Ribblesdale seen in a new light

RibblesdaleIt’s been a funny old start to 2017 here in Ribblesdale and beyond. The weather has been neither one thing nor t’ other; I’ve not had much time for getting out and about, and in the world in general, us humans don’t seem to know how to cope with the messes we’ve got ourselves into. Still, plenty to look forward to this new year. Hopefully steam trains will soon be back on the Settle-Carlisle railway, my Huddersfield Town footie team will be promoted to the Premier League, and our unelected Prime Minister will have sorted out all the injustice in our country as promised. Well, anyway, there’s a fair chance we might get one of those three.

The more observant of you will have noticed I’ve switched ‘publication day’ for my blog from Sunday mornings to Monday. Two reasons for this: one, I seem to get more traffic to the site on a Monday, (probably because too many people spend time on t’ internet at their work computers than they do at home); and two, I’m able to make better use of my Sundays. Not that I really set myself deadlines in my retirement but it’s still a buzz to have a challenge. This week’s photos highlight the changeable conditions encountered in Ribblesdale since the start of the year. The top shot of Penyghent from Winskill is in black and white, but in real life it wasn’t much different.

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This time clear blue skies over Ribblesdale’s iconic mountain, seen from Selside.
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On a walk into Settle via Castleberg Rock there was frost and mist. Giggleswick School chapel caught some brief sunshine.
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I never tire of the view from beneath the flagpole on Castleberg.
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Another black and white, looking east from Castleberg. A couple of planes or alien invaders visible above the mist.
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Still some colour in the woods beneath Castleberg.
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On another stroll through Ribblesdale, strange light at Winskill. It was chucking it down in the dale but I was stood in a strong sunbeam.
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I’ve taken lots of photos of this family of trees by the Ribble near Langcliffe Locks. The frosty ground and moody lighting made me think of removing the colour.
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Finally, three more taken during a wander around Langcliffe.

Snow, a storm and a Dales star

dales ribbleHalf a dozen dales, a destructive storm, snow and a TV star … it’s been a funny old week. 14 pics to enjoy. My camera captured the last of autumn’s colours down by the Ribble (top pic). My cottage roof captured the worst of the storm, with several tiles being dislodged. Fortunately the storm and the worst (or the best, depending on your point of view) of the snow dispersed later in the week so I was able to keep a date with the ‘Yorkshire Shepherdess’ Amanda Owen on her isolated farm at Ravenseat.

Being short of time today I’ll let the photos and captions tell the story.
PS: A dales date for your diary… meet David and Janet Mitchell at The Folly, Settle on Tuesday Nov 29, 10am-4pm to help celebrate the launch of the new Dalesman book, Bill Mitchell’s Yorkshire.

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Snow-capped Penyghent seen in the distance from the mill pond at Langcliffe
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Late colours on the mill pond. 
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A cold start to the day in the Dales… frost on the higher trees and a lively River Ribble rushing by some late autumn colour.
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Before the storm – plenty of blue sky above Langcliffe. The snow line was just a couple of hundred feet away on this day.
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Giggleswick Chapel looking like a Victorian postcard.
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The sad sight of disappearing snowmen at Winskill. All that work just melting away.
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A classic dales view. Looking across Ribblesdale from Winskill to a snowy Ingleborough.
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Two views of Penyghent. Looks inviting but with icy winds blowing, the temperature up at the top was well below freezing – not that I went up to find out.

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Further north in the dales – Wainwath Falls near Keld in Swaledale.
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Looking across a frozen dales landscape from Buttertubs Pass. The sky seems to blend into the icy landscape.
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View from Buttertubs looking back towards Ingleborough.
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Ravenseat, the isolated Dales farm of author, shepherdess, supermum and now TV star Amanda Owen and her husband Clive and their nine children. I interviewed Amanda for an article due to appear in February’s Countryman magazine.