Beyond Appletreewick

Sometimes it's good to head out with only the vaguest idea of where you're going. Thus, a drive to Burnsall and a coffee in the café next to the car park then turned into a rather long but pleasant walk along the River Wharfe through Appletreewick and beyond to Skyreholme. We ended up having lunch in the café at the entrance to Parcevall Hall, but didn't pay the fee to visit the gardens. The walk was long enough, at over six miles for the round trip, so extra meandering around the gardens seemed unnecessary. From the café there's a lovely view of Simon's Seat, the rocky outcrop in the far distance. I walked up there (from the other direction) almost a year ago and I'm not in a hurry to repeat that experience! (See HERE)  The heather is currently blooming, giving a faint purple haze to the moorland. I must find time for a proper walk on the moors to make the most of that. 

Friday round up

Friday has come round again, and I still have no hint of a moving date. This is getting extremely frustrating but there is little I can do about it. 

I always start a New Year with good intentions, usually related to taking more exercise, so I've had a walk most days this week. It's one way to take my mind off things. I am still finding bits and bobs to drop off at the charity shops. I must have halved my book collection over the last few months. Gordon Terrace in Saltaire happens to have a thriving Children's Society bookshop (apparently one of the most successful charity bookshops in the county) so most of my surplus volumes have ended up there. Walking home down Victoria Road there was a lovely sky and mist wreathing around Hope Hill in the distance. 

I also had a walk one day from Burnsall, along the River Wharfe. Again, there was a good sky, though the terrain was so muddy that most of my attention was on the ground, not the sky! I did look up enough to glimpse a splash of sunshine on the distant hills; that's been a rare sight this winter! 

So much rain in recent days has swelled the River Aire afresh. It was about as full as it could be without overtopping its banks and the riverside path was very muddy indeed, despite having been relaid and resurfaced during 2023.  The water was flowing fast but silently. It made me think of a slithering snake, and there was a slight sense of menace about it.  Not that the mallard ducks seemed to mind, gliding along on the current.

I made it to the aqueduct without mishap, thankfully. My two favourite trees are skeletal though no less beautiful in their winter tracery. They had company: a small herd of cattle. Milner Field Farm is a dairy farm but these looked like calves rather than dairy cows. Not that I'm an expert! 

I returned along the canal towpath - whilst I still can. As the sign declares, they are starting remedial work on the stretch from Shipley (Otley Road) to Hirst Lock, which will be closed from mid January until mid March. More on this HERE.  Once I've moved house, it will be easy enough for me to walk down to Hirst Lock and along the canal towards the aqueduct, before following the river path to Saltaire, so I'll still be able to do a circular walk. 

A pretty stretch of the Wharfe

The length of the River Wharfe between Burnsall and Hebden suspension bridge must be one of the most attractive and scenic along its whole route. It varies between calm, slow moving stretches and narrower, more turbulent sections where it cuts through limestone cliffs. 

There's a good footpath that, when it reaches the suspension bridge, crosses over from one bank to the other to continue up to Grassington. And that bridge!... It's so long that it has a rather alarming bounce and sway in the middle section! A lady had to carry her dog across as it refused even to contemplate walking. 

The greenery on either side is lush and there are lots of wildflowers, including patches of delicate blue harebells, which were a favourite of my mum's.

There are gates and stiles - though this one seemed a bit redundant! 

Dales villages

Trying to fit a walk in between heavy showers has been the general trend in July and August so far. Whereas June was very hot and very dry, since then it has been wetter and cooler than average (though in many ways I prefer that. I don't 'do' heat well.) Anyway, one day I managed a circular walk - mainly dry - between the villages of Hebden (pictured above and below) and Burnsall, some of it along the banks of the River Wharfe. (By the way, Hebden is not related to Hebden Bridge where my daughter lives.) Both Hebden and Burnsall are typical Dales villages with stone buildings, many of them dating back to the 17th century. Hebden village originally grew up where a medieval drovers' route crossed Hebden Water but it expanded in the 18th and early 19th centuries when a textile mill and lead mining in the surrounding area brought employment. It's now powered mainly by farming and tourism, with a few people choosing to live here and commute to Skipton or Harrogate. 

