(Source) Part of the social area at White Rose Coffee, with the 30kg Toper coffee roaster in the background.
The Bottom Line
@slobberchops, @c0ff33a and I have got together to organise the Great Northern Meet-up in Halifax on Saturday 18 June 2022 from midday until 5pm. Well, I say got together, it was more a phone call and one or two discord DMs, but the end result was the same.
The event is being hosted at @c0ff33a's place, White Rose Coffee Roasters, in Hall Street, Halifax. There's a big social area with food and drink, and plenty of room to move around and chat to people. There's also the giant coffee roaster which is amazing in its own right.
Everything is provided: food, a range of drinks, tables and chairs, wi-fi and some computers about the place. The building itself is fascinating, with lots of evidence of its past lives for anyone who is interested in industrial archeology. The coffee roasting business is also fascinating, especially where the different coffees come from and the roasting and blending process. You'll never want supermarket coffee again.
The venue is a short walk from the city centre and about fifteen to twenty minutes walk from the rail station. There is plenty of on street parking in Hall Street.
We've arranged the event for the middle of the day, so people have plenty of time to get there and home in one day. If you're thinking of staying over, Halifax has the usual range of budget hotels and some of us will be going for a meal in the evening if anyone would like to join us.
The event is free and you can book your place on eventbrite. If you have any queries or want to change anything in the weeks leading up to the event, you'll be able to get in touch with me through eventbrite.
Meet Lovely Hiveans!
Hiveans are really lovely people: friendly and easy to talk to. I've been to lots of UK meet-ups and the international festival in Krakow, Poland. It is so nice to meet people that you've interacted with on Hive - and those you haven't yet.
It's great, now that things are easing, that we can meet up again. If you've got any questions or suggestions for the day, let us know in the comments ... but I can guarantee when you get to the event, no one will be lost for words!
@slobberchops's post about the event.
@c0ff33a's post about the event.
Things To Do in West Yorkshire
I'll be staying in Salterhebble at the southern end of Halifax and right on the Calder and Hebble Navigation with walks alongside the Canal. The Hebble Trail runs along the Hebble Brook from Salterhebble into Halifax (the whole trail is about two miles) with plenty of industrial heritage sites and natural habitats along the way.
Halifax has several places of interest including the Bankfield Museum, the Calderdale Industrial Museum and the Minster. Halifax was one of the economic centres of the wool trade in West Yorkshire, especially the manufacture of woollen cloth, and the original Piece Hall, where cloth was traded, has been re-furnished and houses many independent shops and cafes and creative businesses.
Nearby Bradford has the Saltaire World Heritage Site, built by Sir Titus Salt for his factory workers, and Salts Mill, including the David Hockney Collection. In Wakefield you'll find the architecturally stunning (in a very different way to Salts Mill) Hepworth Galley and the beautiful Hepworth Wakefield Garden. Not too far away is the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and there is Leeds with a wealth of shopping, museums and galleries.
It is a beautiful part of the country with many walks and places like Harrogate well worth a visit. Halifax is dead easy to reach from the M1/M62 motorways.
See you there!
