It’s nice to revisit the more quiet parts of the Dales.
Parts of the Yorkshire Dales, and most of the Lake District, can get very busy during the summer. Thankfully there are still plenty of places in the Dales that see very little traffic.
Summer’s here.
As we headed into the Spring Bank Holiday, a heatwave was approaching the British Isles. Before things got too crazy and blisteringly hot, we took the opportunity for a cooler — but still beautiful — hike in the Dales.
It’s beginning to look a lot like winter.
Recently we’ve been bombarded with a mix of arctic blasts and torrential downpours. After a Saturday of downpours, Sunday was looking nice and clear.
Finally, time for a proper hike.
With a cooperative Saturday in the pipeline, we decided to head into the [Yorkshire Dales](/blog/tag/yorkshire dales) for a new—to us—location: the oft-overlooked valley of Crummackdale.
January has been freezing and storm-ridden.
It’s a month not many are fans of, as it seems to drag on endlessly. But, hark!, February has arrived, and a bright Saturday revealed itself to us. Where to go?
The last of this year’s autumn in the Dales.
Time for a little break from my recent Scottish photography escapades.
Although the Met Office were reporting a high pressure system moving over the British Isles, what that resulted in was windless, murky, and overcast conditions. As a result, I knew the light would be super soft, and there wouldn’t be any views from fell tops.
It finally feels a bit more like summer.
After one of the wettest summers I can remember, a bright weekend was looking up. Both feeling the need to soak up some VitD and get some miles in, we made our way once again into the Yorkshire Dales. It’d been a while since we visited the beautiful Ribblesdale area around Stainforth so we plotted a good 10km circular, taking in Catrigg Force, the Winskill Stones Nature Reserve, and Langcliffe.
It finally got me.
Four years since the COVID-19 Pandemic, I got the disease.
Thankfully—in a way—as a Type-2 Diabetic, I’ve had more COVID vaccines and boosters than your average person. As a result, my symptoms were minor and I came out the other side unscathed. My other half, unfortunately, had a worse time with it.
In most seasons, Kirkby Lonsdale is lovely.
But during summer, it’s impossibly pretty.
The last couple of weeks my focus has primarily been helping the Better Half recuperate after double Carpal Tunnel Relief surgery, hence the lack of content on this website. But, with the removal of stitches on the horizon, a gorgeous weekend was looking promising, so we made our way to beautiful Kirkby Lonsdale for a gentle walk around the town and its environs.
Time for somewhere new.
The weekend was looking massively busy in Cumbria, what with the Appleby Horse Fair, Dave Day, and the Great North Swim, amongst other things. So with a cool and windy Saturday in stall, we head east once again into the Yorkshire Dales to explore somewhere new, to us: Conistone.
It’s summer! Y’know what that means? Wild flower meadows.
We’re rather fortunate to live where we do, sandwiched between abundant nature. You can take your pick of beautiful places to see wildflower summer meadows. A particular favourite is Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales.
It’s been nearly a month since my last post.
I must apologise for that. Times, they are a’ changin'.
To start, we moved house! That in itself has consumed most of my time and energy, as house moves usually do. Thankfully we’re now all settled in and getting down to the important things in life, like looking at curtain textiles and measuring all the things.
I don’t explore the Yorkshire Dales enough.
After finally getting over my post-Skye mourning and depression period, it seemed like spring finally arrived in Northern England.
Aware of how busy the [Lake District](/blog/tag/lake district) would be, we instead ventured east to the [Yorkshire Dales](/blog/tag/yorkshire dales). We quickly realised that we hadn’t explored the Feizor area of the Dales in a long time, like maybe 7-years or so. Time to fix that.
A month since my last post.
I do apologise.
The weather in January has been, well, shocking to say the least. We endured three named storms: Henk, Isha, and Jocelyn. Isha, in particular, was one of the most powerful storms the British Isles have seen since 2000.
Autumn is coming.
Knowing that yet more rain was on its way in the afternoon, and that our best chances were further east, we elected to head into the Yorkshire Dales. Here we embarked on a nice 10 km hike, taking in the epic Linton Falls, timeless Grassington, and Grass Wood Nature Reserve.
Flexibility can lead to great things.
We started a promising Saturday morning with a plan to hike up the highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales: Whernside (736 m/2,415 ft).
