to the woods, to the woods!

Same area as last week's walk: I bought a season-ticket which allows me into any of the car-parks on the estate, which is owned by the Duke of Devonshire - a lot of good walks around here and I hope to be to the more strenuous ones by the time it expires. Walked up the other side of the river this time, more up and down but with a high-level walk along much of its length. Paused here to draw breath, and to let a lively but pleasant school party overtake me. Having a camera gives you a good excuse for a pause when you need one.

LOTS of photos this time - some (not all shown here) taken for a project based on woodland. I started near lunchtime and paused to eat at the top of the climb in a shelter which looked out onto this view:

I also had some interesting company for lunch - part human, a very pleasant group of local people - and part avian:

Some walkers bring bird-food specially apparently. Makes a change from the rapacious sheep in seach of sandwiches elsewhere in the Dales!

Love these tree-roots on the exposed slope.

The high-level bit on this side of the river was punctuated with amazing views,

including the one above, a different angle on The Strid. (By the way I am amazed to learn that Brenda, one of my readers, has actually kayaked down the Strid)

And there were of course plenty of amazing trees: could you have predicted the shapes of some of these branches?

Or the shapes in these trees?

And finally, some time later, back to the other side of the river with its beautiful range of colours - very inspirational!