Hawthorns July Photo Scavenger Hunt.

Its the end of the month already, so time to join in with Hawthorn’s Photo Scavenger Hunt. If you fancy a bit of a photo challenge next month, check out her lovely blog . Here’s the Link up page. 

1. Crane.  Ok this is not a crane. Epic fail! This is a stork that has made a nest on a rooftop in Marakeche. Up high escaping the madness of the colourful souks and busy squares. It is a few years now since our stay in the vibrant Moroccan city.

 

2. Ring.  Lots of Giant Bellflowers in bloom at the moment, all over the countryside. Imagine if these pretty flowers could ring around the meadows.

3. Set. Found this prompt quite difficult!  Will a Pea Hen and her set of chicks do? We saw these guys when we were getting rid of some rubbish at our local tip in Clitheroe. There is quite a population of peacocks down there. 🙂

4. Light.  Took this photo one evening on a walk with Hugo. The sun light created shadows in the hay field ,as Hugo zipped round like a mad thing.

5. Bow.  A shiny  bow ties at the back of a fifties style dress in Annie & Bettys vintage shop/ cafe in Grassington.

6. Spring. Saw this spring on a gate when walking a tiny bit of The Dales Way in Yorkshire last weekend.

7.Open. And heres Hugo sat by an old open door.  Obviously Wil is behind the door with a biscuit, or Hugo wouldn’t be so well behaved…

8. Grand. The old door was in the grounds of the grand Parcevall Hall near Appletreewick , whose lovely gardens are open to the public. Post coming soon! 

9. Park. The Yorkshire Dales National Park covers   841 square miles. This lady is admiring a typical Dales view. 🙂

10. My own choice. My beautiful girl ‘ Slinky Malinki’ named after the storybook cat. She is a little madam …and very vocal. 🙂 

Hope you enjoyed my interpretations of the prompts. See you soon! 

 

 

 

 

Riverside Walk ~ Howgill to Grassington.

Wil and Hugo, River Wharfe.

The weekend just gone, we packed our camping gear and headed for the Yorkshire Dales and a little site that has featured several times on this blog, Howgill Lodge Campsite near Appletreewick. Even though we have been there several times, we had never walked along the nearby river Wharfe to the village of Grassington before. In fact we almost always head the other way toward Bolton Abbey. A lovely route, but time for a change!

The Dales Way is an 84 -mile long footpath from Ilkley in West Yorkshire to Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria. Sorry folks I’m not really up for trekking that far just yet, so instead we did 13 miles ( pretty impressive I thought! ) from Howgill to Grassington and back. Here are a few pictures of things we saw on our way. 🙂

Simon’s Seat up on the Grouse moor. Sadly not a place we can take Hugo, as dogs are strictly forbidden .

Another lovely campsite Masons at Appletreewick.

Masons is a great place to grab a coffee and homemade flapjack. 🙂

This horse wasn’t bothered by us as we trundled by.

Saw lots of pretty harebells on route. Witches were said to use the sap of these pale blue flowers, to turn themselves into hares.

The Red Lion in Burnsall is the perfect place for a pint. 🙂

Here’s an informative board about what kind of people have used the Dales Way.

Due to heavy rains in the morning , the river was pretty wild past Burnsall.

And the stepping stones at Hebden had all but disappeared , so we used the wobbly Suspension Bridge!

Here Goes!

A couple of miles later and we spy Linton Church.

Anyone fancy a bit of white water rafting? Linton Falls.

Pretty spectacular I think.

Soon we are in the pretty village of Grassington.

The Forester’s Arms is a good place for a chill.

And there are some cute little gift shops.

Walking back and we see these Greylag Geese.

A typical Yorkshire sign!

A Heron in a tree.

And amazingly………a Green Woodpecker! I was gobsmacked to see one….and actually get a photo. 🙂

I love this sign for the Craven Arms at Appletreewick.

They always have a great selection of Real ales and ciders. 🙂

We head back to the campsite in the evening sunshine.

Hope you enjoyed our mini Dales way ramble. I’m sure it actually was mini to my other half, but I’m quietly impressed with myself. Of course our pub stops probably cancelled out all the calories we burned!

Another post from the Yorkshire Dales coming up soon. x

Summer Links & Likes.

Hey , I totally missed putting up a Links & Likes for June, so without further ado, here’s  my Summer Edition. It will most probably come in two parts,  as we have some way to go yet,  thank goodness!  There’s definitely a bit of a travel theme going on here. So hopefully a bunch of holiday inspiration. 🙂 . Enjoy!

Know where to find the best Ice Cream Parlours in the North East?  Chloe has put in some serious research!

Paul is galavanting round Iceland , ticking off Game Of Thrones filming locations. 🙂

Polly attends a family wedding in beautiful Portmerion , and gets to wear a gorgeous vintage dress. 

The Greedy Sisters do great City Travel Guides!  Look out for their latest adventures in Athens and Avignon. 

Church yards make perfect haunts for summer wildlife, as Amanda finds out,  in Yorkshire.

Yarn bombed Seahorses and Mermaids! Where else but Saltburn by the Sea , with Jo of course!

And more seaside fun. 🙂  The Retro Poodles are in sunny Seaham….and look at the treasures they have found. 🙂

Christine is Wild Swimming amidst stunning Lake District Scenery.

Piia  has wrote an informative guide  Ten Free Things To Do In Helsinki. Makes me want to get up and go!

