The Yorkshire Dales etc......Saturday 25th - Tuesday 28th March 2017.

A pre-organised trip to this beautiful area with Trace to celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary,saw us staying one night in very posh Harrogate,before making our way to our B&B at Threshfield in the Yorkshire Dales National Park to spend some time walking and enjoying this fantastic area.
 The following is what we saw and the lovely places we visited.

Saturday 25th

We set off on our journey up the A1 and after a quick brekkie stop at Wetherby services,we carried on to visit the lovely Ripley Castle.
 On arrival here i had little hope of seeing any birds or wildlife,but to be honest i was pleasantly surprised with some lovely grounds to walk around including a sizable lake.
 A few niceties included a singing male Grey Wagtail on top of one of the castle buildings and the place was literally buzzing with insects,with Peacock and Small Tort being seen also.
 After visiting Ripley Castle we made the short journey over to the National Trust site Brimham Rocks.
 We had visited here before and i sort of expected we may see something of note here amongst the fantastic sandstone scenery.
 The best sighting went to an unidentified White butterfly of some sort,either Small or Green-veined,but i never saw it close enough to ID it.
 Also seen was a single Red Kite along with Common Buzzard,the former a species i had seen here in the past and sort of expected,but nice to see all the same.

Sunday 26th

After a very nice breakfast,we had planned to do a circular walk taking in Muker and Keld and the stunning upper Swaledale valley and after parking up in Muker we were off.
 The scenery here has to be seen to be believed,it is just breathtaking in places and there are some fantastic waterfalls to enjoy at Swinner Gill and Kisdon Force which were both in full spate when we visited.
 Some nice bird sightings included a Redhead Goosander fishing in the river and the usual suspects of Grey Wagtail and Dipper were also enjoyed as always.
 On the evening after enjoying some lovely food at the Old Hall across the road from the B&B i managed to see my first Pipistrelle Bat of the year,a definite added bonus.

Monday 27th 

Today,unfortunately the weather was a little cloudier than the glorious sunshine of the past two days,but it didn't put us off in the slightest and we headed for lovely Malham for the day after a hearty breakfast and some interesting local Jackdaws.
 Today we were going to do a circular walk which we had done before,taking in Janet's Foss,Gordale Scar and of course Malham Cove.
 The scenery here,as in all the dales is just amazing and we enjoyed this fantastic area as always.
 Again,as yesterday,a few nice birds were seen and included a Dipper nesting under Janet's Foss and a couple of singing and displaying Wheatear near Malham Cove itself.
 After visiting this lovely area we made a short visit to the village of Buckden and i heard my first singing Ring Ouzels,just brilliant to hear coming from the nearby hillside.

Tuesday 28th

Unfortunately today,it was time to leave this stunning part of the country and we reluctantly travelled home after another fantastic visit to this beautiful part of the world.

Ripley Castle & Grounds.

Singing Male Grey Wagtail,Ripley Castle.

Brimham Rocks.

The Beautiful Upper Swaledale Valley.

Redhead Goosander,Fishing In The Swale.

One Of The Local Oystercatchers.

Swinner Gill & The Old Lead Mine Works.

The Impressive Kisdon Force,Near To Keld.

The River Swale Near To Keld.

More Stunning Views Of The Upper Swaledale Valley.

A Low Level View Of The River Swale.

Janet's Foss,Near To Gordale Scar.

The Entrance To The Stunning Gordale Scar.

The Very Impressive Scenery Of Gordale Scar.

Looking Down From The Top Of Malham Cove.

The Fantastic Malham Cove.

Lovely Dales Scenery At Buckden.

Beautiful Buckden Scenery.