Today in the Dales

Semerwater
Here's a long exposure picture of Semerwater in the Yorkshire Dales. me and my old mate John went on a short camera and whisky road trip to the Dales. We even managed seem photography! The long exposure gives the water a smoother appearance.

We’re  basking in a Yorkshire summer: a mixture of thunderstorms, heavy rain and the occasional sunny spell to keep the spirits up. Today we had a trip to the Ribblehead viaduct, on the Settle to Carlisle railway. The viaduct was built between 1870 and 1875 and it’s a testimony to the people that designed and built it. My pictures don’t do justice to how graceful and well built it is. I can only admire the skill and labour of the people that put it there.

Here are a few of the photographs I took today.


Here’s a picture of the  viaduct. The piers are of stone and the arches are brick, built with a stone face. The whole viaduct flows in a graceful curve. It looks effortless, but designing and building it must have been challenging. What really strikes me is that it’s a marvel of Victorian engineering and industrialisation, yet it fits perfectly into the landscape.


Here’s one of the regular passenger services that runs on the Settle to Carlisle line. In 1983, British Rail threatened to close the line, claiming it was uneconomical, and in danger of collapse. A group was formed to successfully fight the closure. The line now runs several passenger trains a day, regular freight runs and steam hauled trains. The viaduct is a Grade 2 listed building and the ground below it is a scheduled ancient monument because of its prehistoric field system. It was a cloudy day, and if you look closely you can see a full hazy sun in the background.


I couldn’t resist this picture of one of the local residents. She stood in front of us and posed for several minutes.

1 Response

  1. Jane Hutchinson says:

    Getting worried Dave that’s two pictures of sheep, at least it had a face this time. Weather the same here. Carry on enjoying.

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