Elmet Farmhouse Photos of the Month: 2018

A choice selection of photos featuring views from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well above Hebden Bridge and snapshots of the surrounding countryside and wildlife in and around the Upper Calder Valley

December 2018

The famous River of Mist from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well above Hebden Bridge with Stoodley Pike and Heptonstall poking through the cloud on 4 December 2018

Sheep on Shackleton Hill on Christmas Eve with the converging valleys of Crimsworth Dean and Hardcastle Crags below

Slack Top and Stoodley Pike on a frosty Christmas Eve morning

Sunny winter’s day on Walshaw Moor with the purple hills of Widdop in the distance

Crimsworth Dean resplendent in the December sunshine

Grain Farm and Cross Ends in Crimsworth Dean

Lumb Falls in Crimsworth Dean in full flow after heavy rain

Near Stone Booth Farm in Crimsworth Dean

Haworth Old Road to White Hole Farm and Thurrish at the end of Crimsworth Dean

Frosty Christmas Eve views from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well with pockets of mist in the valley 

Christmas Eve mist in Hardcastle Crags

Frost and mist on the bracken-covered slopes of Crimsworth Dean

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson

November 2018

Everlasting autumn in Crimsworth Dean and Pecket Well Clough

Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike with autumnal colours in the wooded valley of Hardcastle Crags

Old Town Mill above Spring Wood in Hardcastle Crags

Looking across Hardcastle Crags from Walshaw towards Slack Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike

Path down through Hardcastle Crags from Walshaw

Looking up at Hardcastle Crags

Gibson Mill in Hardcastle Crags

View from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well above Hebden Bridge on 15 November 2018

Looking along Crimsworth Dean towards Stoodley Pike from Grain Farm

View from Walshaw Moor towards Widdop

On the tops above Crimsworth Dean

Sun streaming through the clouds onto the hilltop meadows of Crimsworth Dean

Dramatic shifting winter light effects on the tops at Walshaw and Slack above Hardcastle Crags

Serene sunset at Elmet Farmhouse with Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike on the horizon on 24 November 2018

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson

October 2018

Dawn breaks in Hardcastle Crags singeing the rocky outcrops at Blake Dean 

Frosted bracken and russet trees at Blake Dean in Hardcastle Crags

Fiery autumn colours in Hardcastle Crags

Sun rising over frosted bracken at Blake Dean in Hardcastle Crags

Alcomden Water meets Graining Water to form Hebden Water at Blake Dean

Beech leaves turning from green to amber to burnt gold

Dazzling autumn colours at Blake Dean

A blaze of colour at Blake Dean

Mellow autumn scene in Hardcastle Crags

Early morning sunshine spilling over the steep slopes of Hardcastle Crags

Graining Water  just before it merges with Alcomden Water at Blake Dean

Hardcastle Crags autumn sequence

Wooded knoll with rocky outcrops, hence the name Hardcastle Crags

Autumn treescapes – aerial views from Hardcastle Crags

Footpath up to Hardcastle Crags

Bracken, moss and autumn leaves in Hardcastle Crags

Gibson Mill and autumn trees reflected in the dams at Hardcastle Crags

A carpet of beech leaves at Hardcastle Crags

Cascading waterfall at Hardcastle Crags

Messing about by the river – an autumn walk by Hebden Water through Hardcastle Crags

Tree-mendous autumn colours this year in Hardcastle Crags

Pecket Well War Memorial on Smeekin Hill above Crimsworth Dean

Autumn glory in Crimsworth Dean

Packhorse trail through Pecket Well Clough from Crimsworth Dean

Looking along Crimsworth Dean from near Grain Water bridge

View towards Blake Dean and Widdop from Walshaw Moor

Multicoloured autumn landscape from Walshaw Moor

Kestrel at Walshaw above Hardcastle Crags 

Trees turning autumnal in Hardcastle Crags, Stoodley Pike on the horizon

Slack Top and Stoodley Pike from Walshaw with Hardcastle Crags below

Green sward on Shackleton Hill above the converging valleys of Hebden Dale and Crimsworth Dean

