Tuesday 30 July 2013

My Yorkshire Holiday - Part V

The visit to Pateley Bridge had been a lovely day, but I wanted to do more walking the next day. Before I arrived, my sister-in-law had kindly collected a bunch of leaflets and brochures for me, so that I could choose my activities for the week. One of the leaflets was from the Ripon Civic Society, describing a walk named the Monks Walk.

Every year when I come back to Ripon, I make sure to fit in a walk to Fountains Abbey. Last year in May, I described that day out in three posts, starting here. I know the route well enough now not to need a map anymore, but the Monks Walk took a different approach on paths I'd never walked on before, and so I decided I was going to do that on the Thursday of my week in Ripon.

The walk starts from the market square and leads along the river for a while. It was cool and shady there:
The leaflet describes the walk well; there is room for error only in one spot, where I followed the geography I had in my mind, knowing the general direction where I knew Fountains Abbey was, and with the option of simply retracing my steps a little and using my familiar route. The description at that bit said to take the left fork of the path - but the path kept meeting many different paths, criss-crossing each other between fields and meadows, and not just one clear fork.
I did end up at the right place, though, near Hell Wath, and from there on, the description was once again unmistakably clear.
It was the hottest day of that week, sunny and bright, and walking through woodland was welcome. I did not meet a soul until I reached the entrance gate to the Fountains Abbey grounds, where I came across a young couple carrying a picknick basket and later a group of girls resting in the shade. Following their example, I sat under a tree and had my own little picknick before I walked on.
This part of the grounds is called "Valley of the Seven Bridges", and it is as romantic as it sounds. What is normally a shallow river was now almost completely dry - I'd never seen it that way before! 

The Monks Walk led back along the long, straight road between Studley Royal / Fountains Abbey and Ripon, but left that road at a certain point to go across the grass and to a gate in the wall.
I'd never walked there before, and liked the different approach to the small village of Studley Roger.
The rest of the walk back into Ripon was the one I know well.
Combining this walk with walking from Littlethorpe (where my sil lives and where I was staying all week) into Ripon, and later back from Ripon to Littlethorpe, once again I walked for about 10 miles that day, and enjoyed every minute of it.

15 comments:

  1. You've just brought home to me something which is just a statement of the glaringly obvious but just hadn't occurred to me before: how completely different is the experience of walking in the English lowland countryside and the hill country of England and almost anywhere in Scotland. When CJ and I go for walks now neither of us can walk long distances nor walk quickly (for different reasons) and our walks together tend to be nature study rambles (with CJ the teacher). It's a long time since I did the sort of walk that you have just described and, until, now I'd forgotten how much I miss not being able to do that any more.

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    1. was thinking the same GB - very different to NZ too, and those distances are too far now....

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    2. At some stage in my life I guess I'll reach the point where I can't walk as long and far as that anymore, too; but until then, I am truly happy and grateful for the chance to walk in such beautiful places.

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    3. I'm just so glad you make the most of it and take us with you, Meike. Like GB I regret not being able to walk far or quickly any more but an even bigger regret is that I didn't do more while I had the chance. And walking as you do will help you keep fit and active longer, of course.

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    4. That I can take my friends from blogland with me on those walks increases the pleasure, John.
      While I do enjoy walking on my own in real life (or with just one other person, and a maximum of maybe three others), I very much love sharing my walks on here.

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  2. Very different from walks through the bayous and swamps around here; thank you for sharing these adventures.

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    1. It is what I love about blogging, I get to see glimpses of such different parts of the world and different lives to my own.

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  3. That's an enchanting, varied walk. I'd love to do it myself someday, particularly in hot weather. really must get back to that part of the world!!

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    1. I can really recommend it, Jenny. On my own, I would not have thought of walking past Whitcliffe to Fountains Abbey, and this route is just so much nicer.

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  4. Oh, it looks delightful. I love to walk in woodland or shady areas. And English countryside is so different from Ohio where we walk in areas set aside just for walking rather than having all the paths between small towns and to landmarks. I like being able to see this through your photos.

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    1. To me, walking is as much about getting from A to B as it is for the actual walking itself; I also like to "just walk" (or run), but if a walk leads somewhere nice and back, all the better!

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  5. Replies
    1. ...of gorgeous places in gorgeous weather, Frances!

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  6. Looks like a lovely and varied walk - thanks for taking us along :) In "real life" it would be too long for me as well. I've been to Fountains Abbey once in the past - back in the 1970s. (I probably mentioned that last year) But then we came by car and just walked around among the ruins.

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    1. This time, I did not walk to the part of the grounds where the ruins are. It would have taken me too long, and I did not really know how much time I would need to walk back. My sil had booked a table for us at a restaurant that night, and I needed enough time at home for a quick wash and chance of outfit.

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