Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.

St Ives during Lockdown

St Ives Estate has been a Godsend since the easing of lock-down restrictions with it being only a few miles drive from home and, if you get the timing right, very quiet. Plus it gives you a bit of a leg-stretcher. Walking round the village every day does get a bit monotonous after a time whereas with St Ives you have got many paths and can make your walk as long or as short as you wish. I reckon a walk around the perimeter of the estate, going as far as The Druid's Altar is between two and a half to three miles depending on the route taken.

Met up with Sal on a couple of my walks whilst obviously making sure we both kept our distance. I've missed her company loads these past few months and she has missed mine. We have both had to come to terms with the fact that we have had to cancel holidays and I know things have been a lot worse for Sal as she has been unable to visit her family is South Yorkshire and offer them support.

I have posted a lot of photos in this blog but I could have posted many more. I have come to really love St Ives since knowing Sal and this year I have had the added bonus of being able to see the bluebells in Hollin Wood. I have also heard a cuckoo on more than one occasion, seen woodpeckers and jays aplenty and best of all, watch the Swans bringing up their eight cygnets.

The only thing I have missed is a cappuccino in The Ivy Kitchen!

Cuckoo Nest Wood

St Ives Bridleway

Hollin Wood

Druids Altar Bridleway

Race Course Plantataion

Cuckoo Nest Wood

White Veined Butterfly

Blind lane

Blind Lane

Hollin Wood Bluebells

Cow Parsley

Heron

Cuckoo Nest Wood

Sal in Hollin Wood

Race Horse Plantation

Coppice Pond Wood

Crow Nest Wood

Swan ans Cygnets

Cygnet

Damsel Fly

Mother Swan

Cygnet

Gosling

Hollin Wood

More of Middleton Wood's Bluebells

I took so many shots on my walk in Middleton Wood that I've had to split them in to two blogs!

Middleton Wood, Ilkley

Evening in Middleton Woods

I didn't expect to get to see the bluebells this year but, after watching neighbours going out on five hour cycle rides and three hour walks, I though sod it I'm going across to Ilkley to Middleton Woods. I tagged it on to the end of a shopping trip so no lockdown rules were broken.

I could really have done with setting off a bit earlier because the sun was setting on the top woods making the light very poor. Most of the photos were taken in the lower woods though and I think I took enough to make my trip worthwhile. Surprisingly both woods were very quiet, I think I only saw one person in the lower wood and just a few more in the upper wood. Having said that, it was seven o'clock at night!

It was the first time I had been out with the camera in nearly a month so it really lifted my spirits which I must admit had started to flag. Walking the same route around my local village day after day and being self isolating alone was getting me down a bit. The Government have since relaxed the walking rule so you can now take a short drive to start it which mean that I can vary them a bit more but I usually follow my shopping/walk rule with the occasional local walk thrown in. Wherever I go and whatever I do, social distancing is at the forefront of my thinking.

Middleton Lower Wood

Middleton Upper Wood

Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.

St Ives during Lockdown

More of Middleton Wood's Bluebells

Evening in Middleton Woods

Tarn Hows

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