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 and a foray into Wharfedale. Yorkshire at its finest. Enjoy!
31 October 2016
Larch tree overhanging Hebden Water in Hardcastle Crags
The needles on this deciduous conifer turn pinky orange before they fall
Beech leaves – green, gold and russet, all at the same time
The trees in Hardcastle Crags show no sign of wanting to drop their leaves, even though it’s the end of October
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
30 October 2016
Hardcastle Crags resplendent in its autumn attire
The colours are intoxicating
The camera doesn’t really do them justice
Hebden Water running through Hardcastle Crags
Dazzling late October spectacle down in Hardcastle Crags
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
29 October 2016
Autumn kaleidoscope in Pecket Well Clough
Just a short walk from Elmet Farmhouse in Pecket Well
A stone-paved packhorse track provides a direct route down to Crimsworth Dean and Hardcastle Crags
Beech trees in Pecket Well Clough
The fallen beech leaves create a vibrant carpet
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
28 October 2016
View from Pecket Well War Memorial across Shackleton Hill and Hardcastle Crags
Bench at Pecket Well War Memorial overlooking the spectacular wooded valley of Hardcastle Crags
Heptonstall from Pecket Well
A river of trees at Midegehole…
…the confluence of Crimsworth Dean and Hebden Dale (aka Hardcastle Crags)
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
27 October 2016
Cracking colours in Crimsworth
Bucolic bliss in Crimsworth Dean
Lunchtime at the Crimsworth milk bar
Packhorse track up through Pecket Well Clough…
… a lesser known National Trust woodland adjoining Crimsworth Dean and Hardcastle Crags
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
26 October 2016
Old Town Mill chimney poking out over trees above Hardcastle Crags
Light catching the trees at Spring Wood, Hardcastle Crags
Autumn palette in Crimsworth Dean
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
25 October 2016
View from Pecket Well towards Shackleton Hill, Crimsworth Dean and Hardcastle Crags
The colours of landscape shift as the clouds scud across the sky
Heptonstall church tower peeping up over the hill at the end of Crimsworth Dean
A melange of russet and green in Crimsworth Dean
View along Crimsworth Dean towards Heptonstall
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
24 October 2016
Autumn glory in Crimsworth Dean
Crimsworth Dean woods captured at the peak of perfection
A particularly beautiful oak tree in Crimsworth Dean
Climbing up Kitling Clough to Pecket Well
Looking back from Pecket Well Clough into the woods at Crimsworth Dean
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
23 October 2016
A familiar view but subtly different with every passing cloud
Here it comes again, with Slack Top teetering on the ridge above the precipitous wooded slopes of Hardcastle Crags
View across Hardcastle Crags from Shackleton Hill
Looking across Crimsworth Dean towards the village of Pecket Well from Shackleton Hill
The burnished woods of Crimsworth Dean with the pale pink moors beyond
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
22 October 2016
Sheep on the hills at Walshaw
Blake Dean looking pretty as a picture
Hardcastle Crags from Walshaw
Graveyard at Slack Top with Stoodley Pike on the far horizon
Sun ricocheting off the hilltop meadows at Walshaw, with the dark green woods of Hardcastle Crags nestling in the valley below
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
21 October 2016
Dazzling autumn colours closer to home in Crimsworth Dean…
… our very own unofficial ‘National Park’
Autumn has come late but it was worth waiting for
There’s still a tinge of purple from the heather on the moors
Light catching the meadows near Heptonstall and on the far side of the Calder Valley
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
20 October 2016
Bolton Abbey in the gloaming
The ruins of the Priory Church seen in a new light …
…at the end of an afternoon meander along the river Wharfe
Autumn colours on the Wharfe
Last glimpse of Bolton Abbey
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
19 October 2016
Never underestimate the power of water
The Strid looking decidedly malevolent
Here it is again being forced into the invisible
And here is the river emerging from the Strid and widening out again
River Wharfe running through Strid Wood
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
18 October 2016
More dramatic scenes from The Strid on the River Wharfe – this is where the river suddenly narrows
The water surges through a narrow channel in the rocks…
The pressure of the water is so strong at this point that it has cut a deep gorge in the rocks
Apparently the depth of the water here is equal to the height of two double-decker buses
Although the surface of the water is churned up, there’s no indication of the depth of the river or the force of the current, which is why the Strid is so dangerous
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
17 October 2016
River Wharfe upstream of Bolton Abbey
What could be more pleasant on an October afternoon…
… than wandering along the banks of the beautiful River Wharfe?
