Dramatic sky

The sky looked quite dramatic as I walked down the hill towards Saltaire. Sunshine and showers weather; looked like it was raining over Ilkley way.  

Thruscross circular #2

Here are a few more photos from my walk round Thruscross reservoir, under brooding skies. I did get a bit wet, though it didn't rain all the time. Happily I'd remembered to wear my waterproof overtrousers, so I didn't get too soggy. 

In the photo below, you can just see the retaining dam in the far distance. The car park is at the far end and uphill from there, so it is a fair old walk all the way round. I love to see the sky reflected in the water. It almost had a metallic look to it, steel grey clouds and lots of wide sky.   

From the dam wall, over which the approach road runs, you can look down the opposite side to see the spillway (below). I'm not sure what the two rectangular structures are; something to do with the Yorkshire Water infrastructure. 

One last look from the dam wall back up the reservoir. The full circular walk is described HERE.

Thruscross circular

 

It was chilly and drizzly but I decided on a walk round Thruscross Reservoir. The full circuit of the water is between 5 and 6 miles, though quite hilly in places - and muddy of course! It was, towards the end, fairly hard going, I have to confess. I am still a bit less than optimally fit since I was unwell over Christmas, still getting my full energy back. I survived, with the help of a banana. (To eat, rather than to lean on!)

Looking back through my blog, I can see that my last walk in the area was 15 months ago (here). At that point the water level was really low, low enough to expose much more of the ruined flax mill (above) and reveal some of the walls of the hamlet of West End that was abandoned and then flooded to make the reservoir. Now, thankfully the water level looked pretty much back to 'normal', which should help over the summer months.

The usual path through woodland has been diverted up onto the moors, because of unsafe trees. It made the route more hilly but the views were worth the climb.

The point where you cross the River Washburn, which feeds the reservoir, is a little over halfway round. The Washburn valley has been turned into a series of four reservoirs. Three (Lindley Wood, Fewston and Swinsty) were built in the 1860 - 70s to supply water to the city of Leeds. Thruscross wasn't finished until 1966.

Sunday therapy

What's your preferred Sunday therapy? Exercise, shopping, visiting galleries, browsing books? Saltaire offers all of those, providing a wide variety of ways to relax at weekends. After the brief spell of snow, it seemed half of the world was out last Sunday, making the most of the sunshine and meeting with friends and family in the village. 

The once-monthly farmer's market was doing a brisk trade on Caroline's car park. I managed to get a jar of Yorkshire's best marmalade but the hand-made chocolates had all been sold when I arrived. (Probably a good thing!) 

The canal towpath was busy with joggers, dog walkers and people just out enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. 

Salts Mill's bookshop was busy - there was even a queue at the cash desk! It's always dangerous for me to go in there, as a book usually smiles at me and attaches itself firmly to my hand. This time I bought a recipe book for cooking vegetarian meals in one pot. It looks to have 'my kind' of easy recipes - chop, combine and cook for less than half an hour to make a colourful, healthy and flavoursome dish. Even after a lifetime of cooking, I need some fresh ideas now and again. 

I also treated myself to a wander around Hockney's 'Arrival of Spring' gallery. I love the colourful pictures and it's good to be reminded that Spring is on its way, despite March's snow. 

Outside the Box

This is the roof of the rather wonderful Victorian arcade in Ilkley. It used to be a collection of shops and businesses, most of which have now relocated. The historic arcade has been sold to Ilkley Community Enterprise, a charity, who have now brought their café 'Outside the Box' into a unit here ('inside the box' ironically, I suppose), as well as opening a shop and various meeting and training rooms. It's all looking very smart and bright. The charity provides training, work experience and learning activities for young people with learning disabilities. The café is staffed mainly by youngsters, who are the sweetest and most attentive of hosts. There are ambitious plans to develop further what the centre offers for local young people and for the community in general. 

The Wharfe in Ilkley

Each of the major rivers that flow down from the Yorkshire Dales seem to have their own character. I vividly remember having to learn their names by heart in school geography lessons: the Aire, the Wharfe, the Nidd, the Ure, the Swale, the Ribble... This then is the River Wharfe where it flows through Ilkley, often meandering at a slow pace and dropping gravelly deposits in the shallows. It is set a little bit down from the town centre, bordered by parkland, so that you might think yourself a long way from urban sprawl. In fact the settlement here has existed since Roman times when there was a fort called Olicana, and before that there is evidence of early Bronze Age settlements on the surrounding moors. 

The town developed because it sat at a significant crossing point on the river, originally a ford. There is a beautiful, high-arched packhorse bridge dating back to 1675, now only used by pedestrians and cyclists. (I couldn't safely get down the bank far enough to avoid that dratted tree branch!) 

Ambling along the river bank, I noticed this rustic heart. No idea what it signifies but I thought it made an attractive photo, with the ivy curling around. 

Snow changes everything

A few more photos from our snowy day on Friday. It's fascinating how everywhere looks so different, not only with the covering of white but with the way it reflects the light. I went out fairly early; it was still snowing a bit but vehicles had eroded the snow on the roads and, amazingly, the main pavements had been cleared and gritted. Schools were closed, I believe, so there weren't many people about, though a few excited children were heading to the park with sledges. 

The lion called 'Peace' appeared to be enjoying an ice cream! Whilst 'Vigilance' looked pretty bored by all the fuss. 