Cow doing a meet and greet near Abel Cote in Crimsworth Dean

Early morning vista from Elmet Farmhouse: autumnal tones in Pecket Well Clough, pink sky behind Stoodley Pike

Pinkish hues on the moor above Crimsworth Dean

Early morning sunshine bathing the hills above Crimsworth Dean

Looking down on Stairs from the uplands above Crimsworth Dean

Far end of Crimsworth Dean with Thurrish to the left, White Hole Farm to the right

Early mist morning clearing in Crimsworth Dean

Hazy autumn light in Crimsworth Dean with Stoodley Pike on the horizon

Autumn trees lining Crimsworth Dean Beck

Fiery bracken on the ascent from Lumb Falls in Crimsworth Dean 

Glorious autumn colours at Wheat Ing in Crimsworth Dean 

Autumn colours in Crimsworth Dean

Late afternoon sunshine splashing the hilltops above Crimsworth Dean

Fungi in Crimsworth Dean

Views across Hardcastle Crags towards Stoodley Pike on a bright autumn day

The snaking wooded valley of Hardcastle Crags

Stepping stones in Hardcastle Crags

An autumn stroll through Hardcastle Crags with Hebden Water racing through Hebden Dale

Crescent moon rising over Stoodley Pike

Autumn is golden at Elmet Farmhouse – looking across the meadow towards Hardcastle Crags with Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike on the horizon

Elmet Farmhouse bathed in autumn sunshine

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson

September 2018

Moorland ablaze, aesthetically rather than literally, on Wadsworth Moor above Pecket Well

The last of the heather and the first of the autumn hues on Wadsworth Moor with Stoodley Pike on the far horizon

Stoodley Pike and Heptonstall from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well above Hebden Bridge, with Hardcastle Crags in the valley below

Early morning sunshine picking up the purple hues around Stoodley Pike on Langfield Edge

The ancient village of Heptonstall illuminated by the early autumn light

The tranquil valley of Luddenden Dean

Luddenden Dean in the September sunshine

Gatekeepers’ lodges from the Castle Carr estate in Luddenden Dean

Handloom weavers cottage in the ancient hamlet of Wainstalls above Luddenden Dean

Two baby tigers on the loose above Wainstalls at Fly! Kite Festival

Aquatic creatures take to the skies at Fly! Kite Festival on the tops above Luddenden Dean

Deep sea diver in a flap at Fly! Kite Festival

Surreal and saucy – stockinged legs on the loose above Wainstalls

Wallace and Gromit join in the fun at at Fly! Kite Festival

Squid’s in- cruising above the  hilltop meadow at Fly! Kite Festival

A trio of snakes crusing above Wainstalls at Fly! Kite Festival

Hardcastle Crags, the National Trust estate running through Hebden Dale

Hebden Water, the river running through Hardcastle Crags to Hebden Bridge

One of three footbridges crisscrossing Hebden Water in Hardcastle Crags

Trees spilling over the river banks in Hardcastle Crags

A canopy of green in the beautiful wooded valley of Hardcastle Crags

Bracken on the turn in Hardcastle Crags

Hardcastle Crags is internationally renowned for its fungi

The gorge-like valley of Hardcastle Crags provides the perfect breeding ground for fungi 

Late September and October are the best time for a fungi foray in Hardcastle Crags

Colourful and characterful fungi sprouting up everywhere in Hardcastle Crags

Bright cloud bubbling up above the foaming woodland of Hardcastle Crags

The hilltop village of Heptonstall directly opposite Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well

Stoodley Pike lording it over the Upper Calder Valley

Bucolic view along Crimsworth Dean with Stoodley Pike in the distance

Crimsworth Dean from Grain Farm

Early morning sun spilling over the steep sloping meadows of Grain Farm in Crimsworth Dean

Looking towards Stairs at the far end of Crimsworth Dean

Looking towards Hardcastle Crags and Stoodley Pike along Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean

September sunshine on the sensuous contours of Crimsworth Dean

Looking across to Slack Top across Hardcastle Crags

Looking down on the dense woodland of Hardcastle Crags

Hardcastle Crags. Slack Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike

Sheep grazing on the hilltop meadows above Hardcastle Crags

Stoodley Pike from Shackleton Hill 

Mown hay meadows on the tops above Hardcastle Crags

Late silaging at Shackleton to compensate for the lack of hay during the long hot summer

Haymaking above Hardcastle Crags

Vibrant green hilltop meadows at Shackleton with Stoodley Pike in the distance

The chimney of Old Town Mill above the steep wooded slopes of Crimsworth Dean

View from Shackleton Hill, where Crimsworth Dean merges with Hebden Dale

View along Crimsworth Dean from Shackleton Hill

Woodland and meadows in Crimsworth Dean

Old Town Mill on the hilltop at Wadsworth with Crimsworth Dean in the valley below

Farms strung along the shoulder of the hills in Crimsworth Dean

Augurs of autumn below Widdop Gate in Hardcastle Crags

Blake Dean in Hardcastle Crags

View towards Blake Dean from Widdop Gate

The precipitous slopes of Hardcastle Crags at Widdop Gate

Early morning on Wadsworth Moor

Rocky outcrops on Limers Gate on Wadsworth Moor above Pecket Well

View across the Upper Calder Valley from Wadsworth Moor towards Stoodley Pike

© Photographphs copyright Lesley Jackson

August 2018

Dramatic rocky outcrops on Great Edge above Widdop

Widdop Reservoir from Great Edge

Gritstone outcrops emerging from the heather at Widdop

On the rocks at Great Edge above Widdop Reservoir

Upturned  rocks at Great Edge

Widdop Reservoir from Great Edge with the road snaking past

Weathered  boulders at Great Edge

An elemental landscape sculpted by the weather at Great Edge

Great Edge above Widdop Reservoir

View from Great Edge looking over the moor towards Blake Dean and Hardcastle Crags

Looking back along Great Edge with Widdop Reservoir below

Gritstone rocks scattered along Great Edge above Widdop Reservoir

Low tide at Widdop Reservoir after the prolonged summer drought

Bracken, rocks, heather moorland and high hilltop meadows at Widdop

A blade of gritstone cutting through the heather on Widdop Moor

The beach at Widdop Reservoir exposed after a summer of minimal rainfall

Vibrant purple heather on Walshaw Moor above Hardcastle Crags

Heather-clad clough high up on Walshaw Moor

Heather moorland at Walshaw with Hardcastle Crags in the valley below

Roe deer high up on the moor between Crimsworth Dean and Walshaw

A stag and a hind silhouetted against the skyline

Roe deer on Walshaw Moor

View over the heather on Walshaw Moor

Crimsworth Dean looking towards Stoodley Pike

Heptonstall Church peeping over the hill at the far end of Crimsworth Dean

View along Crimsworth Dean from Grain Farm

Stoodley Pike from Crimsworth Dean

Roe deer in Crimsworth Dean

Much-needed rain greening up the hilltop meadows at Pecket Well, triggering swathes of mist in Hardcastle Crags

Roe deer on Wadsworth Moor

Hare in field above Pecket Well

The last of this season’s lapwings

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson

July 2018

Barn Owl on one of his regular dusk hunting missions around Pecket Well

The hay meadows at Elmet Farmhouse provide a rich hunting ground

Field mice and voles offer rich pickings for the Barn Owl, who takes them back to the nest and feed his chicks

July was incredibly dry so the hay meadow at Elmet Farmhouse turned whiter and whiter each day

Kestrel in Crimsworth Dean

Buzzard riding the thermals over Crimsworth Dean

Lapwing chick in Crimsworth Dean, the last of this year’s fledglings

Curlew hidden among the long grass in Crimsworth Dean

Curlew hanging out with the sheep in Crimsworth Dean, the long grass provides cover

View along Hebden Dale and Hardcastle Crags towards Hebden Bridge from Pecket Well War Memorial on Smeekin Hill

Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike from Pecket Well War Memorial during this summer’s drought

Crimsworth Dean looking incredibly parched during the long hot dry summer

Bleached meadows above the green wooded valley of Crimsworth Dean

Sheep sheltering from the sun under a tree at Grain Farm in Crimsworth Dean

Willow warbler catches an insect among the bracken in Crimsworth Dean

Willow warbler with an insect in its beak in Crimsworth Dean

Meadow pipits are ubiquitous throughout the area, particularly in Crimsworth Dean

Meadow pipits are often seen on the high meadows and up on the moorland alongside the skylarks

Meadow pipit with a juicy morsel

Another idyllic summer evening at Elmet Farmhouse, one of many this year

The evening light from the west bathing the hay meadow and spilling over the hills

Highland cattle in Pecket Well – alarming horns but tranquil temperament

Highland cattle near Sprutts Farm in Pecket Well, overlooking Pecket Well War Memorial and Hardcastle Crags

Mini-beasts: Highland cattle calves

Pair of Herdwick sheep on Deer Stones Edge above Pecket Well

A rare sighting of a Redpoll at Colden

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson

June 2018

Little Owl giving me the hard stare near Grain Farm in Crimsworth Dean

Ahem, are you looking at me?

Little owls frequent this particular spot below Cross Ends in Crimsworth Dean and even have a cottage named after them

On the wire – kestrel suveying its hunting grounds in Crimsworth Dean

Golden plover on the moor above Crimsworth Dean

Golden plover amongst the bog cotton

Bog cotton near the Haworth Old Road at Stairs above Crimsworth Dean, a haven for Golden Plovers

Golden plovers amongst the bog cotton in the early morning sunshine

Crimsworth Dean is Curlew Country

Curlew in fine voice in Crimsworth Dean

Curlew making a hue and cry

Curlew on a mission, striding through the hilltop meadow at Thurrish above Crimsworth Dean

Oystercatcher stepping out in Crimsworth Dean

Lapwing near Deer Stones Edge above Pecket Well

Recently fledged lapwing chick with small crest

Female pheasant on the moorland near White Hole Farm above Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean resplendent in the early morning sunshine

Foxgloves in Crimsworth Dean – who needs a garden?

The sensuous contours of Crimsworth Dean – a valley that never disappoints

Crimsworth Dean and the uplands beyond

Perfect end to the day at Elmet Farmhouse – Stoodley Pike and Heptonstall on the horizon

Early evening sunshine on the hay meadow at Elmet Farmhouse in Pecket Well

Looking across the fields from Elmet Farmhouse towards Pecket Well War Memorial and Hardcastle Crags

Hebden Water running through Hardcastle Crags towards Blake Dean

Climbing up the steps from Blake Dean through the bracken

Blake Dean at the far end of the National Trust estate of Hardcastle Crags

Looking down on Hebden Water from Widdop Gate towards the wooded section of Hardcastle Crags

Blake Dean from Widdop Gate at midsummer

‘To the Crags’ – the rocky outcrops on the top of wooded knolls that give Hardcastle Crags its name

Gibson Mill in Hardcastle Crags

Gibson Mill reflected in the millpond

Beech grove in Hardcastle Crags

Footbridge crossing Hebden Water in Hardcastle Crags

Hebden Water

Bridges crisscross the river in Hardcastle Crags

Although the river levels are low this summer, these bridges have been regularly washed by floods in the past

Hardcastle Crags in all its verdant summer glory

Bracken-covered slopes of Hardcastle Crags near Widdop Gate

Two small reservoirs on the tops above Luddenden Dean

Sun glistening on the water in the sunken reservoir above Luddenden Dean, a wildlife oasis

Looking down on Crimsworth Dean from High Greave

Hay meadows at Thurrish Farm above Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean from near Grain Water Bridge

Spring view along Crimsworth Dean towards Stoodley Pike

Big skies above Grain Farm and Cross Ends in Crimsworth Dean

Meadow pipit with a juicy morsel in Crimsworth Dean

Looking up through the hay meadow towards Elmet Farmhouse in early June

Cottage garden at Elmet Farmhouse in June

A constellation of candelabra primulas in the garden at Elmet Farmhouse – pinky orange Harlow Carr just love it here!

