Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: April 2019

A series of photos from my yearly Bluebell Pilgrimage to what is locally known as Middleton Wood at Ilkley. In fact Middleton consists of four different woods and not just the one. The other three are

Stubham Wood
Hudson Wood
Coppy Wood (which lies adjacent to Middleton Wood.)

All four are renown for their fantastic displays of bluebells and are a delight to visit at this time of year. I was fortunate enough to get about 30 minutes of sun but once it had gone in, the photos started to get pretty flat so decided to call it a day. I did pop back over the next two evenings but still had no joy so the photos taken in Hudson Wood are lacking that certain bit of Va-va-voom I'm afraid.

I'm still hoping to get up to The Lakes to see the bluebells in Rannerdale but I fear I may have left it a tad too late. As with most things in The Lakes these days, they have become a victim of their popularity. I understand there are specified walkways now as people in past years have veered from the paths thus ruining the display.

Bluebells can take years to recover after footfall damage because, if a bluebell’s leaves are crushed, they die back from lack of food as the leaves cannot photosynthesise.

Something for us all to bear in mind.

Middleton Wood

Coppy Wood

Coppy Wood

Middleton Wood

StubhamWood

Hudson Wood

After a dispute and riot in 1132 at the Benedictine house of St Mary's Abbey, in York, 13 monks were expelled (among them Saint Robert of Newminster) and, after unsuccessful attempts to form a new monastery were taken under the protection of Thurstan, Archbishop of York. He provided them with land in the valley of the River Skell, a tributary of the Ure. The enclosed valley had all the natural features needed for the creation of a monastery, providing shelter from the weather, stone and timber for building, and a supply of running water and so the life of Fountains Abbey began. I now have this ridiculous vision in my head of rioting monks, I wonder what form it took.

They did a grand job because fountain's Abbey has got to be one of the most spectacular religious ruins in the United Kingdom. It will have been really spectacular in the days prior King Henry the Eighth's Dissolution of the Monastry's in 1539. The Knave Transept and tower are still in pretty good repair even though the roofs have obviously disappeared, and the Great Cloister has got to be the finest example there is and is still intact.

I visited the Abbey with Laura and Charlie, a couple of friends over from Florida who had based their first few days in the UK at Knaresborough. I gave them a choice between three place and they jumped at the chance to visit the Abbey to experience it's history although Charlie seemed more interested in the local pheasants than the actual ruins!

Our first port of call was Fountain's Hall which has an interesting history itself. In 1597 Stephen Proctor bought the Fountains Abbey estate from the Crown and began the construction of Fountains Hall soon after. Sir Stephen Proctor built today's elegant mansion as his country home in the early 17th-century, reusing sandstone blocks and a stone staircase from the old Abbey. Over the years the hall has seen many uses – a stately home, a courthouse, an estate employees’ lodging and a farmer’s house. It was also used by The Settlers Society – a boys training camp set up in the 1930s, offering young men from deprived areas of the North East a chance to escape the poverty of the Great Depression.

It was then back outside to explore and marvel at the abbey ruins that were enhanced by a carpet of daffodils which were literally "fluttering and dancing in the breeze!" The River Skell was then followed to Studley Royal Water Gardens which were designed by John and William Aislabie in the 18th century and were given World Heritage Site status in 1986.

No day out would be complete without a call in to a cafe for coffee and cake or, if you are really bad, coffee and a clotted cream scone which my American friends did. The coffee shop by the weir at Studley Royal is very light and airy and has stunning views over the gardens with ample seating outside for those hot sunny days of summer. We stuck to admiring them through the glass windows as I think Charlie and Laura were more accustomed to Florida temperatures than the North Yorkshire's temperatures.

We then strolled back through the gardens and up to the Visitor Centre where souvenirs and gifts for friends were purchased before heading back to the car and returning to Knaresborough.

What a smashing afternoon it had been. Laura is so full of life and energy and it just rubs off on you. It was fantastic to have a catch up with her and to meet her hubby for the first time. I understand plans are already being written up for another trip next year when her a girlfriend are coming over to do one of our long-distance trails. Roll on 2020!