Bolton Abbey & Strid Woods,What A Beautiful Day Out......Sunday 10th October 2021.

A visit to Bolton Abbey & Strid Woods along with Tracey and Clara,saw us having a lovely day out in some cracking weather.

In the morning after arriving,we got our boots on rucksacks together and walked through the woods and up to Bardon Tower and then back up to Cavendish Pavillion.

On today's visit we timed the visit just right as the weather was perfect and we spent much of our walk taking photos of the beautiful scenery.

The woodland is much quieter than when we visit in the spring,as all the lovely songsters such as Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts have long gone on their long migrations south,but we still managed to see Dipper,Grey Wagtail,4 Red Kite and 7 Common Buzzard,as well as the lovely Nuthatches & Coal Tits but the most numerous bird was Mandarin Duck with a huge count of 59 birds.

This latter count is the most Mandarins i have seen anywhere in the country,but i do have a soft spot for them with the males colourful plumage and the females are also really smart.

An interesting non-bird sighting was the remains of a couple of the invasive Signal Crayfish which an Otter had obviously caught and eaten on the river bank near Barden Aquaduct.

After completing the circular,we then walked up to Bolton Priory and the stepping stones for lunch,what a stunning area this is and is,in my opinion,worth every penny of the ten pounds entry fee.

On the way home we encountered even more Red Kites with 4 seen as we travelled through Harrogate and another 13 birds seen in a mile stretch near and around Wetherby services,the most i have seen for some time.

The following are my favourite photos from this lovely day out.

The Beautiful River Wharfe,At Cavendish Pavillion At The Start Of Our Walk.

A Lovely View Taken From The Barden Aquaduct.

Barden Aquaduct.

An Otter's Supper,The Remains Of A Signal Crayfish.

Just Beautiful Views From So Many Places Along The River.

The Famous Strid.

Stunning Autumnal Scenery At Every Turn.

Back To The Start Of The Walk.

The Stepping Stones With The Ruins Of Bolton Priory In The Background.

Bolton Priory With Barden Moor In The Bakground.

Some Of The Impressive Ruins.