Eating out at altitude – dining room with a view at Elmet Farmhouse

Hay meadow at Elmet Farmhouse in peak condition at the end of June

Bleached fields near Heptonstall as the drought starts to take hold

Stoodley Pike and Heptonstall from Pecket Well, with Elmet Farmhouse hay meadow looking more like a field of wheat in the foreground 

Lapwings come to breed and rear their chicks on the uplands above Hebden Bridge each year

June is the best time to see lapwings at close quarters as the fledgling chicks are still on the ground

Lapwings abound on the fringes of the moor above valleys such as Crimsworth Dean

Golden plovers are another of the ground-nesting birds that return to the area each year to breed

It’s only when you see them close up that you can admire thee golden plumage that gives these plovers their name

Other coastal birds such as oystercatchers also head inland to the Pennine moors to breed

Bog cotton near Limers Gate on Wadsworth Moor

As its name suggests, bog cotton thrives on the blanket bog on the moor

Curlew among the bog cotton on Wadsworth Moor, another of the ground-nesting birds that favours this area to breed

Snipe at Wilcock Dam about Pecket Well, with its extraordinarily long beak

Lapwing in Crimsworth Dean

Curlew perched on a wall in Crimsworth Dean

A remarkably cooperative curlew posing in Crimsworth Dean

The early morning light and blue sky make for good photographs

The curlew’s long curved beak is ideal for digging into the ground for worms

Curlew at Thurrish, one of the highest farms in Crimsworth Dean

Curlew in the buttercup meadow at Thurrish in Crimsworth Dean

Juvenile pied wagtail near White Hole Farm in Crimsworth Dean

Goldfinch in Pecket Well

Greenfinch in Pecket Well

One of the many warm sunny evenings we enjoyed this year at Elmet Farmhouse

Beautiful soft evening sunshine on the hay meadow at Elmet Farmhouse with Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike in the distance beyond Hardcastle Crags

Roe deer kid born in the field at Elmet Farmhouse at the end of the May, growing fast, changing colour and becoming more independent during June

River of mist at Elmet Farmhouse on 10 June 2018

The swirling mist shifts around in the valley minute by minute, as this photographic sequence shows

Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike hovering above the river of mist

Sun trying to break through, creating a pinkish glow

The view framed by plants in the garden

An atmospheric view of Heptonstall church

Homage to Fay Godwin’s photograph of Heptonstall on the cover of Ted Hughes’s Remains of Elmet

The bigger picture, taking in Pecket Well War Memorial as well as Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike

View from Elmet Farmhouse with cows in the foreground and a river of mist in Hardcastle Crags below Pecket Well War Memorial

Lumb Bank, an 18th century millowner’s house, once owned by Ted Hughes, now the Yorkshire base for the Arvon Foundation

Arched recesses for beehives built into the hillside below stables at Lumb Bank in Colden Clough

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson

May 2018

Bluebellerama!

A sequence of photos taken in Hardcastle Crags during May

…when the bluebells were at their peak

This year the bluebell season was short but sweet…

The start of the bluebell season was delayed by the long winter…

… and the length of the bluebell season was curtailed by the extraordinarily hot dry spring

Bluebells amongst the ferns

The dramatic steep wooded valley of Hardcastle Crags in spring

Bluebells aboung on the slippery slopes of Hebden Dale (aka Hardcastle Crags)

Heavenly walkway through the bluebells in Hardcastle Crags

Narrow path through the bluebells on the precarious upper slopes of Hardcastle Crags

It’s the ground that’s sloping, not the camera!

