Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: bradford

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Autumn Mist

Misty days seem to have been few and far between in recent times so it was with great excitement that I set off to my local woodland in the hope of it staying around. Unfortunately as soon as I arrived it was already lifting. I did intend going to various locations within the Estate but unfortunately I was restricted to the Coppice Pond area and surrounding woods.

Coppice Pond

Autumn Time, St Ives Estate

Coppice Pond

Autumn Time, St Ives Estate

Autumn

Autumn’s Embrace

Autumn’s embrace is upon us at last
A hue of vibrant colours
Dapple through the trees
Exuding warmth and comfort
To protect us from life’s breeze

Ageing leaves sprinkle like confetti
To the ground, without sound
Enticing us to walk their magic carpet
As we marvel at their splendour
Such soothing vibes, so tender

Warmth rings out
From the tapestry of colour
With such abundant flair
Easing the shift from summer’s sun-kissed skies
With fallen leaves, some trees now bare

Squirrels dine on pinecones, in plentiful supply
Children gather conkers off the ground
As they pass by
Crafters forage autumn gems to their hearts delight
Before they scamper back off home
As the day gives way to night

In time the leaves will decompose
As the tree roots, they will nourish
With the passing of the seasons
The trees again will one day flourish
But in between we revel in autumn’s calm embrace
As we marvel at its beauty with a smile upon our face

Photos from a lovely few hours spent at St Ives Estate near Bingley, West Yorkshire. It is my local 'go to' place and I have blogged about it on many occasions. I think this autumn is the best we have had for a long time, the colours really popped for weeks. These were taken as it started to come to and end but I still managed to capture some lovely tones and colours.

Autumn at St Ives

Coppice Pond

Autumn at St Ives

Coppice Pond

Moorland Magic

I had visited this moor on the outskirts of Bradford a few times but never in summer when the heather was in bloom. I do think I caught the back end of it with this visit, maybe I should have gone there a few weeks earlier. Even so, it was still spectacular. The sun played ball and me; eventually making an appearance which really made the colours pop.

The varid history of Harden Moor goes back to the Bronze Age and this is evidenced by the cairns on the moor which can date from anywhere between 2000-700BC and are examples of Bronze Age burial mounds. The moor originally started at Bingley and spread as far as Cullingworth and included St Ives Estate. The Brigantes, who occupied the territory before the Roman invasion, used a gritstone outcrop that overlooks Bingley as an altar in what is believed to be a form of Druidism. Cup and also ringlet marks have been found carved in Altar Rock (also popularly known as Druid's Altar). Also, due to finds of coins and other artifacts, it is believed that the Jacobite army of 1745 passed over Harden Moor in November of that year en route to Preston. As with other neighbouring moorlands, Harden Moor was used for military training during the Second World War. Empty shell casings and tail fins from mortar rounds have been found scattered across these moors.

Quarrying has been prominent on the western edge of what is now Harden Moor for over 300 years, with many of the quarrymen residing in the nearby hamlet of Ryecroft. The sandstone from these quarries (Yeadonian, which is rough rock and rough rock flags) was used to construct the iconic buildings in Saltaire and other local towns and villages. That is the area where all the photos were taken and you can see the remains of the quarries in them.

Many tracks and bridleways cross the moors which makes it very popular with walkers and horse riders. A few years ago I did hear a cuckoo on the moors.

Autumn Arrives Early

Photos taken locally of the start to the changing of the season on Harden Moor above Keighley in West Yorkshire. The parking and entrance to the moor is across the road from St Ives Estate and is easily accessible and has a myriad of footpaths. You can make walks on the moors as long or as short as you want.

At this time of year the moor is awash with heather and I have done a separate blog of this. On Harden Moor, sandstone was quarried for at least three hundred years to build local buildings and dry stone walls. The Yeadonian sandstone was a rough rock and rough rock flag type, used to construct buildings in Saltaire and other local towns and villages. The last operational quarry on the moor, Midgeham Cliff End Quarry, supplied a type of sandstone called blockstone for local housing and closed around 2012.

None of these photos were taken anywhere near the quarries, if fact the were taken at a natural fault in the area called Deep Cliff Hole, across the road from St Ives Woods.

Changing Seasons

Deep Cliff Hole

Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.

Autumn Mist

Autumn

Autumn’s Embrace

Moorland Magic

Autumn Arrives Early

Tarn Hows

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