Jo’s Monday walk : Bolton Abbey and the Strid

When the email dropped into my Inbox I was immediately excited.  It was many years since I’d been to Bolton Abbey, in the Yorkshire Dales, but I knew it had a special location.  An invitation to walk there in the company of some of my Algarve walking friends was a real cause for excitement.

I should explain.  In the Eastern Algarve there are 2 complimentary groups of walkers, dubbed the Strollers and the Striders.  The first ambles in a highly social way, with plenty of coffee stops.  The second covers the ground much more swiftly, in order to reach the goal of a substantial meal. You can belong to either, or both, depending on your ability. They are equally welcoming and a very nice bunch of people overall.  One thing they have in common is that they don’t walk in the hot Algarve summer months.  Many return to the UK, and that is how this walk came about.  I felt privileged to be a part of their first ever English walk together.

Meeting at the Cavendish Pavilion, we exchanged hugs and kisses before a quick catch up of news, over coffee.  The weather was much as it has been for most of this summer, and we all carried waterproofs.  Time to start out, before the skies opened.

The walk neatly follows the River Wharfe, dipping and rising through Strid Wood, a glimmer of sunshine sparkling on the water from time to time. It’s life affirming stuff, in one of the county’s greatest beauty spots, of which there are many.

The river chuckles along and we pause for a group photo, happy to capture the moment. A bench made from a felled tree has been liberally ornamented with coins.  We are approaching The Strid, the focal point of this walk.

The Strid gets its name from an Anglo Saxon word, stryth, meaning turmoil.  The river suddenly narrows, forcing the water through under great pressure.  The Strid was formed from the wearing of softer rock by the circular motion of small stones in hollows. It might be a stride too far to cross over at this point, and certainly dangerous when the water is high.

Strid Wood, with its sessile oak trees, wraps around us.  As we head towards the Aqueduct the rain begins to fall.  The oaks provide shelter until it lightens again, tree ferns and wizened stone faces looking on.

The Aqueduct is another interesting feature of this walk.  The castellations hide the pipes that carry water from the reservoirs at the top of Nidderdale down to the cities of West Yorkshire.

It enables us to cross to the other side, shortening our walk a little.  We don’t get too wet, but miss out on Barden Tower and the prospect of more coffee, and possibly cake, at the Priest House.  Yes, I can hear you sighing!  Another time!

Damp seats don’t have much appeal but I love the twisted, enduring trees and down below, the gurgling of the river.  Before too long we’re crossing the bridge back to Cavendish Pavilion, and the prospect of a meal and a sit down.

We sit outside initially, but soon abandon fresh air for dryness inside and, as the heavens open, are glad that we have.  We are still optimistic and, sure enough, the skies brighten so that we can undertake the short walk across the field to the Abbey.

The 30,000 acre Bolton Abbey estate is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. At its heart stand the Priory church and the ruins of an Augustinian priory.  From 1154 until 1539 the canons lived and worshipped here.  The church survived the dissolution of the monasteries and functions still.  It maintains a wonderful atmosphere.

I wandered the grounds, captive in the angles of aged stone.  Almost unnoticed the sun sneaked in to blaze glory on the scene.

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We debated amongst ourselves to see if any one of us would brave the stepping stones. In the event, the icecream van won the day, and we watched the antics on the river, before safely crossing over the bridge.

 

One final uphill endeavour past the Welly Walk, a childrens’ adventure trail, and we were safely back to base.  Hugs, smiles and ‘let’s do it again next year, shall we?’  I think we might!  It just remains to give thanks to our wonderful organisers, Peter and Sandie.

Many thanks for your company on another of my ramblings.  I hope you enjoyed it. Details of how to get there are on the Bolton Abbey website.  As many of you read this I shall be thundering towards Shropshire so expect me to be tardy in my responses.  I will be back on Wednesday evening, and hope to catch up with you all then.  Meantime, put the kettle on and enjoy!

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All the way to Israel with Lisa for my first share :

Dan Reisinger

Going north with Marion to a cool and interesting part of the world :

A walk from Helsinki’ s Market Square to Tervesaari island 

Kitzbuhel and that magical part of Austria has long been on my list, so thanks Lady Lee!

