Roger's walks are full of fascinating insights into places near and far
MY NAME is Roger Young and after a lifetime of working, I retired from the fostering service at Bradford Council determined to fulfil a desire for travel.
After the regime of work I was keen to be spontaneous and fill my life with adventures, visiting places I had until then only read about.
At the same time I also decided to start a YouTube channel called Dodger's Trips to document the places I planned to go to and the experiences I would have. I have been pretty busy so far in my retirement, travelling to Europe, Asia and the USA.
Roger on one of his local walks
I have also visited many locations in the UK that were on my bucket list. For example I made a series on Shetland; another time I went in search of the infamous Kray twins' haunts - making a number of films at sites in London associated with the brothers. I have a great interest in history and that element features in most of the films that I make.
Although I travel overseas a fair bit I don't forget about beautiful Yorkshire and indeed my home city of Bradford. There are more than 200 films on the channel and many have been made in God's Own County. I enjoy visiting both well-known and lesser-known locations in Yorkshire and try and bring forgotten stories back to life.
I live in Wyke and regularly get out and about discovering the history of the village and also nearby Low Moor. I like to make the films in my local area for anybody to enjoy, but particularly for people who have moved away or are unable to get out anymore.
A lot of the films in Wyke and Low Moor are walking videos and one of the favourite types I like to do is the circular walk.
He heads out in all weathers
Roger at the Golden Temple, Amritsar (Image: Public)
By creating these walks I can show the sites and talk about the history, but more importantly being circular it means that anybody who wishes to follow in my footsteps can start at any point and complete the same route without missing anything.
My latest and probably most informative film to date is Wyke, Bradford Circular Walk 7 - Storr Hill to Delph Hill. During the walk you'll encounter the tough guy of Storr Hill whose nickname was Bullet, discover why a prominent Wyke businessman and councillor was known locally as Slasher Harry, hear about the businesses in the village both past and present and discover the locations of long lost pubs.
Even if you are very familiar with Wyke I, guarantee every viewer will end up learning a lot that they don't already know. Even if you live in Bradford and don't have that much knowledge about the village there's plenty to hold your interest throughout the walk.
Agonda Beach, Goa, India (Image: Public)
*Roger's foreign trips include France, Germany, Belgium, the USA - where he visits Last Stand Hill in Montana - and India.
His Yorkshire walks include Hebden Bridge to Heptonstall and many walks in the Wyke/Low Moor area.
There is also a fascinating film on Lieutenant Frank Milligan, a local man who was killed in action in South Africa on March 31, 1900. A brass memorial plaque to him sits in Harold Park, Low Moor.
*You can find Roger'ss walks by searching Dodger's Trips on YouTube by visiting youtube.com/@dodgerstrips
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