Friday 3 June 2011

Grassington and Bolton Abbey

I didn't realise that the weather was forcast to be so good when we set off for the Yorkshire Dales yesterday. We were totally unprepared, Eleanor and I were wearing jeans and Daniel was wearing tracksuit bottoms. Mick was ok as he always wears knee length tracksuit bottoms, he never feels the cold.

The first place we headed to was Grassington, a small market town in Wharfedale. We had a wander around the shops and I was pleased to find the three colours which my local yarn shop didn't have in stock when I purchased the yarn for my crochet blanket. The main street in Grassington is really pretty.


There are some gorgeous guest houses. This one took my fancy.


Mick treated me to this bag, Knitting is...good!!! I think he's fed up of seeing yarn all over the room and thinks I'll keep it in this instead. Eleanor got Shoes are...Good!!! Typical girl.


After Grassington, we headed to Bolton Abbey which is about nine miles from Grassington. It's on the banks of the River Wharf and within the estate is a ruined twelth century priory.




Sir Edwin Landseer painted Olden Time At Bolton Abbey, but I much prefer JMW Turner's Bolton Abbey.










To get to the river we had to cross a field. This sheep was very nosey and wondered what we were doing so close to her.


We decided we'd take one of the walks on the estate so we crossed the river and headed off. Some of the scenery we encountered was breathtaking.










I keep telling Daniel and Eleanor that money doesn't grow on trees but I began to wonder when we came across this fallen tree.


There are three money trees at Bolton Abbey, the first one fell in the late 1980's and was pulled to the side of the path by the Estate foresters to make it safe and provide a habitat for insects. Coins have been hammered in to the trunk, apparently bringing good luck, and it's now a much loved feature of this particular walk.


Further along the walk we came to a ford. By now we were all flagging under the heat, so the paddle was very welcome for Eleanor and Archie.


I decided that a paddle wasn't for me, especially after Eleanor squealed that the water was freezing cold. I crossed a little further down the path by this bridge.


A little while later we came to this stile through a dry stone wall. Here's Daniel crossing it.


I was wondering how we were going to get Archie over, but look what we have here... I was going to say a doggy stile but that sounds a little rude, instead I'll call it a doggy crossing point, a hole in the bottom of the wall.


Towards the end of the walk we were right at the side of the river. This gave Archie a great opportunity to jump in and cool off.


We had such a brilliant day yesterday, that although I've got many places yet to visit from my 'must go there' list, we decided to pay Bolton Abbey another visit today. This time were were prepared for the weather, Eleanor in her bikini, and the rest of us in shorts. There was no walking today, today was for relaxation. We parked up at the side of the river and didn't budge all day.

Eleanor enjoyed wading in the river and catching crayfish. I should mention that this critter only spent a couple of minutes out of the river for a photograph, he was replaced where he was found.


Archie enjoyed himself. His swim's certainly cooled him down in the heat of the day.


Everyone ran for cover when he emerged from the water. Just look at him shake. The water goes everywhere, and look at those big ears.


We've all enjoyed our staycation. Although the weather was rubbish on Bank Holiday Monday, it came good in the end. I'm sad to see Mick back at work on Monday and Eleanor back at school, though I'll have Daniel home with me now until September apart from the times he's got exams. I'm hoping to put some time in at the allotment tomorrow so I hope the weather is going to be fine but a little cooler.

16 comments:

  1. Lovely photos. I've driven through Grassington lots of times but never actually had a walk round it - will have to put that on the to-do list.

    Looks like you all had a nice time at Bolton Abbey too, including Archie. He probably thought he was doing you a favour, shaking the water off near you to try and cool you down!

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  2. Oh we love Grassington. Have you ever been to the Christmas Weekend that they do? It's pretty amazing!
    We've had a few good trips to Bolton Abbey too. There's nothing quite like a dog and a river, is there?
    Lovely photos ... I want to go back!
    xxx

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  3. Archie looked like he enjoyed the paddle! Loved the doggie stiles, very cute and perfectly Archie sized!

