Have you had your Five a Day?
Five photos taken on walks in the countryside around Hebden Bridge and the Upper Calder Valley, interspersed with views from Elmet Farmhouse in the village of Pecket Well. Yorkshire at its finest. Enjoy!
30 November 2016
View from Crimsworth Dean at 8.30 am
Stoodley Pike in the distance, sunrise on the frosty hills
Sheep with their winter woollies in Crimsworth Dean
Early morning sunshine on the frosty slopes of Crimsworth Dean
Sun rising over Crimsworth Dean
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
29 November 2016
Crimsworth Dean clad in its winter attire at 8.20 am
Now that’s what I call a hard frost!
Iced bracken in Crimsworth Dean
Ice-coated catoneaster at Wheat Ing in Crimsworth Dean
Even the Crimsworth cows have turned to ice!
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
28 November 2016
View from Elmet Farmhouse at 5.10pm
Another spectacular pinky-orange sunset
Heptonstall Church on the hilltop opposite Pecket Well
Perfect end to a beautiful day
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
27 November 2016
More highlights from yesterday morning’s River of Mist…
These photos were taken about an hour and a half after those illustrated yesterday’s entry
The mist is gradually thinning and dispersing…
Same view of Stoodley Pike and Heptonstall from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well – but changing minute by minute as the River of Mist flows through the valleys
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
26 November 2016
View from Elmet Farmhouse at 8.50 am…
A heavy frost and a sea of mist…
Heptonstall floating in mid air…
And Stoodley Pike hovering in the heavens
An astonishing sight to wake up to
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
25 November 2016
Another serene sunset at Elmet Farmhouse…
Heptonstall, Hardcastle Crags and Stoodley Pike at 2.50 pm…
…suffused by a pinky-orange radiance
Late afternoon sunshine casting long shadows…
… and bathing the hills
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
24 November 2016
View from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well…
…on a serene November afternoon
Stoodley Pike perched on the rolling Pennine hills
Heptonstall church silhouetted on the horizon
Not a bad panorama for a winter’s day
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
23 November 2016
Kitling Bridge at the top of Kitling Clough below Pecket Well
The last glorious days of autumn in Kitling Clough, also known as Pecket Well Clough
Looking down the steep stone paved packhorse track to Kitling Bridge
Streams merging in Pecket Well Clough, running down to Hardcastle Crags, where they merge with Crimsworth Dean Beck
A carpet of newly fallen beech leaves beneath the vibrant autumn canopy in Pecket Well Clough
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
22 November 2016
The last leaves on the trees and the last snow on the ground in Crimsworth Dean
A rather amazing contrast of colours…
… as winter overtakes autumn
Shimmering pinky gold beech leaves in Crimsworth Dean
Hardcastle Crags and Shackleton Hill from Pecket Well War Memorial with snow and mist
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
21 November 2016
Highland cattle in Pecket Well
On the hunt for tussocks of grass sticking out of the snow
Pecket Well in the snow….
