Last Of The Summer Pies: May 2021

Saturday, 29 May 2021

4 Mile Walk Around St Ives Estate, Bingley

Distance: 3.7 miles

Walking: Andrew & Gaynor

Weather: Sunny

OS Map: OL21 - South Pennines

Parking: Blind Lane car park

Photography: Andrew using Nikon D750 / Nikon 24 -70 mm f2.8

A favourite place for us to walk. The huge amount of different woodland paths and variety of views allow the visitor to wander without pre-planning a route.

The sprawling estate has been owned by Bradford City Council since 1929, with a golf course being added in the 1930s, and was opened to the public in 1974. It was originally the grounds of a mansion owned by the Ferrand family and this Grade II listed building, along with others on the estate, are currently being restored and converted into residences and business units.

Cow parsley or, if like me you come from Northamptonshire, keck. When we were kids we used to make whistles and pea shooters from the hollow stems. The smell of the stuff takes me right back.

A lovely old yew tree marks a parting of the ways. We went right.

Bluebells at the end of May. The cold winter and early spring have led to a lot of stuff flowering together that would normally be weeks apart

Copper beech

There are loads of really old rhododendrons here and they were pretty much at their peak today

This one was particularly beautiful and quite unusual

Coppice Pond. Note the cygnets

A huge copper beech that glowed in the sunlight

Fresh beech leaves

Look closely and you'll see a great spotted woodpecker

A massive old oak tree

Greater stitchwort, also known as Star of Bethlehem or popgun because of the way it's seed pods burst open with a pop to disperse the seeds.

Hawthorn blossom, also known as May blossom for obvious reasons. It is a pagan symbol of fertility, although it is believed that if you take hawthorn into your house, it will be followed by illness and death. Probably best not to in that case. The old saying "Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is out" refers to the hawthorn coming into flower, not the end of the month as many people believe.

Monday, 24 May 2021

13.5 Mile Circular Walk - Oakworth | Oakworth Moor | Hanging Cross | Watersheddles Reservoir | Stanbury

Distance: 13.5 miles (including a couple of short diversions)

Ascent: 1800 ft

Walking: Andrew

Weather: Overcast, sunny spells

OS Map: OL21 - South Pennines

Starting point: Station Road, Oakworth

Photography: Andrew using Nikon D750 / Nikon 24 - 70 mm f2.8 & Nikon 70 - 300 mm f4.5 - 5.6

Following on from last week's not-quite-to-plan walk, I decided to gauge whether I'd be able to walk to Wycoller from home by heading for Watersheddles Reservoir and The Hanging Stone, then seeing if I had the time / energy to carry on.

Some cultivated bluebells in a garden in Oakworth.

Ivy leafed toadflax growing in a wall in Oakworth

Waterwheel Lane, Oakworth

I bet these steps could tell a few tales

The back of some mill workers' cottages on Bridge Street, Oakworth

Irish Lane, Oakworth

Turnshaw Road, Oakworth

High Hob Cote farm, Penistone Hill and Nab Hill from Turnshaw Road

Stanbury with Harbour Hill beyond

Willgutter Lane (left) and Turnshaw Road

Looking back towards Oakworth from the same spot along White Lane (left) and Turnshaw road

The track up to Tewitt Hall Farm

These residents of Tewitt Hall Farm looked like they were queueing for their Covid jab and didn't seem very pleased to see me. They were strung out for quite a way along the path so, rather than disturb them, I turned round and enacted Plan B

Stanbury again

Memorial on Tewitt Lane to the Canadian airmen who died here when their Wellington bomber crashed into the hill on 2nd January 1944. Full details are HERE on the Men of Worth website.

Tewitt Lane

Looking back at the memorial shows what a secluded and peaceful location this is

Yep. Stanbury again

Top Withens, Ponden Clough and Ponden Kirk from Blue Stone Delph

Heading up Sand Pit Hill onto Oakworth Moor

Sand Pit Hill

One of a line of grouse shooting butts on Oakworth Moor

The white house in the distance is Daisy Mount

I'm not sure what this recess in the wall is for but I'd guess it's an old shooting butt

On Kiln Hill, heading for Scotland Hill and Keighley Moor Reservoir

An old boundary stone, marking the Oakworth / Keighley parish boundary

Another boundary stone almost hidden in the heather

Keighley Moor Reservoir seen from Stony Edge

This boundary stone is known as Old Bess

Old Bess Hill, on the Pennine Way

Yet another boundary stone, this time marking the Yorkshire / Lancashire border

Pendle Hill and Wolf Stones. You can see another couple of small boundary stones in the foreground. I was unable to negotiate the boggy ground up to the Wolf Stones (this area isn't called The Sea for nothing), so I headed back a short distance along the Pennine Way

Heading down Burnt Hill

An abandoned stone quarry (delph) on Burnt Hill

Yes, it really does lean that much

First sight of Watersheddles Reservoir from Bullions

Can you see the path? No, neither could I. The OS map shows it following the fence in a dead straight line. Easier said than done. It was extremely boggy.

I love the way the light was catching the tufts of grass here

Looking down towards Far Two Laws Farm

The path is a bit easier to make out here

Looks like I got too close to this lapwing's nest

I can't believe it's taken me most of the morning to make it out of Oakworth. This is another Yorks / Lancs boundary stone, by the way.....and can you believe the daffodils are still flowering at the end of May?

The Hanging Stone, also known as the Watersheddles Cross, is a medieval boundary stone. For more information CLICK HERE

I'm no expert but the inscription looks to date from the early 1800s (maybe slightly earlier), judging by the style. I'd guess the cross carved on the top is later because it is much more accurately carved. It is also in relief, rather than recessed, which isn't the obvious or easiest way to do it.

An indication of how remote it is up here - a Herdwick ewe & lamb. These sheep can take pretty much anything the weather can throw at them.

Another Yorks / Lancs boundary stone, incorporated into a field wall.

Difficult to show in a still photo but the stone in this wall is made up of tiny pieces of crystal that sparkle in the sunlight

Great to see the original gates at Watersheddles Reservoir. The reservoir was built, along with Ponden and Lower Laithe reservoirs further down the Worth Valley, to serve Keighley after a series of droughts in the 1860s caused serious hardship and was opened in 1877.

The River Worth as it flows out of the reservoir

The more modern boundary stone on the Bronte Way

What better place to have my lunch with one foot in Yorks and the other in Lancs

All stile, no substance

This part of the valley is lined with hundreds of huge rhododendrons, presumably planted by the water company. The three Walshaw Dean reservoir are similarly lined with them. At least they were until many of them were removed fairly recently. Unfortunately, it looks like I was a couple of weeks too early to see them in flower.

The famous leaning sheep of the Bronte Way

Burnside Farm

Looking back up the valley. For many years until it closed recently, the building on the hill opposite was well known locally as Scar Top pine furniture store.

Burnside Farm

Silver Hill Farm

Heading down Silver Hill towards Ponden Reservoir

Peek-a-boo!

Whitestone Farm

Ponden Reservoir was completed in 1876 and was used to regulate the flow of water to a string of mills down the valley.

The Bronte Way as it passes Ponden Hall, which the Bronte sisters often visited to make the most of the owner's extensive library

Rush Isles

One of my favourite views of the Worth Valley from Cold Knowle End Road shows quite a bit of today's walk with Oakworth Moor opposite and Watersheddles dam top left (you can just make out the outlet tower on the horizon.