    I know how you feel about the end of your staycation...Andy and I are now back in our routine and I'd much rather be off in leisure every morning rather than dropping him off at work everyday at 7am!

    Glad you all had fun though.
    Good luck for your son's exams too! x

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  4. Looks a great day out! Days out feel like you're on holiday anyway i think - you can pack a lot in.
    Love the bags!
    Archie is adorable, love the photo where he's shaking off the water!
    Thanks for your comment - not a great deal been going on here either apart fomr few intense hours every afternoon which is better than nothing I guess!
    We're off to a French market and fun day thingy this morning with grandparents - Bella never works before mid afternoon so we've had mornings off here!
    Good luck to Daniel for next week!
    Gill xx

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  5. What a fab day out you had. The weather has certainly got a lot better hasn't it. I've bought a couple of bags from that company online as Christmas presents!
    A paddle is a great way for all to cool off!
    Lisa x

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  6. Grassington looks really pretty. I'm glad the weathers been dry for you, even if a little too hot. I love the photo of the crayfish. :)

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  7. First time I've seen your blog, and I love it! It's fun to read & very entertaining.

    I'll be back!

    Marilyn

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  8. Looks like you had a lovely day out! Liking the bag...you can never have too many bags in my opinion! Cx

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  9. Another great day out for you all! I love the bags,

    Victoria xx

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  10. I love your new bags. Well you have had a very good week of days out. Sad it's all back to normal tomorrow.

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  11. I like the look of Grassington, put that one on the list. Bolton abbey is nice, you could walk for hours and the scenery is pretty. I noticed in your previous post Knaresborough, we have yet to go there and have heard it is nice. There is so much to see around here we are lucky.

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  12. I've really enjoyed these last few posts and terrific photos.
    The ones of Archie, and the comments about him, make me smile.
    It's great to have such wonderful places to visit on our doorsteps. Flighty xx

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  13. Beautiful scenery, so lush and green!

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  14. Just catching up - You have been busy!! Love all of the places you have been to . I haven't been to Roundhay Park for a few years - i'll have to pop back this summer. xxxxx

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  15. Great pics :0)
    I remember visiting Grassington when we lived in York - it's v.pretty.
    I'd love to know more about your allotment - you'll have to give me some tips some things for Violet and I to grow in the garden (fave varieties etc).

    Jill x

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  16. Thank you for all your lovely comments, they really do make my day.

    Kathy - Yes, we've been to the Dickensian Christmas Festival before, it's a lovely day out, though rather cold the day that we went. I always keep Archie on his lead when we're near water otherwise he'd be off.

    Kay - It doesn't take long to get back in to the swing of things, does it? Thank you for your good luck wishes for Daniel. He's had a history exam today and he's now only got one exam left this week, one next week and one the week after.

    Merillion - Thank you for visiting, and glad that you've enjoyed reading my blog. Hope to see you back again.

    Gail - I think we're very lucky living where we do, as you say, there is so much to see and do. Knaresborough is lovely, definitely worth a visit.

    Mrs Bok - I don't think you can beat the Yorkshire Dales for scenery, it's fantastic. I shall have a cottage nestled in one of the pretty little villages when I win the lottery.

    Diane - Don't forget to pop in to have a look at the Chelsea gardens if you do visit Roundhay Park this year, definitely worth a visit, and this year's Chelsea garden is going to be installed there too, though I don't know when.

    Jill - I have another blog, The Good Life (link in my sidebar) which is all about my allotment. The first thing I would get for Violet to grow are strawberries. There's nothing that little fingers like better than picking a lovely ripe red fruit and popping in straight in the mouth. Another thing I would suggest is courgettes, once they get going the fruits literally swell overnight and one plant produces loads. Violet will love seeing them grow. I think it's important for children to have something quick growing otherwise they tend to lose interest.

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