Hello all,
I'm half way through scanning up a whole load of slides taken many years
ago (Leica M3, SL2Mot, Rollei SL2000F, Voigtländer VSL-3E, can't
remember which was which any more)and I'd like to share a few more of
them with you all.
Not quite as gentle and rolling as Grahams (GEEBEE) wonderful
countryside shots of Northamptonshire, Swaledale is still wild.
Although the area was occupied by the Brigantes, Romans and, later, the
Viking settlers it has never really been tamed and , apart from the
valley floor makes for a rough life for the local farmers.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/Yorkshire
A few explanations, the Yorkshire Dales start in the North with
Swaledale (some say Teesdale but I'll stick to the Swale) followed by
Wensleydale (aka Uredale or Yoredale), Nidderdale, Wharfedale, Airedale
and Calderdale.
At school this was always SUNWAC, Swale-Ure-Nidd-Wharfe-Aire-Calder.
Swaledale is my favourite for many reasons, it's the wildest and rawest
,the least overrun, and has the best stretches for walking or hiking. It
has great disadvantages too - very little public transport and the pubs
are too far apart at the top end of the dale.
As an amateur industrial archaeologist it's also my favourite for the
lead mining ruins - even though mining closed down over 100 years ago
the devastation in some parts cannot be overseen (Old Gang and
Gunnerside Gill).
Swaledale has the epitome of a Norman castle keep at Richmond, and is
also famous for Miss I'anson "The lass of Richmond Hill"
A legend says that King Arthur and his Knights sleep beneath the castle,
and can be woken by a drum, to be found at the entrance to their cave,
when England is in peril.
The pictures of Crackpot Hall are along part of the long distance walks
"Coast to Coast" and the "Pennine Way". It has nothing to do with people
having to be crazy to live ther, it was named after a pothole or cave
close by which was opened up and used as one of the shafts into the
Beldi Hill mines. The ruin of the farmhouse was caused primarily by
subsidence but vandalism played a part too.
Old Gang is one of the best preserved smelt mill ruins, Surrender mill
with complex flue systems is just a little further down the valley.
Until quite recently the spoil heaps were picked over quite profitably
for barytes(heavy spar - used for baryte meal) and fluorspar for
metallurgy and glass-making.
Today the dale relies for its living on cottage industries (woolens,
cheeseand preserves making, lots of sheep and some cattle and an
increasing emphasis on tourism (walking, riding and trout fishing - fly
fishing only!!)
Hope you like them
cheers
Douglas
