Cottingham - A Delightful Small Town...
...or perhaps The Largest Village in England
I'd like to tell you a bit about Cottingham in East Yorkshire, a lovely little place about 30 minutes by road to the north of Hull.
Cottingham is an historic place, some kind of settlement having been there for over 2000 years, although it was only when the Domesday Book recorded it in 1086 that it was first documented.
Today it has a population of more than 24,000 people, but it also still retains a pleasant village atmosphere that is hard to define. Perhaps it has to do with the pleasant open spaces in some areas, and the plentiful amount of retained older housing in others.
The few relatively modern buildings are not intrusive, and there is an uncrowded and relaxed feel to the place. You can walk around and find a great choice of eateries to suit all tastes, with some excellent pubs to take a pint in. Sit down in one of these and pretty soon you'll be chatting to the locals as if you've known them for some time. Certainly the people are as open and friendly a bunch as you could hope to find anywhere in England.
I really enjoyed my stay in Cottingham. They have a nice little market there every Thursday, with a good variety of stalls. You can take a look at it here: www.cottinghammarket.co.uk/index.html
About 20 minutes drive to the north of Cottingham lies another market town, called Beverley, which is also well worth a visit, particularly on market days.
Cottingham makes a good base for touring historic eastern Yorkshire, with the impressive coastline, traditional seaside resorts and stately homes; and the city of Hull only a short drive to the south, and further inland from Hull the impressive Humber Bridge.
I can recommend Cottingham as a welcome change from Northampton and its problems, if only for a week or two. When I was there for the local election, I really felt that I had my say in Cottingham, and that people listened. I would personally like to thank the 31 complete strangers who voted for me, many of whom had never met me.
I truly felt at home in Cottingham, and I'd certainly put it near the top of my list of places I'd like to retire to when the time comes.
Meanwhile however, the fight goes on...
