Barnard Castle, County Durham, Spring
Apologies for the delay since my last post.
Apologies for the delay since my last post.
Things have been on the change again, personally. Also, this last week I’ve endured a rather nasty stomach bug. The less said about that the better.
A couple of weekends ago, Lisabet and I decided to move away from countryside-based adventures and check a wee little town you may have heard of (if you’re British and follow the news): Barnard Castle.
The charming historical town gained unfortunate notoriety in 2020 when Dominic Cummings, the chief advisor to the British Prime Minister, was found to have traveled there with his family during the first UK lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given his close contact with the infected Prime Minister, Cummings was at a substantial risk of carrying the virus himself (he exhibited symptoms the following day). Media accusations of violating lockdown rules emerged, to which Cummings explained that he had driven to the town to test his eyesight in order to reassure his wife of his ability to drive them back to London the next day.
Regardless of all of that, Barnard Castle sits in a beautiful area, which we explored to also take in the sights of the ruins of Eggleston Abbey.
A moody day for photography.
All photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my Vivitar “Series 1” 28–105mm f2.8–3.8 zoom and Laowa 9mm f2.8 prime lenses. RAWs developed in Capture One for iPad, edited and finalised in Affinity Photo for iPad.
Barnard Castle, Country Durham, Spring by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The circular round tower of the Barnard Castle itself, one of the main features of the ruins that still stands. Daffodils lined the path around the ruins on a moody day.
Barnard Castle, the town, is chock-full of yards (alleys) like this, which always draw my eye for a photo.
We found the streets of Barnard Castle to be well kept, with plenty of independent shops and eateries, occasionally peppered with some more mainstream brands.
Below the castle ruins this handsome bridge caught a sliver of golden afternoon light.
We followed the country road from Barnard Castle to Egglestone Abbey. The moody and changeable day followed us. Here a table-tomb pointed towards some of the last standing walls of the abbey ruins.
The abbey was constructed in the late 12th century by Premonstratensian monks. Like all other abbeys in England, it was dissolve din 1540 by King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.
These days the ruins are in the custody of English Heritage, and access is free. I highly recommend a visit if you’re ever in the area.
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Serpentine Woods, Cumbria, Spring
There’s a lot going on right now.
There's a lot going on right now.
So, with another glorious spring day on the horizon, Lisabet and I booted up for a hike up the fellside of Kendal into Serpentine Woods.
In my opinion, Serpentine Woods looks its best at this time of year compared to any other. That's because the woods are filled with wild garlic, Allium ursinum. Around the middle of May the wild garlic produces a carpet of beautifully delicate white flowers and fills the air with the delicious scent of garlic.
Beyond the woods, Kendal looked spectacular in its greenery. Nature's restorative powers are not to be dismissed.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my three prime lenses: a Fujinon 23mm f/2.0, a Laowa 9mm f/2.8, and an adapted Pentax SMC 55mm f/2.0. Images made 90% in-camera, with finalising in Affinity Photo.
A good route to Serpentine Woods involves walking up Kendal's steepest road, Beast Banks. Halfway up the road, a side street branches off. This is Garth Head, a medieval lane linking Beast Banks with Captain French Lane.
Everything's looking wonderfully green now.
Chinese Wisteria, Wisteria sinensis, and the old iron-wrought gate at Beech House, creating a lovely scene I had to capture.
So much green! Our route lies up and to the left.
This beautiful cottage sits right underneath Serpentine Woods. In the summer the front of the cottage explodes in flowers, and during the Christmas period it's often covered in a dazzling array of Christmas lights.
Into Serpentine Woods we go.
The woods sits on a shelf of limestone, which occasionally protrudes and creates little clearings in the woodland.
A family enjoy a wander through the woodland and its bounty of wild garlic flowers.
My favourite little area in Serpentine Woods, the "pointless" gate.
On goes my ultra-wide 9mm lens for some compositions involving some of the Storm Arwen casualties.
Getting this close to the wild garlic, the smell was intoxicating.
Out of the top of Serpentine Woods, the views over Kendal and its valley are stunning. It was nice to see plenty of families out, enjoying nature.
This bench signals our way back down the fellside.
This year's spring lambs are getting nice and fat now.
Fantastic cloud formations were building above Benson Knott, which sits above the town.
Across the Kendal valley towards the Whinfell Common and the Howgills.
To the north, the Kentmere fells look tantalisingly beautiful.
The path follows this dry stone wall all the way back down into town.
One last look back north.
Just one of many allotments in Kendal. This one seems to be home to a flock of homing pigeons.
Closer to Windermere Road and the clouds are building up.
I do love me some cloud porn.
Stockdale, Settle, Yorkshire Dales, Spring
Summer has well and truly arrived.
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.