Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.

Malham

On what seemed like the first nice day for weeks on end, I decided to make the most of it by taking a trip out to Malham. Parking on the road going up to the Tarn, I walked along the well worn path to the Cove which was surprisingly pretty quiet considering the weather. Maybe only half a dozen people were on top that day but there was one young woman more or less sat right on the edge of the Cove. You can just about make her out in one of the photos. The top is a photographers delight with its limestone pavement and glorious view down Malhamdale and I wasted no time in getting my camera out.

I then followed the Pennine Way path which leads away from the Cove and up the dry Watlowes Valley. The valley narrows as you progress and the only way out is up a fairly steep stepped path. The Pennine Way path then continue up to Malham Tarn but I cut off to the right across a sometimes wet and boggy Cote Moor. The moor really is a wild and open place which I wouldn't fancy walking across in low cloud as there are so many tracks created over the years. Knowing roughly which direction the Cove was, I picked out the lowest of the paths and, after a detour to another limestone pavement, I was back in more familiar territory.

My path eventually came down round the back of the Cove and there was just time for a sit down to take in the glorious view before joining the path I'd set off on. A very enjoyable walk was finished off perfectly with a pint at The Lister's Arms where I joined the other walkers and visitor who were sitting out on the green enjoying the late evening sun.

Malham Cove

Malham Beck from the Cove

Limestone Pavement Malham Cove

Malham Cove

Limestone Pavement Malham Cove

Watlowes Dry Valley

Cote Moor

Hardraw Force

“We found the rock, which had before appeared like a wall, extending itself over our heads like the ceiling of a huge cave, from the summit of which the water shot directly over our heads into a basin, and among the fragments wrinkled over with masses of ice as white as snow, or rather, as Dorothy said, like congealed froth. The water fell at least ten yards from us and we stood directly behind it." (Letter from William and Dorothy Wordsworth to Coleridge, December 1799)

From the high lonely fells you’ve carved your course
And now in a single sudden chute you fall:
Loud, fierce, a mighty thunderous force,
Spending your pent power, your strength, your all
In this dark hollow where I stand, confronted
By an immense cavernous echoing wall
Scooped out around you, in sedimented
Layers of limestone, sandstone, shale.
No seedling could settle long enough here
To take root; no climber find a stay
In the serrated sides which drop sheer
To the beck as it tumbles down the valley.
But I can walk behind you, see you batter
The rocks in the pool below; or watch the way,
In perpetual motion, you smash and shatter
Your own reflection with dancing froth and spray.

Autumn Breaks.

It's been an above average autumn for photography this year. We had a couple of weeks of calm, warm weather with plenty of blue skies around mid October. Thankfully my shifts coincided with these bright spells, giving me a fine week in The Lakes and this was followed by some decent weather in The Dales.

The Lakes photos are take at Tarn Hows, Brotherswater , Ullswater and Borrowdale and The Dales photos were mainly taken in Malham. As I write this blog, the weather seems to have taken a change for the worse. We have recently had high winds, rain and now fog which seems to be gradually taking the leaves off of the trees. Still it was nice while it lasted.

Looking forward to a few frosty cold days now and maybe just a bit of snow.

Borrowdale

Behind Castle Crag, Borrowdale

Castle Crag

Looking down on Rosthwaite

Brotherswater

Tarn Hows

Langstrothdale Chase

Wharfedale

River Wharfe at Burnsall

Dales Way Burnsall

Malham

Janet's Foss, Malham

Malham

Going Home

This song by Runrig seems to sum up my feelings and emotions perfectly when I visit the far North West of Scotland and The Isle of Skye. I have just spent a few days in that area, staying at The Loch Maree Hotel for three nights and then two in Portree at the Rosedale Hotel.

In the distance, day was dawning

Comes to me the early morning

Something tells me that I'm going home

The brand new sun shining bright

From the darkness fields of light

Something tells me that I'm going home

Going home when the summer's coming in

And the moonlight on the river

Shows me where I've been

Soft, the rain is gently falling

Lightly cross the city morning

I get the feeling that I'm going home

Across the moorlands, past the mountains
O'er the rivers, beside the new streams
Something tells me that I'm going home

Going home when the summer's coming in
And the moonlight on the river
Shows me where I've been

As the train is rolling nearer

Ah, the feeling just to be there

Something tells me that I'm going home

Now the skylines reach my eyes

The ridge stands out in highland skies

I just can't believe I'm going home

Rory MacDonald, Calum MacDonald.

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As soon as I turned off on to the Wester Ross Coastal Route I got the sense that I was entering a somewhat special land. I broke this section in two drives. The first part went round Loch Carron and over the Beallach na Ba to Applecross before taking the coastal road to Torridon and then Loch Maree.

After my long drive up, I didn't venture far on my first day. I kept to the local coast, visiting Gairloch, Red Point Bay, Melvaig and the beach at Mellom Uldrigle. The day started of beautifully but the showers soon came in off the Atlantic and I was drenched a couple of times. Once you get wet, it doesn't really matter if you get wet again. That's how I look at it anyway. Between the showers I managed to take some decent photographs for this blog.

My second day carried on up the Coastal route up to Ullapool. The weather was overcast so, as usual, I didn't see much of An Tealloch and surrounding hills. At Ullapool it had started to clear out which made the drive in to the Coigach peninsula quite spectacular. I like the way all the hills are spread apart and stand alone up here. You really get the feeling that you are in a wilderness.

My route eventually took me to the coast. No visit to these parts would be complete with out a stop and walk at Achnahaird Bay which is absolutely fabulous. Then it was back in land for a short while before hitting the coast again at Polnish where I got a stunning vista of the Summer Isles. This view never fails to excite. My last port of call was the beautiful Achiltibuie Bay. As the day was so clear, I could see right down to the Torridon Hills. I sat there in isolation for ages just admiring the beauty of the view.

The next day it was over the bridge to Skye. I had been lucky with the weather so far, I'd had a few showers but they can add to a photograph. My time on Skye was a rather gloomy time with blanket cloud. I twice spend ages waiting for some decent light at Sligachan before I got a five minute break in the clouds! I also turned around on the road to Elgol as I could see that it would be a wasted journey. However I always make the best of things and went round the north coast of the island to Uig and The Skye Brewery and followed that up with a visit to The Stein Inn on Watternish. Without doubt it's the best pub on Skye by a country mile.

The next day was a very long drive back down to Penrith where I had an overnight stay before heading home and to work. Despite the drab weather on Skye, I did have a very enjoyable week away.