cooler than that were the items that had been left to be ‘petrified’ including socks, shoes and JOHN WAYNE’S HAT.  I know.

It takes about 3 months for a regular item to completely calcify petrify so I’m going to break out the newspaper and PVA glue and get making a papier-mâché ‘Y’ to petrify.

Next up on our tour, we’re off to Leeds for a look round the Royal Armouries…