Feizor, Yorkshire Dales, Spring
I don’t explore the Yorkshire Dales enough.
I don’t explore the Yorkshire Dales enough.
After finally getting over my post-Skye mourning and depression period, it seemed like spring finally arrived in Northern England.
Aware of how busy the Lake District would be, we instead ventured east to the Yorkshire Dales. We quickly realised that we hadn’t explored the Feizor area of the Dales in a long time, like maybe 7-years or so. Time to fix that.
Feizor (pronounced “FAY-zer”) is a tiny l’al hamlet between Austwick and Settle, and easy to miss. Home to a few houses, a farm, and the famous Elaine’s Tearoom, rising high above the hamlet are the limestone fells of Pott Scar and Smearsett Scar. These were the focus of the day’s hike and exploration.
Pott Scar and Smearsett Scar were beautiful examples of limestone karst landscapes, but they also offered immense views to either the back of Ingleborough or the shapely Pen-y-ghent.
A super day.
All photos taken on my Sony α7ii using my Sony FE 28–70mm f3.5–5.6 OSS and Vivitar “Series 1” 70–210mm f2.8–4.0 zoom lenses. RAWs developed in Lightroom, then tweaked and finalised in Photoshop.
Feizor, Yorkshire Dales, Spring by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
A near-timeless scene in the heart of Feizor. Old stone buildings, dry stone walls, foliage everywhere, and the fells rising up behind.
This quaint scene, complete with old water pump, was something I couldn’t resist making a composition of.
Round the back of Pott Scar, before ascending, one can enjoy expansive views towards Pen-y-ghent, one of the Three Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales.
The squelchy slog up the fell was rewarded with beautiful views from Pott Scar towards Smearsett Scar.
Fin-like clints and grikes of limestone made for a nice leading line towards Smearsett Scar.
Nearer the edge of Pott Scar, I focus stacked these bare limestone edges as they curved off into the distance towards Smearsett Scar.
From the summit of Smearsett Scar, the full extent and shape of Pott Scar is revealed. The day was brightening up too, albeit with a haze.
The summit of Smearsett Scar offers a bounty of limestone clints and grikes that I want to make compositions of.
Another variation from the summit of Smearsett Scar, using the exposed clints and grikes as a leading line towards Pott Scar.
Back down the back of Pott Scar, drafting clouds cast dancing shadows across Moughton Scar and the back of mighty Ingleborough, another one of the Three Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales.
Plenty of teeny Swaledale lambs about, hastily retreating back to their mums as we followed the track back to Feizor.
The single road that winds its way through Feizor.
A super-zoomed in composition of the back of Ingleborough, taken from the small lane between Feizor and Buck Haw Brow, light dancing across the karst features of the land.
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Swaledale, Yorkshire Dales, Summer
Swaledale is one the northernmost and remote dales of the Yorkshire Dales.
Swaledale is one the northernmost and remote dales of the Yorkshire Dales.
The last time we visited the valley was back in May 2016, and we only really drove through the valley. In terms of actual hiking you’d have to go back to April 2014, the last time we hiked around Swaledale. Even then, we only did a small walk from the village of Keld to Crackpot Hall and back, just under 2 miles all in all.
Nowadays Lisabet and I are a lot fitter and slimmer so we enjoyed a much longer summer hike around the valley: from Keld, up the Pennine Way on the fellside of Kisdon (499 m/1,637 ft), down into Muker, through the famous Swaledale meadows, and back up the other side of Swaledale passing Swinner Gill and Crackpot Hall to get back to Keld.
About 7 miles in all, or 18,000 steps.
The weather treated us kindly, walking conditions were great, the light was clear, and the scenes were glorious. Swaledale definitely ranks as one of my favourite Yorkshire Dales valleys.
I enjoyed using the gate as an “arrow” pointing to the distant barn.
We took a small diversion from the Pennine Way to check out Upper Kisdon Force, which was still roaring despite the River Swale being relatively dry. Can’t imagine what these falls would be like in full spate.
After visiting Upper Kisdon Force we headed up the steep path to rejoin the Pennine Way, but not before stopping to behold this magnificent limestone needle in the gorge.
The Pennine Way, my Lisabet ahead.
Looking at Swinner Gill from the fellside of Kidson. Soft light caresses the fells.
Zooming in on the deep gash in the land cut by Swinner Gill.
Pulling back shows the extent of Swinner Gill and where it sits in Swaledale, as seen from the fellside of Kidson.
The summer sun gets filtered through the clouds, with the resulting soft light gradually rolling over the fellside of Arn Gill Scar and down into the valley bottom.
A Badger-faced lamb peeping above the ferns.
Upper Swaledale gradually broadens out here towards the village of Muker.
Looking back at Swinner Gill and Rogan’s Seat (672 m/2,205 ft) above it.
A fell runner navigates the Pennine Way towards Keld.
The way to Muker.
One thing you’ll note about Swaledale: there are lots of barns dotted about the valley, far more than any other dale in the Yorkshire Dales.
The Village Store at Muker, an impossibly pretty village in Swaledale.
Amongst other things, Swaledale is known for its explosion of wildflowers in the valley bottom meadows near Muker.
I can’t tell if we were perhaps two weeks too early or too late to see the peak of wildflowers blooming in Swaledale. Still gorgeous regardless.
Lisabet’s hair mesmerizes me.
Families and hikers take a rest beside the mouth of Swinner Gill
A highly excitable child clambers across the beck of Swinner Gill.
A lot of industry occurred in Swaledale during the 19th century, particularly lead mining. The fells around the valley are dotted with scars attesting to the industrial heritage of this area. It’s also apparent here at Swinner Gill, where you can find the ruins of a mining hut right near this waterfall. I wonder if the water flowing down this ravine was once used to power industry.
The ruins in question.
From Swinner Gill we made our way back to Keld. But I had to stop here for a shot of this magnificent view back towards Black Hill (509 m/1,669 ft) on the left and Kisdon on the right..
To get back to Keld the path takes you steeply down the fellside towards the river. Along the way you pass Catrake Force, pictured.
It’s a gorgeous setting. A true Yorkshire summer paradise.
The bottom of Catrake Force where it joins the River Swale into a deep gorge.
To my mind this is the quintessential Swaledale scene. Swaledale sheep grazing, grey barns as far as the eye can see, the curves of the valley, the fields neatly segmented by drystone walls, this scene has it all. Shot from Cloggerby Rigg near Thwaite.