The Week in the Life column with Keith Tordoff

Oh I do like to be by the seaside. Well who doesn't like to visit the coast around our shores. When growing up my family's exotic get away from Leeds, where we lived, was a day out to the east coast.
Here I am pictured with TV presenter Amar Latif who was filming a programme about the River Nidd.Here I am pictured with TV presenter Amar Latif who was filming a programme about the River Nidd.
Here I am pictured with TV presenter Amar Latif who was filming a programme about the River Nidd.

Usually it was Filey, Scarborough or Whitby. I had heard of Mablethorpe (no not the lady) the seaside town on the east coast but had never visited it.

When hearing Mabelthorpe mentioned I always wondered why we had never been there. Last week I made the journey to Mablethorpe and I realise why we had never been.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As nice as it is, it takes an age to get there, especially on the final leg of the journey, which is on a long windy road. I kept saying to Gloria “are we nearly there?”

We were both looking out for the sea to try and be first to say we had spotted it.

Nothing childish about us then!

We were disappointed as we never did see the sea from the road as we approached Mabelthorpe and on the seafront it is hidden by the concrete sea wall.

Once we parked up we walked onto the sea wall and at last saw the waves crashing onto the sandy beach.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There is something very therapeutic about listening to the sound of the waves hitting the shoreline.

I bet by now you are wondering why I am going on about wonderful Mabelthorpe!

The reason is that I had gone there to purchase a seaside street organ to bring back to Pateley Bridge.

The street organ also known as a barrel organ, or hurdy gurdy, has always fascinated me when I had seen them being played on my visits to the seaside as a kid.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The person turning the handle was always a character dressed in a waist coat and bowler hat with a monkey on the organ or his shoulder.

The music coming from the organ is part of the seaside experience along with the sound of the waves, the seagulls and the smell of fish and chips.

So Pateley Bridge High Street will soon be hearing the sound of a street organ with a real character winding the handle with not one but two monkeys sat atop it.

Any suggestions for the names we should give to the two of them?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The street organ will have its Pateley Bridge premiere on late night opening tomorrow (Friday, December 14) when it will be being played in Kings Court.

Don’t worry the music that will be played will not become monotonous as I acquired one hundred and fifty different tunes to play on it.

Although ‘I do love to be by the seaside’ is rather catchy!

From the sea to rivers.

On Monday evening (10 December) on BBC1, the TV programme River Walks presented by Amar Latif featured the River Nidd running through Nidderdale.

The programme showcased how beautiful diverse and amazing Nidderdale is, including its capital Pateley Bridge.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I had the privilege of filming for the programme with Amar who is a brilliant presenter and all-round great guy.

Amar as well as presenting on TV runs his own highly successful travel company in Leeds.

On his travels Amar who is blind has parachuted, bungee jumped, climbed mountains and for the latest TV programme been swimming in the River Nidd.

Clearly there ‘ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide’ enough for this remarkable man.