It would definitely be the highest peak we’ve ever ascended but we were planning to “cheat” a little bit. Below Whernside’s western flank is a valley called Kingsdale. There’s a road that runs from the south, near Ingleton, through and over Kingsdale before dropping back down into Dentdale. This road enjoys a few large passing places, one of which is near the summit of the road at 468 m a.s.l. In theory, we could park at the passing place and hike the minor trail up Whernside’s western flank to reach the summit, with only 300 m of actual ascent needed.
Time to revisit an old friend.
With fairer conditions promised, we head out as soon as I finished work on Friday evening. We’d managed to book a table at the Meadowside Cafe in Dent, but beforehand we wanted to get reacquainted with this magical valley.
A Bank Holiday Monday meant a day out with me Dad.
After heading down to Kendal to meet me we decided to let his new car “stretch its legs”, so head east into the Yorkshire Dales. A wander around Hawes and the beautiful Upper Wensleydale was in order.
After returning from North Wales, but before returning to work, Lisabet and I decided on a wee spring jaunt up to Crina Bottom.
Crina Bottom is a 400-year old farmstead situated above Ingleton and below the peak of Ingleborough. The route to summit Ingleborough from Ingleton via Crina Bottom is one of the most popular trails to top this famous peak. As such, it’s nicely paved all the way, allowing for easy hiking as the views become increasingly gorgeous.
My first set of images made with my new Sony a7II.
A wee bit of backstory is needed.
My 40th birthday is fast approaching (if you’re at all curious, it’s on the 25th April). That’s right, the Big Four Oh.
If the weather’s not going to improve, time to go somewhere that suits it.
Regular readers of this site may know that Mallerstang, technically part of the Yorkshire Dales, is one of my favourite places in Cumbria. Typically my hikes in the valley explore the region south of Wild Boar Fell. However towards the northern part of the valley, as it starts to flatten out, one can find a historical gem: Pendragon Castle.
Happy New Year everyone!
I hope you all had a merry time with those you love (which can also just be yourself). What are your goals for 2023? Let’s hope this year’s a little more… boring, shall we say?
The seasons progress and the weather is changing.
After a month of near-constant rain interspersed with heavy fog, a high-pressure system is moving in and bringing with it clearer skies and lower temperatures.
There’s something awe-inspiring yet slightly unnerving about a giant hole in the ground.
The Yorkshire Dales is known for many things: beautiful waterfalls everywhere, isolated peaks, perfectly sculpted valleys… and also, caves. It’s home to some of the most extensive cave systems in the UK.
British weather has returned to its unpredictable norm since the heatwave.
This has made getting out for good long hikes—either during the weekends or in the evenings—difficult. We’ve had periods of torrential downpours, almost monsoon-like.
The British summer heatwave has arrived.
I took the opportunity for a long overdue stay over at my Dad’s, so that we could enjoy a lovely wander in the glorious British sunshine during the weekend.
Today required… flexibility.
My initial plan for the day was to get up early and head to Kentmere for a lovely walk around the valley and its fells. It’s usually a trial to access Kentmere; the road to it from Staveley is long and narrow with few passing places. Then, once you’re at Kentmere, the only place to park is outside the church, fit for maybe 4–5 cars.
Another Yorkshire Dales waterfall ticked off.
On the way back from our weekend at Pateley Bridge, where we scrambled up Trollers Gill and explored Almscliffe Crag, we decided no the scenic route right through the centre of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Happy belated Easter everyone. Did you have a good ‘un?
Usually for Cumbria, and the Lake District in particular, Easter signals the first tourism wave of the season. With that in mind, and no obligations to serve, Lisabet and I booked a couple of nights away in a beautiful B&B set in bonny Pateley Bridge, in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Cumbria’s got super cold again after last weekend’s bizarre heatwave.
Following the weekend’s temperatures pushing 20ºC, Monday onwards saw conditions plunge back down to freezing point with fresh snow falling on the fells. Thankfully, as the week progressed, the atmosphere cleared up and blue skies have been a regular feature, but temperatures are still barely reaching 10ºC.
The week leading to these photos and this post has been… frustrating.
On Monday my left shoulder grew progressively stiff and painful. By the evening I was in a lot of pain and I ultimately did not get a second of sleep. Looks like I did another one of my favourite Fit-During-My-Sleep-And-Discolate-A-Limb-Whilst-Shredding-Muscles.
Merry Christmas everyone!
After a morning of tasty foods and gift exchanging/opening, Lisabet and I decided on a wintery hike around Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales.