How lovely to holiday on the beautiful Island of Islay , as seen here on A Mischief Managed – and other Adventures.

And Bev celebrated her blog’s Birthday….by drinking Champagne in Champagne!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the blog posts. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Ullswater & Aira Force.

Our last visit to Aira Force Waterfall near Ullswater in the Lake District was not very successful photo wise….as it was both tipping it down with rain and howling a gale!  Happily on our return yesterday, the weather was a lot kinder. We decided to park in the lake shore village of Glenridding and take the steamer the short 20 minute journey to the newly erected Aira Force Pier.  The steamers themselves have been pleasure cruising along and around Ullswater for 150 years, and weather permitting , operate 363 days of the year.

Waiting for the boat at Glenridding Pier.

One of the beautiful vessels, The Lady Wakefield.

Stack on The Western Belle.

Glenridding Pier House.

We bought return tickets from Glenridding Pier House for £8 each and sat and waited with a nice warming brew. There is a coffee shop and gift shop in the pier house as well as lots of local information. Presently our steamer, The Lady Dorothy , arrived to take us to Aira Force.

 

 

We sat out on deck and admired the passing scenery. Ullswater is the Lake District’s second largest lake and the daffodils that grow on the bank at Glencoyne Bay are said to have inspired Wordsworth’s poem ‘Daffodils’.  The mighty Helvellyn mountain range provided a magnificent backdrop and the waters were tranquil and deep.

The Lady Dorothy.

Aira Force is looked after by the National Trust.

Aira Force Waterfall  tumbles a lengthy 65ft and can be reached via a stroll through pretty woodland. There are wooden walkways, gravel footpaths and ornate stone bridges. We looked out for the many different trees on the tree trail and Hugo enjoyed dipping in and out of the babbling brook. 🙂

Herdwick Sheep.

Ancient trees along the trail.

Woodland paths.

Aira Force.

Aira Force Platform.

The name Aira comes from the Old Norse ‘ river at the gravel bank’ and Force is a derivation of the Old Norse word ‘ fors’ meaning Waterfall.  So Aira Force is apparently a waterfall on the gravel-bank river. Head further into the woodland to discover the less dramatic High Force.

Money-tree stump.

Wet Doog!

There is a National Trust shop and tea room on site. We had a spot of lunch and another walk before heading back to catch the steamer. 🙂

The Ullswater Way ( a 20 mile walk around Ullswater) takes in the waterfalls.

Inside the cafe. Hugo eyes up dinner.

Pretty window box.

Wildflowers on the banks of Ullswater.

Ullswater.

Big skies and Aira Force Pier.

Back in Glenridding. Can’t help taking pictures of these beautiful steamers!

Have to have cake in the Lakes!

Thanks for joining me in the lovely Lakes. 🙂

www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/aira-force

Sunday Sevens ~ 9th July.

Source: Sunday Sevens ~ 9th July. 

Sunday Sevens ~ 9th July.

Its been a while since I have joined in with Natalie’s  Sunday Sevens, so I thought I would collect some piccies together, and give it a go. Last weekend was a friend’s wedding, and the reception included an Afternoon Tea!  Now any readers of this blog must be wondering , why have I  been slacking on the afternoon tea front recently?  I really don’t know!! Must remedy that. The Spread Eagle in Sawley does an amazing one, which includes a tasty sandwich selection, fruit cake and cheddar cheese, rocky road, carrot cake and scones with strawberry jam & clotted cream. I must say the Spread Eagle is also a lovely wedding venue with welcoming staff and lovely interiors. 

 

And theres even a menu for dogs. 🙂  Wil and I ended up walking back the next day to pick up the car. We had a yummy lunch there and ordered Hugo some crackerjacks. They didn’t last very long!  

 

Wil and I at the wedding.

This week I have been catching up on the utterly brilliant The Handmaid’s Tale on channel 4. If you have heard of the Margaret Atwood novel from the 1980’s , this series is based on her dystopian masterpiece….and is gripping, horrifying,moving, disturbing and Wow, just amazing!  Set in a totalitarian society in a modern day America, where chemical warfare has rendered most men and women sterile, The Handmaid’s tale follows the lives of  the few fertile women that are left, imprisoned as child- bearers , for the future of the population. Elizabeth Moss ( Mad Men) plays Offred and we see her struggle to survive this terrifying regime. You need to watch this show….

A year ago I blogged about the regeneration of  Holmes Mill, an old Textile Mill in my home town, Clitheroe. It is being turned into an amazing entertainment space and already houses England’s longest continuous bar. Thursday gone ,saw the new Food Hall open , showcasing some of Lancashire’s best local produce. I hope to do a proper blog about it soon, but here are a few photos to wet your appetite. 🙂

 Of course , as fantastic as it looks, the Food Hall is also incredibly expensive. Somewhere to go if you want to treat yourself , I think ! 

Speeking of much less creative spaces ( sigh) here is our horrid front room, with its stunning 1970’s brick work and fire. We had a bit of a declutter yesterday, and it is actually looking a lot better than it did!  Anyway future plans ( probably next year) are to update the fire ( hurrah!) and paint the horrible brickwork white ( may need about 20 coats! , not sure it will look right though? ) as well as put wooden flooring in and change the wallpaper. To be honest I would dearly  love to take a sledge hammer to those darn bricks, but Wil is not to keen on that idea! What would you do?? 

Lost in a time warp….in a bad way. 😉

Anyway thanks for dropping by and enjoy your Sunday.  Looks like sunshine out there!