Both villages are now popular with tourists and walkers. Burnsall (below) in particular gets inundated with cars on sunny days. It has a good pub, a couple of cafés and a large area of grass (the village green) alongside the river, which is popular for picnics and ball games. The river here is shallow enough for paddling. 

There are some pretty cottages in both villages, some of which are now holiday lets. Even in the rain (which set in later on in the afternoon) the old stone buildings look attractive. 

Down by the river

The walk along the river from Burnsall towards Hebden suspension bridge is famously scenic. I was attracted to this view, enhanced by the blue-grey storm clouds.  The river level being so low meant there was quite a lot of algae in the water, which in some ways doesn't improve the scene - and yet, as I looked, it seemed to me to add a certain painterly quality. That impression was strengthened as I moved to the river's edge. The composition below has a Japanese feel to me, for some reason! I've worked on it to add a bit more soft painterliness. 

Burnsall and Hebden

Burnsall is a pretty village on the River Wharfe, with stone cottages and a wide green alongside the river.  It's a popular spot for visitors and there's a well-placed coffee shop on the green and a couple of outlets to buy ice cream, as well as a decent pub. It can get busy with families in the school holidays but one of the advantages of retirement is that we can enjoy these lovely spots when they aren't too crowded. The river is broad and shallow here and the bridge is distinctive, with large arches. These tranquil scenes make it hard to imagine what it was like last February, when Storm Franklin caused the river to flood right across to the cottages. This summer we are praying for more rain, as it has been so dry for weeks! 

Upstream, the village of Hebden (below) sits above the River Wharfe, with Hebden Beck flowing down through the village into the river - again, little water in it when I took the photo. (Incidentally, this Hebden, in the Yorkshire Dales, is no relation and nowhere near to Hebden Bridge where my daughter and family live, which is west, over towards the Lancashire border.)

I noticed that Hebden's post box was gold. This was a tribute to Team GB's gold medal winning athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games, who each had a post box in their home town repainted gold. It was the first time post boxes had been anything but the traditional 'pillar box red' and was intended as a temporary measure but they proved popular with the public and have all been allowed to remain gold. 

It has a plaque linking it to Andrew Triggs-Hodge, one of the rowers in the Men's coxless four. 

Another walk from Burnsall

Burnsall, in Wharfedale, is a pretty spot with an attractive bridge over the river. The village acts as a focal point for visitors to the dale, with cafés, a good pub and a car park. A few days ago (HERE) I described a walk from the village, clockwise to the east. I returned to do a similar length walk, anti-clockwise to the west. It's an even more scenic route, initially following the Dalesway alongside the river to Linton.  

Some of it featured fairly recently on one of those 'Yorkshire Walks' type TV programmes, where a celebrity films themselves walking and chatting. I can't actually remember which celeb it was that did this one, but they filmed themselves with hand-held cameras on sticks (I think due to Covid restrictions), which gave a somewhat weird and jolty view to the proceedings, making the viewers feel a bit sea-sick. 

Further upriver from Burnsall, near Hebden, you have to cross the river over a narrow suspension bridge - quite thrillingly bouncy! - though that didn't make me feel sea-sick. 

It happened to be the autumn equinox, so some of the trees are beginning to look a little more golden. 

The stepping stones across to Linton church looked a bit uneven. Even though the river level was really low, I was glad the route doesn't make you cross here but skirts along the river bank to a wooden footbridge at Linton Falls. 

Leaving the River Wharfe behind, it was uphill to Linton village, which made a good place to stop for lunch. Again, it's a pretty spot, set around a village green with a ford and packhorse bridge over the stream. 

There's a good pub, the Fountaine Inn, named after the philanthropist Richard Fountaine, born in Linton in 1639. He made his fortune as a haberdasher in London, then when he died in 1722 his will provided for the building of an almshouse: The Fountaine Hospital Almshouse, in his home village. It's an unusual building, with a Baroque-style frontage significantly at odds with the local vernacular architecture. It's also a difficult building to photograph, as the frontage is north-facing and mostly in deep shadow against a bright sky. I did take a liking to this window in the facade, with the trail of bright flowers. The Almshouses are still maintained by Fountaine's estate and still house elderly residents. 

From Linton, the walk went uphill to the hamlet of Thorpe and then tracked back down across fields to the river and Burnsall, with some wonderful views across to Simon's Seat in the distance. 

 Another good day out!