Why the Dales are top of the pops

I see that several of my favourite areas of the Dales are featured in the list of Britain’s top 100 walks. Many of the 8,000 people who contributed to the list have walked in my footsteps. It’s good to see the promotion of a healthier lifestyle, and when it benefits local traders, accommodation providers and publicans etc, then so much the better.

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Earlier in the week Ingleborough looked like it had been ‘lime-washed’. The walk from Clapham up to Ingleborough summit features in the top 100 walks list – you wouldn’t have got me up there on this day for all the tea in Yorkshire.

My small gripe about the list is that most of the walks are already popular and the publicity is likely to attract thousands more boots over those same paths. I wonder how many walkers (or TV programme makers for that matter) will be willing to pay for the upkeep of those over-used routes.

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Another of the favourite walks is the Ingleton Falls route. Picture shows Pecca Falls.

Before you have a go at me, I know that in a way my blog and other writing down the years has also contributed to attracting more tramping of the fells – I’m not being hypocritical, I have given (and still give) money towards path repairs and Mountain Rescue charities in the Dales.

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside/itvs-britains-100-favourite-walks/

Since slipping on icy steps a few weeks ago and injuring my left hip and knee I’ve not done much strolling, so thank goodness I also have a car to get me around the dales. Top photo in the blog shows Penyghent from near Brackenbottom. To complete the Three Peaks trio here’s a wintry looking Whernside and Ribblehead Viaduct.

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Looking from Horton-in-Ribblesdale across the quarry workings to Ingleborough.

I’m saddened to hear this week of the death of the inspirational Hannah Hauxwell (91). I only met her briefly at some ceremony or other. Being involved with Dalesman at the time I asked if she and her neighbours up in Baldersdale still considered themselves as Yorkshire folk (since the political boundary changes in 1974). Hannah replied firmly that they always thought of themselves as Yorkshire and felt no association with Durham. I hope everyone born on the south side of the Tees still thinks the same. Hannah was a lovely lady unspoilt by all the attention she received.

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I watched the sun go down from the old back road between Clapham and Ingleton on Wednesday. The golden glow belies the fact it was below freezing thanks to a strong westerly wind.

I must add my congratulations to everyone involved with Langcliffe Community Gardens on winning the Greener Craven Award category of Craven Community Champions. A great effort by those neighbours of mine who got involved. Plenty of snowdrops to admire in the local churchyard, too:

The Snowdrop

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Many, many welcomes,
February fair-maid,
Ever as of old time,
Solitary firstling,
Coming in the cold time,
Prophet of the gay time,
Prophet of the May time,
Prophet of the roses,
Many, many welcomes,
February fair-maid!

Fans of steam trains make sure you buy a copy of this month’s Countryman magazine (now in the shops) in which I reminisce about the golden age of railways. The Settle-Carlisle and Keighley & Worth Valley lines are included. http://www.countrymanmagazine.co.uk
In February’s Down Your Way magazine I write about the surname Loftus/Lofthouse. http://www.downyourway.co.uk

 

Dales dilemma and autumn glory

DalesThere are 12 Dales photos in this week’s blog. Yep, not just the one shown above. I had a message from someone who has been seeing notifications about my blog for over a year, saying that she’d only just realised there were actually many more photos to view if she clicked on the appropriate link. Clicking on the website link also shows other goodies. Enough of this self-promotion… it’s been a mixed weather week in the Dales but sometimes the light at this time of the year makes you appreciate oft-visited local scenes even more.

DalesI’ve taken countless pics from Winskill, like the top photo showing Penyghent, and the one above of the farm, Smearsett Scar and Ingleborough. But I can’t stop myself from going back to see the scene in different light and conditions. The view is only a few minutes from home – and I can be quite lazy at times. Here are three more taken from the road between Langcliffe and Malham during the same late afternoon light:

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Dales planning dilemma

There’s an interesting planning application being put forward in my village of Langcliffe. The owners of Bowerley, a large Victorian mansion which now houses privately owned and rented accommodation, want to build a subterranean eco-friendly house on – or should that be under – part of the 3.2 acre garden to live in during their retirement. It’s an interesting concept for this part of the Dales and throws up something of a dilemma for planners. Although just outside the main village which is inside the National Park, Bowerley is still in a conservation area. Subterranean eco-friendly housing usually means plenty of aluminium and glass so I wonder how this fits into the definition of ‘conservation’. The applicants say the house won’t be visible other than from a distance at the other side of the valley – and from passengers on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. There are no protected trees under threat and as far as I am aware no great-crested newts live there. I have no problem with seeing something from the 21st century in the mix of buildings and I’m all for eco-living, as long as there isn’t a negative impact on surroundings or neighbours. I do wonder if being underground so close to the Settle-Carlisle the earth will move for them when the Flying Scotsman hurtles past?
https://publicaccess.cravendc.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OVYH5ZFKG8R00

I needed to pop over to Hawes this week but it wasn’t the most photogenic of days. But I did capture the beck, church (see further below) and Gayle Mill.