Our Austrian Trip

More rambling in style, with Jackie :

Cream of the Crop

What more can I say about the war graves?  Woolly says it better :

Jo’s-Monday-Walk-Wk31_Lochnagar-Crater-Pt-2

Meg has set up a great tradition of Wordless walks.  Join her for a stroll?

Wordless walk: Burrendong botanical gardens and arboretum

Can’t beat a bit of adventure up on the moors!  Come and meet Mackenzie :

Yarnbury

Have you noticed, Drake is good at telling ghost stories?  Must be his Danish heritage :

A different ghost story

Isn’t life strange?  Here I am, heading for Shropshire, and what does Becky find?

Exploring Ironbridge Gorge, a World Heritage Site

And even better, six delightful words on her other blog :

I can’t possibly sit down here

Join me next time on Jo’s Monday walk?  Have a great week!

131 comments

    1. We were fairly lucky, Sue, and by the time we finished it was glorious. 🙂 🙂 You could certainly manage the priory, though maybe not the walk to the Strid. I’ve brought the rain with me to Church Stretton but we managed to get out for a mooch and a bit of a walk before it started.

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  6. Pingback: K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge … Home is where the heart is – Ladyleemanila

  8. What I love about your Monday Walks is that they always include an easily absorbed history lesson, and this one was fascinating. Thanks for taking us along with you, I enjoyed it thoroughly and your photographs are a great complement to the article. I am definitely a stroller.

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  9. Pingback: Arran – the walks – The Glasgow Gallivanter

  10. I think I would be more suited to the Strollers than the Striders. Wandering along with a coffee shop as the goal would be perfect. What a beautiful place this is. We wanted to visit when we were there but just couldn’t fit it in. Next time…

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  12. Weather is always part of the landscape in England , isn’t it!
    Your takes show damp seats and umbrellas , as well as blue sky , girls playing , rivers and ruins , Bolton Abbey , The Aqueduct….
    Love each one of your stunning shots , and through your descriptions , I can participate in this walk!
    Awesome article, Jo!

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  13. How marvelous. I was saying to Pink the other day on a post he wrote about Social Media that I have seen more of my old country through the lenses of bloggers, such as you, than I saw when I lived there.

    The vicarious life! It’s not such a bad thing.

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  14. Those water shots are perfect, all that glimmer and movement, the messiness ashore, and you’ve caught the girl in action on the stepping stones wonderfully. I’m glad you didn’t attempt it. As with all your walks this is gloriously diverse and gives you the great pleasure of mingling two worlds. Great to see the green man, and know that new religions don’t manage to destroy the old. I think I’m a bit of a conservative in many ways. Special hugs to you my dear, as life goes on, and joyfully.

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    1. Thanks so much, hon. 🙂 🙂 Just having a bite of toast and then we’re gone. It’s rainng but that’s the norm, isn’t it? Hoping for better tomorrow for Carding Mill Valley and Tish! The hugs will be flowing… again! Wonderful, isn’t it? 🙂

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  15. I love those ruined churches, I saw one in Coventry, I guess you have a few more in the UK. It’s so magical! And also like the pictures of the walk along the river, full of greenery. It’s fantastic how similar it is to northern Spain! 🙂

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  17. A typical sunshine and showers summer day in England, but you certainly made the best of it. I’m not sure I have ever been to Bolton Abbey so thank you for taking me there. I wouldn’t even attempt those stepping stones nowadays, my ability to leap has totally vanished! I reckon I could fit in with your stroller group, I dawdle too much to be with the striders; they sound far too military for me 😉
    Enjoy your little break and see you soon xx

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  19. What a wonderful walk both in terms of location and company. So glad the rain held off for most of it for you and how different to your usual stride with them 😊
    PS and thanks for the link up. Enjoy Salop xxx

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  20. You’ve just reminded me what a lovely place it is Jo, although I’ve never yet walked up as far as the aquaduct. I’ve always chickened out of doing the stepping stones, the gaps between some of them are quite large and when the river’s up, as it seems to have been when you went, it’s quite deep so I wouldn’t want to fall in. Love the cows on the beach, they really add to a lovely photo 🙂

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