The river itself is a sight to behold…
… and the surrounding woods are spectacular at this time of year
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
16 October 2016
Dead tree with bleached bark on the hillside above the River Wharfe
Strolling by the River Wharfe on a tranquil autumn afternoon
Barden Bridge on the River Wharfe, upstream of Bolton Abbey and the Strid
On top of the castellated Barden Bridge
Barden Tower on the hillside above the River Wharfe near Barden Bridge
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
15 October 2016
The Strid, a dramatic spot on the River Wharfe near Bolton Abbey
…A bottle neck, where the river is squeezed through a tight deep gulley, notorious for its dangerous currents
Moss-covered rocks on the banks of the Strid
River Wharfe just downstream of the Strid, where the river opens out again
River Wharfe in a more tranquil state further downstream
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
14 October 2016
Bolton Abbey in Wharfedale – a famous beauty spot
The romantic roofless ruin epitomises the picturesque
Gothic arched windows and remnants of tracery
A pleasing picture from every angle, hence its appeal to artists
Autumn trees in Wharfedale
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
13 October 2016
The steep wooded valleys of Calderdale, such as Luddenden Dean, provide the ideal habitat for fungi
A sombre but soft-edged morning in Luddenden Dean
Cool mist hanging like a heat haze
Footpaths created by Luddenden sheep
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson and Ian Fishwick
12 October 2016
A statuesque cow in Crimsworth Dean
The beech trees morphing from green to gold to russet
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Keats was spot on
Decidous oak, beech and sycamore mixed with evergreen Scots pine
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
11 October 2016
Crimsworth Dean burnished with gold
The colours are intensifying every day
The overgrown mill dams in Crimsworth Dean are one of the hidden gems of the Upper Calder Valley
who needs fireworks with a spectacular display like this?
View from Pecket Well across Crimsworth Dean and Hardcastle Crags towards Heptonstall
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
10 October 2016
You never know who (or what) you’ll meet up on ‘the tops’!
Is it a long-necked labradoodle or a llama?
No, it’s an alpaca of course! And not just one but a whole herd
Sir Titus Salt had a soft spot for alpacas, so maybe they’ve wandered over from Saltaire?
Actually they live at Apple Tree Farm at Blackshawhead, near Heptonstall, and you can go trekking with them if you want
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson and Ian Fishwick
9 October 2016
View from Elmet Farmhouse near Hebden Bridge at 10.10 am
Every day brings subtle changes to the palette of the landscape
The woods have taken on browner hues
Crimsworth Dean War Memorial across the fields from Elmet Farmhouse
It’s still unseasonably mild and the grass is still growing apace
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
8 October 2016
View from Blackshaw Head…
…across Jumble Hole Clough
There’s no escape from Stoodley Pike!
The natives are friendly…
… and the views aren’t to be sniffed at!
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson and Ian Fishwick
7 October 2016
Dam in Crimsworth Dean looking decidedly end of season
Crimsworth Dean Beck half way up the valley
All the plants are on the turn…
… in a good way
And the trees in Crimsworth Dean are becoming more and more fiery every day
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
6 October 2016
Threatening sky in Crimsworth Dean
View along Crimsworth Dean from Grain Farm with Stoodley Pike in the distance
The short-lived bracken is giving up the ghost
And the leaves on the trees are finally turning golden
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
5 October 2016
Lumb Falls in Crimsworth Dean
Fearless souls go wild swimming here – rather them than me!
View along Crimsworth Dean Beck from Lumb Falls…
… I’m happy just to look!
Bridge above Lumb Falls – once a major highway for convoys of packhorses laden with cloth
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
4 October 2016
View from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well…
They say ‘familiarity breeds contempt’, but we say ‘familiarity breeds respect’
The awe-inspiring monument of Stoodley Pike…
… and the ancient village of Heptonstall with its perfectly placed Victorian church tower
Sun breaking through the morning mist – view from Elmet Farmhouse yesterday at 10.41 am
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
3 October 2016
Stoodley Pike – ready for lift off!
Slack Top on the crest of the hill on the far side of Hardcastle Crags
The Crimsworth – Walshaw Loop – a perennial favourite of mine
The walk starts and finishes here in Crimsworth Dean
The towering chimney of Old Town Mill at the confluence of Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
2 October 2016
A distant view of Blake Dean at the far end of the National Trust estate of Hardcastle Crags
The rejuvenated post-harvest hilltop meadows look as vibrant and fresh as in the spring
Stoodley Pike on the far horizon, distant but ever present
Looking down over Hardcastle Crags from Walshaw
Hardcastle Crags: hay meadows and heather moors on ‘the tops’, woods tumbling down the steep valley sides
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
1 October 2016
Early autumn colours at Blake Dean, Hardcastle Crags
Bracken and trees on the turn at Blake Dean
Autumn is rather late this year …
…after a mild September
All the better for us here in Hebden Bridge as it means more colour for longer!
© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson
