Tag: Ribblesdale

A taste of spring to come in the Dales?

penyghent

I forgot all my cares and worries today as blue skies tempted me into another drive up Ribblesdale. This is a wonderful Dales scene: smoke from Dry Beck farm chimney; the ewe with its new-born lamb, a grand steaming pile of fresh dung and two dozen crows dancing noisily overhead… all against a backdrop of that famous Ribblesdale icon, Penyghent.  I carried on past Horton-in-Ribblesdale and parked near Ribblehead Viaduct before taking a short walk to the picturesque Thorns Gill bridge and falls.  I hope this is a taste of things to come for spring.

A dabble in the Dales

scaleberb&wsmall

I don’t often dabble in the black (and white) arts. I prefer my snaps to reflect Nature just as I find it. But while I was at Scaleber Foss above Settle in Ribblesdale this lunchtime I thought I’d take the above shot with black and white in mind – and it turned out okay although professional photographers might think differently. The water looks inviting in the shot below but I can tell you it was incredibly cold as it flowed off the limestone scars above. Scaleber Beck joins Long Preston Beck to meet the Ribble just below Long Preston village.

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Dales sound bites

packhorse

I’ve written previously about wishing that my blog visitors could hear the thundering sound of the Ribble at Stainforth Force in Ribblesdale in the Yorkshire Dales… well here’s your chance. I was messing about with the movie feature on my camera and came up with a short 30 second sequence. There’s a wobbly bit halfway through when the camera strap got caught on the tripod (novice error apparently) but you get an idea of the sound made by the water as it rattles down the limestone. The falls had calmed down today after the deluge of the last few days and therefore the sound was not as wild as I’d previously heard. Unfortunately WordPress charge $60 a year to allow videos on their pages so I’ll have to divert you to another place…

Prelude to more snow in the Dales

ingleborough-snow

The unmistakeable outline of Ingleborough greets those motorists driving from Hawes towards Ingleton near Ribblehead. This afternoon the sun was getting low in the west; there was icy blue sky to the east, while snow clouds were building up all around me. There’ll be much more of the white stuff here by the morning.

Letting Nature take its course

clouds_ribb

I just caught the remnants of a downpour crossing from west to east over Upper Ribblesdale today. Although there’s been a great deal of rain hitting the dale during the last couple of weeks, the natural flood plains and water courses have coped well and done the job they’re meant to do. Unfortunately this is not true for other parts of the country, especially in the South West. The weather there has been exceptional but also, irresponsible farming and building have added to the problems in some places. When will we learn that mankind will rarely get the better of Nature?

Feeling blue in the Dales

treeswall

Amazing what just a spattering of bright blue in the sky can do to lift the spirits. My part of Ribblesdale has been lying under low grey cloud or been battered by rain for what seems like an eternity. For a brief spell this weekend I managed to get out and grab this picture of a small copse near Wigglesworth. There was a strong wind bending the tops of the tallest trees and the noise level rose and sank as it sought to find a way through the trunks and branches. A couple of years ago a large deer ran out of these trees, leapt the boundary wall and darted across the road right in front of me. I don’t know what had spooked it but the animal certainly gave me the willies.

Weir and wonderful

weir

The weir on the Ribble at Settle was in full throttle this morning. It once powered the mill here and even today it partly helps supply electricity to nearby houses. Sensible harnessing of Nature’s power and pretty to look at too…

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A quick hello and goodbye

wintereve

While I was driving home along the back road from Paythorne this evening, there was a rare break in the cloud… just enough time for me to capture this briefest glimpse of late sunshine over a flooded field above Wigglesworth. The River Ribble looked very threatening at both the Paythorne and Long Preston bridges after a weekend of heavy rain and snow further up the dale.

No time for bravado

st oswald's

I was greeted by snow, hail, sleet, ice and freezing temperatures as I headed for the top end of Ribblesdale this morning. Your not-so-intrepid blogger made a u-turn at Selside when I realised that my own tyre tracks were the only ones to be seen in either direction. And it’s a little disconcerting when you put your foot on the brake pedal and nothing happens; the car continues on regardless as if it has a mind of its own. You press a little harder on the brake and suddenly you start sliding sideways towards a sturdily-built drystone wall. The bad weather followed me back down the dale but at the front edge of the storm I just managed to capture this shot of St Oswald’s at Horton and one of Penyghent before it became engulfed in cloud. At my age bravado gives way to comfort every time.

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Thanks for dropping in

snowdrops

Snowdrops are making their annual appearance in the local churchyard.
They’re a welcome sight after a few bland weeks here in Ribblesdale.
But I fear their coy and courteous bow is premature.
The spring they hope to herald in remains a distant dream.