Hewenden Viaduct

It was such a lovely day for walking that we decided to carry on further, beyond Goit Stock and up and over Hewenden Viaduct. Once part of the Great Northern Railway, it was constructed in the early 1880s and, at 123 ft (37m), is one of the highest viaducts in Britain, with very deep foundations to cope with the unstable rock on which it stands. It has 17 arches. Remarkably, there were no lives lost in the building of the huge structure, although a navvy broke his leg in an accident with a crane.

Sadly the rail line was closed in 1963 (a victim of the infamous Beeching cuts). It has been transformed in recent years into a walking and cycling route, the Great Northern Railway Trail. 

Adjacent to the viaduct is a reservoir (below), now owned by Yorkshire Water. Constructed in the 1840s, it was apparently the dam's existence that necessitated the viaduct. An earlier plan, routing the railway along the hillside, was vetoed for fear it would pollute the water. 

It's a lovely area for walking and a lovely time of year too, with hawthorn in bloom and lots of wild flowers in the meadows and hedgerows. The photo below could have been improved if I hadn't rushed it in order not to lose sight of my friend striding ahead! Just liked the typical, blossomy, meadowy scene. 

 

Waterfalls and buttercups

I set off for a walk with a friend on a quintessentially English June day - sunshine, blue sky, fluffy clouds and a gently cooling breeze. We chose the pretty walk up to Goit Stock Falls in Harden, which has a track that winds through trees alongside Harden Beck - and passes not just one but three quite attractive waterfalls. The meadows were awash with buttercups and it was all rather lovely. 

I don't often take my big camera when I'm out with friends. I think it's probably quite annoying to be walking with a photographer who keeps stopping - and anyway, when I'm chatting I can't concentrate on 'seeing' photos. These are all quick snaps with my phone, though it was all so nice that I began to wish I had taken my camera. 

It is, I think, rather pretty the way the water braids down the main cascade (above) - and despite mostly dry weather for the past week or two, there was more water coming down than I expected. The paths up there can often be very muddy but that wasn't a problem, though it did seem a bit rockier and in some parts needed more scrambling than I remember (or perhaps I'm just getting old!) 

The day that changed everything

Scraping the barrel ('scuse the pun!), you might think, to be posting a photo of a closed, lockdown-empty pub. This pub however, has a special place in my heart. It is the Malt (formerly Malt Shovel) in Harden, built around 1550 and at one time, apparently, serving as a courthouse and prison, where travelling judges came to hear cases. It has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment. 

It has always been a cosy place for a drink and a meal and it was here, back in 1982, that we came with my parents for lunch. I was heavily pregnant, about a week overdue in fact and getting very fed-up. I had back-ache and could only feel comfortable sitting ramrod straight on a bar stool. When the menu arrived, unaccountably, I chose egg and chips - something I'd never normally order. I did enjoy them too! With hindsight I should have known... but it was only later, after we'd been home for a couple of hours, that I realised in was in labour. By 8pm I was cuddling my newborn daughter. It's a good job I had those eggs and chips too, as that was the last meal I had until breakfast the following day, by which time I was ravenous! 

Whenever I pass the pub, that day comes back vividly into my mind. In fact the pub acts as a boundary place in my mind between 'all that went before' and 'all that has come after'. Quite appropriate, I suppose, for a building that sits beside a bridge at the point where a Roman road crossed over Harden Beck.

Goit Stock Falls

The objective of our family walk was Goit Stock Falls, where Harden Beck tumbles over a rocky ledge on its journey down the valley. There was a fair amount of water cascading and the falls looked rather attractive. The protruding rocks produce a pretty, layered effect. I'm not too confident clambering over slippery boulders these days so I was unable to find a viewpoint beyond the tree, although it would have given a much better composition to my photo. 

The valley of Harden Beck is very pretty in parts, with several smaller falls along the walk. A few autumn leaves still holding on offered a welcome touch of colour. 

There was a bit of mist about. The sun was trying to get through but it never really managed to penetrate the wooded valley, so it was rather chillier than I'd expected. I guess I should now dig out my full 'winter gear' and weather-proof myself, since it's only walks like this that are keeping me sane and upbeat in these trying times. 

 

Mud and mayhem

 

Thankfully, even in this second lockdown, we are still allowed as single people to meet with our designated 'support bubble'. That meant I could join the family on a chilly, misty November day for a walk in the woods. The girls were on good form - lovely to see how energetic they both are. Both of them will climb rocks and trees, splash in muddy puddles and paddle in the river quite happily. The little one (6) is particularly fearless and seems as surefooted as a young mountain goat, even in wellies!  Both of them are really observant too, so it is a joy to see the world through their eyes.

 

(Tree climbing - but I think big sister was a little disconcerted by having little sister's boot near her ear!)