Coldstones Cut & Almscliffe Crag, North Yorkshire, Spring
Yorkshire's a beautiful county, isn't it?
Living in Kendal as we do, we enjoy closer access to the Yorkshire Dales, an area in North Yorkshire we love dearly. But there's plenty more outside of the Dales.
Pateley Bridge, where we stayed at recently, is situated in the Nidderdale AONB, which lies outside of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It's a stunning area in its own right. A 10-minute drive west of Pateley Bridge takes you up onto the moorland where can visit the incredible Coldstones Cut construction.
Further south of Pateley Bridge, near North Rigton, one can find the impressive Almscliffe Crag, a cap of millstone crags and rock formations sitting on top of a small hill. It's popular with rock climbers and boulderers, not to mention a walker's paradise.
On this particular occasion, we visited both areas on a beautiful yet hazy spring day.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my three prime lenses: a Fujinon 23mm f/2.0, a Laowa 9mm f/2.8, and an adapted Pentax SMC 55mm f/2.0. Images made 80% in-camera using the Astia film simulation, then finished off in Lightroom and Affinity Photo.
Coldstones Cut
The entrance to Coldstones Cut, 400m above sea level.
Looking back down the "street" entrance of Coldstones Cut, the sun beaming right at us. Lisabet decided to go full Instagram Mode.
A 5-shot panorama of the view from one of the many view areas at Coldstones Cut. The construction overlooks the imposing Coldstones Quarry, the last remaining quarry in the area that was once dominated by a multitude of limestone quarries. It's estimated the quarry has 15-20 years of productivity left, after which it will be left to green over and return to nature.
Beneath Coldstones Cut and its quarry one can find the ruins of Toft Gate lime kiln. Limestone dug from the hill above was heated by fires in the kiln to produce quicklime for local agriculture through the 19th Century.
Almscliffe Crag
After exploring Coldstones Cut and appreciating the art and views, we ventured south near North Rigton. Here one can enjoy quick access to the imposing Almscliffe Crag.
Though not that busy, and certainly not in Lake District terms, there were still plenty of people milling around the crags. Mostly rock climbers.
Crags and rock formations like these inspire me to whip out my 9mm ultra-wide lens for some unusual and fantastical compositions.
As the crag is made of harder millstone rock, the hill it sits on is isolated from the rest of the land. This helps offer extensive and panoramic views, no matter where on the crags you are.
I appreciated the grit and determination of these rock climbers. I certainly couldn't do it.
Leading lines, curves, and textures ahoy. My happy place.
Lisabet and I clambered around the various nooks and crannies in between the crags, finding interesting views and compositions to photo.
I enjoy getting into precarious situations for those "hard to find" compositions and views.
I shot this primarily for the way the rocks seem to point at the road, which then zigzags off into the distance.
Directly beneath the crag that marks the highest point of the hill.
On the top, the crags have been smoothed out by millennia of erosion from wind and rain.
People cherishing the experience and moment in their own way from the top of Almscliffe Crag.
It's all starting to look beautifully verdant.
A couple and their pooch enjoy the summit views that stretch out for miles and miles.