Barbondale, Yorkshire Dales, Summer
With the summer heat increasing once again, it was time to revisit a favourite of ours: Barbondale.
The last time we hiked around the area was May last year (2020). One year and a month on, tree felling operations in the area are still very much in action. I wonder why a lot of the woodland in the valley is being cut down and replanted? It is quite sad to see.
We decided to slightly extend our usual walk from Barbon village to the valley clearing by following the trail up the gill between Barbon Low and High Fell. This lands you at Bullpot, home to the Red Rose Cave & Pothole Club. There are a myriad of caves and potholes here that give access to the area’s famous Easegill cave system.
My experience of the hike was unfortunately somewhat marred. As the temperatures are rising again, I decided to go hiking in shorts rather than a pair of trousers. This was a mistake as Barbondale was busy with activity from Deer Flies, a few of which decided to persistently attack my calves for that delicious blood fuel.
Lesson learned: don’t wear shorts when hiking in the summer.
Photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my Samyang 35mm f/1.2 lens. Images were 80% made in-camera using a “Nostalgic Negative” recipe, with minor edits later in Lightroom and Affinity Photo.