Intoxicating aroma and good enough to eat

A deep pile carpet of bluebells in Hardcastle Crags

Bluebells cascading down the hillside in Hardcastle Crags

Bluebells and stitchwort, the perfect combination

Three views of Stoodley Pike, here with bog cotton in the foreground

You can tell it’s a dry spring – look at this sandy path along the ridge to Stoodley Pike

Blue skies behind Stoodley Pike – the perfect day for an ascent with the reward of magnificent views

Pecket Well Mill across a buttercup meadow

Wild flower meadow in Pecket Well with red clover in the foreground

Green, yellow and white – the multi-coloured meadows of Pecket Well

Wild flower meadow with abundant clover below Purprise Farm on the slopes of Crimsworth Dean

Highland cattle near Sprutts Farm in Pecket Well

View from above Pecket Well village towards War Memorial and Hardcastle Crags

Hilltop hay meadows full of buttercups at Pecket Well with Heptonstall beyond

18th century Elmet Farmhouse with peonies and chaerophyllum in the foreground

Cottage garden in full bloom at Elmet Farmhouse at the end of May with irises and aquilegia

Harlow Carr hybrid candelabra primula coming into flower in the garden at Elmet Farmhouse

Idyllic early evening scene at Elmet Farmhouse in Pecket Well with roe deer in hay meadow

Watchful roe deer hind amongst the saplings at the bottom of the field in front of Elmet Farmhouse

Roe deer hind surveying us from the bottom of the meadow at Elmet Farmhouse, having just given birth to triplets, which she doesn’t want us to find

New-born roe deer kid with beautiful markings no bigger than a kitten, curled up in long grass at the bottom of the field at Elmet Farmhouse

We thought there was only one kid but we later discovered that there were three!

The proud (and protective) mother of the infant roe deer above

Watchful roe deer hind in the meadow at Elmet Farmhouse

Roe deer hind with early evening sunshine on the meadow at Elmet Farmhouse

Triple take – Pecket Well War Memorial on Smeekin Hill in the foreground, Heptonstall Church on horizon and Stoodley Pike floating in the mist

Looking over a buttercup meadow towards Old Town

Disembodied mill chimneys near Lumb Bank in Colden Clough

Stoodley Pike from across the Calder Valley near Blackshaw Head

Stile above Todmorden

Stone-paved causeway through the bilberries and heather above Todmorden

Early morning sunshine in Crimsworth Dean

A perfect spring morning in Crimsworth Dean

Lambs sunning themselves on the steep slopes of Crimsworth Dean

Meadow pipit in Hardcastle Crags

Bridge over Hebden Water in Hardcastle Crags

Cliff-like banks in the river gorge in the heart of Hardcastle Crags

Newly-unfurled leaves on the trees on the riverbank in Hardcastle Crags

Looking over Hardcastle Crags from the Widdop Road

Golden meadow by Pecket Well Mill, just across the road from Elmet Farmhouse

Cottage garden in the spring at Elmet Farmhouse

Geums in the cottage garden at Elmet Farmhouse

Chaerophyllum thrives in the cottage garden at Elmet Farmhouse

Stoodley stoat, spotted on the slopes of Stoodley Pike

Although it’s early May, he’s still wearing his white bib and tucker as it’s been a long hard winter

Stoodley Pike from Mankinholes

Blue skies over Stoodley Pike – spring has finally sprung

Gadding about at Gaddings – the beach in the corner of the hilltop reservoir

Gaddings Dam, hidden away on top of the moor above Todmorden

May Bank Holiday – blue skies reflected in the reservoir

Stoodley Pike just visible on the horizon across Gaddings Dam

Rushes on the edge of Gaddings Dam

Stoodley Pike on the skyline on beautiful day in early May

Meadow pipit on Wadsworth Moor above Elmet Farmhouse

Glorious early spring view from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well with the leaves just coming out on the trees in Pecket Well Clough and Hardcastle Crags

Swaledale ewe and lambs at Plumpton Farm in Pecket Well

A cosy nook for two Swaledale lambs

The toad he went a-courting

New foliage unfurling on the trees below Walshaw in Hardcastle Crags

View across Hardcastle Crags with Slack Heptonstall on the ridge and Stoodley Pike on the horizon

