Reeth is the main settlement in Swaledale, in a lovely setting on a plateau above the river, with soaring views of the surrounding hills and moors. At the junction of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, it became an important centre when lead mining became established in the hills during 18th and 19th centuries. Nowadays it is a tourist hotspot, with holiday lets, a couple of tiny shops, several pubs, cafés and some small art galleries. It's all set around a green, which would be lovely if it weren't also the main car parking area in the village!
In the evening there was a lively game of quoits going on, a traditional game, attended by a small but enthusiastic crowd of onlookers. Quoits involves throwing hoops - in this case heavy metal ones, with the aim of encircling a pin sticking out of a bed of clay. The tactics looked to involve flipping your opponent's quoit out of the way or blocking it by clever positioning of your own quoit. It was a lot of fun.
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I love seeing these towns, 'quaint' comes to mind as an adjective for them. But those stone houses make me think how people can, and probably have lived in them for so many years!
ReplyDeleteThat is a strange game. A bit like horseshoes.
ReplyDeleteQuite a different game.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the game of quits was introduced by French people in the 11th Century?
ReplyDelete