More reasons to love the Dales (12 photos)

dalesWe have some fabulous old buildings around this part of the Dales. Friars Head Hall (above) at Winterburn is a prime example. The manor of Winterburn was granted to Furness Abbey during the 12th century. The original building at Friar’s Head was said to be a hunting lodge for the abbots. The present structure was built by Stephen Proctor around 1590. It’s Grade II* Listed Building – and there are a couple more houses plus a bridge and chapel that are Grade II listed in Winterburn. It’s a grand area for walking; near Malham but away from the crowds.

dalesAnother pleasant stroll is around Brae Pasture Nature Reserve, owned by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and situated between Horton and Selside in Ribblesdale. Those favourite late spring flowers such as wood anemone, primrose and early purple orchids are showing right now here and all around the Dales.

dalesWhile perched on the small limestone plateau I also enjoyed watching clouds pass quickly over Penyghent, Newhouses Tarn, and to the north up towards Cam Fell.

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Early purple orchid at Brae Pasture, Ribblesdale

Size matters

I also had a full-length view of a 26-wagon freight train on the Settle-Carlisle line as it approached Selside (below). That’s 26 wagons off the Dales roads and onto rails. Surely that’s a good thing – unless of course you happen to be a lorry driver or owner of a road-haulage business.

Ancient Dales

I know, the pic below is a bit of a cliched shot, but I couldn’t resist it as I peered out of Jubilee Cave up above Langcliffe. Iron Age and Roman material along with artefacts of Mesolithic and Late Palaeolithic type have all been found in the cave. There are some great views over the Dales from up here, although a little hazy the day I took the photos.

Langcliffe blossoms

Besides taking lots of photos of the blossom around Langcliffe this week (which I posted on Twitter and Facebook) these local scenes grabbed my attention:

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Another year in the Dales goes west

A Dales photo for each month during 2017. Looking back on a year’s wandering – fairly aimless wandering it must be said – and photographing around the western Dales this year, I hadn’t realised how much the sky had dominated so many of my shots. Clouds move swiftly in this part of the country as the breeze sweeps in from the Irish Sea and strikes the hilly barrier in its way. A stormy sky can turn clear blue in minutes – and the opposite can happen quickly too, to catch out the unwary.

Photos can often hide the truth – the top picture, taken above Giggleswick Scar, shows a lovely clear day looking down on Settle bathing in sunshine. But don’t be deceived, it was taken in January and believe me it was freezing up there that day.

This February shot shows snow on Penyghent and a steam special heading through Ribblesdale.

In March I watched this dramatic cloud formation above Kingsdale as it made its way from the north-west. Whernside bore the brunt of the bad weather it brought.

About as far as you get in the western Dales is Barbondale. This April day was full of light and shade.

The Sun in May is still fairly weak and I was able to point the camera directly at it for this shot of a distant Ingleborough from Winskill.

The weather was right for a stroll up Attermire Scar in June. This was the view looking north-west, showing the track to Malham by Jubilee Cave and the foot-hills of Penyghent and Fountains Fell.

Just as the sun was going down on a July day at Winskill, Ribblesdale. Distant Penyghent soaking up the last rays.

A typical August sky and a typical walled green lane. I was on my way from Horton-in-Ribblesdale to photograph the impressive Hull Pot.

A September shot of Settle. I chose this one for my yearly round-up not because of the great view of the town from Castleberg Rock but for the shape of the clouds above, which take you to the distant fells.

October brought some storms to the region. I was right on the edge of this particularly nasty one above Ribblesdale before making a hasty retreat back home to Langcliffe.

As autumn turned to winter I was lucky to grab this November shot on the track between Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Brackenbottom before the gold and brown tints disappeared.

I had to include a December shot of a snowy Penyghent, even though Ribblesdale didn’t have a white Christmas Day. This was taken from Selside.

Thank you for continuing to follow this blog during 2017 and I hope you have a fabulous new year.

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