Nearer home I took these showing ancient field systems, a view up Ribblesdale and a fine tree silhouette:

Dales churches

Two more Dales churches this week: St Wilfrid’s in Burnsall has a lovely setting beside the river Wharfe. There’s been a church here since at least 700AD. The present Grade I Listed building shows additions and alterations from the 13th through to the 19th century.


St Margaret’s church in Hawes is Grade II Listed and was built in 1851. It replaced an older chapel of ease. Most photos you’ll see of it feature the slab path to and from Gayle. So, here’s another:

Why Ribblesdale is the place for colour and giants

RibblesdaleThere’s still plenty of colour to enjoy here in Ribblesdale – especially on those infrequent bright autumn days. Without a car for much of the week I stayed local, which is no great hardship in this part of the Yorkshire Dales. Photos show the trees and landscape around Langcliffe and Stackhouse.

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Ribblesdale giant

It’s not often that Ribblesdale’s skyline changes its appearance. But during the week this oversized Meccano-type construction (below) took shape next to the cricket ground in Settle. No, it’s not Headingley’s new ground being constructed in the wrong place, it’s for more housing. Visible from all around the surrounding landscape it looks more suitable for high-rise office block construction in Leeds than for anything in this little rural town. Hopefully the resulting building will not be as conspicuous.

I did manage a quick walk around part of the Ingleborough nature reserve at Ribblehead one day – Whernside (below) looked splendid but I bet it was very cold on the tops.

Coffee causes chaos

I’ve never been a big fan of coffee – don’t care for the taste or the fact it stops me from dozing off. The trend for walking around the streets clinging to a cup of coffee leaves me baffled – especially when I see the carrier struggling to use a mobile phone at the same time. I’ve never understood why someone would want a cup of coffee while out shopping either – I just want to get as far away from the supermarket as soon as possible and back home for a nice cup of tea – in a proper mug. And I think some of the people I’ve seen and heard complaining about the coffee machine being broken in Settle Booths would be better off having less of a caffeine stimulant, not more. Anyway, the real reason for this elongated gripe is the amount of discarded cups – and other food or drink containers – littering our streets, especially those items which can’t be recycled. Apparently 2.5bn throwaway coffee cups are dumped in the UK every year – and less than 1 per cent of these are recyclable. Some environmentalists are suggesting a surcharge for using takeaway cups, along with a host of other measures. Why not just stop making cups that can’t be recycled? The same with plastic bottles, bags and other stuff which clog up rivers and oceans – we lived perfectly well before all this ‘convenience’ rubbish came along.

This week’s Dales church is just outside Ribblesdale near the source of the Aire at Kirkby Malham. The original St Michael’s was thought to have been built as early as the 7th century. It was completely rebuilt in the 15th century and restored in 1881. Also pictured below is the church’s famous Watery Grave. The story is that Colonel John Harrison and his wife Helen were so often separated by water during his career in the forces that Helen said they should be separated by water in death. When she died the grave was built over a small stream that ran through the graveyard, and she was buried on one side. However, when the colonel died, impenetrable rock was discovered so he was buried with his wife after all. It seems that wives don’t always get their own way.

Finally, can anyone tell me how Eggshell Lane in Clapham got its name?

Golden dales, treasured memories

dalesSunset at the end of a bright autumnal Dales day … is there anything to match it (other than a Dales sunset during spring, summer and winter, that is)? The skies were clear and blue over Ribblesdale on Friday but I waited until the sun started to dip behind the western slopes before heading out for a walk. Golden light created glowing red and mellow yellow as it shone on recently discarded leaves and those still clinging to ancient trees along this track out of Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

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Barns and walls take on a softer glow on the road to Brackenbottom (below).