Looking towards Oxenhope Moor from Wadsworth Moor above Pecket Well
Sunset at Stoodley Pike
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
20 November 2016
View from Elmet Farmhouse at 4pm
Elmet Farmhouse bathed in pink late afternoon sunshine
A still afternoon and a beautiful sunset
Stoodley Pike and Heptonstall church silhouetted against the pink sky
Sun setting in the west across the snowy fields from Elmet Farmhouse
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
19 November 2016
Wintry view from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well
The black obelisk of Stoodley Pike towering over the snowy landscape
The tower of Heptonstall Church also standing out against the snow
A cold day with alternating snow and rain…
… mist rising up from the wooded valleys of Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
18 November 2016
View of Heptonstall from Elmet Farmhouse – snow on the tops and a swathe of mist in the valley
Overnight snow, followed by another deluge in the morning
These photos were taken at around 3.40pm during a blizzard, hence the dark sky
Elmet Farmhouse looking pretty as a picture in the snow
Snow-capped walls and snow-laden plants in the garden at Elmet Farmhouse
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
17 November 2016
View from Elmet Farmhouse at 9 am in the morning
Compare and contrast with the photos from late yesterday afternoon
Because the sun is shining from the opposite direction…
It illuminates the landscape in a completely different way
Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike in a soft pinky-orange glow
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
16 November 2016
View from Elmet Farmhouse at 15.50 pm
Heptonstall illuminated by shafts of late afternoon sunshine
The light changes every minute…
Shafts of sun radiating through the clouds on Heptonstall
You need to have your camera at the ready when you come to stay at Elmet Farmhouse to catch these spectacular effects
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
15 November 2016
Heron in Hardcastle Crags…
… doing a spot of breakfast fishing
This weir is one of the herons’ favourite spots in Hardcastle Crags
I see herons here regularly on my early morning walks
Dippers are also resident by Hebden Water in Hardcastle Crags – like a robin but with a white breast
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
14 November 2016
Crimsworth Dean
Picturesque railings near the main dam in Crimsworth Dean
Dam through beech leaves
Crimsworth Dean Beck from hillside above
Traffic light colours – red, yellow and green – in Crimsworth Dean
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
13 November 2016
Mill dam in Crimsworth Dean…
… with dazzling autumn foliage
Even the beech leaves on the surface of the dam retain their vibrant colours
Crimsworth Dean Beck running through the woods near Midgehole
Weir on Crimsworth Dean Beck with full load following the melting of the recent snow
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
12 November 2016
A few spots of rain won’t dampen our spirits
The woods in Crimsworth…
…are still alive with colour
And Crimsworth Dean Beck has lost none of its vivacity
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
11 November 2016
The next day we step back from winter to autumn again
Even after the ice and snow, many of the leaves are still on the trees
And the autumnal hues in Crimsworth Dean are undiminished
Mill dam strewn with beech leaves in Crimsworth Dean
A carpet of beech leaves underfoot but plenty still on the branches above
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
10 November 2016
Suddenly, out of the blue, the first snow of the winter arrives…
… powdering the slopes of Stoodley Pike…
…and dusting the hills near Pecket Well
Here today, gone tomorrow
But we were all caught somewhat unawares
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
9 November 2016
Merger of Graining Water and Alcomden Water to form Hebden Water at Blake Dean
A picturesque spot in a rugged landscape
Part of the National Trust estate of Hardcastle Crags
Bracken at Blake Dean
Where the bracken meets the woods near Blake Dean
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
8 November 2016
Gibson Mill, Hardcastle Crags
Gibson Mill…
… from across the dam and the river
Footpath at Hardcastle Crags covered with beech leaves
Hebden Water near Gibson Mill at Hardcastle Crags
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
7 November 2016
Rowan berries…
…near Blake Dean
… at Hardcastle Crags
Hebden Water, just below the confluence of Graining Water and Alcomden Water at Blake Dean
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
6 November 2016
Bracken ablaze at Blake Dean in Hardcastle Crags
Autumn glory at Blake Dean
Graining Water at Blake Dean
Beech tree at Hardcastle Crags
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
5 November 2016
Fabulous fungal flowers on a fallen tree trunk on Hebden Water in Hardcastle Crags
Bonfire night in Hardcastle Crags…
Who needs fireworks with a display like this?
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
4 November 2016
Hardcastle Crags ablaze!
The woods at Hardcastle Crags are beautiful all year round but particularly exciting in the autumn
Oak leaves on the turn
Beech trees spilling over Hebden Water
Fern-decked cliffs by the river in Hardcastle Crags
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
3 November 2016
Autumn glory in Hardcastle Crags
Hold on to these vibrant colours…
…They’ll keep you warm during the winter months
Hebden Water upstream of Gibson Mill in Hardcastle Crags
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
2 November 2016
Hebden Water in the National Trust estate of Hardcastle Crags
The autumn colours in Hardcastle Crags have been intoxicating this year
I just can’t get enough!
A small weir on Hebden Water upstream from Gibson Mill
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
1 November 2016
It’s fungi season down in Hardcastle Crags
Mycologists of the world unite!
Is it a space age dwelling? Not it’s just fungi sprouting mulitple canopies on a tree in Hardcastle Crags
Ascent to Clough Hole from Gibson Mill in Hardcastle Crags
Last gasp of the bracken on the oopen slopes near Gibson Mill
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
