A hop to Skipton

I had a number of errands to do in Skipton. It's a busy market town about half an hour's drive from here. It has the advantage that it's easy to get many of the things you need in quite a compact area. I find there's something truly satisfying about being economical in my movements. I had the car washed; got my glasses realigned so they don't press on my nose; purchased the expensive eyedrops that only my optician stocks; bought some walking poles in one of Skipton's many 'outdoor' shops; stocked up on dried fruit and nuts relatively cheaply from the store that sells them in bulk; explored a new yarn shop that several friends had recommended; had a walk along the canal and enjoyed coffee and cake in a lovely café near the canal basin. Then I finished off with my weekly supermarket shop in Keighley on the way home. All most satisfying and a good use of a fairly chilly, dull, damp day. 

There was a lady feeding bread to the gulls and pigeons. That is definitely not encouraged but people don't take any notice! 

 

The struggle is real

We are nearing the end of January and I don't think winter has fully played out yet. A very cold spell was followed by a mild, wet spell - and it seems that has enticed some of the buds out. The shrub above is a camellia. They do flower early and that leaves them very prone to frost damage, which is a shame as they are such beautiful blooms. 

There are catkins in abundance on the trees bordering Caroline Street car park. 

Crocuses also tend to flower in February-March and they are already pushing through the grass in Roberts Park.

But, oh dear, look at this... Where they flower on the grassy bank leading down to the river, there is more mud than grass. Part of the reason is the very wet weather. Part of the reason too is that they have had the path under the footbridge closed for months (despite the fact that the remedial work on the footbridge is supposed to have been completed). That means that people walk over the grass to reach the viewing area by the weir, and that footfall has worn away most of the grass. In a good year the area looks like THIS - but I don't think 2026 is going to be a good year for them, somehow! 

All the rain does mean there's plenty of water rushing over the weir, which is always good to see. I love the shapes and crests that the water makes. 

Another place where the struggle is real is the Wash House Gardens, a small garden square in the centre of Saltaire. It was originally the site of the Victorian wash house and baths, which were intended to support the residents of the village (whose newly built and, for that time, well-equipped homes had outdoor privies in their back yards but no indoor bathroom). The facilities so thoughtfully provided by Sir Titus Salt were, however, not well used. People seemed to prefer to bathe (in tin baths in front of the fire) and do their laundry at home. In the late 1800s the wash house building was converted to housing and then demolished in the 1930s. Now it's a volunteer maintained garden, so it is sad to see that once again there appears to have been a theft of the slabs around the raised beds. It's happened several times before. Yorkshire stone is valuable. It's heartbreaking for those who put time and effort into caring for the gardens. 

There's rather a lot to be depressed about in the state of our world at the moment, I'm afraid. 

Twilight, Albert Terrace

It's no wonder that Albert Terrace is used so often as a film location. It is very atmospheric, and timeless (at least when there aren't too many cars visible). I love it best at twilight when the moody shadows add even more character. 

 

Murky

We Brits have a reputation for talking about the weather all the time. It's no doubt deserved, though is it any wonder when our days can be so markedly different from each other? In this small part of our world, since the New Year, we've had frost, ice, a dusting of snow and temperatures below zero, rain, mist and damp drizzle with temperatures above average for this time of year, plus a few days of crisp, bright sunshine. To be honest, I wouldn't like to live anywhere where the weather is the same all the time but even so the rapid changes have been dizzying. 

The ice stops me venturing out. To make sure I get the exercise I need, I therefore have to brave the rainy, damp days. I don't really mind. There's something soothing about a walk in the drizzle, when there are many fewer people about. It's fine provided you have appropriate clothing. 

As an illustration, I took these two photos from roughly the same spot just two days apart. (Some idiot in the meantime churned up the football field with - presumably- a quad bike. Grr.) 

I had to laugh one day when I saw this - that's me all over!! I only have a tolerance range of about 12ºC.

Talking of which, you remember on Christmas Eve I went to watch the Calderdale charity tractor run (and got thoroughly chilled to the bone.) Well, I just read that they raised a total of £25,141.35 for charity, so very well done to them all.  (That's over $36,600, for my US readers.) 

 

Along the Wharfe

Bolton Priory is in a lovely setting, hugged by the meanders of the River Wharfe.  There are extensive walks on the estate, though it was a bit too cold for me to go far on this visit. 

I couldn't resist trying some 'arty' shots of a patch of foam on the water. It looked a bit like someone had spilled a few cauliflowers! 

Also couldn't resist this curious sheep. You have to be quite careful at this time of year as the ewes are in lamb (as the red mark denotes) and can easily be spooked. I think they are most wary of dogs and they didn't seem to mind me walking slowly along the path. They continued to graze or - as this one - had a good but friendly look at me. 

Around the ruined Priory

This is a classic view of the ruined Priory. It's not as large nor as well preserved as some of our other great Yorkshire abbeys but its setting in a curve of the River Wharfe does make it rather beautiful. Looking down to the river from the ruins themselves, much of the floor plan just exists as broken walls. 

There are traces of what would have been a cloister, with a piscina in the wall. 

Some of the tracery of the windows and doors remains. 

The graves to the north and east of the Priory Church are relatively recent compared to the 850 year history of the site and the graveyard to the east, sloping down towards the river, is still in use. 

