Hardcastle Crags has sometimes been called 'Little Switzerland', due to its steep sided valley and ravines and the upland meadows surrounding it. I think that's stretching it a bit! Nevertheless, it's a scenic area. This time I ventured a bit further up the valley than I have explored before, beyond Gibson Mill. The valley widens out slightly and there is a rocky outcrop: Hardcastle Crags itself - with good views from the top.
From here you can see some of the rolling meadows that characterise the belt above the valleys and below the higher moorland.
The valley at this side of Gibson Mill has some open play and picnic areas, with space and materials for den-building. There's also a rather nice willow sculpture of a heavy horse, a reminder of the horse power that used to be central to the trade in wool cloth and other commodities in these valleys.
There are waterfalls too, cascading down into the ravine in a spectacular fashion after our recent storms.
There's plenty to explore at Hardcastle Crags, so I'm hoping my camera club outing in May will be successful. So much depends on the weather...
It still looks a lot more "Swiss" than the "Swiss Garden" at Old Warden near me, which just has a small man-made hillock and features which look Chinese, Indian and even Greek! Hardcastle Crags looks like a great place to explore photographically; you could even have a competition to take the most Alpine photo.
ReplyDeleteWe do have a small town up in nearby mountains by the name of Little Switzerland. It lacks any mountain meadows, as far as I've seen. But it has a golf course along a ridge line, which must mean a lot of lost balls! Looking forward to seeing your May photos of that area. It should be a bit greener then!
ReplyDeleteI like that horse sculpture.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful countryside, and the sculpture stands out.
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