Barbondale, Yorkshire Dales, Summer
With the summer heat increasing once again, it was time to revisit a favourite of ours: Barbondale.
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.
The Churchmouse at Barbon, a lovely little café and cheese shop in Barbon village.
Not bad views if you live in Barbon.
Barbon is proper lovely, and though technically in Cumbria it very much feels like a rural Yorkshire village.
St. Bartholomew’s church. The present structure dates from the early 19th century, located slightly south of an earlier chapel built in the 1600s.
Machinery at rest is now dotted about the area of Barbondale woods. I’m sure there are pertinent reasons to cut down so many trees, but it’s still saddening.
The peak of Barbon Low Fell, set against what remains of Barbondale woods and some summer wildflowers.
The lack of trees in Barbondale has revealed at one thing to me, though: there are a lot of Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) in the valley.
Steadily making our way towards Barbondale head and its clearing.
The view that greets you once you pop out of what’s left of Barbondale woods. The weather was… interesting. It was warm, but with gusts of alternating cold and hot air, interspersed with gentle sprays of rain from a distant cloud burst. You can see the cloud burst above Crag Hill in the distance.
After stopping for lunch by Barbon Beck, we took the trail up the gill between Barbon Low and High Fell, clearly signposted for Bullpot. The deer flies were ravenous.
The views looking back down to Barbondale started to open up as we climbed higher.
A beam of light scans across Barbondale and its highest fell, Calf Top.
Red Rose Cave & Pothole Club at the top of Bullpot, formerly the home of Bullpot Farm. We could’ve continued the hike around the head of this tiny valley to explore Easegill, but the flies had pissed me off enough so we made our way back to the car.
The top of the trail between Bullpot and Barbondale. Damp, fecund, and full of flies.
A curious Swaledale ewe pauses her meal to ensure I’m not a threat.
The road back to Barbon village. High in Barbondale woods to the right, you can spot Barbon Manor.
Arriving back at Barbon village, complete with relief from getting away from all the flies and guilt for letting them annoy me so much.
Barbondale, Yorkshire Dales, Spring
Barbondale holds a special place in our heart.
Barbondale holds a special place in our heart.
Lisabet spent many a time in her childhood playing in this valley with her family. It’s also the place where Lisabet’s grandfather’s ashes were scattered.
Barbondale gets its name, like a lot of Yorkshire Dales valleys, from the river that runs through it: Barbon Beck. In turn, the beck was named after the family that owned the manor and all the surrounding land. There are two theories where the name “Barbon” comes from:
A corruption of “Barbourne”, a parish in Worcestershire, or;
An old French Huguenot family name.
Unfortunately a lot of the woodland in Barbondale has been cut down and replanted, apparently to contain some sort of fungal infection.
All photos shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a 16–50mm f/3.5–5.6 lens using the Classic Chrome film mode.
Rhododendron ponticum, beautiful to look at but unfortunately a rather invasive and overwhelming species. Also apparently toxic to European honeybees.
A hawthorn tree leaning towards the craggy profile of Barbon Low Fell (438 m/1437 ft).
The way to Upper Barbondale, with Crag Hill in the distance (682 m/2,238 ft).
A lone tree with beautifully wispy clouds.
That’s right, another drystone wall means another photo of me tracking its path up the fell.
Upper Barbondale, featuring the precipitous shoulder of Calf Top (610 m/2,000 ft) and the winding road towards Dentdale.
Looking back along the road to Crag Hill and Fell House farm underneath.