The Yorkshire Dales has much to offer but a particular jewel in the Park is Malhamdale. The area features the beautiful village of Malham, the epic and ancient extinct waterfall of Malham Cove, the cavernous cathedral of Gordale Scar, and the peaceful waters of Janet’s Foss.
Finally, we’re starting to see some crisp and clear autumnal days.
After another week or so of rain and clouds, Saturday set the scene with clear skies, warm sun, and cool temperatures. Our mind started racing: where to go? We wanted to go somewhere where we could shoot the last of this season’s autumn colours, ideally.
It was time to come back to the Howgills.
Back in April this year, 2021, Lisabet and I made our first hike up onto the Howgills, summiting Winder (473 m/1,552 ft), the fell that directly overlooks the beautiful Yorkshire Dales town of Sedbergh. It wasn’t hard, during that hike, to gawp at the next fell along the ridge from Winder, namely Arant Haw at 605 m. We vowed to return and tackle Arant Haw.
The heatwave has finally ended.
After a week of temperatures pushing 30°C consistently with barely any air movement, today was looking a more comfortable 23°C with some wind.
About a month ago we embarked on one of our favourite local-ish walks, Barbondale in the Yorkshire Dales. On that occasion I was somewhat distracted by the sheer number of deer flies biting chunks out of me. Part of the Barbondale hike we did involved clambering over into Bullpot. We resolved to return to Bullpot for a deeper exploration of the area’s famous pot holes, gills, and caves, particularly Ease Gill Kirk.
With the summer heat increasing once again, it was time to revisit a favourite of ours: Barbondale.
The last time we hiked around the area was May last year (2020). One year and a month on, tree felling operations in the area are still very much in action. I wonder why a lot of the woodland in the valley is being cut down and replanted? It is quite sad to see.
Summer has well and truly arrived.
Following on from our little hike around Stenkrith Park and the Lune Gorge, Sunday greeted with us with clear blue skies and 20+ degree sunshine. That’ll do, nicely.
We’ve neglected the Howgills for too long.
On this Good Friday we elected to stay away from the Lake District, expecting visitor numbers to sharply increase. We did want to stay within the same council area, though. So we ventured east over the M6 and into Sedbergh, the beautiful bookish town at the foot of the Howgills.
One of my favourite things to do is to show my Dad new places to hike and photograph.
So on Sunday my Dad came down to visit and we headed out to Mallerstang—perhaps my favourite Yorkshire Dales valley—for a hike full of vistas, beautiful light, and pretty waterfalls.
We finally got a week off.
The pandemic, and its subsequent lockdown, has been pretty intense for me and Lisabet. I took on extra roles and responsibilities, with less available work time, and Lisabet’s job changed fundamentally. And we continued working throughout the lockdown.
I do have a strong affinity for Settle.
There’s not many other places I’d rather live in; I consider myself, on a daily basis, to be very fortunate to live in Kendal as it is. But if I had to live somewhere else, Settle would definitely be a top contender.
With all the rain falling in the North of England at the moment, it seems a good opportunity to revisit some of our favourite waterfalls.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales. In fact, the Yorkshire Dales is home to the highest unbroken-drop waterfall in England, Gaping Gill (if you count the fact that it drops 322 ft into an underground cavern). If you want above-ground only, then the claim is held by Hardraw Force also in the Yorkshire Dales, a single drop of 100 ft.
Swaledale is one the northernmost and remote dales of the Yorkshire Dales.
The last time we visited the valley was back in May 2016, and we only really drove through the valley. In terms of actual hiking you’d have to go back to April 2014, the last time we hiked around Swaledale. Even then, we only did a small walk from the village of Keld to Crackpot Hall and back, just under 2 miles all in all.
It’s getting hot in here.
The MetOffice confirmed that Spring 2020 has been the sunniest UK spring on record. By 27th May, Spring in the UK had already recorded 573 hours of sunshine, beating the previous record set in 1948 of 555.3 hours.
Barbondale holds a special place in our heart.
Lisabet spent many a time in her childhood playing in this valley with her family. It’s also the place where Lisabet’s grandfather’s ashes were scattered.
After two weeks of illness kicking both me and Lisabet hard in the dick, it was nice to have a weekend where we were both well and the weather looked good.
I’ve been sick since Thursday this week.
It’s not very often that I’m stricken down with the Common Cold but it’s happened this year and has knocked me for six.
A week ago, in the Yorkshire Dales, we experienced a winter fairytale. Today, all the snow has gone. The air is damp and drizzly, everything is wet, and the fells are cloaked in swirling clouds.