It's rare that you can see much of the detail of a stained glass window from the outside, but the sunlight shining through the larger windows on the south side of the nave illuminated those on the north side quite effectively. 

The Priory Church

The colourful Advent wreath was still on display in the Priory Church at Bolton Abbey. It's not a huge church, taking up just the nave of what was once the Augustinian monastery's church, but it is beautiful and has an interesting history. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, special dispensation was given to the local villagers to continue to worship here, which they had been doing since 1170. The east wall, behind the altar, was built in 1539 to separate the nave from the rest of the priory that was sacked and is now in ruins.  

Rebuilt in 1877, the east wall is now painted with flowers and symbols including Madonna lilies, a reminder that the church is dedicated to St Mary. 

Various renovations in the late 1800s included the addition of six windows by Augustus Pugin, a leading figure in the Gothic Revival. (See three of them below)

In the side aisle there is a stone altar, the oldest item in the church and probably the original high altar, in use by 1170. During the Reformation, many stone altars were destroyed. They believe this one was saved by being used to cover the entrance to a crypt. It was rediscovered and re-erected here in 1985. It had a brass plate set in the middle that showed the name of the occupant of the crypt but there is speculation that that was added over a hollow that might originally have held a sacred relic, covered by a thin sheet of stone. If that's true, this is rather a rare piece. 

This Anglican church remains rather traditional, leaning towards anglo-catholicism. The lights above the altar are kept lit day and night to indicate that the Blessed Sacrament (the bread and wine used in Holy Communion) is reserved here. The Reserved Sacrament is used to give Communion to the sick and housebound.  

The flower arrangements in the Priory Church are always beautiful. I suspect there is at least one professional florist in the congregation, or perhaps they 'buy them in', since the church attracts so many visitors. 

Bolton Abbey village

After the Christmas and New Year break, followed by some icy weather, it's proving hard to motivate myself to start going out again, even though the paths and roads are safe. I did eventually manage to persuade myself into the car to drive to Bolton Abbey. It took forever to demist the windscreen but once that hurdle was conquered, the half hour or so drive passed without incident. I usually park down by the riverside but this time I parked in the main village car park, thinking I'd take a few photos in the village itself.

It proved more difficult than I anticipated to find good compositions, as the buildings are really rather spread out and the roads narrow. There's this little village green, surrounded by a few houses. Two of them are now cafés and one was an attractive bookshop specialising in antique and rare books, though it looks as though that has now closed down. 

The village postbox usually has a 'topper', so there must be a local crochet enthusiast. This one celebrates the New Year - and the numerous local moles, whose underground presence is disclosed by the molehills all over the place!

Along the road there's the famous arch in the wall, 10' 9'' (3.28m) high and 9' 5'' (2.87m) wide. It's amazing that tourist coaches and the Dalesbus can squeeze through here! (See HERE). It always feels tight when you're in a car. The wall is apparently part of an 18th century aqueduct, and is now quite a tourist attraction, though hard to get photos of as the approach road is so narrow with no footway. There was little traffic about so I dared to walk along. 

Near the arch, one of the estate houses has some interesting decorative features. The Bolton Abbey Estate buildings are not as distinctive as those of some of our grand estates but, with their solid gritstone ashlar blocks, they are still quite attractive.  

Of course, the grandest building of all is The Hall, the private residence of the Devonshire family. When they're not here (ie: most of the time), it can be rented as a holiday home. Built as a gatehouse to the Priory c1325, it was converted to a shooting lodge after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 and has subsequently been altered and enlarged. 

Pie n Pickle Plod

There's an organisation called 'It's Grim Up North Running' that organises races right across Yorkshire. They were apparently behind races along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal this weekend, starting and finishing in Saltaire: 'Sir Titus Pie n Pickle Plod'. Entrants could choose to run 5km, 10km, 10 Miles, Half Marathon, Marathon or Ultra. I stumbled across it on my usual walk. It all looked very well organised, with marshals and portaloos. Obviously it would have been more photogenic to have been there at 8.30 am when they all set off... but there's no chance of that (for me) on a damp, chilly, misty and thoroughly miserable day. Though I suppose that's perhaps a good day for running. 

By the time I arrived, a few runners were back (including Scooby Doo!), presumably just finished. 

Running is clearly a popular sport these days. Whenever I walk along the canal towpath I am always passed by at least one and often many more folks slogging along. To be honest, very few of them look that fit! Perhaps appearances are deceptive. I've never been a runner myself. Even as I child I hated it, it used to give me a stitch in my side. So kudos to anyone who tries. 

I've just been marvelling at those very hardy souls who enter the Winter Montane Spine Race, running the entire length of the Pennine Way: 268 miles of non-stop endurance running, mostly in atrocious conditions. This year the start coincided with Storm Goretti, which brought snow, ice and gale force winds. Read about the races HERE. This year's winner was a Frenchman, Sebastien Raichon, in 95 hours 43 minutes and 52 seconds. The female winner, Brit Anna Troup, took 106 hours, 19 minutes and 12 seconds. In some ways, those who take longer are more resilient, having to endure the dreadful conditions for anything up to seven days with hardly any sleep. Utterly mad but also astonishingly brave. I don't know why it doesn't get more publicity, but perhaps it's deliberate to stop crowds of onlookers converging.