Yorkshire - Part Six Malham Cove, Linton Falls and Grassington village

Much like Brimham Rocks Malham Cove is a place I have visited previously in 2021 and last year on my visit to Yorkshire.

Again the history and sheer scale of the rocks is not something I see in my local area of the Cotswolds and as someone who just loves huge open spaces of uncluttered nature it is just perfect. 

In 2021 I was so blessed to witness a double rainbow above the cove 

 

In 2021 I did venture to the edge of the cove, which was not easy as the rocks have huge gaps in between and I am not a super fan of heights, although over the years have got alot better.

 

But wow seeing the view stretching out with the lush green fields is just priceless to me. 

So you have an option of different walks, this years walk was just the short one up to the cove, up and back.

Previously I did do the longer walk  over to Janet's Foss Waterfall along the top and round.

 Clouds, big skys wow isn't nature just the best.

 For a sense of scale this guy was at the base of for a fellow rock climber.

Janet's Waterfall was beautiful if not a tad chilly to swim in which some people did. 

I just love the picture of the lamppost against the building with the red postbox in the wall.

Malham Cove is such an impressive place, with just the sheer scale of it. 

I did not personally count how many steps up there were to get to the top, but on the return journey back down a group of school children were doing just that, and not at all out of breath!. 

The gaps in between the huge stones are deceptive though as you do not know just how far down they go. 

I particularly loved this rock, to me it just looked like a dinosaur skeleton. 

Within a barn, there is really interesting information all about the history of the area.  Black and white images are always so much more powerful I think. 

Not far from Malham Cove is Linton Falls, another glorious place to visit.  

Just a short walk from Grassington Village.  I'm sure the river when it has had a lot of rain, would be so impressive to watch and listen to.

I could happily sit and knit and watch the world go by for a long time at a place like this. 

I have always been a huge fan of All Creatures Great and Small, the television show.

Not only from the storyline, but the massive variety of brilliant knitwear that the cast wear.  But the setting the show is filmed in within Yorkshire. 

The village of Grassington is one of the locations. 

The cafe that stopped and had a cuppa also did the most amazing cake. 

 This is the end of my Yorkshire posts, I do hope you enjoyed them.

Yorkshire - Part Four Whitby and Goathland.

 

I had previously visited Whitby back in May 2024 when to say my view of the town was shrouded in mist was no word of a lie!!

So returning to this town, which albeit was quite a drive from Skipton ending up around four and half hour round trip was worth it.

 

 

One of the things Whitby is famous for are the 199 steps.

The Whitby 199 Steps, also known as the Church Stairs, date back to at least 1340, but are believed to be older. Originally made of wood, they were replaced with stone in 1774 and connect the Old Town to St. Mary's Church and the ruins of Whitby Abbey. The steps have been used for various purposes, including a spiritual test of faith for worshippers and a sombre funeral route where pallbearers carried coffins, for which resting benches were installed. The steps also played a role in the Gothic atmosphere that inspired Bram Stoker's novel Dracula

The view from the top at the base of the steps is just so good with the mix of buildings and the sea view.

 But the view from the top was even more impressive!

The Cleveland Way is a route that covers 109 mile route within Yorkshire, taking in both coastland, moorland and several castles. 

 

Much has been written about St Marys church which dates back to 1110.  A fascinating church and not like one I have ever been in before.

As you walked up the 199 steps to get to the church I had noticed what I thought were "sensibly" placed seats as you went up.  In fact the seats were for the coffin bearers to be able to rest the coffins as they carried them up the hill.  In contrast there is a path that runs parallel to the steps where the more wealthy families could use a horse and cart to take the coffin up the steep incline.
 

Many of the gravestones were extremely weathered over the year's but some of the elaborate ones were still very visible to see. 

I always light a candle and say a prayer for my Dad whenever I go into any religious building just to say to him he is always in my thoughts. 

When my Son was very young I remember seeing this verse and although I am not religious, I do love the sentiment of it.

Again much like Bolton Abbey, there are sure to many many images of the Abbey, but for memory sake it is lovely to have your own images.

After lovely fish and chips it was nice to have a walk and see the view from a different angle of the church and the Abbey.

However it was not quite so good to get back to the van which had been parked under a lampost and have the many seagulls appreciation for the van!!

For people in the UK who enjoyed watching (and still can watch) the gentle drama of Heartbeat, first aired in 1992 running for 18 years with 372 episodes.  The programme was set in the sixties with the central location being Goathland but the fictional name used of Aidensfield.

I loved the show and to see it in real life was just great. 

Yorkshire - Part Five Brimham Rocks National Trust

I have been lucky enough to visit Brimham Rocks a few years ago and remebered what a magical place it is.

The views on a clear day are just outstanding.  This was not quite the case for this years visit, but that did in no way distract from the absolute magic and amazement of the area.

This is an extract from the National Trust website.  To appreciate the incredible amount of years these rocks have been here is just mind blowing!!

The natural spectacle of Brimham Rocks, with its giant rock formations, was created by an immense river 100 million years before the first dinosaurs walked the earth, and a visit to this amazing landscape is truly a journey into pre-history.

The rocks, sculpted by 320 million years of movement of entire continents as well as hundreds of thousands of years of ice, rain and wind, have taken on weird and wonderful shapes and with a little imagination, they resemble familiar creatures.  Visitors are free to explore the site, spotting the Dancing Bear, the Gorilla, the Eagle and the Turtle, whilst the more nimble can crawl through the Smartie Tube and balance on the Rocking Stones.

Some of the most iconic rock formations can be viewed only 10 minutes’ walk from the car park, and it takes around four hours to explore all of this fascinating site, with its enduring landscape and carefully managed environment.

Brimham Rocks and its heather moorland are both Sites of Special Scientific Interest and are a magnet for geologists, naturalists, climbers and walkers, as well as families who love the freedom to explore this amazing place.

My new found other fascination is the fact that you can use your phone to scan an object, such as the mushrooms below and it gives you a huge amount of information all about them!

I have always found geology interesting and now I can add a love of mushroom appreciation to my list of things I love about being outdoors and discovering places.