Just beyond the park, there were a few youngsters sledging down from the path round the Higher Coach Road estate. I stood and watched for a while but never caught more than one sledge coming down at a time. Then they take ages to walk back to the top again! Luckily it wasn't too cold - one or two of the mums seemed still to be in their dressing gowns! 

The covering of snow only lasted a day or so. The temperature rose again and it all quickly melted, though the huge drifts in the High Pennines will take longer to melt. 

Snow!

It snowed heavily overnight on Thursday so that by Friday morning we'd had about four inches down here in the valley. (Clearly much more on higher ground.) I obviously needed to get out there with my camera! Good snow is quite a rare event these days round here, it seems. I had a pleasant walk; it wasn't really cold and, indeed, by the time I returned home the sun was out and it was thawing rapidly. 

Steampunks

I hopped over to Bradford Industrial Museum the other weekend, partly to have another look round because I find it so fascinating, and partly because there was a Steampunk event advertised. It was a freezing cold day so those taking part were all huddled indoors chatting. It made it a bit difficult to take photos as the light inside is inevitably quite poor. Busy backgrounds and narrow galleries added to the challenge.  I always feel a bit rude interrupting people and asking for a photo too, even though that's really why they are there. All in all, a bit of an ordeal! Haha. But it's good to force myself out of my comfort zone occasionally. 

Steampunk is 'a sub-genre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic (!) technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th century steam-powered machinery.' Its vibe sits very well with the Industrial Museum, which is of course full of references to our local industrial past - the mills, machinery and transport of that era. The participants often have really elaborate costumes, adorned with weird paraphernalia like metal cogs, lots of medals and chains. They usually look very smart and the gentlemen often sport facial hair that is precisely trimmed and twisted. I didn't know 'beard brooches' were a thing! (see left and below!) 

All good fun anyway; the steampunks seems to be enjoying the event. 

Before the frost

I snapped these with my phone on the way home from a quick charity shop delivery to Shipley. (I'm trying hard to do some decluttering. Actually I'm quite good at the actual decluttering itself; I'm not really sentimental about 'things'. The step where I always fail is actually getting the sorted items out of the house and to the charity shop or the tip. So a walk to town with a full bag counts as a win.) Anyway, it was a glorious day and not as cold as I expected, since there was no wind. The laden blossom tree made my heart sing - and then I found a camellia and some forsythia in bloom. With freezing temperatures and snow forecast for today and later in the week, I suspect that all these lovely blooms will soon look brown and sad. It's a brave plant that flowers in March in Northern England!

Tarn Moss Bog

The western side of Malham Tarn (see also yesterday) is bounded by a large area of wet woodland and domed peat bog, an unusual and precious habitat known as Tarn Moss. The juxtaposition of the alkaline lake and acid peat allows for a wide and rich variety of plant, insect, aquatic and bird life, some of it quite rare. It has been extensively researched, thanks to the nearby Field Studies Centre. There is a boardwalk through the bog so that visitors can see it at close hand (whilst staying safe, with dry feet!)  At this time of year, of course, there is not much for a non-specialist visitor to spot; it all looks dead and decaying. Personally, I loved the soft colours and enjoyed wandering through and finding a few photographic compositions.

As part of the ongoing management of this protected and precious area, they have recently brought in four hardy Exmoor ponies, who browse on the invasive plant species and help to keep the fens healthy. (See HERE for an article about the ponies.)

Malham Tarn

I was shocked to realise that it's eight years since I last went to Malham Tarn, which is surprising given how often I've been to Malham itself. It's not really far from the village, up beyond Malham Cove, but the landscape is bleaker: moorland and sheep pastures. During the 18th century the surrounding area was mined for lead and copper, and there are a few remnants from that time, including a smelt mill flue chimney. It is, however, a very peaceful landscape nowadays. 

The tarn itself is something of a rarity, the highest marl lake in the UK, at 1237 ft above sea level. Water rarely stays above ground in these porous limestone areas but the lake was carved out by a glacier in the ice age, which scraped down to an underlying slate layer and then, as the ice melted, dropped glacial moraine to effectively seal off the lake. It drains via a small stream (photo below) that then disappears underground. When the water resurfaces beyond Malham it forms the source of the River Aire. 

It is now in the care of The National Trust, which until recently leased out Tarn House (on the far shore, below) as a Field Studies Centre, though that may now have closed. The area is a National Nature Reserve, and the circular walk round the lake and through the peat bog on a boardwalk is a really lovely and quite gentle (flat) walk. 

Winter sunlight

Saltaire URC, interpreted with a touch of 'poetic licence' on my part. I always like to see the sun behind the church, as it shines through the pierced panels in the tower and makes you realise they are pierced and not solid. The winter-bare trees allow the church to be seen from this vantage point but the sun directly into the camera lens takes a bit of working with! 

'Keep your face always towards the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.' (Walt Whitman) 

At the heart

Even from a partial glimpse of Salts Mill's West Mill, such as you get walking from the railway station up the slight incline of Albert Terrace, I would know instantly where I was. Since 1853, this huge mill has stood at the heart of Saltaire village; its beating heart, if you like. Initially it provided work for thousands of mill workers, turning raw wool into fine cloth. Nowadays it forms the jewel in the crown of our World Heritage Site and is a fascinating place for visitors to enjoy, with its galleries, shops and restaurants. It continues to provides employment too, with several hi-tech businesses using the site's many buildings. 

From the railway bridge over Victoria Road, the view remains not unlike its Victorian origins, with the tall chimney of the boiler house still towering over the landscape, and the railway lines that continue to serve the mill and its village.