Wetherby wander

Wetherby is a small town about 20 miles away. I've never actually stopped there before. It's one of those places that's both a bit too far and yet almost too near to be bothered to visit, somewhere you just pass on your way to the A1 motorway, heading somewhere more interesting. Anyway, when my camera club had a summer outing there, it was a good chance to explore. It sits, quite attractively on the banks of the River Wharfe. It's a market town, smaller than I imagined, and has a racecourse too. 

We first had a wander along the riverside, looking for insects and birds. I found some sheep, though all my insect shots were resounding failures. Lovely stretch of river though - and rather warm again. What a summer we're having.  

Later, exploring the town, we came upon 'The Bath House', which dates back about 200 years, when cold water bathing was a fashionable cure for a variety of ailments.  The Bath House has been restored (though was not open) and has an open air plunge pool with steps down to the sunken bath below ground. After a series of cold plunges, each followed by a circuit of the bath, bathers would wrap up in warm flannel robes and congregate in the upper 'warming' room. There, in front of a roaring fire, they would take refreshment, socialise and play cards with friends. It all sounds quite pleasant, doesn't it?