Middlesmoor stone church, Nidderdale Valley.

 

Fountains Abbey, Studley Park &

The Nidderdale Way,

North Yorkshire

16th - 18th September 2011

[3]

 

   Brimham Rocks, North Yorkshire.
Middlesmoor is a quaint little village situated on the hillside above the junction of two valleys, many of the homes constructed of stone. The local church seems perched almost on the edge of the hillside. The place name was first mentioned in the 12th century. It probably means "moorland in the middle of two streams" referring to the River Nidd and its tributary How Stean Beck. From here we followed the road the wound it's way down the hillside. Taking a path leading off to the right across farmland, a single strand of electric fence separating us and a herd of rather large cows somewhat annoyed at our presence, we continued on to another road which took us down to How Stean Gorge, officially a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a spectacular natural attraction. This steep sided chasm is almost 1 km in length and up to 20 metres (80ft) deep. It contains a maze of footpaths, caves and potholes which have been hollowed out of the limestone rock by the constant water flow over thousands of years and has been developed as a centre for outdoor adventure activities. This has led to the construction of a new Via Ferrata course - an aerial network of beams, ladders and cables - one of only two in England. Though entrance to the gorge costs only £5.75, for access to any of its activities such as the Via Ferrata, rock climbing, caving or canoeing, the price rises steeply to £50. Judging by the number of visitors that day, the price did not seem to act as a deterrent. Crossing the bridge over How Stean Gorge, we continued a short distance until we reached another across the River Nidd, just outside the town of Lofthouse, from where we had started our walk.
 

Scar House Reservoir wall, Nidderdale Valley.

 

Along the Nidderdale Way leaving Scar House Reservoir. View west towards the top end of the reservoir, with Dead Man's Hill to the rear.

 

View east towards The Edge, along the Nidderdale Way leaving Scar House Reservoir (left out of picture).

 

 

Middlesmoor stone houses and church.

 

View south from Middlesmoor in the direction of Gouthwaite Reservoir.

 

 

 

The delightful town of Middlesmoor, with its quaint stone dwellings and lanes.

 

View south from Inn Moor Lane, Middlesmoor, towards Gouthwaite Reservoir.

 

View across How Stean Beck towards Hard Gap Lane (track).

 

Bridge across How Stean Gorge.

 

How Stean Gorge outdoor activities.

 

View towards Middlesmoor Church from How Stean Gorge.

 

Crossing the River Nidd near Lofthouse, at the tail end of the day's walk.

 
With an hour or two of daylight still available to us, we drove a quarter of an hour or more to Summerbridge. The Brimham Rocks are balancing rock formations located on Brimham Moor in North Yorkshire, England. The rocks stand at a height of nearly 30 metres in an area owned by the National Trust which is part of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are many variations of rock formations, caused by the Millstone Grit being eroded by water, glaciation and wind, most of which have achieved amazing shapes. Many of the formations have been named, though some imagination is required and the correct viewing angle is helpful. Examples are The Sphinx, The Watchdog, The Camel, The Turtle and The Dancing Bear. Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills. It is a truly extraordinary place and a source of adventure for any family with kids.

It had elected not to join the group who had booked for the Grantley Arms for the Saturday evening. Instead, I had asked Chris and Philippe, who were heading into Ripon to find food for the evening which they would cook in the cottage kitchen, to see if they could purchase a tub of soup. This suited me fine as an evening meal. The remaining group returned later from the restaurant and amused us with a rundown on events at the dinner table. If I am to believe what I was told, it seemed that one or two conversations had turned somewhat feisty, engaging even the same Latvian waitress, with Maeve claiming to step in an attempt to prevent Tim starting World War III, as she put it.

 

Brimham Rocks, a National Trust site.

 

 

View south from Brimham Rocks towards RAF Menwith Hill, with its extensive satellite ground station.

 

 

The nooks and crannies of Brimham Rocks, visible in the late afternoon sunshine.

 

 

 

 

 

The unique shapes of Brimham Gritsone rocks, North Yorkshire, weathered by water, glaciation and wind.

 

 

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