Hazy May day in Crimsworth Dean with Old Town Mill chimney on the hillside

The first bluebells of the season unfurling in Hardcastle Crags

Bluebells taking hold in Hardcastle Crags

A sea of bluebells in Hardcastle Crags

Beech trees in Crimsworth Dean

A river of ramsons in Crimsworth Dean

Or a gorge of wild garlic, take your pick

Crimsworth Dean, looking towards Midgehole

Fifty shades of green on Shackleton Hill

Tiptoe through the bluebells in Crimsworth Dean

Bluebells on the steep slopes of Hardcastle Crags

Cuckoo flower in Crimsworth Dean

A flotilla of ducklings in one of the dams in Crimsworth Dean

The first cut: early haymaking in Crimsworth Dean

© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson and Ian Fishwick

April 2018

Sun burning off the early morning mist in Crimsworth Dean 

Percy the Pheasant on the garden wall at Elmet Farmhouse

Percy’s handsome plumage

Blue skies on a cold frosty morning in Crimsworth Dean

Sheep in Crimsworth Dean

Icy wall in Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean on a crisp April morning

Valley slopes below Grain Farm in Crimsworth Dean

Ice-coated dry stone wall in Crimsworth Dean

Winter meets spring: frost-coated green meadows

Long shadows cast by a leafless tree in Crimsworth Dean

Snow-capped Stoodley Pike from Crimsworth Dean

Hungry sheep chasing farmer delivering fodder in Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean with Grain Farm in the foreground and Stoodley Pike on the horizon

Pied wagtail in Crimsworth Dean

New-born lamb in Crimsworth Dean 18 April 2018

Digging in the dugs with their tails wagging behind them

Pooped, one and all!

Blue tit heralding the spring with a good old sing!

Pecket Well blue tit

Stoodley Pike from Wadsworth Moor with early morning mist in the Calder Valley

Skylark with crest, all-pervasive on the moors above Elmet Farmhouse but almost impossible to photograph

Formation lambs at Colden

More of a free-for-all at Colden

New-born lambs at Colden, all present and correct

Twins snuggling up together in Crimsworth Dean

‘I’m all ears!’ Curious lamb at Grain Farm in Crimsworth Dean

Swaledale lambs literally tucking in near Hilltop Farm at Pecket Well

New-born Swaledale lamb in Pecket Well

‘Just stretching my legs’

Billy Goat Gruff in Crimsworth Dean

Oystercatcher in Crimsworth Dean, dirty beak belies a recent spell of digging

Top o’ the world- Big skies on the tops above Crimsworth Dean

From moor to meadow – no mistaking the division with the shift in colour

Bright skies and skudding clouds on the path over to Walshaw from Crimsworth Dean

Yorkshire palette in April: bright green hilltop meadow and bleached tussocky moorland

Crimsworth Dean lambs near White Hole Farm

Mother and child standing their ground in Crimsworth Dean

New-born twins, still a bit wrinkly until their creases drop out

© Photos copyright Lesley Jackson and Ian Fishwick

March 2018

Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s been snowy!

Very snowy!

These are the snowdrifts just outside the door…

And these are the drifts around one of the doorways

The culprit! Also known as The Beast from the East!

Walking has been somewhat challenging as many pathways were blocked…

But it was a bit more sheltered under the trees

This was the scene at Crimsworth Beck, just along from Midgehole

Hidden beneath the snow and ice is a dam in Crimsworth Dean

View from packhorse bridge at Wheat Ing in Crimsworth Dean

Looking along the river downstream in Crimsworth Dean

As well as the snow, there were some stupendous icicles

Crimsworth Dean near the converegence with Hardcastle Crags

Deep snow drifts against the dry stone walls in Pecket Well

Footpath through the top field at Elmet Farmhouse

Snowy wallscape

Pecket Well War Memorial with yet another coating of snow 

Kittling Bridge in Pecket Well Clough

Packhorse track over Kittling Bridge in Pecket Well Clough

Atmospheric misty morning looking downstream in Pecket Well Clough

The dramatic view from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well

Sun breaking through over Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike

