ambling

Still felt lovely and late-Summery this weekend - Autumn dragging her heels

This October weekend our first stop was the lovely Wortley Hall Gardens - looking a bit in need of TLC just now but seems from this newsletter that the Friends of Wortley Hall Gardens are working hard to remedy this.

Loved this close up of the bark on the above tree - absolutely stunning patterns

and more elegant wrought iron gates at this once-grand entrance.

sunlight playing through the trees

and across the ha-ha

But we were soon off for ice creams at Our Cow Molly in Dungworth, followed by a pint at the Old Horns in Bradfield

and a jaunt round the cemetery of the ancient St Nicholas Church - beautiful in the low evening sun.

Saturday saw us all at the ever wonderful Yorkshire Sculpture Park with a gentle rolling mist across the hills

followed by a great meal at the Milestone in Kelham Island then home for film and cake - The World's Fastest Indian - such a beautiful film and full of heart!

Then Sunday afternoon it was just us two and a stroll into Greno Woods - just amazed that the blue skies were holding out!!

and it was warm enough to shed those jackets

We soon emerge from the trees to the top of the world, at St Helena - the city spread at our feet

Beautiful big skies

in all directions

Then a stroll back through Grenoside

and the village green

Bunting still up from the Tour De France glory days - and why not!  Remember that wonderful Tour de Yorkshire weekend in Grenoside . . .

Happy times - great company

on the edge

Great to get in another hike from the first ever Sheffield Walking Festival.  Last week it was Kinder and on Sunday we ventured onto Wharncliffe Heath guided by members of the Wharncliffe Heathlands Trust.

So much history in this area - before we'd even reached this tunnel where the Trans Pennine Trail crossed our path, we'd already passed an ancient Mesolithic site that was settled over 6.000 years ago!

 The paths threaded gloriously through the trees as we plodded upwards

passing many a picturesque pond - used for local industry back in the day and firefighters more recently.  Loads of beautiful huge dragonflies coming to look at us.

Fungi abounded - this one in particular apparently sends the cows and sheep on Wharncliffe Chase into a happy hallucinogenic state!  The amanita muscaria I think it must have been?

and finally we reach the striking Wharncliffe Crags - seeing in the distance the steelworks at Stocksbridge - once home to the famous Samuel Fox umbrella frame manufacturers!

We also learn another amazing fact - Wharncliffe Crags is where rock climbing as a sport first started!   Lots of Victorians used to flock to the Crags in the summer to take the air, high above the pollution of the Don Valley with its steel mills.

The purple heather is just about coming to an end at this time of year, but the landscape was still stunning.  And hidden amongst this scrub are the remains of the Iron Age quern factories.  I remember in 1996 there was a huge fire on this heath and loads of the ancient querns were visible scattered all across heath.  More about that here.

and we also learn that the path we are walking along, along the top of the Crags, is the one mentioned in the opening paragraph of Ivanhoe!!  Of course I knew about the nearby Conisborough Castle connections, but not about Wharncliffe!
So here you go - the opening lines

"In that pleasant district of merry England which is watered bythe river Don, there extended in ancient times a large forest,covering the greater part of the beautiful hills and valleyswhich lie between Sheffield and the pleasant town of Doncaster.The remains of this extensive wood are still to be seen at thenoble seats of Wentworth, of Warncliffe Park, and aroundRotherham."

and the whole of Chapter 1 to read here if you are keen - where there is more mention of Wharncliffe - Ivanhoe Chapter One

It was hard to drag my eyes away from the rocky edge of the crags and the magnificent views - such a glorious day too.

but now we ventured across the heath and towards Wharncliffe Chase

stopping to feed the small herd of Shetland sheep grazing the land as part of the management of the Heath.

 then homeward bound - back along the Crags

 with a final wistful look across the hills

And the end of another brilliant walk.  Hoping the Sheffield Walking Festival is repeated next year - been a great chance to learn more about our amazing 'ourdoor' city, get some exercise and meet some lovely people.

And there's a really good website here with all the history of Wharncliffe Heath and Crags, Stocksbridge and District History Society Archive if you want to read more.

To everything

After a walk in the woods on Boxing Day 2013 and inspired by David Hockney's 'A bigger picture' exhibition at the Royal Academy a couple of years before that, I ambitiously decided to do a Hockney style photo montage of each passing season in the same(ish) spots in Greno Woods.  I'd envisaged capturing snowdrops, bluebells, snow, blue skies, grey mists and all that lovely drama we experience up there every year . . . .

This was how it started . . .

Now that amazing spot above can only be viewed from the bottom of the steep sided bomb-hole, so this won't be repeated every month!  It was just to draw you in . . .

So here goes

JaNuArY 2014

 FeBrUaRy 2014

MaRcH 2014

ApRiL 2014
ooo errr - I never got up to the woods in April - probably the best of all David Hockney months too with all the trees budding - trust me .......

MaY 2014
and by now I had totally forgotten about the project as summer holidays and life in general took over!  Despite making loads more hikes up into the woods!  I can see why David H made it and I didn't!! Ha Ha.

So today - Sunday 10 January 2016 - I decided to take some pics to make up.  But although this has turned out to be a winter woodland montage only - I am happy with that cos I love trees in winter.  Bare and gloriously see-through with amazing branches weaving up to the sky and making witch like patterns on the woodland floor.

JaNuAuY 2016

and the joyous moment that still takes my breath away is when we suddenly emerge from the dense woods onto St Helena - with glorious views sweeping miles over to Strines, Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, even the Humber Bridge on a clear day.

 where the wild wind literally takes your breath away!

and the spot we stood at just a few days ago on New Year's Eve watching the whole of Sheffield exploding at midnight.  The sky was velvet deep and clear and the stars so bright with a beautiful half moon to our left.  Spectacular and very special.

 Sheffield city centre down there in the haze

 and over towards Oughtibridge,loving the field patterns and the wiggly stone walls.

 

and my title was in homage to the amazing Pete Seeger who died in February 2014 - so have a listen to his immortal "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

and just spotted this 2009 interview with Pete Seeger talking about how he loves the Byrds version of his beautiful song:

And my full walks from 2014 can be found here, if you've got any stamina left!!
January 2014 - this has some Sword Dancers prancing
February 2014 - this was a misty fungusy sort of day
March 2014 - this has some magnificent trees