Route
Walk Leader | Ron |
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Route | Bolton Abbey (Cavendish Pavilion Car Park) – west bank of river Wharfe -The Strid – Barden Bridge – east bank – Drebley – Appletreewick – Drebley – road to Barden Bridge – return to cars along the east bank of the river. |
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Weather | Cloudy and showery at first, cleared into a fine sunny afternoon. |
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Walkers |
Ron, Sandy, Ashley, George B and Evelyn.
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Excuses | Michelle and Michael - unable to walk but joined us for the meal. Carol - going to a party. Bernie - holidaying in the north west of Scotland.
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Comments |
We arrived at the car park to be charged £6 for the priviledge and to be told that we could not walk on the moor because of grouse shooting, requiring some rapid replanning by Ron. Ashley and car, navigating by Tomtom ended up on the opposite side of the river to the car park with his way blocked to the bridge by a padlocked gate. He had to drive several miles to get on the right side. We started off up the west bank of the river, passing the Bodger’s workshop, where various items of his work were on display, e.g a deer, stool, bird table. (Bodger: artisan craftsman, who lived in the woods and made a living crafting things out of wood). We spent some time at the Strid, where the river rushes impressively through a narrow (about 1m wide) constriction, resulting in the formation of shapes and holes in the rock. The river was full and the water brownish after recent rain. The riiver bank was very steep with several death-defying drops. At Drebley the water level was too high to cross the river by the stepping stones. We had lunch looking over the river, though it was midge-infested in the shade and too hot in the sun. Near to Appletreewick we found two detached claws from a crustacean in the middle of a field. Appletreewick had several old stone houses with strange names, e.g Old Mock Beggar House. Blue Lotus parked at roadside. Spied a cat asleep on large pile of cushions. Our way was blocked by a padlocked gate due to grouse shooting. We chatted with a friendly walker while looking at a map to find an alternative route. We saw a brown hairy caterpillar crawling across the road. Evelyn and Sandy were admiring it when it was promptly squished by a passing car - it had green innards. There was a calf in field with a hank of wool attached to its mouth. We stopped for an ice cream at Barden Bridge - very tasty large portions at a reasonable price. There were good views of the ruins of Barden Towers from a double sided stone settee on the other side of the river, just past an impressive castellated bridge. Lots of log seats at strategic viewpoints. On our return to Cavendish Pavilion we were met by a wedding party. The bride and groom arrived in a cream 1950’s Wolseley. There were lots of cyclists at the parking area.
Wildlife/Flora/Animals: Birds: Lots of well-fed ducks, oyster catchers, pheasant, yellow wagtail and sand martins. Butterflies/insects: Lots of cabbage white butterflies and a painted lady. Mammals/others: Several rabbits, a beetle and a hairy caterpillar. Plants/flowers: Lots of yellow wild orchids, tasty wild raspberries and brambles. Sessile oaks by the river and several newly planted trees (oak, ash). Rowan trees with lots of berries, pear tree in a garden. Lots of very attractive wild flowers, including foxgloves and buddlea.
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Meal | ||||
The Seven Stars at Shincliffe. Joined by Michael and Michelle. Excellent meal despite Michael not getting his sage stuffing.
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Photo Gallery |
River Wharfe |
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Sandy at the Bodger's |
Downstream |
Upstream |
Monarch of the Glen |
Turbulence |
Erosion |
Claw |
Ice Cream Van |
Sandy dispenses dinner |
Lunch |
Another busy day |
Castellations |
Stone settee |
Bridge backdrop |
Shady |
Mock Beggar Hall |
Above the river |
Vignette of the Strid |
The Lazy Ones |