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Long shadows on the meadows near Horton-in-Ribblesdale.
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Deep shadows. Looking across Ribblesdale to a cloud-topped Ingleborough.
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Almost the last of the bright light illuminates Penyghent.

I’ve spent a lot of time this week flicking through the pages of a brilliant new website set up by the Yorkshire Dales Society, or Friends of the Dales as they are now known. It records the history and heritage of North Craven area and is a portal to an array of catalogues, collections and archives. From its home page: “The website has been developed through the Capturing the Past project, which is part of Stories in Stone, a scheme of conservation and community projects concentrated on the Ingleborough area. The scheme was developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership, led by Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.” Well worth a visit … but be warned, you’ll be on there for hours: http://www.dalescommunityarchives.org.uk

Some more shots from around home in Ribblesdale: cottages on Langcliffe Green, High Way between Langcliffe and Settle, Penyghent wearing a new hat …

Many of you will have already seen the following old photo of Settle but I thought it was worth a reminder – if just to see all the washing hung across the Shambles. At the risk of breaking copyright laws, it is a photo I took of a Francis Frith picture which appears in the book, Rural Britain, Then & Now by Roger Hunt (published by Cassell in 2004). I’m hoping that as I don’t make any money from my site and the fact I’m publicising the book for free this might save me from being charged for its use. Not all sites or publications show such courtesy (comment aimed at those who without permission have recently raided the blog and used my stuff!).

In my nostalgia column in November’s Countryman magazine (now on sale) I write about memories of Mischief Night – for any youngsters who have accidentally stumbled across this blog, Mischief Night was in the days before Trick or Treat was washed up on our shores from across the Atlantic. Ask your granddad what he got up to.

More Dales churches

This week’s Dales churches are both in Giggleswick, the ancient St Alkelda and the Gothic style Victorian chapel of Giggleswick School.

Now please excuse me as I go try to tell my central heating system that twice a year in Britain we try to convince the rest of a bewildered world we are in charge of time and we’ll do what we want with it.

A bomb dropped on the Dales

dalesDales storm watch… my top photo shows the quickly changing scene over Ribblesdale from Winskill earlier this week. I’d hung around a while waiting for that strong shaft of sun to hit the farm. Moments later darkness fell upon the area and I scarpered down the hill to sanctuary back home. I quite enjoy being out in a summer storm in the Dales, as it refreshes the greenery, satisfies the thirsty trees and replenishes the rivers. But autumn storms feel more threatening, the winds are stronger and in my mind do no good for anything or anybody. I almost spat out my Yorkshire tea yesterday when I read somewhere that we should expect another ‘weather bomb’ this weekend. ‘A what? A (expletive) WHAT?’ I spluttered. I suppose I should start to accept that news nowadays is more about hyperbole and drama than pure facts. Is there some kind of directive going around newsrooms that the more shocked and startled readers/viewers/listeners are the more likely they are to be impressed with the output? Well, not in my house. It’s just weather for goodness sake, stuff that’s been happening since the world began. Sometimes the weather’s bad, and we feel sorry for those unfortunates who suffer from its consequences, but there’s no one up there deliberately dropping bombs on us – just yet.

Excuse the language… not sure if you will be able to read the writing on the paper sign on the board at Ingleton outdoor swimming baths, but that’s the water temperature in Yorkshire f-f-f-farhenheit.

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Just before the storms ‘bombed’ us and whipped off all their leaves, I thought I’d best capture the trees around Langcliffe village green.

Continuing my quest to photograph as many Dales churches as possible, here are a few more:

St Andrew’s Slaidburn

St Mary’s Ingleton

St Michael & All Angels, Hubberholme.

A warm welcome at St John’s in Langcliffe.

Perhaps an appropriately sombre photo of the year’s final steam excursion up the Settle-Carlisle line. This one taken yesterday at Hellifield – a lovely old station and a Grade II listed building.

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Old and new technology? Mobile phone meets Leander the engine.

I tried to capture some autumnal action at Settle United FC … I think I’ll stick to landscape photography.

Finally I was saddened to hear that after today Mike Harding is no longer to broadcast his fabulous folk music show from the Dales. He’s one of the best radio presenters I’ve ever listened to – straight-forward, amusing, no gimmicks, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He’ll certainly be missed on the airwaves in my house. http://www.mikehardingfolkshow.com

A short haul for a long Dales view

dalesFor a hill whose summit is just under 1,200ft above sea level, Smearsett Scar offers the kind of 360 degree view of the Dales usually reserved for walkers venturing a thousand feet higher. All the Three Peaks, Fountains Fell, Pendle Hill, the Bowland Fells and much more are visible. On very clear days you can probably make out the west coast.

