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12/01/2013

Snow? or Snow DROPS!

For the first time in a-a-a-a-ages we have been able to get out for a walk. We wrapped up warmly and set off for the hills behind Austwick in the Dales. With bitterly icy winds and low cloud we followed an old packhorse route. Narrow and sunken, winding between old tumbled walls.


Eldest noticed first - catkins, nodding in the weak sunshine.


Then, further along the lane, in a quiet south facing tumble of dried leaves................snow drops. 
Snowdrops - this must be the earliest I've ever seen them. There were plenty of daffodil leaves pushing through the leaves too.


The lane undulated through fields and below woodlands and dropped down to a ford. We stopped at the old clapper bridge.
Over the years, we have crossed that clapper bridge many times. It is one of our favourite routes through a delightful part of our world
The walls were draped with thick pillows of moss. It felt incredibly spongy and luxuriant. 

 Probably due to all the recent rains, springs had erupted everywhere and usually small trickles were fast flowing streams.

Our lunch spot was another favourite of ours, the sheep wash dub fields. Farmers would herd their flocks up to this point, dam the river and wash their sheep,cleaning their fleeces hopefully ridding them of parasites.

Then, as the day progressed, the icy breeze blew away the low grey cloud and briefly gorgeous strong colours appeared.

As we finished the last leg of our walk, the sun slipped down behind the horizon, the temperature dropped and the sky took on a delicate pink tinge.
It was cathartic, it was refreshing, it was wonderful !

4 comments:

  1. Hello Hawthorn,
    Thanks for the exhilarating virtual walk...beautiful photographs and particularly to be able to see snowdrops one of my most favourite flowers. I have a great admiration for snowdrops. They are such delicate little flowers but are so hardy too. Their heads remind me of fairy hats and they seem to encourage one to stay patient as spring is on its way.
    Another thing on my miss from home list :-)

    keep well

    Amanda xx

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  2. Lovely photos! Poor little snowdrop, it won't know what's hit it when the icy snow arrives this week.

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  3. Lovely walk. Brought back memories of doing it with you many years ago. You saw Snowdrops too I haven't seen any so far this year. We saw them together on the 13th January 2009 in the snowy sunshine. So they must have been early that year too.

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  4. A lovely walk indeed but it did look cold! Sat here shivering now.... Well done Eldest to spot the catkins; the snowdrop means spring is on its way (I'm ignoring the snow we had today!).

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