Yorkshire Sunshine & Waterfalls

 We checked out of our B&B this morning, and headed out through the gorgeous Yorkshire Dales on our way north to Scotland.  Traveling along the rolling hills, lined with stone fences and sheep grazing in the fields, felt like we were driving through a picture post card.  

Just one glorious scene after another.

We made our way to the Aysgarth Falls visitor center as part of our adventure today.  It is a hidden retreat accessible by narrow winding roads, making it even more delightful.  Once we made the turn at the sign, we came across a large parking lot, visitor center with a tea room, and public bathrooms (always an advantage, particularly when gallivanting through unpopulated territory!) 

We headed to the lower falls first, which was a very short distance from the parking lot.

I find the roar of the falls to be quite tranquil.  The power of the water rushing through is actually quite amazing as the water upstream wasn't really moving fast.   We were actually able to get relatively close to admire the beauty.

Moving on, we walked back to the parking lot, then in the opposite direction, across the road, to another path that led to the middle falls.  Once again, the image before us could easily have been printed up on a post card. 

Note the church steeple in the upper middle part of the photo. It really doesn't get much better than that!

But we continued along the trail to see what the Upper Falls might have to offer.  This was a bit further, about half a mile further down the path,  and was a tad more challenging regarding the terrain. 

Along the way, this carved bench intrigued me.

And I was completely surprised to see a Haiku carved upon its back.

Ancient Pasture

filled with flowers, sheep & cattle

enrich the soil

Quite nice, although one might note that we saw few flowers and absolutely no sheep and cattle on this walk.  But the sentiment would certainly apply to much of what we drove through so far today.

A little ways further, down some steps, around the corner, more steps, and there we were....at the Upper Falls.

Did I mention that it was amazing?

We've hiked to a few waterfalls in some of our gallivanting escapades, and I must admit that these were the easiest to access.  The National Park has really gone out of their way to design the paths to make viewing these wonders less challenging than most.  And I certainly did appreciate that!

We had quite a bit of distance to cover, so we headed north, and finally made it to the hotel around 4:15 pm.  

We were greeted at the desk by Martin, who had a very thick Scottish brogue that brought back so many happy memories of our times here in this beautiful country.  And he was so welcoming, which actually is pretty standard here in Scotland. 

It didn't take long for Marty to learn that he can fish on the River Tweed that runs along the hotel property.  When he mentioned to Martin that he didn't have any waders, Martin responded, "No worries....I'm sure we have a pair here that you can borrow that will fit you."  Honestly!  How awesome is that?  And, you can be certain that Marty jumped on that offer!

But first, we decided to head up to the room with our bags.  The staircase was definitely unique.

As was the plaque on the door. 

This might just be nirvana for Marty.

The room was huge and had a lovely view of the river.

 Which meant that I could sit by the window and relax, while keeping an eye on Mr. Yinzer Fisherman.

He was living his dream.

I decided to venture out for a bit to see if I could get a glimpse of Dryburgh Abbey, which is located right next door to the hotel.  I couldn't get close to it, as there is a high stone wall separating the properties, but I did manage to capture a photo. 

Beautiful!

We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the hotel restaurant, overlooking the Tweed.  Marty did not catch any trout, but he did see plenty teasing him.  So, he plans to get up early and try again in the morning.  We only have one night here, so he might as well make the best of it, right?  

Here's hoping I have some exciting developments to share tomorrow!

I'll keep you posted!

Savoring the Beauty of Yorkshire

As I mentioned yesterday, we are staying in Grassington, well known as the fictional Darrowby in the series All Creatures Great and Small.  I spotted this photo today while taking a short walk in the village.

It is the poster advertisement for a local dog grooming business entitled, "All Dogs Great and Small".   Very clever if you ask me, and if you are a fan of the show, you'll recognize those furry friends!

This morning was so lovely that we decided to head out for a walk right after breakfast.  Just about 5 minutes walk from our B&B is a Visitor Center for Yorkshire Dales National Park, so we headed that direction in search of the river walk.

There were stone walls lining the path, so it was pretty easy to not get lost.

Sheep were grazing in the fields on either side, and these two lambs were having fun frolicking on the rocks.

