Wednesday, 18th April 2018
I'm having a lovely week off work so far. Can't fault the weather - glorious sunshine and warm - a far cry from the last 3 months of mud and rain. So, after a couple of days spring-cleaning the house and massacring the grass for it's first cut of the year, I decided to make the most of the weather and re-visit a walk I've not done for a looooooong time.
I think the last time I did this walk, the Drewton Estate were in the middle of thinning and felling the trees and the area looked awful - the landscape looked scarred, raw, damaged (though all those cut pine trees smelled lovely!). I decided it was bad enough at the time that that I wouldn't do the walk again for a year or two to allow the landscape to heal and re-naturalise.
Today was the day to re-visit. And I'm glad I did. I headed down, down, down Swinescaife track:
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| Heading down Swinescaif track from Beverley Clump |
And then headed down some more at my four stops hill:
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Looking down Comberdale
my four stops hill |
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| A brand-spanking-new signpost |
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The thinning out has re-naturalised now
- much more light and airy |
I sat here a while in this sheltered dale on a convenient tree stump and listened to the rustle of the wind in the treetops and the birdsong amongst the branches. Then I heard the distinctive mewl of a Buzzard.... and the birdsong stopped. I never heard any squawking and scuffling so I guess the Buzzard went hungry this time.
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| Glad to see the two big old trees are still there |
After a lovely, gentle wander along the valley bottom, it was time to start climbing up, up, up again. It starts off gradually with a steep sting in the tail!
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You can't tell from this picture but the path rises steeply
up East Dale |
The breeze up at the top and out of the trees is most welcome after the climb! Pity there isn't a tree stump up here too to rest a while and, errr, take in your surroundings
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| ... then you pop out of the woodland at the top at High Hunsley |
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| Mid-field trig point |
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My car in the middle of the pic
- oh so far away! |
I sat a while on Ronald Bradley's bench. It's looking a bit worse for wear now and needs a bit of TLC. The distant views were a bit hazy - but that's not a bad thing as, today, I couldn't see Eggborough!
From the bench at the top of all the up,up, up, I headed down, down, down again through the wonderful, leafy sunken lane towards the field above Diamond Cottage. On reaching the field, I was pleased to see it was full of sheep rather than cattle and there was a chap in it with some professional camera gear taking photographs of the sky. I looked up and saw a Red Kite lazily circling overhead. I'm sure the pictures he took are far better than the blurry blob image I managed to get! What a treat to see though
I continued down Diamond Cottage's driveway and over the old railway bridge to Weedley Springs.
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| Beautiful carpet of Celandines at Weedley Springs |
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| The weir at Weedley Springs |
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| This is the first time I've seen this little chalk stream flowing |
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| Lambsies on The Warrens |
All that remained now was the final up, up, uphill finish back up my four stops hill and back along Swinescaife track again.
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A final look down my Four Stops Hill
(I stopped twice this time) |
I'd forgotten just how peaceful and quiet this walk is. No roar of traffic. Lots of birdsong. The breeze rustling the treetops
Yes, I really enjoyed the walk and I'm glad I left it a good, long while before I revisited after the tree thinning. It's lovely around there again now.
Thanks for looking
