Friday, 10 September 2010

Weekend in the Yorkshire Dales

Katy and Amy are in France with Katy's Mum and Dad.  They are meant to be home now, but that is another story...

I took the opportunity to do some exploring that would not be particularly possible with a baby in tow.  On bank holiday Monday, I caught the train out to Edale and, to avoid the crowds, hiked round to the North side of Kinder Scout.  I generally wandered about, exploring and taking photos.  I found some interesting geological sites and stumbled over some fly agaric mushrooms in the undergrowth.  There was lots of scrambling, bouldering and climbing before ascending Kinder and walking across it and back down to Edale.  Blackden brook clough is a beautiful place, but quite difficult to access on public transport and on foot.

Last weekend I went one further, and escaped as quickly as possible on Friday afternoon and took the train to a station near Ilkley and spent the whole weekend rambling over the moors and dales in the region.  Highlights were sleeping under the stars; swimming in the river Wharfe; chilling out by Bolton abbey eating ice cream; the rocks on Barden fell; sleeping in Rocking hall (though I later discovered this is a shooting cabin and therefore I shouldn't have slept there - however I didn't see a single other person on the moor the whole time I was there, so it probably didn't matter too much); seeing the sun rise over Rocking moor, bathing everything in red light; seeing the morning light through the trees, sparkling on Thruscross reservoir; and finally, seeing  (almost) everywhere I had walked from on top of the Chevin.  It was a superb weekend.  I loved the freedom of being able to go where I wanted, when I wanted, sleep where I wanted, and do what I wanted.  In total I walked nearly 45 miles, and I didn't have a single ache on Monday morning, in fact I felt lively like I could do another 20 miles with no trouble!

I didn't take a camera with me, but I did take a pen and watercolour pencil to do a bit of drawing.

sleeping arrangements on Middleton moor - 6am 4.9.10
ice cream at Bolton abbey - 4.9.10
Rocking hall, Rocking stone and Rocking house, side on - evening 4.9.10
Rocking hall, front elevation - evening 4.9.10

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