You can see that the views were just stunning!

We crossed a little bridge

and stumbled upon a mixed color array of "bluebells".

We headed for that bridge in the distance

crossed the road, then began our way back across the field.

This little guy, playing King of the Hill, eyed us carefully.

 Honestly, could you ask for a more perfect day?

We decided to journey to East Riddlesden Hall, a National Trust site about 30 minutes away.

This is another Elizabethan country home, built in the early 1600's, it was remodeled in 1640 by James Murgatroyd.  Unfortunately, the possessions of the family were sold off in 1929, prior to the National Trust taking control of the estate, but it has been decorated with items that share the same time period.

All of the floors, wood panelling and ceilings are the original, which, once again, is extremely rare considering the time period. 

In the entrance hall, a tapestry from the mid 1600's hangs on the far wall.

Here you see an original fireplace and wood panelling.

and here is just one example of the ceiling. 

In the kitchen, above the fireplace, hangs this painting of the famous "Airedale Heifer"

This prize winning cow weighed 2640 pounds (although I have no idea how they determined that weight), and the children on the estate were permitted to ride her as a treat. Bet you haven't seen anything like that in your travels.  I know we haven't.

We ventured outside for a brief look at the gardens, and my eyes were immediately taken by this vision in the distance. 

Upon closer inspection, we determined that it was a clematis!

It has apparently climbed up the tree for support and its blooms are like a blanket hanging from the limbs. 

Here's a view from the back of the house.  Note the elaborate window in the tower.  There is one on the front of the building as well.  They serve no purpose except to show that the original owner had wealth in order to have such a feature installed. 

The gardens are not very elaborate, but beautiful nonetheless.

One last picture before moving on.

We headed to Skipton, as we had been told that there was castle worth seeing there.  

I must admit, it is one of the largest, intact castles that we've visited. Originally, it was a mote and bailey castle that stood on this ground.  But, in the 1100's it was rebuilt in stone to withstand invasions by the Scots. In 1310, the king granted the castle to Lord Robert Clifford of Skipton.  He added many more fortifications that aided in withstanding future attacks by the Scots. Several generations later, the property was under the control of Anne Clifford, daughter of George and his wife Lady Margaret Russell.

This triptych stands in the tea room, a copy, obviously of the original.  It shows Robert's daughter, Anne Clifford as a young girl on the left, mature woman on the right, and her parents and brothers in the middle.

The colors and the fine details were truly eye catching.

We headed up the stairs to the far end of the castle.

The castle has no internal adornments.  It is merely the fortification that stood and survived siege in the 1600s during the English Civil War.  Here is Marty standing inside of the kitchen fireplace.

The great hall for dining and entertainment.  (Glass windows have been added to the roof to allow more light inside.)

After the settlement of the English Civil war, Anne planted this tree in the courtyard.  

Pretty amazing that hit has lived all these years. 

Walking through the building was certainly interesting, as one can note the thickness of the walls as well as the defensive set up throughout the rooms.  These windows offer a lovely view of the hills in the distance. 

There were nooks and crannies throughout,

and we had the opportunity to climb up and down the stairs in a couple of turrets.  The wear on the floor showed just how well used those steps had been over the years.  I was actually surprised that the visitor was permitted to climb them as they were quite precarious in spots. 

Outside, one can see the tower of Trinity church where Anne had been baptized in February of 1590.

There was a set of church ruins within the grounds, believed to have been built in the late 1200's. The frame of one of the windows still stands in place. 

The view was remarkable, especially with the beauty of the sky today.

Of course, we needed one last photo before heading back to Grassington.

It didn't take long to get back to our B&B.  We decided to just relax the rest of the day and enjoy our surroundings.  We leave tomorrow, driving north through the Yorkshire dales, and will be in the borders of Scotland by evening.  This area has been stunning, and we have truly been blessed to have such awesome weather today to get out and enjoy!

Marty wants me to be sure to post the photo he took of our scones that we enjoyed while sitting beneath the portrait of Lady Anne.

I sure hope all the walking that we are doing is helping to counteract the effects of such luxuries.  But, I must say.....it certainly was delicious!

Until next time...