Bolton Abbey

When we lived in England we were constantly seeing new-to-us beautiful places, and I was constantly taking 200 pictures of said beautiful places; thus, I have a lot of pictures I never had time to review and pick out my favorites.  These were taken on a day out in the Yorkshire Dales near Skipton in February 2016.

It was the half-term break from school, and we went to Billy Bob's Parlour for authentic American cuisine with some good friends.  It is THE place for pancakes and bacon with maple syrup, there are great play areas for kids, and the views are incredible.

These sheep look really different from other breeds in North Yorkshire to me, but I can't figure out which breed they are.  Maybe it's just all the hair on their heads that's making it hard to tell.

We always combined our trips to Billy Bob's with a walk around Bolton Abbey.  It's close by, and on this day in particular I couldn't get over how stunning the location is and mentally applauded those that chose this location for building a priory back in 1154.  Can you just imagine the quiet, beautiful, sheltered life this would have been?  

I thought 2016 J and E were doing some Ninjago Spinjitzu moves here, but they just informed me they were playing at secret agents who had to make it up the hill by sundown.

Ever-changing skies are a constant in North Yorkshire.  Very often in the winter it would be grey all day and then turn absolutely glorious just in time for the sun to set.

As you can see from the view from above, my secret agents are making it up the hill.

They made it!  And then we went back down again.

These walks always brought me a lot of joy, and the drive home wasn't bad either.

Two Waterfalls

When you have a lot to do it seems natural to procrastinate over pictures a little bit, right?  Right.

My parents arrived off their overnight flight, and we set off on an outing almost immediately.  Cool air and waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales are a good remedy for lack of sleep.  It had rained most of the previous day, so Cauldron Falls in the village of West Burton was living well up to its name.

With my injured foot I couldn't walk on uneven ground, but there is a small car park here and a path to the waterfall, so it is easily accessible even when you're not in the best of health.  It's a quiet village, and the kids enjoyed a little play while my dad took pictures around the waterfall.  

K.J. did his research beforehand and took us to Hardraw Force located in the little hamlet of Hardraw.  It's the longest single-drop falls in England, and the fall color made it especially beautiful.  Make sure you wear your wellies.

There's also a beautiful church and a 13th century inn, The Green Dragon, near the entrance to this privately-owned waterfall.  It's just a short walk up a path to the falls.

It's a great place to visit if you find yourself in the Yorkshire Dales.

Over the Hills

One of the major perks of living in Boroughbridge is that a 30-minute drive lands you in some of the most beautiful countryside in the...world?  Maybe.

The best days are when rain and sun are so intermingled that the hills are full of rainbows.

When the sun isn't a dependable friend, it makes the shining all the more glorious.

Chasing Waterfalls

The last day we had with my parents we went driving into the Yorkshire Dales again, hoping to avoid rain.  My dad loves to photograph waterfalls, so KJ had done some research (of course!) and had a route planned.  Our first stop included this sheep who was very worked up about something.

Our boots were sinking deep into the muck of two weeks of rain in that grass.

One of my favorite assignments to give Ella that she enjoys as well, is to send her on a photo scavenger hunt.  I made a list of things for her to look for on our journey.  I think she's capturing a newly formed stream running through the grass toward the river.

My mom and I love all that green, green moss.

After walking around a bit we drove to Burnsall, which KJ told us was supposed to be one of the most picturesque villages in the Dales.  It really couldn't be more nicely situated if it tried.

There was a bit of snow and a lot of mist on the hilltops.

I loved the naked trees in the mist on the horizon.  They're so very winter-y.

We ate our sandwiches at the top of the hill overlooking the village, listening to the sound of the schoolchildren playing in the yard below.  It would be such a nice, quiet place to live.  Can you imagine that being your view everyday?

It was also a nice place to eat your cookies B.P. bought at the bakery that morning.

The village store was closed.  I didn't notice last year how quiet and closed a lot of things are around here in January.  It makes complete sense.  I guess we just didn't try to go anywhere last January!

As we continued our drive further up and further in the clouds cleared, and we saw the sun.  It's so amazing what a difference the light makes on a landscape!  The Dales are beautiful in the mist, but they are breathtaking when the sun shines on them.  I was hanging out the window snapping pictures. Below you'll see my dream house.  I'll try not to think about how cold it probably is in winter.

Our final stop was in Wensleydale, which in these photos just looks wild and otherworldly to me. One fun thing about this stop was that we'd been there almost a year previously when Matt and Seth came to visit.  They were our first visitors, and it was fun to see something familiar.

This was probably the moment I wondered to myself why we didn't make this drive more often.  It's just so incredibly beautiful!

Just look at that place.

We rushed home in the sunshine to get Ella back in time for her ballet class, passing Castle Bolton on the way.  Someday we'll make it inside there.  I always take a good look around when we pass it and think about how these are the views Mary, Queen of Scots had during her imprisonment there. We love this land of long ago history.