On a clear day you can see forever

.Pendle Hill 1831 ft

Thurs.11th Feb 2010

                  One a clear day you can see forever ....that's what the song title says, I'm not saying it was so clear but the visibility was good from the top of Pendle Hill the highest hill in our local area. This gloriously sunny but cold day was too good to miss so a brisk climb found us on the top in about 50 mins.On the clearest of days the mountains of North Wales can be seen and beyond that the Isle of Anglesey.Today it was hazy in that direction but to the north & northwest it was clearer.

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Looking west to the coast  around  Blackpool

The Central Fells of the Lake District beyond the Bowland Fells

Further around to the east of the Lakes the High Street range 

  

Across the Ribble Valley on the left Ingleborough & to the right Pen-y-ghent

To the NE Buckden Pike on the left  & Great Whernside to the right

behind Upper Wharfedale

  

The view south across Nelson & Colne to Bouldsworth hill

where we were yesterday

 

In the Ribble Valley ...Downham one of Lancashires prettiest villages

 

The Ribble Valley  merging into the distant Yorkshire Dales

  

The Ribble Valley

Our Moorland Wilderness

Wed.10th Feb.2010.

                           Today we've been on a local walk into the last bit of wilderness in our area of the Southern Pennines. The area is the big expanse of Boulsworth hill the highest point being Lad Law at 1700 ft. it's the second highest hill in our area. On these moors there is a feeling of wildness and wide open spaces, there is no sound except the roar of the wind and the distant call of the Red Grouse. In summer there's still the solitude but this is broken by the sound of the Curlew, Golden Plover, Dunlin and Twite (the moorland Linnet).

 

Frequent snow showers on the accent

 

  

  

The view from the summit looking across Pendleside to Pendle hill 

The view S.E. to the Dove Stones is much wilder 

  

These are the moors of the Bronte sisters

View from the 2nd. summit

  

Looking  north into the Yorkshire Dale as another snow shower approaches

An unusual visitor

Tuesday 9th Feb. 2010.

                        I've had an unusual visitor to my garden yesterday and he's still in the garden this morning , I've identified him as a male WATER RAIL. He's very difficult to film  and I've only managed to obtain some still frames from my video camera so far to up load onto this post.
         Since the first 3 photo's were up loaded I've put a memory card into my video camera and obtain some better images they are limited to 4,000,000 pixels in photo mode but with the 12x zoom I can get nearer to the Water Rail.
The last 3 photos were taken late this afternoon in the fading light.

A Celebration on the Erratics

Sunday 7th Feb 2010.
                   Another dark cold damp misty day but this didn't stop us from enjoying our Sunday walk.Today we've travelled about 25 mile into the limestone countryside around Clapham in Yorkshire. This walk doesn't gain too much height so we were down below the mist. The walk goes over the Norber Erratics, these boulders have been brought down with the glaciers about 15 thousand years ago from further up the valley in Crummackdale, when the ice melted the boulders were dumped on the limestone. Since that time the limestone has eroded away with the rain water but the rocks act like umberellas and shelter the limestone underneath them from erosion so they're left standing on thin limestone pillars.

             Today Ian and Lorna, friends of Brian and Teresa joined us and that's the reason for our celebration on the Erratics, unknown to us they'd brought a bottle of Champagne, so hence the toast to celebrate the birth of their first grandchild..... a grandson.

 

 The Norber Erratics

 

Cheers

 

The clapper bridge in Coverdale

            

The first Snow Drops in the hamlet of Wharfe

         

Wharfe

 

And finally.....Our own Calender Girls