Winskill Stones

Winskill Stones is one of the Yorkshire Dales' hidden gems and is situated high on a plateau above the villages of Langcliffe and Stainforth in Ribblesdale. It is basically a limestone pavement and can be reached in a few minutes from the road leading over the moors from Langcliffe to Malham. As the limestone pavement cannot be seen from the road, it is usually ignored but having said that, once you have discovered the place, you will definitely visit again.

I can't think of many better placed to view the Three Peaks area of the Dales than from here. Ingleborough is straight in front with Pen-y-Gent off to the right. Plus you also have the bonus of a hawthorn tree growing out of the limestone which makes it a photographers dream. As if that wasn't enough, its also a grand place to watch the sunset and in close proximity there is Catrigg Force, a very impressive waterfall.

Plantlife, the British conservation charity, bought Winskill with the help of a public appeal, to stop the extraction of rock from its limestone pavement, and to allow its varied flora to thrive. The late Geoff Hamilton, writer and TV gardener, launched the original appeal and the reserve is dedicated to his memory. There was grant support from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, too. It beggars belief the way people are prepared to destroy some of our most beautiful wild areas just to make a quick bob or two.

The afternoon I took this photo was a bitterly cold one with a fierce icy wind blowing across from the west. This area is famous for its ferocious weather; they don't call Pen-y-Ghent "The Hill of the winds" for nothing! It might look benign from afar but I've had times when I have hardly been able to stay upright on it and once I had to admit defeat and beat a hasty retreat as I just couldn't stand up for the final section.

The final photo was of the sunset. I couldn't have asked for a better way to finish the day.