Just about bordering on odd, I see things through different eyes.The heading says it all - I live, I love, I craft, I am me...

05/01/2022

Wintery walk

Our festive break seemed to slip by without hesitation then suddenly we landed on the last day. It was only fitting that we took ourselves for a walk - the first and last one of our holiday. 

Weather and commitments meant that we had lots of lovely 'dog-loops' around the village starting and ending from home but we'd not managed to get our boots on and sling a rucksack on our backs and head off into the hills.
Tuesday was the day and we headed into the Dales. And found snow!
The air was bitingly cold and the light breeze just sliced through so we very quickly added more layers and kept moving to keep warm. 

We found a small naturally formed ledge which basked in full sun and protected us from the breeze so we stopped and had lunch as we watched our breath swirl around. Tea, sandwiches and biscuits were consumed while Moss either 'sunbathed' or sniffled around the snow.
Our trail followed the narrowing valley where we crossed the stream on an icy covered footbridge, the path suddenly rose sharply upward. As we climbed, the snow became thicker and the path icier and slippery in places.
After the steep pull we landed on an 'alp' arriving at a derelict farm house and barns. It is one we have visited before and affectionally call the 'Barn Owl Farm Barns' as the last time we were there, there was a family of Barn Owls nesting in one of the barns.
There is still tangible evidence that it was not so long ago that the farm was a family home, filled with people living and working in a beautiful but isolated area.




I wandered around carefully, the floor boards although all there - had a certain soft feel to them and I was not taking any chances. I took several photos before returning outside to find Himself and Moss playing in the snow. We continued along the farm track and I took a photograph of the farm at the end of their lane - on a beautiful summer's day, I could imagine how wonderful it would be to live there however it would not take much to get cut off and feel very isolated.
Our walk took us up and back over to the other side of the valley and we walked along the ridge back down towards the van. 
The late afternoon sun, as it slipped down, turned the snow from a brilliant twinkling white to shades of brittle cold gold and blue. It was beautiful but really cold and we knew we had to keep moving and get back down into the valley before it was too dark.
Back at the van and seven and half miles later, rosy cheeked and 'frozy toed' we felt gently happy. Being out on a crisp wintery day with glorious blue skies and soft golden sunshine had done us a world of good.

  

30 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos! Thank you for taking us on the walk with you :) It looks like you had more snow than us.

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    1. Hi Nikki - thanks and you are welcome, glad you came along!

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  2. I got very chilled walking the dog, but the temps were only 8 degrees, -13 in Celsius, which wouldn't have been too bad if it wasn't blowing. I wonder what kind of funds it would take to make that place a home again. there is so much character.

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    1. I agree that the wind makes it feel so much colder. I would image you would need a very big bank balance - there is no electricity, no running water (comes from a well),new sewerage system (has a soakaway) the building itself, although roofed still feels damp and gently rotting inside, a complete rebuild. The view and the situation however is top notch and does not need improving!😁

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  3. It sounds like a good walk but a very cold one. Your photos are lovely and I'd love to look round inside that old farmhouse.

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    1. Thank you Eunice, I want to go back and check out the other rooms but would need a torch as the windows have been boarded up against the weather and it was a little too dark for a good look.

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  4. Those pics look amazing. The abandoned farm looks so sad, and the countryside looks so amazing. Also - mince pie filled cookies! I wonder what stories that farmhouse has.

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    1. Thank you! lovely to hear from you - Happy New Year!

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  5. That was a grand walk!
    I like the idea of mincepie filled cookies....
    That abandoned farmstead..you can understand why...but you just think...I could use that!!

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    1. those cookies were really good - would love some more but suspect they are definitely a seasonal thing! I would love to live in such a beautiful situation but it would not be that difficult to feel isolated and cut off as soon as the weather turned!

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  6. What a stunning landscape, and with a LOT of love, that farmhouse could be a wonderful place to live. X

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    1. It is a beautiful area indeed and it must have been loved before, however the barn owls live and love there now!

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  7. The light in your photos is breathtaking! I love the abandoned farmhouse, the fireplaces make me go a bit weak at the knees. xxx

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    1. Thank you! If you love that fireplace you should look up Bhalaigh House Bhalaigh Island North Uist - there are a beautiful (sadly very derilict) set of fire places all with glossy tiles - look at the 18th (I think) photo to see the same green tile
      https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/vallay-house-vallay-north-uist-outer-hebrides-14-may-2014.89724/

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    2. What a fantastic ruin - and brilliant link! Yes, those tiles look very similar, don't they? xxx

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  8. Burrrr, can you hear my teeth chattering? Wonderful pictures. What a find the old farm house, wonder why someone hasn't demolished it or rehabbed it? Heading out for a walk very soon. Meeting a friend, but no hills or snow for us. Took a bike ride yesterday, but not far; as it was the first one since last spring when I was here. I don't tend to ride at home, too much traffic, but when we're on holiday there are safer ways to do so.

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    1. Thank you - it was a little chilly :)
      The land probably does not belong to the farmer (he's, I think, a tenant) to do it up would be hideously expensive and probably not financially worth doing. A shame but very common.

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  9. Sad to see the old farmhouse, slowly disappearing. But it is so far away from 'civilisation' that it can't appeal to many people, unless they are hermits! It is a beautiful place but no thanks. I like my creature comforts! That aside, another lovely walk and top-class photos. x

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    1. Thank you!
      It may appeal to a hermit with either a huge bank balance or a rather thick winter coat!

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  10. Thanks for an absolutely amazing post. I'd love to resurrect an old farmhouse and make it happy again. Glad you had a wonderful walk, even though the conditions were icy. Take care & hugs.

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    1. Thanks Susan - was a lovely walk and one we will do again :)

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  11. Thank you for sharing your walk with us. I feel cold just looking at the pictures. Lovely old farmhouse, but so isolated. xx🧡🦴

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  12. Beautiful walk, if freezing. I'm not good with the cold anymore so I have to walk through your words and photos. My first thoughts of the farm, for some reason, were of Vera Stanhope's home. Totally different location; I guess it was the isolation. Hugs, Sharon

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    1. Happy New Year Sharon! Had to look up Vera Stanhope - ha ha never watched it!

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  13. It looks like a lovely walk. I'm a fan of hot weather, but I love really cold weather when I'm wrapped up in warm clothing. The desolation of the farm is sad.

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    1. I prefer the heat to the cold but, like you as long as I am warmly wrapped and walking - then I happily make an exception!

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  14. Thank you sharing that beautiful walk. How sad to see the farmhouse abandoned.

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    1. Thank you Jean - there is a beauty in the desolation and can understand why the family moved on - it is hard farming.

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  15. Loved the beautiful walk thank you! Oooh, I do love a nosey round a derelict building too. Wonderful photos :) x

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