Tripping through the Bluebells

I'm so glad the weatherman was off the mark today. Rain, heavy at times, was the forecast, but when I left Harrogate in the morning the gray sky was beginning to brighten. Though we only saw the barest hint of blue sky, we escaped precipitation on our hike today. We hiked through a carpet of bluebells covering the floor of Middleton Wood near Ilkley. I had looked forward to this walk with much anticipation, but the profusion of flowers and the depth of their color took my breath away. Their beauty was astonishing. I, and a few other hikers, mesmerized by the spectacle in the woods, held up the progress of the hike while we took one photo after another at every bend of the trail. When once I put my camera away the trail began to get quite muddy. With only about two more yards of muddy path to go, I lost my footing and fell onto one knee. No harm done -- my only worry was whether I would be allowed admittance into the pub at lunchtime with my muddied jeans. After we emerged from the woods and left the muddy path, we were hiking on Ilkley moor with a panoramic view of the picturesque little town. We passed fields populated by frisky shire ponies as we wended our way over the moorland. At one point we came to "Mount Calvary" -- a religious sanctuary created by the Passionist Fathers in the early 20th century. At Mount Calvary, one passes through an ornately carved wooden door set into a stone wall. The door opens onto a pathway lined with carved stone plinths representing the Stations of the Cross. It seemed odd to encounter this very Catholic retreat in the heart of Protestant England. Lunchtime today was spent not in a pub but in a trendy little restaurant near the Ilkley town square. This was my first visit to Ilkley and, I hope, not my last.