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Top picture shows views over Moughton Scar and Crummckdale towards Ingleborough. Above, the view south west over Pot Scar.
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Looking up Ribblesdale to Penyghent; below the view of Warrendale Knotts.

The intricate limestone pavement of Moughton Scar stands out, and the green valleys of Crummack, Wenning and Ribble look gentle and welcoming. This small Ribblesdale peak, part of a short limestone ridge including Pot Scar, provided me with my only real exercise this week. A friend tells me he once spent a wonderful, clear, summer’s night at the top – it certainly wasn’t during this year’s brief summer.

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Smearsett Scar seen from the back road between Helwith Bridge and Stainforth. Below, gulls enjoying refreshments in fields below the scar.

More Dales churches

As I trundle around the Dales I often stop off to photograph local churches. I’m not a religious person but enjoy church architecture and history. And during several decades of delving into my family’s past I’ve spent many an hour tramping through graveyards looking for clues.
This week I briefly crossed into Lancashire from the western Dales to visit St Peter’s at Leck, where there’s been a church since the early 1600s.

Today’s building (above) is a relatively modern affair, having been rebuilt in 1913 following a fire, but it is still a grand sight in this quiet backwater off the main road to and from the Lakes. Leck Fell and nearby Gragareth are two hills I’ve never ascended but I seem to recall potholing trips around the area as a more adventurous youth.


Just a couple of miles away, switching from the Diocese of Blackburn to that of Leeds – both sounding incongruous for this part of the country – is St Oswald’s at Thornton-in-Lonsdale. Like at Leck’s church (and dozens more around the North) it seems to have links with the Brontes. There’s been a church here since pre-Norman times, but also similarly to St Peter’s it was gutted by fire (in 1933). The church was rebuilt in a Gothic style and looks splendid set in a well-kept churchyard. Sitting here I imagined this (and the neighbouring pub of course) being welcome sanctuary for those who travelled the lonely high pass from Dent through Kingsdale.

Not moonshine


I didn’t manage to snatch a shot of the Harvest Moon – we’ve had some cloudy nights in our part of the Dales this week – but I did capture some lovely evening sunlight around Ribblesdale.

Dales Angels and why walking is stressful (16 pics)

dalesDoes anyone know of a decent etiquette guide for Dales walkers? I’ve tramped the county’s hills and valleys, villages and tracks for umpteen years and still I’m never sure when and how to greet fellow walkers. My guess is that you’re allowed to acknowledge people as long as there aren’t too many folk around. For example, if I’m walking from my village of Langcliffe to Settle along the back road known as the High Way, it seems acceptable to say ‘Morning’ – provided it’s the morning of course – but by the time you get to Constitution Hill at the top of Settle you must not pass the time of day with anyone (unless you know them).
Last week on a lonely green lane, after not seeing a single person for almost an hour, I crossed paths with a jogger who completely blanked me. Perhaps runners and cyclists have their own code of conduct? What do you do when you’re out in the countryside, where paths can be quite busy – like at Gordale Scar or Malham Cove – and where you can spend too much time saying hello when you ought to be admiring the scenery or avoiding animal droppings? Or when you pass a waggle (that’s my collective noun for a group of walkers) who have stopped mid route for refreshments, or you meet at a gate or stile – ‘morning all’ has to suffice in such cases, surely? When a waggle is a straggly waggle, it just becomes tiresome to say hello to everyone.
Then there’s what to say. I’ve tried all sorts … hello, how do, hiya, the aforesaid morning (but at what time should this change to aft’noon?). Just to amuse myself I have been known to drift into Yorkshire with ey up and na’then. Often I’ll come out with something that’s a mixture of many greetings and I’ll wander on, somewhat embarrassed, thinking ‘why on earth did I say that?’.
Sometimes I get the feeling that strangers from distant lands, like Bradford and Leeds, are humouring my quaint rural ways. Other times I receive a wary, suspicious response as strangers mentally question my sanity. And just who am I allowed to involve in this briefest of communication? You can get those strange teenage-type gawpy expressions from some younger folk; others avoid eye contact. Couples can be deep in conversation or mid argument and I don’t like to intrude – do I march on and ignore them? Occasionally there are those who deliberately bring you to halt and want to know your life story – or at least demand to know where you have been/going. There are walkers who insist on mentioning the weather – nice day; bit colder today; that wind’s a bit naughty intit? Not being one for eloquent or snappy responses, I normally respond with ‘Aye’ and quickly move on. And when is just a brief nervous smile, a raising of the eyebrows or a Yorkshire nod of the head deemed acceptable as a greeting? Walking can be stressful. Is it any wonder I try to find the loneliest places in the Dales?

