Stockdale, Settle, Yorkshire Dales, Spring
Summer has well and truly arrived.
Following on from our little hike around Stenkrith Park and the Lune Gorge, Sunday greeted with us with clear blue skies and 20+ degree sunshine. That’ll do, nicely.
Endeavouring to stay away from our home county Cumbria and the Lake District, we ventured east towards the bonny Yorkshire Dales town of Settle. We fancied a repeat of 2020’s discovery in this area: Stockdale and the Attermire Scar. Hiking up High Hill Lane towards Scalebar Force from Settle, a common and popular walk, you’d have no idea of the limestone cliffs and crags in the valley to the north.
Branching off from High Hill Lane, a bridleway sign points out Attermire Scar. Following this route takes you into the Stockdale valley, where you can gawp at the incredible caves, cliffs, and limestone crags of Attermire Scar and Warrendale Knotts. Some of the best limestone karst scenery in all of the Yorkshire Dales.
And incredible weather to boot.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my three prime lenses: a Samyang 35mm f/1.2, a Laowa 9mm f/2.8, and an adapted Pentax SMC 55mm f/2.0. Photos 80% made in-camera using a customised Classic Chrome film simulation, with minor edits later in Lightroom and Affinity Photo.
I don’t think this typographic mural has been on display in Settle all that long. Certainly wasn’t here when we last visited in 2020. Very nice work indeed, and lots of folk were taking pictures of it.
Swaledale ewe and lamb, basking in the day’s warmth up the fellside from High Hill Lane.
A scar in the fellside of High Hill with a remarkable likeness of some sort of prehistoric dinosaur footprint.
As we hike up Stockdale Lane, the views towards the limestone karst landscape start to open up and my excitement levels rise.
This collection of crags and scree is known as Warrendale Knotts, which tops out at 440 m/1,443 ft.
The Holstein Friesians seemed content in the warm fields of Stockdale.
Nearing the top of Stockdale Lane with Attermire Scar and Warrendale Knotts getting ever closer.
After nervously navigating past a field of young bullocks, and getting muddy boots in the process, a turn back for a shot of my lovely Lisabet. She cute.
The way to Attermire Scar and Warrendale Knotts. Already we could pick out fellow hikers below the scars as well as rock climbers high up the crags, testing their skills and might.
The east face of Warrendale Knotts, with some hikers ascending up the channel between this fell and Attermire Scar.
I shot this primarily for the zigzagging lines towards the crags of Attermire Scar.
Another Swaledale ewe and lamb, chilling beneath Warrendale Knotts.
The transitions between scree and grass create a repeating diagonal pattern that my eye enjoys. So I shot the photo.
The western aspect of Warrendale Knotts as it slopes back down towards Settle.
Well… you should know what I’m like with drystone walls by now. See that cave, middle-left? That’s where we rested for lunch.
The view back to Attermire Scar from our lunch spot, and probably my favourite shot from the day.
Again, a series of connecting lines around the photo that gives your eye something to wander around with.
Coming back down from the fells into Upper Settle, with its proper old-school Yorkshire vibe.
Settle is a popular meeting and rest destination for bikers.
Before heading home, we stopped off at the gardens of Settle Victoria Hall for light refreshment, and to give them our support.
A proper English summer fair vibe.