A short walk on a bright and breezy afternoon. Perhaps ten or a dozen deer trotted through the woods as I headed away from Wyke – impossible to photograph, just glimpes among the trees

The last few days have been cold, with a biting wind. It didn’t seem much warmer today – but the wind had dropped, making for very pleasant walking conditions. This was just a short “breath of fresh air” walk, but none the worse for it.

I’d intended the walk to be circular – up Ashes Hollow to Pole Bank, returning by Callow Hollow, or possibly the ridge just to the south. But reality wasn’t as good as the forecast – the rain started half-way through lunch, and the clouds looked heavy and threatening. So I set off back down Ashes Hollow (at first down the shorter tributary that starts near Pole Cottage). Halfway down the hollow, the sky cleared and the sun came out again…

I’d seen the ledge path, above the stream on its south side, on the map. Perhaps it would provide a slightly different return route?
– it did. Clearly a made path, but used primarily by four-legged, woolly walkers. Not for the faint-hearted, but an interesting alternative with great views down into the Ashes Hollow.

   

   

   

   

One of those days when the sky seems bigger than usual – must be the height of those huge shower clouds that were drifting about, looking ominous. We managed to miss them all – just a few spots in the wind…