Number 678 Guest House - the blog continues

The National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme went live in Rossendale on the 1 June 2011.
Rossendale Borough Council's Environemental Health Officers help ensure that food made, stored or sold from a shop, resturant, cafe or burger van is safe for the public to eat.
The Council's dedicated Food Safety Team is responsible for ensuring safe , healthy food in rossendale. As a result the FSA (Food Standards Agency) are now awarding establishments selling food a grade rating. Ratings are awarded from 0-5. We are pleased to say, although I'm sure it is no surprise to any of our guests, that Number 678 has been awarded a grade 5. If you would like to preview the ratings for food establishments in Rossendale please go to
http://ratings.food.gov.uk/QuickSearch.aspx?refla=BmyQ5hXLssA%3d

Number 678 Guest House - the blog continues

What a wonderful April!!!!!
The weather has allowed us even more of an opportunity to enjoy what Rossendale and its surrounding area has to offer.
Following our walk last week up above Grane Road we took ourselves over to Lumbutts this weekend. What a beautiful village set in one of the most picturesque spots around. Just four miles away from the centre of Todmorden, Lumbutts is an ideal place to start and finish a wonderful day walking. We spent just a couple of hours there on Sunday but felt compelled to return on Monday fully prepared for the walk up to Stoodley Monument.
Knowing there is a prize at the end of the walk makes the event even more enjoyable and yesterday fit the bill perfectly!!! After parking the car in the car park of the Top Brink Inn we kicked off with a couple (!!) of the finest Timothy Taylor cask ale. For those of you that enjoy a good pint of cask then this is not to be missed, we had intended to just have one but que sera, lol.
From Top Brink Inn car-park the walk takes you through a field of sheep and lambs setting the scene for the hike.
Where else do stone sheep mark the start of the trail??? The path starts off at a gentle pace but once through the first gate starts to incline up into the hills, the views as you climb just get better and better. Tom carried Olivia in the back pack and, despite still getting used to his new hip, managed to reach the monument with just a couple of minor stops.After a strenuous climb uphill the walk along the top to the monument was both enjoyable and rewarding.
July sees the annual fell race up to Stoodley Memorial. In 2010 the winning time was 19:05 minutes, needless to say we won’t be competing :)
We finished off taking a somewhat easier walk back but didn’t need any coaxing to head straight into Top Brink Inn. The food was just as good as the warm welcome extended by both Mark the co-owner and his friendly staff. Between us we had the scampi, beef and horsedradish pie, brie wellington and the child’s portion of Cumberland sausage. Each of the dishes we could highly recommend as being tasty, substantial and excellent value for money.
So, stuck for somewhere to go???? Take a drive up to Lumbutts, park up, take a long/short walk and enjoy a meal and/or cask ale at Top Brink Inn. You won’t be disappointed!!

Our first clutch of duck eggs have hatched: 12 beautiful chicks now swimming up and down the brook. I’m sure we’ll see another family or two before the next week is out.

Or next event is of course the Royal Wedding and I will of course post some pics of the local celebrations.
Have fun folks!!!

Number 678 Guest House - the blog continues

Remind us again............ It really is only April???
Just look at these pictures and tell me we're not just the luckiest people on earth living in such a beautiful place. The Rossendale hills are just the best place to be!!

Number 678 Guest House - the blog continues
So long since I last posted............... So much has happened.
Not only did we find ourselves without a home last year but Tom developed real problems with his hip. He ended up having a hip replacement in November so we had ourselves a Christmas off whilst he recovered. In between working myself I tried so hard to keep the place going for him!!!! Yes, there were things I didn't do quite as well as he expected me to, ha ha. He may have had some difficulty with mobility but he didn't have any difficulty telling me what I'd done wrong!!!

Hopefully, 2011 will be somewhat more kind. Each week sees him walking better although he has ended up with one leg longer than the other!

We've also increased our family...... we now have chickens in the garden. My word, as well as their pellets they'll eat anything!!!! No more waste... it all goes to the chickens. In return, every day we have fresh eggs for our guests, you really can tell the difference.