A wet Wharfedale walk

Changeable weather in July meant a wander by the River Wharfe turned into a WWW: a Wet Wharfedale Walk. It is, however, quite pleasant to swap the hot, dry days of June for something cooler and more refreshing. Our land needs the rain and a brisk wind meant that conditions changed quickly: sharp showers followed by sunshine. It all looked much more interesting than a landscape under a clear blue sky tends to do. 

We set off from the Strid car park on the Bolton Abbey Estate and walked upstream, following the Dalesway long-distance path. In the photo above, you can just about see Barden Bridge in the far distance. The River Wharfe was fairly low, meandering lazily over its gravel bed.  

The big sky and its grey, swirling clouds were shot through by the occasional blue patch, with an accompanying burst of bright sunshine picking out parts of the landscape.

Arriving at Howgill, we left the Dalesway, crossed the road and walked up a track, past some old stone barns and farm buildings. 

An attractively dilapidated old shed caught my eye; so many wonderful textures there.  

Our halfway point was, happily, the Brownie Barn, where a pot of tea and a brownie (Morello cherry - yum!) soon revived us. You could, however, see the rain approaching and our return along the lanes and down through the fields was a much soggier affair!