Yorkshire Weekend....part 2

Hello Lovelies,
you may want to get yourself comfy for this post ,it's pretty long !! There are 43 photos ...and I could easily have included more ....what a day :0)

Mum and I were so happy to wake to bright sunshine on Saturday morning....woohoo,  the perfect weather to explore the wonderful Yorkshire Dales.
It's the first time I have ever visited this area as an adult, though I have been many times when I was a child. Back then I didn't get what all the fuss was about ....but now ....well I couldn't wait to explore .

Leaving the Aire Valley up a really steep hill ( you certainly need low gears in this part of the world ) we stop to look back and admire the view.

You really feel like you are up near the clouds in a place like this

The Gorse at the roadside looks pretty in the sunshine........

Over the brow of the hill now and we are heading into Wharfedale.....it feels like you can see for a hundred miles ...

We wind our way along the prettiest lanes and stop to say hello to Bolton abbey. This is a place in the dales I loved as a child. Playing in the river on a hot summers day was a great fun........

I'd love to stop and explore further but we have a lot to fit into one day.
A little further along the valley Barden Tower is somewhere else that looks interesting to explore ....

But we settle for a few photos and press on .........

Luckily mum is quite familiar with this part of the dales and she is keen to show me the pretty little village of Appletreewick...........

I love the bright red of the post box against the grey of the limestone wall........

Water is welling up from the drains and running in a stream down the street......

And every bit of low ground has a pool of water. The land must be saturated with all the rain we have had in recent weeks...........

A little fiurther along the road we pull over to see what's over the wall. " Do you think there will be a view here?" I ask mum. As soon as I get out of the car I think...stupid question Jacquie...there is a gorgeous view everywhere ........

I leave mum at the car and run up the road to see whats at the top of the hill.I love the way the broken clouds are making patchwork patterns on the distant hills...................

We are heading for the pretty village of Grassington...........

It's very pretty but soooo busy today. I decide to climb the hill

Ahh , that's better ...away from the crowds and a roof top view, perfect........

I climbed a little higher out of the village , up a sweet lane.........

And I'm rewarded by another wonderful view..........

After a few minutes I descended back into the village........

Loved this Saxifrage flowering on top of a dry stone wall............

There are lots of gift shops but I particularly liked this Hardware shop. Useful to the locals but with a pretty gift section too. Can you see the wonderful display in the window on the left........

Inside I'm happy to see a traditional , well stocked shop to the right .........

And to the left , among the pretty home wares .........

an open fire :0)

But the sun pops out again so I explore a little further, love this cute courtyard......

After a bit more exploring we head off, along the achingly pretty Wharfe valley..........

Past the imposing Kilnsey crag.........

Now we are heading towards Arncliffe.........the roads are narrow and winding but the post van hurtles along at an impressive speed.......

Every where are these wonderful dales barns......solid animal shelters and hay stores for the winter months....

At Arncliffe the Litton beck looks pretty in the sunlight...........

I love this working farm , nestled beneath the fell.........

We journey  further along a single tack road. Climbing steeply upwards. Stoping in an exposed spot to admire the view back towards the village and the amazing hillside ...........

I loved this road, up in the remote places , with just some Sheep for company. It's a chilly spot ,these animals definitely need their warm wool coat....

Presently we begin to decend into another valley.....down the winding track with it's hairpin bends and salt boxes for the winter snow and ice............

How romantic does this look !! Imagine living here and getting snowed in , sitting by a warm fire, looking out at the white winter landscape........maybe the reality is not quite so idyllic but that's how I like to imagine it :0).....

This is Malham Tarn, it's another high place, in fact ( so wikipedia tells me ) it's the highest lake in England........

Now we are above Malham cove , you can just see the amazing natural formations of the Limestone pavement....for a better view of it look HERE.........

Further down the hill we can look back towards the cove it's self..........

Malham Village is looking pretty in it's spring colours........

The Pennine way goes through Malham  and now I have looked up what Janets' Foss is I wish I had squeezed in a visit. I expect it would have been Pretty spectacular after last weeks rain !!

But all too soon it's time to say good bye to the lovely Yorkshire Dales. I really hope it won't be too long before I'm able to return and explore further afield.....

After some food and a rest we did rustle up the energy to pop to Bingley, I was keen to visit the Five Rise Locks. Here is the view from the top towards Bingleys mills......

But the best way to appreciate them is from the bottom. There are five locks in what's known as a staircase and it's the steepest one in Britain...........

An impressive feat of 18th century engineering, don't you think?

The evening light on the canal was very pretty...........

Ummmmmmmmm, just had to stop and gaze at the hills one last time before bed :0)............

It was certainly a day to remember and I'm so happy to have this place to record and share it all.

Next time ,day three , not sightseeing but socialising and shopping :0)
Jacquie x