Sunlight bouncing off the snow-capped Pennine hills

Finally a thaw. Up on the tops near White Hole Farm above Crimsworth Dean

Ruined barn on the fringes of the moor, looking towards Stairs in Crimsworth Dean

Amidst all the snow, the lapwings are settling into their spring quarters in Crimsworth Dean

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson

February 2018

View from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well on a snowy February morning with Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike on the horizon

Sunrise over Stoodley Pike

Dappled pink early morning sun on the snowy ridge of Deer Stones Edge above Pecket Well

Snowy moorland below Limers Gate

Sunrise at High Brown Knoll on Limers Gate above Pecket Well

Gorple Reservoirs from Wadsworth Moor at sunrise

Wilcock Dam above Pecket Well Mill

Stoodley Pike and Heptonstall from Wadsworth Moor above Pecket Well

Pecket Well War Memorial just poking up above the trees from across the fields at Elmet Farmhouse

Elmet Farmhouse with snowy fields and vivid blue sky

View from Elmet Farmhouse over the fields towards Hardcastle Crags, Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike

The same view but a wider panorama, incorporating Pecket Well War Memorial on Smeekin Hill on the right

Spoilt for choice with the spectacular views of snow-capped Pennine hills from Elmet Farmhouse this month

The village of Heptonstall perched on the hilltop opposite Elmet Farmhouse 

Stoodley Pike towering over the Calder Valley,  as seen from Elmet Farmhouse

Frosty morning in Crimsworth Dean near Grain Water Bridge

Pair of trees in Crimsworth Dean casting spider’s web shadows

Drystone walls running up the snowy hillside near Stoodley Pike with moody skies

Triple whammy: Pecket Well War Memorial echoing the obelisk form of Stoodley Pike with Heptonstall sandwiched in between

Frozen bullrushes on dam in Crimsworth Dean

Sun hitting the steep snowy hillside near Wheat Ing in Crimsworth Dean 

A beautifully crafted drystone wall running up the hillside in Crimsworth Dean

A dusting of snow in Crimsworth Dean

Late winter sunshine bouncing off the meadows in Crimsworth Dean

Grain Farm in Crimsworth Dean with heather moorland above

Drystone walls and leafless trees at Grain Farm in Crimsworth Dean

On the tops above Walshaw looking towards Blake Dean at the head of Hardcastle Crags

Gorple and Widdop Reservoirs beyond Blake Dean at the far end of Hardcastle Crags

A row of leafless trees heralding the approach to Walshaw Lodge above Hardcastle Crags

Looking across Hardcastle Crags from Walshaw with Slack Heptonstall on the ridge and Stoodley Pike beyond

Hazy February afternoon in Crimsworth Dean, looking along the valley towards Stoodley Pike

Pair of leafless trees at Grain Farm in Crimsworth Dean

Big sky above the three reservoirs at Walshaw Dean

Snowy hillside on the tops above Hebden Bridge

Sunset from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well with Hardcastle Crags in the valley and Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike on the far hilltops – 27 February 2018

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson

January 2018

View from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well

View from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well with Stoodley Pike and Heptonstall Church on the horizon

Crimsworth Dean on a frosty January morning

Grain Farm and Cross Ends Farm in Crimsworth Dean

View from Elmet Farmhouse at Pecket Well with sun streaming through the clouds over Heptonstall

The village of Hpetonstall from Pecket Well

Expectant ewes on Shackleton Hill in Hardcastle Crags

Bracken-covered slopes of Hardcastle Crags at Blake Dean

Roe deer in Crimsworth Dean

Crimsworth Dean above Midgehole

Winter sunshine on Shackleton Hill from Crimsworth Dean

View along Crimsworth Dean near Grain Water Bridge

Afternoon sunshine in Crimsworth Dean – still full of colour even in the middle of winter

Bracken in Crimsworth Dean near Lumb Falls

© Photographs copyright Lesley Jackson