Lowther Castle Gardens - A Great Project

Yesterday I paid a short visit to Lowther Castle near Penrith, Cumbria, between the Lake District and the Eden Valley. Lowther is like a fairy tale castle set in magnificent parkland in the valley of the River Lowther, a tributary of the Eden. Sadly though, it has been in ruins for decades. The financial impact of the extravagant lifestyle of the Lowther lords led to its closure and substantial dismantling in the mid-20th century, not helped by being taken over by a tank regiment during WW2.

Now managed by a charitable foundation (distinct from the Lowther Estates) a major regeneration project has been in progress since 2012.

The courtyard looks very different from three years ago, and this weekend is the location for a plant fair. After looking at the stalls, browsing around the shop in the old stable block, and downing a cup of tea in the splendid new cafe I didn't have time to explore much further, but am planning to return.

On another visit, which I intend to be very soon, I must look at the work going on to re-create the garden areas. This is an enormous venture and will take years, with hard graft and many thousands of plants. However, Lowther Castle deserves to have its gardens restored to match the beauty of its location.

The Yorkshire Dales and a 3D Map

Earlier this month I mentioned visiting Skipton Castle. We went around it on New Year's Day before staying overnight in the town.

We used to know Skipton fairly well in younger years but had not been in the town for quite a number of years as the main A59 and A65 roads bypass it and we always seem to have been on the way to somewhere else.

Skipton is an excellent point from which to explore the Yorkshire Dales, especially Airedale and Wharfedale. Spots by the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey and Burnsall are especially popular and deservedly so.

This is beautiful countryside which, although now living further away, we have been fortunate to be able enjoy quite conveniently for most our lives. (The photo above was taken in 1979). However, many people find it quite difficult to picture how the various river valleys relate to one another in the Yorkshire Dales landscape.

One answer to this had been found by the owner of the B&B hotel at which we stayed this time. In the hallway was a map of the Dales but instead of a flat map on paper it was made of a moulded plastic composition showing the hills and valleys in three dimensions.

The lady said that this Yorkshire Dales 3D map was very helpful in explaining the shape of the countryside to her guests. I can truthfully say also that, although I know the area quite well, there some points that I picked up that I'd never noticed from even the best of normal contour maps.

One of these would make a great memento of a visit to the Dales, maybe instead of an artists's print to hang on a wall.

Yorkshire Dales 3d raised relief map

Skipton Castle

Skipton is a small town in the Yorkshire Dales and home to possibly the best preserved medieval fortress in the North of England. In the 17th century after servere damage from its "slighting" following the Civil War its then owner and occupant, Lady Anne Clifford, the Countess of Pembroke, had it very thoroughly repaired. Cromwell was not enthusiastic about this but Lady Anne was a tough character and got her way, although one condition was that the roof had to be weaker than before so as not to take the weight of cannon.

She also restored her castles further north in Westmorland - in Brougham, Brough, Appleby and Mallerstang (Pendragon) - although with the exception of Appleby these fell into ruin again in later centuries.

Skipton Castle has survived exceptionally well. After being bought in the 1950s by a family with long business connections to Skipton many needed repairs were carried out, and today while the later Tudor section is a private home the medieval castle is open to visitors - with a fully intact roof so that even on a damp day one can wander round the rooms at leisure, guide book in hand.

Visitors to the Yorkshire Dales, on days when not out walking in the splendid nearby Ribblesdale, Airedale and Wharfedale countryside, are well advised to take some time out to visit Skipton Castle.

Alfred Wainwright and His Lake District Guides

Today's "Quick Note" is about a site that I've just launched about Alfred Wainwright and his Guides to the Lake District fells, the product of several decades of walking the high places of Lakeland.

At its heart it is very small, just a single page, although as time goes on its associated blog will build up more interesting content about both Wainwright himself and his Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells.

Today it is the core page that we're concerned with, listing most of his Lake District related works plus a number of biographical titles and a selection of DVDs. As for the Guides themselves we list reprints of the original editions for their 50th anniversary, and also the 2nd Revised Edition which updates details of the routes whilst keeping the basic format.

So here it is: WainwrightGuides.co.uk

You can buy single volumes or boxed sets (three different types of boxed set). I hope you enjoy it.

2013 Great Yorkshire Show - Day 1

 

The Great Yorkshire Show is now in full swing, and the weather's fantastic. What a difference from last year!

"Follow the Great Yorkshire Show throughout the day with live reports, pictures and results. ..."

Read more and see photos here

Threatened bird benefits from careful conservation

It was good to read today that the increasingly rare bird, the Ring Ouzel, is making something of a comeback on the North York Moors as a result of careful conservation work.

In a National Park that wants to attract more visitors it is not always easy to balance this with conservation work. As in so much of life when one objective clashes with another it takes a combination of skill and wisdom to achieve the requisite balance.

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"A Lake District Grand Tour" - A great read!

‘A Lake District Grand Tour‘: Pedalling Through Lakeland: The Challenge, The History, The Wildlife, The Scones’.

Mike Carden's new book is a great entertaining read as well as introducing us to many places of the Lake District both on the well-worn paths and well away from them.

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