Anyway, on with this week’s photos. The top pic and this one were taken on a morning walk by the Ribble from Horton.

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Northern Belle’s engine passed me near Horton – don’t know if this is an unusual sighting.
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The Ribble was flowing strongly and silently beneath the still green canopy.
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Not a sign you see too often in the Dales.
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To the person who thought it cool to leave their litter on a tree branch – I took it home and deposited your ‘artwork’ in the recycling bin.

As mentioned on my Yorkshire Surnames page, I write a short piece each month about names for Down Your Way magazine. I’m pleased to see that the publication won Best Community Publication at this week’s O2 Media Awards. Visit http://downyourway.co.uk

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A red admiral in a neighbour’s garden brightened up a dull day.
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I loved the late evening sun above Langcliffe on Thursday.

Dales Angels

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This year’s Angel Festival in Langcliffe once again proved popular. Here are a few examples – although one of them might have been a figment of my imagination…

I see there’s festive food for sale in supermarkets. First person to ask me if I’ve made any plans for Christmas gets a withering look.

 

Men of the Dales beware

dalesSpecial equipment is being shipped into the Dales to prise pound coins out of Yorkshiremen’s palms. The old rounded £1 coins cease to be legal tender in mid October so I’m busily sticking my hands down the back of the settee and rifling through old jackets. Mind you, some old farmers up the dales are still holding on to ten bob notes. I was reminded this week of the round un’s demise in a Settle car park where a notice on a machine states they wouldn’t be accepted. I looked in my pocket and noticed all three pound coins I had were old versions. No way was I paying over the odds by using a £2 coin.

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Looking over the tiny Ribblesdale settlement of Newhouses towards Ingleborough.

Parking fees not required for a morning walk up Horton Scar Lane to Hull Pot below Penyghent on Tuesday. The mist had lifted from the valley but in the distance I could see it clinging to the Ribble Valley. In the background the silhouette of Pendle Hill looked like a giant sleeping animal.

Hull Pot was almost dry, just a trickle of water from the lower fall echoing around the great chasm. No matter how many times I visit this place I’m always taken aback with its sudden and dramatic appearance. I certainly wouldn’t walk this way in the dark.

I followed the Three Peaks route to where it joins the Pennine Way. The views across Newhouses Tarn towards Whernside and Ingleborough (first pic in blog) were well worth the trek along the shale path. As I headed back towards Horton I tried to recall the number of old Dales buildings I’d seen along the route – it must have been ten or more. Such a shame.

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Another field barn in need of repair; Whernside in the background.

Although all probably redundant nowadays it is sad to see so many in decay. They are part of the Dales furniture, as much as the walls, farms and tiny settlements. Grants for restoring traditional farm buildings in the area are available, via The Yorkshire Millennium Trust and Stories in Stone initiative, closing date 26th September. Visit http://ow.ly/aI4R30f5LH0

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I love the old dales tracks and paths in this part of Ribblesdale.

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Back down to Horton-in-Ribblesdale
Farewell to greener Dales

I thought I’d capture a few trees before they lose their greenery. These were taken on the High Way between Langcliffe and Settle this week.

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Always worth the short steep ascent to Castleberg Rock for the view of Settle and Giggleswick.

A different light on the Dales


dales16 Dales photos here. Did you feel the season turning this week? Is the central heating back on? When September opens the door to let in autumn we all feel the draught. It did lead to some lovely evening light on Wednesday around my Langcliffe home in the Dales, and I was able to take the camera out for a stroll …

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Superb bench around a tree in the new allotment site in Langcliffe.

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Back in the mid to late 1960s when I was a teenager I often visited Stainforth Foss at this time of year. We either stayed in The Hut or camped in the field where it is housed as we undertook the Duke of Edinburgh Award. ‘The Hut’ was the nickname WRCC’s Outdoor Education Centre set up in the early sixties which you can still see in a field above the Ribble. It looks a bit forlorn and underused nowadays but the Foss still draws in visitors. While I was there one evening this week a young family were staring at the falls waiting to see salmon leaping. Doing my best impression of that old country character from TV, Jack Hargreaves, I told them it was probably a little bit early for the fish to be jumping. Just then up popped a salmon. I skulked away embarrassed, still mumbling about it being early.

