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. Hi Gilly 🙂 🙂 Missed you last night because we were out with Tish and Graham. 🙂 I think the couple from farthest away were somewhere south of Birmingham and they booked an overnight stay. It was about an hour and a half drive for us so far enough away to be interesting but not too familiar. We’d only been once before and I remember the water being much lower over the stepping stones, so no- I didn’t take the plunge 🙂 Good weekend?

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      2. If you can find my brain, darlin… 🙂 🙂 Yes, we did have a lovely evening, thank you, and a thoroughly lovely day overall. Wasp sting is making tonight very uncomfortable but I can still type 🙂

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  7. Pingback: In the air | Le Drake Noir

  8. What a wonderful story you’ve provided here, Jo! It is delightful to not only see the beautiful photos of Bolton Abbey and The Strid, but it’s really nice to learn more about your walking group as well. I love to walk and hike in beautiful areas, and I sure would love to join you 🙂 The photos are tantalizing!

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    1. How welcome you would be, Debbie! 🙂 🙂 England has so much beauty to share. I’m sitting looking out on another lovely area now, even though the skies are a little uncertain.

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  9. Hiking with good friends in two countries. An international adventure group. How fabulous is that? Gorgeous photos of your day Jo. Loved the description of the chuckling river.

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    1. Morning, Sue! 🙂 I’m in an area now that they know locally as Little Switzerland and wishing I could share these views. Weather aside, England can hold its own with almost anywhere in the world. Thanks for your lovely company. 🙂

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  11. Thanks for a lovely walk Jo! I have visited Bolton Abbey so many times over the years and usually go there on my visits back to Yorkshire. Spent many happy hours as a child down by the river watching it flow under the bridge but never been up to the Strid – something to do in future. The Bolton Abbey Tea Rooms are one of my favourite places to stop for refreshments – both for lunch and their delicious Devonshire Cream teas! The Devonshire Arms is also a lovely spot – a bit pricier but wonderful on a cold day when the log fire is roaring. It looks like it’s been rather a wet summer from the photos – beautifully captured. Hope you’re having a nice time in Shropshire 🙂

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    1. The estate combines such easy beauty with the opportunity for some great walking, Rosemay. As you say, it’s a little expensie but it’s the price you pay for ‘old England’. You could imagine royalty here. 🙂 I’m sitting with my cuppa this morning watching the sun come up and the skies clear (fingers crossed 🙂 ) after a night of rain. It’s a beautiful sight.

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      1. Yes it’s certainly a beautiful estate fit for royalty as you say Jo! I’ve usually been there in spring recently and the daffodils are always a lovely sight. Sounds a lovely start to your day, hope it stays fine. We’ve had a night of storms and a lot of rain but everything is looking lovely and green. Spring is not too far off – when the sun is out the birds are busy gathering twigs for their nests. Have a lovely rest of your day 😃

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  14. How lovely to meet up with your Algarve friends over here! Great pictures, especially the slideshow of the abbey. As for the weather, we’ve had a lot of those days too: pouring one minute and blue skies the next. A quick change required each time, throwing layers on and off.

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    1. Thanks Anabel! 🙂 We really didn’t know if we would know anybody till we turned up, because there are about 50 of them altogether, but the walking groups in the Algarve vary in size between a dozen and 30. The Strollers group is much larger and we seldom go out with them these days so it was lovely to see some old familiar faces. It’s just opening up to a beautiful morning down here in @little Switzerland’ after a night of heavy rain, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for gallivanting with me. 🙂

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  15. This is one of the reasons I love your blog sooooo much Bolton Abbey is not something I’d ever heard about but wow is it impressive!! I loved the rock sofa too! But I’m with you…take the bridge…although in the summer I would risk the stepping stones as I have ZERO doubt that I would indeed fall in!! What an absolutely gorgeous place Jo!! Thanks!!!!!!

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  20. Thanks, Jo, for taking me on that walk with you. Absolutely fantastic pictures. Only know I realize what all I missed when I stayed at the Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey many years ago. Well, it’s never too late to go back, isn’t it?
    Have a wonderfule week,
    Pit

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    1. You stayed at the Devonshire Arms but didn’t see the Abbey or the Strid, Pit? I think a return visit is mandatory 🙂 🙂 I’m in Shropshire in the rain but I’m hoping for a beautiful tomorrow.

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      1. To my eternal shame! 😉 I did see a lot of the Yorkshire Dales and Moors, though. But – as you say – a return visit is a MUST. Especially since I need to take my wife there.
        So you are in “Cadfael Country” just now. Am keeping my fingers crossed for the weather to improve. Please keep yours crossed for August 21: we’ll be in Casper, Wyoming, then for the solar eclipse and are hoping for clear skies then.

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