Fishink Walks around Settle, Yorkshire. Part 1

Whilst the weather has been at it’s warmest for a long time recently, (I still daren’t call it summer), this has been, for a small fraction of time, my eye level view.

I decided to take a few days away from the Mac and head off for a long weekend over in Yorkshire, camping and walking around the Settle area. Starting at this great Pen-y-ghent Cafe in Horton-in-Ribblesdale. Very helpful and friendly staff and a good starting place if you’re doing the Three Peaks Challenge because you can clock-in there and leave some details incase you should get lost.

We headed off to set up the tent at a lovely quiet campsite not so far from there and after an hour we were off on our first walk, exploring the landscape and surrounding hills. We passed by this slate quarry, what a huge site, the picture doesn’t do the scale of it justice at all.

There were a lovely array of lines and lichens on the stone and slates.

The views were picturesque and the weather, luckily, was just the right temperature for walking. I loved seeing the criss-crossing dry stone walls which are famous particularly in this area. Strong, sturdy and made either or slate or boulders of gritstone. They must have taken years and years to build.

It was very relaxing wandering down the country lanes and through forests and fields, just absorbing the wonderful views.

The fields were awash with buttercups, clover, daisies and a whole host of other flowering wild plants, which helped to add colour and sparkle to the already beautiful landscape.

Even the lanes were pretty and filled with plants and birdsong all the time too.

A little higher and we were soon on the tops. The landscape changed into limestone pavements and a harsher looking terrain. Still inspiring.

This was one of the enormous views and this little fellow was happily chirping at us from just a few meters away.

Purple orchids and bluebells could be found scattered across the hillsides.

This sign made me smile as I felt like the place where I stood, no longer existed.

The station at Horton-in-Ribblesdale is small but very pretty. Someone takes a lot of time planting and maintaining the flora on either side of the platforms. It looked glorious.

We stopped off at The Crown Hotel for some well earned and rather tasty hot food, before walking back to the campsite. We noticed the calcium deposits in one of the small rivers, it looked like a milky coffee ! Lovely scenery. Part Two to come.