Of course I didn’t catch it on camera. I also struggled to snap one of the many rainbows created by the combination of water and evening sunshine. There was a dead lamb floating in the Ribble by the old packhorse bridge, perhaps caught out by the heavy rain we’d had earlier in the day – the river rises quickly here.

Train of thought

I was waiting for this steam train to arrive at Ribblehead. It was raining and the west wind was blowing strongly in this exposed part of the Dales. The tops of Whernside and Ingleborough were covered in cloud and there were few people about given the time of year. Even the hardy train buffs were absent. Bill Mitchell once described this area as having a ‘frontier feel’. In his book, Summat and Nowt, Bill tells of the time in the 1950s when ‘the station had a harmonium in the waiting room and a wind-vane on the roof – the station combined its railway role with that of a church and weather station’. In 1954, 109 inches of rain were recorded here.

There’s an easy pleasant walk of only a couple of miles I do which takes in the pretty little waterfall, above, of Wharfe Gill Sike (off the road between Austwick and Helwith Bridge). From there I follow the path through Wharfe. The hamlet has some lovely old Dales buildings and residents like this horse, which insisted on showing me its ‘best side’.

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Some lovely views along this walk, too.

 

Dales tree petition

Campaigners trying to save the 150-year-old beech tree at North Ribblesdale RUFC in Settle are ramping up their objections against the tree’s planned execution. They have started a petition on the website 38 Degrees – join the campaign here http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/think-again?bucket=email-blast-15_9_2017_settletree_cby_blast

 

Summer blues, a cleaner Dales and a rant

dalesWell what a rotten week in the Dales for photography – or anything else for that matter. Ribblesdale’s been so shrouded in cloud for most days that I’ve had to dig out a few older shots from this year’s ‘summer’ to fill the blog. Pity the poor souls who thought they’d have a final break in the Dales before heading back to school or work. Anyway, it’s churlish to be moaning about our summer when you see what’s happening in the rest of the world at the moment, so here’s a few shots to brighten the day …

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Top photo shows Whernside from Thorns Gill; above, evening light on lonely Kingsdale.
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Above and below, views of Penyghent from Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

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Dales days to remember on Semerwater.
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This view down Littondale from above Halton Gill never fails to brighten my day.

I see that plans by North Ribblesdale Rugby Union Club to chop down an ancient beech tree in Settle seem to have stalled – perhaps just temporarily. I hope they can come up with a better solution for levelling their pitch.

 

The steam train season will be ending soon which is a shame. Even though I’m no train buff I do enjoy seeing and hearing them working their way up and down the Settle-Carlisle line in Ribblesdale.

A cleaner dales

Tired of being paid minimum wage (and less), sick of zero hours or short-term contracts, my son has decided to start his own cleaning services business. Over the last seven years he’s carried out all kinds of cleaning and maintenance duties from rinsing out toilets to renovating massive industrial refrigeration units for some of the biggest names in retailing. Unfortunately, in this country cleaners are often treated disrespectfully by public and employers alike – even the highly trained, diligent, hard-working ones who take enormous pride in their work. Yet without them many businesses and accommodation providers would fail miserably.

I do wonder what will happen to those who rely on cheap labour when the short-sighted, narrow-minded Euro leavers get their way and borders are closed to the people deemed to be unworthy to enter our ‘superior’ shores. Some large hotels and accommodation providers in the cities can have over 90% Eastern European or immigrant workers on (or off) their pay rolls.

Here in the dales, where around a quarter of housing is classified as second homes or holiday lets, many of the owners live far away. Knowing that trustworthy cleaners and housekeepers can be called upon is vital for their investments. If you are such a person or know someone who needs a dedicated cleaner please contact Will – more details on his website http://www.cravencleaningservices.co.uk or drop me an email/message.

I’m proud of the lad (still a lad to me despite him being 25 next birthday) and he has started his business well with some promising contracts such as the refurbished Maypole Inn at Long Preston, and the impressive Langcliffe Park site near Settle, plus a few holiday-let cottages in the Dales.

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The dales village of Langcliffe – secluded Langcliffe Park is hidden behind the trees on the middle right of the photo.
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